The curry leaf sitting on my notepad looked like poison oak and had a pungent, almost industrial smell. Not very appetizing. But this is @robeshman’s @uscannenberg’s Food, Media and Culture class. And the assignment was to taste and describe two foods from the farmers market - and ideally put them in context! So I took a bite. To my rookie palette, the raw leaves tasted grassy with hints of pepper. The finish was tingly on the tongue. (Fun fact: This exotic leaf is used in South Indian cooking and said to have anti-diabetic properties). Next up: Watermelon cucumber. I had great expectations for this grape-size “melon,” but the first bite was hardly fruity. Rather, it released a refreshingly sour, almost lemon-like burst of flavor that dissipated after a few seconds of chewing. (Fun fact: This cool cuke is drought and pest resistant - the perfect SoCal crop). Lesson learned: Food writing is hard and requires intense mindfulness. Practice makes perfect. Until the next meal... #uscfoodclass uscfoodclass . . . . . #tastingfood #foodreviews #foodwriting #describingfood #watermeloncucumber #curryleaf #foodclass #foodtasting #foodie #produce #freshproduce #herbs #farmersmarket #santamonicafarmersmarket #USC #foodjournalism #food #indiancooking #indianfood #mexicancooking #mexicanfood (at Wallis Annenberg Hall, Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism) https://www.instagram.com/p/BnvP-AqhU4g/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1ombp5tuezzss