“What is one way that BiSci has infiltrated your life?”

“Well, one day I wasn’t feeling well so I remembered a lecture from a few weeks ago and took a few drops of my pee and put it in Gatorade and drank it to feel better.”

“That’s wonderful.”

Location Overheard: 100 Thomas Building

If this doesn’t sum up the class, BiSci, then I’m not quite sure would. For those of you who haven’t taken the class (BISC 3: Environmental Science), then I’m sure you’re feeling a bit lost and confused, and for those of you who have taken the class, I’m sure you’re feeling right at home. BiSci 3 was a course that I originally didn’t plan on taking, however, after overhearing a conversation between a guy who had taken the course and was planning to become a TA because of how the course had completely changed his life (I know it seems like all I do is eavesdrop on people’s conversations, but trust me I promise this is not the case), I decided to cram it into my schedule just for fun.

So, I looked into what the course consisted of and pleasantly found that it was taught by Doc and Jen with the goal of uniting environmental issues with one’s self in mind. It is hardly a science class at all but rather more of a philosophical one and was ranked as one of the best GenEds offered here at Penn State. With weekly journal entries, the course focuses on looking within one’s self, thoughts, feelings, and capabilities in an attempt to solve the detrimental practices that we see manifesting today that are harming the environment and Earth. At times, it may seem corny, but all in all, the course has really taught me a lot about myself and how I can learn to utilize my own emotions, agency, and activism to combat the problems of the world.

BiSci has been famously characterized as a “tree-hugger,” “look at the stars,” “hippy-dippy” course, but, honestly the current academic system is so focused on standardized testing that sometimes a class that focuses on learning about yourself rather than cramming outside material that you’ll end up forgetting by the summer is a breath of fresh air.

Anyway, getting back to the conversation featured in this week’s blog post, this is the epitome of BiSci actions. Props to this girl for drinking her own urine in attempts to cure whatever sickness she was feeling that particular day. Urotherapy is actually a legitimate practice that dates back to ancient Rome, Greece, and Egypt where urine was used to treat everything from acne to cancer. It is said that it reintroduce nutrients into the body such as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and especially plant nutrients, however,  this practice should be done in very small quantities.

On the other hand, drinking urine in today’s society really isn’t advised. Urine can introduce bacteria, toxins, and medications into your system that may potentially be detrimental to your health.

All in all, maybe stick to DayQuil and Benadryl if you’re feeling a bit down in the dumps, but I appreciate the enthusiasm of skipping all the way to urine instead.

“Don’t you dare even think about eating that.”

“Wait, why not?”

“I haven’t taken a picture yet!”

“Oh, well then of course not!”

Location Overheard: Playa Bowls

The night before State Patty’s Day and all through State College, students crowded McLanahan’s buying green apparel, lugging cases of liquor, and… açaí bowls? Playa Bowls recently opened a few months ago in State College, and of course the chain that features a variety of açaí, pitaya, coconut bowls and smoothies became immediately popular amongst students.

In case you don’t know what açaí is, it’s a South American palm tree that produces small, edible, blackish-purplish berries which are used to make the açaí base. This palm tree is native to Brazil, Peru, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago. The açaí fruit has actually been a staple in the diets of people within the Amazon river delta area for centuries. However, its exportation hadn’t become popular until the 21st century, right around the time when açaí bowls became the newest trend. Açaí berries are loaded with antioxidants, healthy fats, and fibers, making it a generally healthy food.

So the Friday before St. Patty’s Day, I ventured out towards E. Calder Way to grab myself a a pricy $10 bowl. From the overwhelming list of açaí flavors, I decided on Pacific- Green Bowl, having already tried the Tide- Banana Bowl (FYI I rate the Pacific Bowl 9/10 and the Tide Bowl a 7/10). However, while waiting in line, the girl before me received her very colorful açaí bowl only to be stopped from taking the first bite by her friend who claimed it would “ruin the aesthetic.”

Since when has it become such a necessity to document the food we eat, almost as proof that we were actually at a particular restaurant? Taking photos of our food has become such a determining factor of whether or not we actually ate the meal or visited the five star eatery. It all started with the surge of social networking apps that took to our smartphones that focus on sharing photos. Apps that feature accounts that are run by individuals who can be classified as “foodies” began popping up, especially with the mom-friendly and fan-favorite app, Pinterest. Then, there was a transition to Instagram. In fact, explore pages on the app are full of an overwhelming amount of picturesque meals, coffees, and desserts.

I definitely do not go too overboard with the foodie pictures, however, if I do find myself in a situation where the food on my plate looks more aesthetically pleasing than the average meal, then, well yes, I suppose I will take a picture.

Like when I was in France and had been awake for nearly 36 hours and severely jet lagged, of course my first meal at a crepe shop nestled near the Notre-Dame Cathedral would be featured on the ‘gram.

So, yes, despite the annoying amount of food pictures I scroll through on Instagram, I do understand that sometimes the beauty of açaí, granola, fresh fruit, and coconut flakes is all too much to handle and requires the necessary action of taking a picture to help preserve the artful piece. I, myself, fell victim to documenting the fruit-filled crepe.

Anyway, clearly, discussions regarding taking pictures of food are pretty common in today’s day and age. I hope the girl and her friend at Playa Bowls got a “post worthy” picture because she’s definitely not alone in the act of doing so.  Just take a look at @Overheadla’s recent Twitter post.

@Overheardla | Twitter & Instagram