This edition of MUSE is a collection of writing from across the years—essays, poems, reflections, and creative work that didn’t quite fit into any one theme, but still deserved a home. It’s a mix of old and new, serious and light, personal and political. Together, these pieces tell a story of growth, identity, and the messy beauty of figuring things out along the way. WHATEVER isn’t about apathy—it’s about making room for imperfection, for questions, for change. It’s a little bit of everything, because life is too complex to be just one thing.
Sources
Figs from Türkiye
~ Aflatoxins in food. European Food Safety Authority. https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/topics/topic/aflatoxins-food . Accessed 13 February 2024.
~ Dried Figs: High Freight Costs Curb Demand. June 2022. Chelmer Foods. https://www.chelmerfoods.com/news/dried-figs-high-freight-costs-curb-demand/ . Accessed February 27, 2024.
~ Dried Turkish Figs. Fruits of Türkiye – Dried Fruits and Nuts. https://www.fruitsofTürkiye.com/products/dried-fruits/dried-figs/ . Accessed 13 February 2024.
~ Duggan, Tara. Food / Food for the Gods / The fig: from Adam and Eve to our table. July 29, 2001. SFGate. https://www.sfgate.com/recipes/article/Food-Food-for-the-Gods-The-fig-from-Adam-and-2895252.php . Accessed March 9, 2024.
~ Dupuis, E Melanie. The Milk Question. in Nature’s Perfect Food. New York University Press. 2002. New York, London. Pages 67 – 89.
~ Fig, The Tree of Heaven. N.d. Ayden Calling. https://www.aydincagiriyor.com/en/aydincalling/nature/ancient-trees/fig-the-tree-of-heaven/121 . Accessed March 11, 2024.
~ Fig Trees: From the Sacred to the Strangler. July 27, 2008. PBS: Nature. S24 Ep10: The Queen Of The Trees. https://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/the-queen-of-trees-fig-trees-from-the-sacred-to-the-strangler . Accessed March 9, 2024.
~ Fresh Figs Market Size. July 2023. Global Market Insights. https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/fresh-figs-market . Accessed 27 February 2024.
~ History of Fig. N.d. Turkish Food Gourmet. https://www.turkish-food.com/234-dried-fig . Accessed March 8, 2024.
~ Intriguewriter. Facts about the Uncovererd Ancient Delicacy of Figs Fruit. October 17, 2023. HubPages. https://discover.hubpages.com/food/facts-about-the-uncovererd-ancient-delicacy-of-figs-fruit . Accessed March 9, 2024.
~ Joyce, Tom. Alanar enthused by demand for Turkish figs. 13. September 2022. EuroFruit. https://www.fruitnet.com/eurofruit/alanar-enthused-by-demand-for-turkish-figs/247167.article . Accessed 27 February 2024.
~ Kajjo, Sirwan. Syrian Kurdish Farmers Accuse Türkiye-Backed Militias of Seizing, ~ ~ Taxing Olive Crops. 14 December 2020. Institut Kurde De Paris Foundation. https://www.institutkurde.org/info/syrian-kurdish-farmers-accuse-Türkiye-backed-militias-of-seizing-taxing-oliv-1232551938 . Accessed 2 February 2024.
~ Koclejda , Alexandre and Alexander Reigber. Disaster Law Housing, Land And Property Mapping Project: Türkiye. October 2019. The Shelter and Non-Food Items Cluster, UNHCR.
~ Kumar P, Mahato DK, Kamle M, Mohanta TK, Kang SG. Aflatoxins: A Global Concern for Food Safety, Human Health and Their Management. Front Microbiol. 2017 Jan 17;7:2170. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2016.02170. PMID: 28144235; PMCID: PMC5240007. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5240007 . Accessed 13 February 2024.
~ New EU Maximum Levels for Contaminants in Foods: Aflatoxins, Metals, and More. 8 May 2023. Food Safety Magazine. https://www.food-safety.com/articles/8573-new-eu-maximum-levels-for-contaminants-in-foods-aflatoxins-metals-and-more . Accessed 13 February 2024.
~ Osterlund, Peter. The world’s oldest dessert? April 5, 2022. BBC. https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20220404-the-worlds-oldest-dessert . Accessed March 11, 2024.
~ Sewell, Summer. There were nearly a million black farmers in 1920. Why have they disappeared? 29. April 2019. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/apr/29/why-have-americas-black-farmers-disappeared. Accessed 2 February 2024.
~ TCA Commemorates the Lasting Legacy of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. Turkish Coalition of America. 10 November 2013. https://www.tc-america.org/issues-information/tca-issue-papers/tca-commemorates-the-lasting-legacy-of-mustafa-kemal-ataturk-847.htm. Accessed 1 February 2024.
~ Turkey’s Christian and Other Religious Minorities Face Discrimination and Rights Violations. Minority Rights Group. 28 November 2006. https://minorityrights.org/Türkiyes-christian-and-other-religious-minorities-face-discrimination-and-rights-violations/. Accessed 2 February 2024.
~ Turkish Dried Figs – Processing Stages. 30 June 2012. Issuu. https://issuu.com/samrioglufindik/docs/turkish–dried-figs—-processing-stages . Accessed 13 February 2024.
Image Sources:
Figure 1: https://ladolcevita-in-the-south.com/a-sweet-affair-with-figs/
Figure 2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodhi_Tree
Figure 3: https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20220404-the-worlds-oldest-dessert Figure 4: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Map-of-Türkiye-and-its-areas-of-some-fig-types-or-the-cultivars_fig4_286957174
Figure 5: https://www.fruitsofTürkiye.com/products/dried-fruits/dried-figs/
Figure 6: https://issuu.com/samrioglufindik/docs/turkish–dried-figs—-processing-stages (Slide 6) Figure 7: https://cne.news/article/3126-being-a-turk-and-a-christian-at-the-same-time-you-can-t-do-that-in-Türkiye
Figure 8: https://www.reddit.com/r/MapPorn/comments/lglpf6/ethnic_groups_in_Türkiye/
Figure 9: https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2022/08/kurdish-iraqi-farmer-sprouts-online-advice-green-awareness
Figure 10: https://www.netmeds.com/health-library/post/figsanjeer-5-splendid-wellness-incentives-of-the-super-sweet-fruit-infographic
Figure 11: https://chicago.suntimes.com/taste/2021/4/7/22353065/figs-fresh-dried-healthy-eating-fruits
Figure 12: https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/lifestyle/in-season-figs-ripe-for-the-picking/
Berlin: A city of change, a city of growth, a city of community
~ Ambrose, Luke and Sanne Derks. The Urban Gardeners of Berlin. Imagine 5. https://imagine5.com/articles/the-urban-gardeners-of-berlin/ . Accessed November 27 2023.
~ “All BVG Tickets”. BVG. https://www.bvg.de/en/subscriptions-and-tickets/all-tickets. Accessed 3 October 2023.
~ Blokland, T., Vief, R. (2021). Making Sense of Segregation in a Well-Connected City: The Case of Berlin. In: van Ham, M., Tammaru, T., Ubarevičienė, R., Janssen, H. (eds) Urban Socio-Economic Segregation and Income Inequality. The Urban Book Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-64569-4_13
~ Chomsky, Raf. Urban Farming and Sustainability. Sustainable Review. https://sustainablereview.com/urban-farming-and-sustainability Accessed 31 October 2023.
~ “Guide Service for Buses and Trains.” Berlin. https://www.berlin.de/en/public-transportation/2706445-2913840-guide-service-buses-trains.en.html. Accessed 3 October 2023.
~ “How to Get Around Berlin Sustainably”. Reason Why Berlin. https://reason-why.berlin/article/urban-mobility-berlin-how-to-get-around-sustainably/. Accessed 1 October 2023.
“List of countries by vehicles per capita”. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_vehicles_per_capita. Accessed 3 October 2023.
~ Mauerpark. TripAdvisor. https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g187323-d1885199-Reviews-Mauerpark-Berlin.html. Accessed 11 November 2023.
~ Mauerpark: Parks & Gardens. Visit Berlin. https://www.visitberlin.de/en/mauerpark. Accessed 11 November 2023 .
~ O’Sullivan, Feargus. When Street Food Build One Community, and Rankles Another. Bloomberg. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-06-11/berlin-s-thaipark-a-beloved-food-market-at-risk. Accessed 31 October 2023 .
~ “Public Transportation in Berlin”. Berlin. https://www.berlin.de/en/public-transportation/. Accessed 3 October 2023.
~ Segarra, Marielle. An Urban Garden in Berlin That’s About More Than Growing Vegetables. Whyy.org. https://whyy.org/articles/an-urban-garden-in-berlin-thats-about-more-than-growing-vegetables/ Accessed 31 October 2023.
~ Summers, Brianna. The Evolution of Mauerpark. The Goethe Institut. https://www.goethe.de/ins/au/en/kul/sup/adb/21938054.html .
~ “Tariff Information”. BVG. https://www.bvg.de/en/subscriptions-and-tickets/tariff-zones-and-information. Accessed 3 October 2023.
~ “The End of WWII and the Division of Europe”. Center for European Studies. https://europe.unc.edu/the-end-of-wwii-and-the-division-of-europe. Accessed 11 October, 2023.
~ Urban Community Gardens in Berlin, Germany. European Environment Agency. https://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/who-benefits-from-nature-in/urban-community-gardens-in-berlin-germany. Accessed 31 October 2023.
~ Urban Gardening in Berlin. Visit Berlin. https://www.visitberlin.de/en/urban-gardening-berlin . Accessed November 27 2023.
Creative Project:
Ehrenreich, Barbara. “It is Expensive to Be Poor”. The Atlantic. January 13, 2014.
Ehrenreich, Barbara. “Serving in Florida” in Nickel and Dimed: ON (NOT) GETTING BY IN AMERICA. New York, New York, United States: Henry Holt and Company LLC. 2001. Ch 1. Pp. 13-32.
