不一樣的青草品味課！草本，總是讓人少女心噴發

A different type of herb-tasting class! Taiwan Local Herb Innovation.

青草的新奇、日常、創造 The novelty, life, and creativity of herbs

第一次收到學校授課邀約時，思考著要帶給同學們什麼樣的青草課，決定以「新奇、日常、創造」為主軸。為了讓同學們能快速進入主題，以遊戲的方式破冰是最容易熱絡且有效率的認識青草，課堂內不談及植物療效，著重將植物比擬為人、世界青草趨勢、植物在日常的創作以誘發同學對植物的興趣與好奇。

When I first received the invitation to teach a class on herbs at a school, I deliberated on the kind of class I wanted to conduct for the students. Eventually, I decided on making "novelty, life, and creativity" the theme of the session. In order to allow students to get into the flow of the class quickly, we did some icebreakers, for that is the easiest way for people to get comfortable with one another, and also an efficient way for students to learn about herbs. In this class, we did not talk about the therapeutic benefits of plants. Instead, the focus was on the personification of plants, global trends in the herbal industry, and the use of herbs in daily life, with an objective of stimulating the students' interest and curiosity in plants.

甦醒溫暖的草香味 Herbs that stir up warm feelings

和菜農不同的是，青草有野生摘採和馴化種植，不必跑到田裡就能在路邊看見。搜集和紀錄大家關於青草的回憶，也是賣艸人家在創作的過程中很重要的任務，「小時候奶奶會用老家門口的植物煮水後幫我洗澡」、「生理期來的前後我媽都會用這個青草幫我爆香煎蛋」、「鄰居家每到夏天都會煮青草茶與我們分享」......等等，希望伴著大家成長的青草香能長存！

Unlike farmed vegetables, herbs can either be picked from the wild or domesticated and cultivated. Thus, someone looking for herbs does not have to go all the way to farms; some herbs can be found by the sides of roads. Collecting and recording stories of herb-related memories is a key mission of Herbartist's creative journey. "When I was young, my grandma would prepare a bath for me with some herbs growing in front of her house." "Before and after my time of the month, my mom would make an omelet for me with these herbs." "Every summer, our neighbors would share the herbal tea they made with us." Stories like this are many, and we hope that the scent of the herbs that featured in your growing-up years would not dissipate any time soon!

以植物訂製的日常 Herbs in our daily lives

氣味，是人事物最直接的記憶，用氣味溝通也是最簡單的方式。記得第一次老前輩將這薄荷和甜菊葉採拆給我後，便要我放入嘴裡嚐嚐，那一聲「 WOW 」彷彿醍醐灌頂般的成為我永恆的記憶，同樣的也讓同學們能舉一反三思考日常因青草所帶來的記憶，如同印度有咖哩香、歐美喜歡將花草入茶飲、料理和護膚產品。

Smells are the most straightforward form of memory that can remind us of certain people, objects, or events. As such, communication through scents is the easiest. I remember the first time that an elderly person plucked some mint and stevia leaves for me and asked me to put the folded leaves in my mouth. Upon tasting it, I let out a cry of "Wow!". The sensation blew my mind and left an indelible memory. By replicating what the elderly person has done for me, I inspired the students to think more deeply about memories of their daily lives that are associated with herbs. For instance, the fragrance of curry reminds us of India, while people in Western countries enjoy adding flowers and herbs into their tea, cuisines, and skincare products.

你知道植物也會結痂嗎？ Did you know that plants scab too?

你可曾想過在造紙技術還沒被廣泛應用以前，人們早期的交流、明信片是怎麼來的嗎？照片裡的大葉冬青因葉壁較厚實，若被尖刺的利物輕輕劃過的傷口，為了避免細菌從傷口入侵而分泌木栓質(Suberin），而顯現的文字就如同傷口所結成的痂。

Have you ever thought about how people used to communicate and send postcards to one another before papermaking techniques became prevalent? The photograph shows some tarajo holly leaves, which have a thick and leathery surface. If the leaves are scratched lightly with a sharp object, they secrete suberin to prevent bacteria from entering the cuts. Words can thus be formed on the surface of tarajo holly leaves in this process that is akin to the scabbing of wounds.

以台灣原料探尋世界 Explore the world with Taiwanese ingredients

除了分享在旅行中所看見的各種植物創作，例如用中藥做的飾品、西洋香草做出的香包，以台灣在地的素材描繪出屬於國外的氣息，準備了類似歐洲「風熱友」Mulled Wine必備的幾種類似原料，讓同學們以品味、品嚐的方式討論斟酌比例，過於制式的比例、科學萃取所產生的風味雖然完美但總少了情感的連結。因此在進階版的課程中，才以創業模擬的方式帶領同學們打造屬於自己的「Herbal Label」。

We shared about the variety of plant-related creative products we saw during our travels, including ornaments made with traditional Chinese medicinal herbs and scented sachets made with herbs from the West. Thus, we sought to recreate the vibes of other countries with ingredients and materials from Taiwan. We prepared some key ingredients that allowed us to create our own version of European mulled wine, which was made after the students discussed the proportion of each ingredient to be used after a process of tasting and sampling. Standard ratios and flavor distilled scientifically might reap a perfect taste, but such recipes lack an emotional connection after all. This is why, in the advanced course, the students were guided to create their very own "Herbal Label" in a simulation of an entrepreneurship venture.

關於青草的知識相當浩瀚，幾個小時的課程很難真正的帶給同學們什麼，但青草的創新及創意應用都很值得再深入探究，路邊常見的青草們花乾燥而成的精緻乾燥花、把植物纖維變時尚的精品、模擬其姿態而玻璃博物館，這些意想不到的例子很讓人驚艷！青草跟日常的對應，正如賣艸人家致力於把青草跟生活做結合，讓她能為生活添加溫度與不一樣的情調。

There is so much to learn about herbs, and it is quite difficult to share a lot with students within just a few hours in class. However, the creative and innovative use of herbs is something that is worth further investigation. Flowers from herbs that are commonly seen along roadsides can be used to make exquisite dried flowers, plant fiber can be turned into fashionable boutique items, and glass museums can even be made in the likeness of plants. These are all examples of the unconventional use of herbs, and they are all astonishing! This connection between herbs and daily life is what Herbartist pursues -- the fusion of herbs and life. We hope that herbs can introduce some warmth to and also set a different mood for us in our day-to-day lives.

#不一樣青草品味課 #青草 #品味 #Herbartist #賣艸人家

#ADifferentHerbTastingClass #herbs #tasting #Herbartist