We Who Forage: A Personal Reflection on the Theory and Practice of Urban Foraging

Going through the wonderful chapters contributed to this volume, I asked myself what made me a forager. Was it toddler games collecting bright red gunja (Abrus precatorius) seeds and henna (Lawsonia inermis) leaves in a laid-back tropical neighbourhood? Was it the walk with friends collecting citrusy pine tips and wholesome hops (Humulus lupulus) in a wet temperate spring? It could have been the harvesting of olive ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea) eggs on a magical beach in the only place it is legal in the world. All I know is that by the time I was researching foraging, I was fascinated by the phenomenon. I suppose we are all born foragers, and we continue to apply our foraging skills to achieve various material and metaphysical objectives. In this article, I explore the concept of foraging and how it interacts with some big scientific ideas about how things work, also known as theories. I also synthesise common themes and threads emerging from the contributed chapters in this book to make sense of how urban foraging relates to our everyday patterns and processes. I use examples from my own experience with the hope of keeping you entertained.