The US is refrigerated. It runs our culture. Anywhere from flower shipment to long term apple storage, everything in our food system relies in some way to refrigeration. Foods have highly engineered and highly specialized mega fridges that are designed for specific usage. Let’s look at two fruits for example: 1) apples can be stored for over a year by slowing the rotting rate of the fruit by lowering the metabolic temperature; 2) oranges (more specifically Tropicana oranges) are processed through a highly specialized refrigeration system. Oranges are juiced, then they are pasteurized, and then they are de-oiled. What you are left with is a sort of flavorless liquid that can be stored in 6 story canisters for 2 years. It’s actually a little disturbing, but when the juice is ready to be shipped, it is mixed with the oil (where the flavor is) – this is where individual companies get their unique flavors. The lecturer went on to discuss dry aging, and how what was once a necessity is now a luxury. One interesting thing discussed was the process of wet aging, which is the process of letting a cut of meat sit in its own juices – this produces a more ‘bloody’ tasting.