It often happens that when one enjoys the work of someone else, they come to find that when they are able to listen to and meet that person, disappointment follows. This was something that I, and many other students who read My Year of Meats, were curious and a bit apprehensive about before Ruth Ozeki’s visit to WSU. Fortunately, I came to find that Ruth Ozeki is as engaging and eloquent a speaker as she is in her writing.
Having the opportunity to hear Ozeki speak in both casual and more academic, formal ways was an interesting experience for me personally. Many people have the ability to write informative, moving, and interesting speeches and deliver them well, while lacking the ability to effectively communicate their ideas in a more extemporaneous setting. Between listening to Ozeki’s presentation “Telling Lies, Telling Truths” as well as the panel discussion “What We Eat and Why it Matters,” I am of the opinion that Ozeki is an incredibly intelligent and well-informed individual.
While presenting little recognized facts about the truth (or, occasionally, the lack thereof) that can be seen in television shows, as well as the reasons some things are newsworthy and others are not, Ozeki was able to draw in her audience and keep their attention. Her presentation was well-organized and very interesting to listen to. It seemed to me, however, that Ozeki felt more comfortable in the less formal panel discussion. The panel served to show Ozeki’s impressive array of knowledge about the food industry (as well as that of the other members of the panel), citing facts and statistics that came as a shock to many members of the audience. The panel proved that she is a great extemporaneous speaker, in addition to her skill in writing and film-making. Overall, I was incredibly impressed with Ms. Ozeki.
