In this episode of Recipe to the Road, I had the pleasure of interviewing Dennis Morrisseau, an 80-year-old man from Vermont in the US who is temporarily living in a hostel in Hopkins, Belize. Dennis has led a fascinating life, and I was excited to hear his stories, including his experiences protesting the Vietnam War and his travels throughout the Caribbean, Europe and hitchhiking to San Francisco. 

We also talked about his interest in aesthetics and design and how it influenced his restaurant in Vermont. Dennis expressed his love for colourful and artistic environments, preferring them over sterile ones.

Permaculture and sustainable agriculture in Belize 

Dennis shared his involvement in a project in Belize where he will be practising permaculture on 80 acres of land. Permaculture is a method of agriculture that involves planting a variety of plants together to support each other and enrich the soil, eliminating the need for fertilisers and pesticides. Dennis emphasised the importance of moving away from monoculture and towards a more natural ecosystem in agriculture.

Opposition to the Vietnam war as an army officer 

Dennis recounted his decision to speak out against the Vietnam War as an army officer in uniform. He described escalating his demonstrations, including speaking at a rally and standing in front of the White House with a sign. Dennis was eventually arrested and spent a night in jail before being processed out for Vietnam (spoiler alert: he didn’t end up going). 

Corruption and money in American politics 

During our conversation, Dennis told me about his experience running for congress three times. Despite facing opposition, he gained significant voter support but lacked financial resources. Dennis criticised the lack of transparency in political spending laws, stating that everyone cheats and breaks the law. He refused to file a financial report to shed light on the issue, firmly believing that big money controls politics in America.

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