Chinese vegetarians?

I wanted to share this in discussion this evening but I didn't get a chance. Its also not really related to today's topic of food and politics, so it wouldn't have really fit in anyway.
I cooked dinner for my language partner (she's a graduate student in economics from Beijing, i help her with english while she helps me with chinese) and I told her that I was vegetarian. At first she freaked out a little because she had cooked for me last week and thought that she might have served me some meat (she didn't). I pointed out that all of the food she had made was vegetarian, and I asked her if people in China eat less meat than Americans. She said in China they really don't make a big deal about vegetarianism. People don't really classify themselves that way. Its just, the mom makes dinner for the whole family, and if the mom doesn't like meat or doesn't cook meat for some reason, the whole family eats vegetarian. She said there are families where the mom just never cooks meat and those families are vegetarian, but they don't go around calling themselves that.
I thought that was really interesting. Not only does it show a cultural difference in the perception of vegetarianism, it also shows a strong control of the mother figure over the diet of the whole family. There's no arguing with what mom cooks.
The cultural difference here where Chinese people don't really make a big deal of vegetarianism is in stark contrast to the U.S. My dad thinks vegetarianism is a disease, and he attempts to stop it whenever he can. I can imagine that you just wouldn't find people like that in China, because people don't seem to really care whether someone else is vegetarian. That, of course, could go both ways. One could argue that it shows greater acceptance of vegetarianism. One could also argue that it shows they don't care as much about the environment because decisions to be vegetarian are based on mom's personal preference, not on environmental, animal rights, or health concerns.

Foster's Market

Hey guys, I just wanted to point out this delicious place that my mom and I tried this weekend. I'm sure some of you have heard of it before, but Foster's Market is right on 15-501 a little north of Target. The restaurant itself is really simple and not fancy at all, but the food is amazing and the atmosphere is really comfortable. It is just seat yourself, and the food ranges from a cooked, hot meal, to cold salads you can choose to something simple like a muffin or cookie. They also sell old-fashioned candy and sweets and coffee. It reminded me of the "dining experience" discussions we had last week. I would consider Foster's a really unique dining experience and definitely one of my favorites in Durham. It would also be a great place to study and relax. I recommend it!!

At the end of today's class, some people expressed the thought that it would be fun to pick tomatoes. I assume that this comment refers to a one-time event, with them picking a few tomatoes to use in a salad and stopping whenever they wish. However, the topic of tomato picking sparks other thoughts for me.
the following is a link to a Washington Post article about tomato pickers in Florida.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A58505-2005Feb27.html
Here is an excerpt from the article:
"If they're lucky, the workers get to spend 12 hours on their hands and knees, filling buckets of tomatoes for 40 to 50 cents a bucket. To make at least $50, they scurry to fill 125 32-pound buckets -- two tons of tomatoes. But if it rains, as it did Friday, work stops. The workers are returned to the parking lot in rickety school buses 12 hours after they left, having earned just a few dollars, maybe none at all."
You might also want to check out this website, which is the website for the Coalition of Imokalee Workers, a tomato pickers' group in Florida that is attempting to fight awful conditions.
http://www.ciw-online.org/news.html
I can tell you from experience that tomato picking is not fun, especially if you have to do it for hours on end in the summer heat. Bushel baskets of tomatoes are not light. The sun is very bright. Tomato plants stems an leaves get green stains all over your clothing, especially if they were recently watered. And tomatoes have to be picked most urgently right after it rains, because they will have taken on a lot of water and if they are left for too long, they will split, which can ruin the tomato and cause it to rot or can just make it unattractive so people wont buy it. The plants are almost always sprayed with insecticide to increase crop yields, even in personal gardens. These insecticides can be dangerous, and there is no way to avoid contact with them, especially if the plants were recently sprayed.
No offense to anyone who has fantasies of picking their own tomatoes and eating them. Just remember what goes into picking the ones that you get from the supermarket or even a local farm.

Monkey Business

I think everyone of you should read EATING APES. Here is a little review summary from somewhere over the rainbow internet:

"Dale Peterson, who has written widely about primates in Africa, makes Ammann's story the centerpiece of his wide-ranging account of the bushmeat problem. Although he shares Ammann's partisan views, Peterson explains why conservationists cannot simply will the end of ape-eating through legislation. Selling ape meat is already illegal throughout most of Africa. But so many people rely on bushmeat for protein, and so many regard it as a delicacy that connects them with their past and their ethnic identity, that game wardens and police officers are more likely to buy bushmeat from a poacher than to arrest him.
Peterson shows, too, how European logging corporations in Central Africa are playing a key supporting role in the growth of the bushmeat trade. They cut roads deep into virgin forest, giving hunters ready access to once-remote habitats. They cut costs by feeding cheap bushmeat to the loggers. And the truck drivers they employ run a lucrative side business in the transport of contraband ape body parts, concealed in compartments under their engine hoods. The net effect is that hunting bonobos, chimpanzees, and gorillas has now become big business. And the targeted species, already endangered, may be driven to extinction.
With such strong economic and social forces in play, any argument that simply appeals to the repugnancy of eating our closest cousins is bound to be dismissed as ethnocentrism. If the French eat horses, or the Vietnamese eat poodles, who's to say the Africans can't eat apes? Peterson counters that eating apes endangers public health. He cites the work of Beatrice H. Hahn, a virologist at the University of Alabama in Birmingham, who in 1998 traced the AIDS virus to a virus known as SIV, common among chimpanzees. This past June, Hahn and her colleagues reported in the journal Science that the chimpanzees themselves may have contracted the virus by eating monkeys.
Unlike chimpanzees, though, people can clean up their act. If advocates like Peterson and Ammann prevail, apes may someday disappear from the market and the dinner table. With any luck, that will happen before they disappear from the rainforest as well."

Cultural Eating

This past weekend, I went to the beach (near Wilmington) to visit a family friend. It was absolutely beautiful at their summer home and while I was there, I ate fresh salmon, shrimp and deviled crab. It was so delicious and really made me appreciate the coastal food culture that we don't necessarily have elsewhere. Although I love seafood, and we can get good seafood in Chicago, there's nothing like enjoying it at the beach, where the meaning behind it is so much stronger. I thought of this in comparison to the Mexican food we ate last week, which is also very cultural. Ethnic or regional foods seem to be much more enjoyable to me when I have learned the history behind them.

eating and media

I wanted to post this link to a TIME article that deals with anorexia and how it can be perpetuated by the media. We have been posting a lot of recipe ideas on the blog so far, and it kind of made me think of the fact that just like you can get great recipes for just about anything you want to eat from any culture on the web, you can also get justification and support for all sorts of negative eating behaviors.
http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,169660,00.html

food memory

So, I forgot to post about a food memory over fall break, but I really liked the concept so here is a taste memory I had recently:
I was eating some of that feta cilantro bowtie pasta from saladelia for the first time, which is not very interesting at all, but it reminded me of something and at first I couldn't figure out what it was at all. In the end I realized that it had the same distinct taste that my grandmother's mushroom marinade had, which I haven't had in forever. I used to eat it when I was little, and I think the similarity in taste came from the cilantro.

Dinner Tomorrow 10/15

Hey y'all.

So, Rachael and I will be preparing some Mexican food. This will consist of tacos and tostadas (mainly because I do not have the time to make a more legit/traditional main course; at least not one that I know how to cook that would also be vegetarian/hopefully vegan friendly), Mexican rice, refried beans, chile (kind of like salsa but not chunky), guacamole, and I do not know about dessert as of right now.

So, the tacos will have chicken in them but tostadas won't, because they can't. Y'all will see what I mean tomorrow if don't know what tostadas are, or at least not by name.

What to bring: plates, your own drink, and def napkins.

New Recipe

I was in Savannah, GA visiting my aunt this fall break. And while I was there she made this delicious Cheddar Cheese Soup. It is made with chicken bouillon or chicken stock, but im pretty sure you could substiture vegetable bouillon or vegetable stock. However, this can probably never be vegan. It is very good though, especially if you dip bread in it.

3 cups of water and 3 Chicken bouillion cubes, or 3 cups chicken stock
4 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
1 medium onion, sliced
1/2 cup diced green pepper
2/3 cup thinly sliced carrots
1 med stalk celery, diced
1/3 cup butter or margerine
1/3 cup all purpose flour
3 1/2 cups milk
4 cups (1lb) shredder sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 tsp hot sauce
salt and pepper to taste
*optional 2 oz. jar diced pimiento

Combine water and bouillion in a large pot, boil, add vegetables. Cover and cook for 12-15 minutes (until potatoes are soft)
Melt butter in a heavy sauce pan.
Blend in flour, cook for 1 minute (or shorter, basically as long as you can without it burning) and stir
Gradually blend in milk
Cook over medium heat as it thickens and heats
Add cheese to milk mixture gradually until all is melted
Stir cheese sauce into the vegetable mixture and add the hot sauce.
Cook over low heat until heated through.
Salt and pepper to taste
NEVER ALLOW IT TO BOIL.

Also if you reheat it several times the soup can get really thick but if you just stir in a little milk it thins it out nicely.

I hope someone out there trys this recipe because its really really good! I have plans to make it at least once in my apartment.

I hope you got your Jane Goodall tickets...

So, if you didn't get you Jane Goodall ticket, maybe you can sneak in...but Jane Goodall, of chimpanzee fame, is coming Oct, 16th. Manye people may not be aware that she, like everryone else these days, wrote a book about mindful eating. I bought it when it came out and started reading it on a plane, once, but I usually fall asleep (or some level of torpor), when on planes...it's still on my bookshelf...but it sounds good!!!


"An empowering exploration of the social and personal significance of food consumption reveals the dangers behind many of today's foods, the benefits of eating locally grown and organic produce, and the ways in which everyday individuals can make environmentally responsible choices."







Sorry for posting so much to the blog! I am procrastinating from doing other work!

slow food!

poison/food

In light of next week's discussion about eating disorders and hunger, here is an anecdote some of you may have heard. I am not sure on it's reliability. But tomatoes are in the nightshade fmaily (which is poisonous). And back in the day, before people knew tomatoes were ok to eat, a chef tried to assassinate George Washington via a tomatoes...legend has it, the chef killed himself (prior to seeing the fruits of his failed assassination).

no good industrial hog farm!

I think I've mentioned the Smithfield hog farm in Tar Heel, NC a couple hours away from Duke. It's the biggest in the world. Kills a hog every 2 seconds, or so...Horrible for the pigs, horrible for the workers, horrible for the environment!

Check out their website--> http://www.smithfieldfoods.com/home.asp (pay attention to the corporate responsbility page!)

And here's the human opposition...

http://www.smithfieldjustice.com/aboutthecampaign.php#Main

taste memory

Here is a little blog/podcast about taste memory. There is a long podcast, and I listened to some of it, and it's not really about taste memory, but more generally about enjoying food, and being more aware of local/ sustainable etc.

Here's the link:

http://www.gildedfork.com/podcast/foodphilosophy/2006/05/food-philosophy-6-taste-memory.html

food's a hot topic!

Food (natural, organic, local, slow, earthy) is a very popular topic lately. I was at the regulator, and there are a bunch of books on the subject! I have a problem where I buy lots of books, but don't read them, so I restrained myself from buying them all, though I did get Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kinsolver (with the help of her daughter Camille, who is a junior here!). So I got that, and had Camille autograph it. I don't know if any of ya'll are familiara with is, but I think it's how the family eats all earthy for a while...maybe we should have Camille come in and talk with us (maybe she could even bring her big shot author mom).

check it:

http://www.kingsolver.com/home/index.asp

the food of memories

How funny that Margaret asks us to post about food and memories. Walking back to my central apartment today, I found my thoughts drifting to the months I recently spent in Ireland. And what did I decide to prepare for lunch? "Chips" and sausage, one of my favorite staples from the semester abroad. Interestingly, I did not decide to put on Irish music or look through my photo album as I pined to summon up memories - rather, I put food on the stove! Granted, I was hungry, but it is interesting how closely our memories can be tied to tastes and smells and not just sights and sounds.

Hey y'all. So, here is an article I came across on new york times. It is about a company that is like the leading industry for new foods and beverages. I thought it was interesting as they kind of mentioned how they test the food, send out to other people, have companies come in, and just randomly throw something together and see if it tastes good. Thought it kind of linked in with our discussion Monday about taste buds and such and what some people find disgusting. I personally, do not think I would be a fan of the concoction they mention at the end.

To Eat and Drink What No One Has Tried Before

FOSTER CITY, Calif.

IF Willy Wonka were a real person, he might well be confecting in a white coat at Mattson, a food lab here, just south of San Francisco, home to some of the brightest and most far-out food creators in the country. There are no Everlasting Gobstoppers rolling off a conveyor belt. Instead, this lab is the creative control center for thousands of items Americans eat every day. Whether it’s frozen, cooked or poured, chances are Mattson has had a hand in bringing it to your mouth.

Mattson, which is named for its founder, Pete Mattson, calls itself the largest independent developer of new food and beverage products in the United States. It is difficult to quantify the competition, because some food labs develop only formulas, while others focus solely on preparation and packaging. Mattson estimates it has just a few competitors, and says that none of them provide its range of services.

What sets Mattson apart is its presence across the beverage, fast food and packaged goods industries. Its 70 employees cross-train as chefs, food scientists, engineers and marketing specialists to deliver products for clients like Starbucks, Del Monte and Mrs. Fields cookies. They are inventors as well as entertainers who are committed to innovation, seeing it as critical to success in the vast, competitive and disaster-littered world of food creation.

“In the food industry, your greatest competitive advantage is being first to market,” said Steve Gundrum, president and chief executive of Mattson. “It’s all about speed.”

The company’s imprint is found on a wide variety of products, from the award-winning Mama Zella pizza pie from Round Table to Pom Wonderful pomegranate juice. Dozens more are kept in the secret “trophy room” because of agreements with the companies.

Development in the food and beverage industry is accelerating because people seemingly have an endless appetite for new tastes, and Wall Street demands growth from companies in the food business. According to Mintel, a market-research firm in Chicago, nearly 10,000 food products were introduced in the United States between January and August this year. Most were beverages, followed by bakery goods and seasonings. In 2006, there were more than 17,000 new food products, 63 percent more than in 2000, the firm says.

Mattson turns 30 in October, and to date, Mr. Gundrum says, it has helped get to market 300 product lines, more than 1,000 products, including four varieties of frozen meals for Banquet Crock-Pot Classics by ConAgra. Mattson says it has 300 prototypes in development. Most of the company’s clients are based in America; they generally pay $30,000 to $500,000 to roll out a concept. Food Processing magazine, the industry’s largest publication, will release a survey in October showing that 28 percent of respondents say they use independent product-development labs in addition to internal laboratories to research and develop products.

They do so because many large companies are too “vertically integrated,” Mr. Gundrum said, which means they know all the manufacturing stages about a beverage, say, but may not know how to expand into frozen foods. He added, “They need someone like us to say, ‘No, the best idea is to go here.’ ”

In the 20,000-square-foot Mattson development lab, harmony reigns partly because of the corporate structure. Mr. Gundrum bought the company from Mr. Mattson in 1995 and created an employee stock ownership plan, transferring equity in the company to members of the staff. Employees are offered $1,000 cash if they buy a hybrid vehicle. Mr. Gundrum declined to state the business’s revenues, but said he holds growth to 10 percent a year to maintain the quality of the services.

There are no visible barriers where the employees work. For example, there are no cabinet doors to impede technicians searching for National Starch’s Baka-Snak pre-gelatinized modified food starch; T. Hasegawa’s Natural Wok Oil Flavor No. FC 989800; or the Blue-10 Buffer Solution, used to modify relative acidity. Searching, after all, wastes precious time. The employees practice a genteel form of “shout mail” and interrupt one another to taste a concoction.

“We have become incredibly efficient at looking at something, taking one bite and knowing how to improve it without getting approval from your boss or your boss’s boss or writing a memo,” Mr. Gundrum said. “We just don’t have that kind of ceremony.”

What Mattson does have is a nose for trends. It obsessively investigates popular culture, analyzing not only dietary needs and flavor crazes, but also lifestyle patterns and the Internet marketplace. For example, the company has observed that detailed information on the Web allows people to find out how to create a recipe, say, or crush their own wine. The demand for spicy and sweet is intense, and a move toward more casual dining is indicative of trends like a Caesar salad you can eat with your hands.

To bring these trends home to clients, Mattson often asks them to roll up their sleeves and work on prototypes with the staff when visiting the lab. Some clients, like White Castle, the fast-food chain based in Columbus, Ohio, touch down once a year to participate in what Mattson calls its “trends luncheons.” White Castle has been working with Mattson for four years and attributes the success of its roasted garlic cheeseburger and chicken rings to its work with the food scientists and marketing gurus here.

One day this month, Jamie T. Richardson, the director of marketing for the White Castle Management Company, listened to a presentation on 18 food trends while Mattson chefs served him an eight-course lunch. Each recipe illustrated what Mattson views as the next big craving or a coming retail concept: blueberries are out, and acai fruit (pronounced ah-sigh-EE) is in as a superfood; and specifying provenance, not only on restaurant menus but also on packaged products, is gaining momentum.

Guided by a Mattson chef, Mr. Richardson used a syringe to inject propylene glycol alginate, espresso and sugar into a martini glass of calcium lactate and water to create “javiar” — java and caviar — which he ate on toast as a palate cleanser. “We get access to some of the best minds in the business and resources that allow us to move more quickly and think more effectively,” he said. “Resource-wise, it is not efficient for us to try to replicate this.”

Mattson also does rigorous market testing. A staging area sends as many as 12,000 prototypes — like granola bars, salad kits, frozen pizza and carbonated beverages — to American households annually. (The link to participate is foodcom.com/signup.) Within hours of participants’ receiving products, Mattson provides clients with recorded voice-mail messages that reflect the recipients’ visceral responses to packaging, taste and ease of use.

The future at Mattson is a closely guarded secret, but Mr. Gundrum was willing to describe today’s appetite. “In the past, you had to give up something to eat wholesome,” he said. “Something we’re striving to do is improve the pleasure from really healthy foods. It’s not the next frontier. It’s the existing frontier.”

Fall Break Inspired Fun...

Hey guys,

So I was thinking about Fall Break this coming weekend, and food always plays a major part in my trips home because my mom and I love cooking, watching food network, trying new recipes etc. I've attached a link for one of our all-time favorite recipes. Its from Ina Garten on the Food Network. She's absolutely amazing.

This particular recipe is for "Outrageous Brownies" which are super chocolaty and even have coffee in them. They're really rich, but very good. And here's the funny part... they taste best out of the refrigerator, not from the oven. The first time my mom and I made them, we wanted to try them while they were still hot, as you do with most brownies. We didn't really like them, but put them in the fridge anyways to keep them (Come on, a whole tray of brownies, you just can't let that go to waste!) And then when we tried them later we loved them!! I'm sure this love of the brownies cold relates somehow to taste and the flavors in them, which we talked about this week. I think it also has to do with tecture.

Enjoy!!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_32314,00.html

my friends food blog

This is my friend emily's food blog. She is an amazing cook and loves food... enjoy!
http://eatinghighonthehog.blogspot.com

Food tonight

hi kiddles,
Just wanted to let you know about the food tonight.
We are going to be having baked mac and cheese (and a vegan mac and cheese for our less dairy friendly friends.)
Salad (with nuts and yummy stuff)
an apple fun dessert
maybe some other stuff

get hungry!
Juliet