Chili

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This all-American chili recipe is perfect for an outdoor cookout but can also be made on the stove for a comfort classic on a cold day.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 1/4 cups chili and 1 tablespoon cheese)

Ingredients

• 6 ounces hot turkey Italian sausage
• 2 cups chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 8 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 pound ground sirloin
• 1 jalapeño pepper, chopped
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 1/4 cups Merlot or other fruity red wine
• 2 (28-ounce) cans whole tomatoes, undrained and coarsely chopped
• 2 (15-ounce) cans kidney beans, drained
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese

Preparation

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Remove casings from sausage. Add sausage, onion, and the next 4 ingredients (onion through jalapeño) to pan; cook 8 minutes or until sausage and beef are browned, stirring to crumble.

Add chili powder and the next 7 ingredients (chili powder through bay leaves), and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in wine, tomatoes, and kidney beans; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Uncover and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Discard the bay leaves. Sprinkle each serving with cheddar cheese.

Note: Like most chilis, this version tastes even better the next day.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

375 (29% from fat)

Fat:

12g (sat 4.6g,mono 4.1g,poly 1.1g)

Protein:

28.9g

Carbohydrate:

33.7g

Fiber:

8.2g

Cholesterol:

59mg

Iron:

5mg

Sodium:

969mg

Calcium:

165mg

Cool Whip Pumpkin Pie

 Ready in: 2-5 hrs 
 Difficulty:   2 (1=easiest :: hardest=5)

Serves/Makes:   12

Ingredients:
2 cups solid pack pumpkin
2 large packages (6 serving size) instant vanilla pudding mix
1 cup milk
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
2 containers Cool Whip (8 ounce size)
2 graham cracker pie crusts

 

Directions:

In large mixer bowl, mix the pumpkin, pudding, milk and spice. Mix well. Then fold in one container of Cool Whip. Pour into pie crusts and put the other container of Cool Whip on top of pies. Put in fridge/freezer at least 2 hours before serving. 

Best Assignment Ever!!

When Paul announced the final blog assignment was to be our favorite recipe I immediately knew I was going to write about my homemade turkey meatballs I use for my spaghetti! Then as I sat down to write I realized that was really just the most frequent thing that I make not necessarily my favorite. So I thought if money was no object and I could have anything I wanted for dinner it would be crab, and I instantly changed my blog idea to crab cakes. I love crab cakes so much I often have them as my entrée even when they are only served as appetizers…which means I usually order 2!! In that spirit I’ve got 2 crab recipes for you because really, you can’t have too much crab!

Dungeness Crab Cake Salad w/ Berry Sweet Onion Salsa:

1 pound Dungeness crab meat

2 teaspoons chopped green onions

1 tablespoon mayonnaise

1 egg, beaten

¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

1 cup bread crumbs

Salt and Pepper (to taste)

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 pound spring greens

4 onions, grilled and chilled

1 pound asparagus, grilled and chilled

Into a bowl, combine crab, green onions, mayonnaise, egg, red pepper, parsley, bread crumbs, and salt and pepper mixing until blended. Shape into 4 cakes (double the ingredients for 8…what I usually do ;). Heat oil in a sauté pan over medium heat; add the crab cakes and sauté until brown on both sides.

Berry Sweet Onion Salsa:

2 tablespoons chopped sweet onion

1 cup mixed fresh blackberries, raspberries, blueberries and sliced strawberries

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint

Salt and Pepper (to taste)

To prepare the salsa, combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir gently to blend; set aside

Arrange spring greens, grilled onions and asparagus on 4 plates, Place a crab cake on the greens and garnish with the berry salsa. Mmmmmmmm, enjoy!!

Sautéed King Crab with Wine and Garlic

3 ½ pounds frozen king crab legs, thawed

5 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 garlic cloves, chopped

½ cup dry white wine

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Salt

Lemon or lime wedges

Remove crab meat from the shells. Rinse in cold water to remove yucky stuff. Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté for about 1 minute, or until golden brown. Add wine, cayenne and parsley. Raise the heat to high and cook until reduced by half, about 1 minute. Reduce the heat to medium and add the crab meat. Cook for only 2 or 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until heated through. Add salt to taste, lemon or lime wedges are edible garnish. Sometimes I make bow tie pasta as a bed and serve the crab over it, but it’s amazing either way!!

Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese

This is an amazing spin on regular mac and cheese, spicy and a little crunchy. I got the recipe from one of my favorite sites tastespotting.com.

7 Tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for the dish
Kosher salt
1 pound elbow macaroni
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup Frank's Buffalo Wing Sauce, divided
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons dry mustard
2-1/2 cups half-and-half
1 pound extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
8 ounces pepper jack cheese, shredded
2/3 cup sour cream
1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter a 9 x 13 baking dish. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil; add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 7 minutes. Drain.

Meanwhile, melt 3 Tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chicken and garlic and cook 2 minutes, then add 1/2 cup hot sauce and simmer until slightly thickened, about 1 more minute.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour and mustard with a wooden spoon until smooth. Whisk in the half-and-half, then add the remaining 1/4 cup hot sauce and stir until thick, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the cheddar and pepper jack cheeses, then whisk in the sour cream until smooth.

Spread half of the macaroni in the prepared baking dish, then top with the chicken mixture and the remaining macaroni. Pour the cheese sauce evenly on top. Put the remaining 2 Tablespoons butter in a microwave safe bowl and microwave until melted. Stir in the panko, blue cheese and parsley. Sprinkle over the macaroni. Bake until bubbly, 30 to 40 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before serving. Drizzle with some wing sauce for color.

GMOs

· Monsanto- The Monsanto company produced this website. Its purpose is to inform clients, potential clients, and the general public of their about their company, what they do, how they do it, and other facts about their company. They are bias towards the products their company produces/helps to produce. The information seems to be currents. The audience of the website can contact the company via produced e-mail and telephone numbers. The website is up to date and easy to navigate.

Scitable- This website is produced by the Nature Education group. The authors purpose is to inform the public about genetically modified foods, both the negatives and positives. I don't see a bias leaning towards either an opinion for or against GMOs. The intended audience seems to be the American public. The specific author is unknown but there are ways listed to contact the responsible group in charge of the website and its contents.

Say no to GMOs- I can not find a clear author of this website. The information provided is to inform the public of the dangers of GMOs. The bias of the author is against GMOs. The information is up to date. The intended audience is the general public. It is possible to contact the author but only through providing your own contact information and waiting for a response.

As of now I'm not concerned about eating GMOs, for the fact that I feel that most of the foods I consume are natural, or seem natural. My assumption about why the US does not require GMOs to be labeled is because of the economy of our nation. In comparison the US usually tends to have a higher unemployment rate then much of the EU. GMOs tend to be cheaper than other foods, therefore it is cheaper to feed the people.

To Trust or Not to Trust

When I began my review of the websites I went in the order they were presented in the assignment: Monsanto, Scitable and last Say No to GMOs. Each of the sites was easy to use but Scitable is lacking in contact information that the other two have, or perhaps I was just unable to find it. Monsanto seemed to be focused toward selling to farmers and is clearly biased toward the benefits of breeding and biotechnology and how it isn’t much more than selecting the best organisms to yield better and better crops with a little help from technology. The site also tries to hide some of the bias through seeming open to either selective breeding or biotechnology and may one day move to just one if it is decidedly better. It was very informative but mostly stuck to the benefits and didn’t really address the negative side effects. I found this made me question the reliability since the site ignored the controversy instead of addressing it. Say No to GMO’s was blatantly against genetically modified organisms hence the title of the website. The one sidedness of the site made it hard to take the information as reliable because the perspective is clearly skewed. Scitable was the only site with an actual authors name attached to it and that author happens to have a Ph.D. This added with the informative nature of the site and it’s clear address of both sides of the issue made it the most reliable to me. The site seemed to only want to inform and let the reader decide. Both Say No to GMO’s and Scitable are only addressing the public, but being open and accepting the opposing views made Scitable stand out to me as the most reliable, Monsanto to be the second and Say No to GMO’s last.

After all the reading I have to say I am not completely opposed to eating GMO’s although I would like the FDA to require those foods to be clearly marked. It is our governments’ responsibility to protect the people not the companies and we have the right to know what we are eating. The fact that the FDA refuses to label GMO’s makes me want to avoid them more so than anything that I read on the websites.

Lutz, C. Greg. "Genetically Modified Organisms: A Continuing Controversy." Aquaculture Magazine 27.4 (2001): 8. MasterFILE Premier. EBSCO. Web. 24 May 2010.

GMO Discussion

Monsanto:

There is no author listed on the Monsanto page, so it will be attributable to the corporation in general as a result. With Monsanto itself responsible for the post, the purpose is to "educate" the general public as to the many benefits of GMO's, including the science behind this wonderful technology. The inherent bias, as a result, is to sell the idea of GMO's as good, which would be beneficial to the Monsanto corporation as a business. The site is copyrighted through 2010, though the exact time this page was posted is up in the air, as no date is explicitly given. The intended targets of this information would be the general public, mostly including those with curiosity or minor doubt (not to discount firm believers). Contacting the author seems to be unlikely, but there is a Contact Us link at the bottom of the page, which would put you in touch with the company. But, the site is nice to look at and labeled in a very neat fashion.

Scitable:

Theresa Phillips is the author of this piece, and it seems to be an article that seeks to inform the public of the various risks and benefits of GMO's. The bias seems to be almost non-existent, as there is no advertising readily noticed and no issues to sell. It is an information hub, and that would require a look into the people behind the website. But the article is from 2008, so fairly recent, though science has most assuredly advanced since this was published. Concerned and curious citizens seem to be the target. There are links here that will put you in contact with the people running the site. Everything here is structured nicely.

Saynotogmos:

Again, we have no author for this work, whose purpose it seems is to persuade people against buying products with GMO's. The bias is that the author explores only the negative aspects of GMO's and is clearly bent on trying to eliminate them. There is nothing that points to when this section was written, but there are links to 2010 information. It seems to be wanting to sell its point to those who are already doubters of the whole GMO issue. Like the others, no direct author contact, but you can contact those in charge of the site. The design is more busy than the others, and less professional looking.

Scitable may be the most reliable, as it is authored by somebody specific, a Ph.D. no less. It has research available and touches on both sides. Monsanto is likely least, as it stands to make or lose the most depending on how the public reacts. Millions and millions of dollars are at stake here.

1. I don't have any real issue with GMO's, it just hasn't been an issue that strikes me as most risky, and I just haven't looked into as much to really know.

2. I think the foods should be labeled, and the refusal to do so seems to be a way to disguise issues rather than inform.

Ruse, Michael, and David Castle. Genetically Modified Foods: Debating Biotechnology. Amherst, New York: Prometheus Books, 2002. Print.

GMOs

Monsanto
The author of the information on this site is Monsanto, the company that owns the site. The intention behind the article seems to be to inform readers of the science behind the company's food technology and the audience seems to be those curious enough to discover what they're really consuming. The author is obviously biased because they are referring to their own food and their own technologies, without addressing outside sources. They are trying to promote their own products, which to me suggests a bias. Although there's not a date listed for the actual link provided, there is a 2010 copyright at the bottom, which tells me that the information is at least somewhat current. Although it's not advertised, there is a link for contacting the company at the bottom of the page. The design of the website seems pretty straightforward and is easy to use.

Nature
The author of this post is stated, unlike Monsanto's, and this one happens to be written by someone with a Ph.D. Considering the fact that Monsanto didn't mention an author and Nature had a Ph.D author who was willing to submit their own name to the work, I already consider this source more credible. The purpose of the article is to address where the line should be drawn for creating new GMOs. The article is pretty current, only seeing publication two years ago. The bias seems to be against GMOs, at least advocating for more research to be done on them. I think the intended audience is different from that of Monsanto's link, this audience seems to be a bit more educated and interested in the problems with GMOs in current use. I did not see any contact information for the author listed on the page, but I did like the sizable amount of sources cited. Additionally, the site was easy to navigate around.

Say No
The bias of this site is pretty obvious from the domain name alone. The author is not stated, but like Monsanto's webpage, the information is more general and probably not attributable to a single author. The purpose behind the webpage is as clear as the bias, and that purpose is to convince readers not to consume GMOs. The intended audience seems to be people who are already skeptical about GMOs and want more information about the harm they can cause. Although I don't see a date posted, there is a link for "2010 updates" so at least part of the site is up-to-date. The website is really easy to use, with a bunch of helpful links on the main page, as well as a link for contact information.

Of the three sites, I would say that the Nature site is the most reliable. There are plenty of sources cited for further reading, the article sounds much less biased than the other two, an the information provided seems much more scientific and scholarly based than the other websites. I think the Say No website has the least reliable information, or at least the least reliable presentation of information. Although I doubt the validity of Monsanto's claims, they are at least tactful enough with their website, which I cannot say the same for the Say No group. I agree much more with their arguments, but the layout of the site seems rudimentary and childlike, it looks as if a 12-year old designed the site.

Eating GMOs does bother me, though I try not to think about it. I don't like the idea that my food is no longer natural, and that it's been tampered with biologically. I certainly think that the US needs to catch up to the times and start labeling GMOs like Europe already does. There is no good reason to lag behind on this that I can think of, but plenty of greedy, exploiting reasons why corporations don't want to make this information available.

Dahm, Lori. "To GMO or Not to GMO." National Provisioner 215.1 (2001): 50-57. Academic Search Complete. Web. 20 May 2010.

Von Gotz, Franz. "See What You Eat: Broad GMO Screening with Microarrays." Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry. 396.6 (2010): 1961-1967. Academic Search Complete. Web. 20 May 2010.

The Sad State of American Farmers

When I first saw Food Inc in Blockbuster I put it on my “must watch” list but kept putting it off for fear I would have to change my diet afterwards. My fears were confirmed! There are so many things wrong with the structure of American Big Business running the American farmers that it is difficult to find a place to start so I will try my best not to turn this into a rant. Let’s begin with the fact that as American consumers we are tricked by commercials into believing that cows and pigs being “corn fed” makes them healthier, when in fact it is unnatural AND unhealthy. The movie taught me that the corn feeding that is boasted about in most commercials is actually a major cause of ecoli and other illnesses affecting animals that will eventually be turned into food. The scarier thing is that 80% of these illnesses can be fixed by simply letting the cows eat what they would naturally, with this knowledge “Big Business” still insists on feeding them corn! What!?! Sorry getting a little excited but how come the USDA, a government agency charged with the safety of these foods we Americans consume has done little to improve these conditions?

Even sadder still is that the average farmer that feeds America makes less in a year than I do. To add insult to injury they are stuck in a vicious cycle set up to keep them indebted to the businesses that keeps them under thumb. I would go so far as to say this is the new American slavery. Maybe they have some monetary compensation, but the system is set up to keep them working for little to no return with no hope of controlling the farms they once loved. This movie was disturbing on so many levels changing my diet was only a small part of how this movie has impacted me.

United States. Cong. Senate. Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry. Challenges and Opportunities Facing American Agricultural Producers. 109th Cong., Washington: 2007. Print.

Food, Inc.

I watched this a couple of months ago, after hearing about it, seeing advertisements, and reading reviews online from some of my favorite movie sites. After settling down for the night, my girlfriend and I threw this on via Netflix, and where I expected a generic, don't-eat-genetically-modified-food documentary, I actually got some startling insight into the food industry, shedding light on some things I knew and some things I didn't. Suffice it to say, some necessary change needs to happen.

What impacted me most was the apparent disinterest the food industry has in making any kinds of change, even the small ones. To treat the animals differently, where it is still okay and natural to butcher, but to not abuse them. Feed them products their bodies want to digest, should be digesting, so that they are healthy. It seems that with the large monetary intake the food industry makes, how hard would it be to make some minor, albeit useful, changes? And hopefully, with the insight from this film and others like it, as well as books and talks on the subject, Americans will demand a change and the industry can be shaped the way we, the consumers, would like it.

It will likely take some time to see any real kind of change, but even the little steps are necessary. But once the hurdle is jumped, it will stay behind us and we can move on to other issues that demand our time and attention. Nothing is easy, but some things are worth fighting for, even if that is by simply buying other products in the grocery store.

Reynnells, R., and J. Blake. United States. Standards for Food Animal Production: Status, Well-Being, and Social Responsibility. Washington, D.C.: , 2002. Web. 11 May 2010.

In a Word: Disturbing.

Wow, that film was intense. I can say with some degree of certainty that I would not have watched that documentary if it hadn't have been a requirement for class. There is definitely a reason I became a vegetarian a few years ago, and watching Food, Inc. almost made me regret that I am one no longer. I think the most disturbing imagery (though it's hard to pick just one thing) was the scene in the chicken houses. After the trucks came and took all of the (currently) living chickens away, it was so horrendous to see how many dead chickens the farmer had to pick up afterwards. It was more than just meat, it was poor living creatures who were never given the chance to live a decent life. Unlike some, I do think the meat industry is fairly essential to the U.S. population, but I think the standards have fallen so far below acceptable that I don't even have a word for it. There is nothing humane about the lives that these animals lead, they are suffering from birth to death.
Besides the terrible treatment of our livestock and poultry, there was something else that stuck out to me, as I'm sure it did to other people: corn. I, for one, am not a fan of corn. I don't know what it is, but I don't like popcorn, or corn on the cob, or corn in general. So it's no surprise that I was horrified to discover just how much corn I consume on a daily basis. I don't like to think about it, it's waaaaay too much disgusting corn going into my body. Prior to watching the film, I hadn't realized that cheap food equalled highly processed corn. I don't want to sit down to a meal and picture corn as every item on my plate, yuck! I know this is not the message that the film intended, but the whole thing left me feeling so utterly hopeless about changing the way I eat. Sure, it made me want to change every bit of my diet, but seeing just how very tightly controlled our food really is made me feel like there's nothing I can do to stop it. When I already have to be concerned with how many calories I'm consuming, how much fat there is, how many servings of fruit and vegetables I'm getting, so on and so forth, there comes a point where I simply can't monitor everything about my food. I just want to eat something tasty; it's not going to taste as good if I have to painstakingly go through every single item on the ingredients list to discover what I'm really eating.

Dotinga, Randy. High Fructose Corn Syrup Linked to Liver Scarring. 2010. Medline Plus. U.S. National Library of Medicine. Web. 10 May. 2010.

I went to the farmers market this past Saturday and had a great time. I've been a few times before and have always enjoyed the atmosphere and the people (and people watching). Besides fruits and vegetables I was glad to see an array of other things such as cupcakes, honey, art, and other food carts. No other food says summer to me like strawberries, so I ended up buying a box of those for this assignment, as well as other produce to have for the week because it was all so fresh. I love baking and one of my favorite websites is www.tastespotting.com, its like a virtual visual cookbook with links to all sorts of food blogs. One of the first images I saw on the website was strawberry scones, and decided that would be a good way to use some of the berries i bought at the market. The recipe called for more flour than I had on hand so the dough was a bit sticky and hard to shape into scones but besides that the process was pretty simple. The scones turned out great, and made for a great sunday brunch with a cup of coffee. I had quite a few and took some to the neighbors, I'm sure they enjoyed them, I mean, what broke college student wouldn't like a surprise of warm strawberry scones? I used the rest of the strawberries later that night for desert. Strawberries dipped in sour cream dipped in brown sugar. It sounds awful, but it tastes pretty amazing.

Etter, Lauren. "Food For Thought: Do You Need Farmers For A Farmer's Market?" Wall Street Journal - Eastern Edition 255.99 (2010): A1-A16. EBSCO Host. Web. 3 May 2010.

The Farmers Market

Due to time constraints on Saturday, my visit to the Farmers Market was brief, but still exciting. I've never been to one before, but I was glad for the chance to try it out. Not being able to talk much with anyone, I browsed a bit, trying to find something that would be good to eat, but wasn't too difficult, as I'm not much of a cook. So it ended up being some iceberg lettuce for a salad, because I figured I could pull that off without too much potential for failure. I checked out Food Network's website and found a simple enough Iceberg Lettuce with Russian Dressing recipe, one which I had all the ingredients for.

It was a good salad, especially for how simple it was. The ease of preparation was a pleasure too, so that might have enhanced the experience. Overall, I think the whole thing was fun and I wouldn't mind visiting the Farmers Market again. There isn't much to say, but I think the Farmers Market is an important part of the community and one that can really make a difference in the way food is sold. There need to be more things like this, to give an option on how and what people want to eat. For now, that is all. But this was a fun assignment.

Fromartz, Samuel. Organic, Inc.: Natural Foods and How They Grew. Orlando, FL: Harcourt, 2006. Print.

When I saw that the assignment was to visit the local Farmer’s Market I was excited to have a chance to visit the Market as I have never been, but always wanted to. I was disappointed to find I couldn’t go to the Wednesday Market due to work and that the hours on Saturday conflicted with my work schedule as well. Unfortunately, I had to limit my visit due to my work lunch only being an hour, but I still found so many things I wanted to see in more detail, that I will surely visit again! Because I knew I was going to have a limited amount of time to stay, I found a recipe in advance from the Italian cookbook I ordered through Iliad: Ravioli alla Piemontese, oh yes it was as impressive as it sounds. I worried that the main ingredients I needed from the market were herbs or green leafy vegetables that may not be easily distinguishable in a ravioli dish, but the worry didn’t affect this incredible experience. I spoke to two vendors’: the first who sold me garlic knew very little about the process behind producing the food they were selling, and the second’s family always had a stand at the local market so she kind of inherited her position. The first vendor is actually part of a growing controversy over Farmers’ Markets where local farmers are in competition with resellers who sell food that they themselves have not grown. According to the author of Food for Thought: Do You Need Farmers’ for a Farmer’s Market?, Farmers markets, with their hodgepodge of organic kale, artisan rye bread and peach preserves, have surged in popularity in recent years. But now authorities are questioning whether they're missing a crucial ingredient: real farmers”. The controversy notwithstanding, I found the atmosphere much more open than in your typical grocery store. People were friendlier and more relaxed which made me forget my rush and slow down to converse with a few fellow shoppers. Jen began eating locally grown foods about 4 years ago when she realized she was teaching her children the importance of food and wanted to set a high standard. She feels her family is healthier and that it has had a positive effect on the whole families’ mood and energy level. How amazing for Jen to have found a small way to make such a big change in not only her life but the lives of others! I could have talked with Jen all day but alas, work was calling. I did have a chance to make my Ravioli alla Piemontese and it was fabulous (if I do say so myself). The garlic and spinach were part of the stuffing of the ravioli but I have to say they did add some zest to the dish. Of all the assignments so far this is hands down my favorite, I got to do research outside of school, and I got to eat more decadently than usual.

Lauran, Etter. “Food for Thought: Do You Need Farmers for a Farmers Market?” Wall Street Journal 29 April 2010: 99 A1–A16. Print.

Farmers Market

When I went to the farmers market, I was only able to stop by for a moment, so I wasn't able to chat with the farmers, but I did get a good impression of the place. I ended up buying some lettuce and spent a few minutes walking around I love the vibe that the whole market gives off as you walk along the isles. The live music gives a great touch, as well. The whole scene just felt like a mini-community within a community, but not in an exclusivist way. I've been to the market a few times before, but I haven't been there for over a year, so it was nice to see it again.

I chose to make a recipe that I found for Lemony Caesar salad from allrecipes.com. It was quite good, as I am a big fan of both caesar salads and lemons. I don't usually make food from recipes (unless you count the instructions on the side of a box a recipe), so it was a nice change of pace. Considering that my cooking skills are very limited and the fact that this was a very simple recipe, it turned out well, and tasted even better than I had hoped.

McCormack, Lacey A., Laska, Melissa N., Larson, Nicole I., & Story, Mary. "Review of the Nutritional Implications of Farmers' Markets and Community Gardens: A Call for Evaluation and Research eEfforts." Journal of the American Dietetic Association 110.3 (2010): 299-408. Print.

You Are What You Eat

Its true, you are what you eat. When you eat fatty foods, your body can not process them fast enough and they stay in your body, producing fat. Not only are there long term consequences of eating fatty foods (weight gain, heart disease, diabetes, etc.) but there are also many short term consequences too. Stomachaches, headaches, feeling drowsy (and lazy), greasy skin (or happens to be the case with me after eating greasy food), and I'm sure you can think of many others. I don't however agree with the poem Hunting Season. I do not believe that the food we consume, be it meat, produce, dairy or grains inhabit our bodies. This is silly. However I do agree with the poets point, that after a while what you consume will come back to get you physically, if its not weight gain, it could be diseases. Take for example liver disease due to alcoholism, or diabetes and heart disease because of fast food. Even though I believe in this I still find it hard to keep in mind when dining. My diet is not the best, I drink more diet pepsi then water (or so it seems), and eat food that is of convenience or nutritional value. I think it would be easy to blame that on my parents or for being raised in America, but in the end I have to take responsibility for my own actions when it comes to eating.

Somer, Elizabeth. Food & Mood: the Complete Guide to Eating Well and Feeling Your Best. (New York: Henry Holt, 1999.)

Corn at the Cellular Level? Gross.

Although I have heard the expression "you are what you eat" many times, I have never heard it explained in the way it was in this blog assignment. I would not like to think of myself as spiritually and psychologically hosting all of the animals I have eaten throughout my life. I would imagine it would get pretty cramped later in life! Although I realize that we obtain nutrients from the food we consume, I guess I never realized the extent that this food is absorbed into our bodies. Considering that I don't like corn, I think it's pretty gross that you can see corn at the cellular level in our bodies. At the same time, it's quite a lot of effort to monitor everything I consume, and frankly, I don't feel like it most of the time. The one kind of food that I do monitor my consumption of is fast food. For the past few years, I have grown more and more disgusted about fast food. Although I will occasionally eat out, there are a few places I simply cannot stomach. The main place is McDonald's. Although I'm sure the food tastes just fine, I can't get over the stereotype of eating at McDonald's. The way Americans overindulge is unsightly, and I can't stand to be associated with it, even if it's only in my own head.

Food aside, I don't like to poison my body to an extreme degree. I'm pretty addicted to caffeine, but I try to keep it under control. I wouldn't consider taking steroids, and I prefer not to get vaccines for things like the flu because I think it keeps your immune system healthy.

The Western Read for this year is a great book dealing with the issues of food.

Pollan, Michael. Omnivore's Dilemma. London: Penguin Books, 2006. Print.

I Am What I Eat

Though I try to balance my diet and consume a wide variety of food, my attitude generally aligns with the idea of eating for taste and for ease. And as a college student (okay, there is another one), I find myself often pressed for time and money, which leads to quick eating and less than healthy food. And I do believe I inherit some of the negative effects of the food. But I have a good metabolism and I'm probably young enough that I'm not experiencing some of the worse traits I would if I were older. Regardless, I am what I eat, and I accept that.

But I also eat for taste, which means almost nothing. Plenty of good tasting food isn't all that healthy, but there are some that are. Though when we are talking about taste, who cares about health? Maybe it's just me, but if I'm putting it in my body, it might as well taste good, no matter the health aspects. I've got one life, I want to experience as much food as possible.

True, there is other things that can be put into the body, and I am a fan of beer, which I treat similarly. There is good beer and bad beer, expensive and cheap. I consume it responsibly, so there aren't really any negative effects, at least in any long term sense. So the food I eat is much the same, and I don't consume one thing more than the other, so I'll be just fine. I am what I eat, and that is fine with me.

Mudry, Jessica. Measured Meals: Nutrition in America. Albany NY: SUNY Press, 2009. Print.

I Wish That I Knew What I Know Now

You are what you eat may be cliche, but that doesn't mean it is not true. People who have poor diets tend to have more health problems than people who keep careful stock of what goes into their bodies. My mom has always tried to eat healthy and tried to pass this trait along to her children, unfortunately in some ways it backfired. When my brother and I were young we would put our allowance together and get as much candy as $10 could buy, poor it into a bag and eat until we were sick...awwww the good old days! When we did this Saturday morning ritual we would keep it secret from my mother who would have had a heart attack if she saw what we were putting into our bodies. The only time we could openly consume sugar was at birthday parties and believe me we took full advantage! My mother would warn of the importance of balancing sugar with protein especially for me because I suffer from low blood sugar and crash pretty hard when I don't eat responsibly. But when your 10 it's hard to care about such things with cake and punch and cookies in such abundance for such a fleeting amount of time. My mothers words of wisdom were understood at the time as well as through my teens into my early twenties, yet I still find it challenging to apply the knowledge she has passed on to my everyday life. I am naturally thin and find eating healthy appealing, yet only possible in small doses: an organic salad here, snacks of carrots and protein bars there. More often than not I am eating fast food, or at a restaurant and must say it is hard to think about nutritional factors when selecting from a variety of tasty entrees saturated in fat, oil and of course my favorite, sugar. Now that my naturally slim figure has begun to show the impact of eating poorly for 25 years, I've tried to reign in my poor eating habits and opt for less fat and sugar for more protein and vitamins. It is very difficult to go out of my way to eat healthier when there is a plethora of bad foods that are easily accessible. I often think I will eat healthy later, I have the will power and will chose to exercise it when need be. Well the need is here, my blood sugar is very low and I am borderline diabetic, maintaining a healthy weight and blood sugar level are imperative to staying healthy....yet I still find myself in the drive through at Starbucks on my way to Western. Making small changes when you're young is easier than making drastic changes when you have a history of bad eating habits to break. Don't tell her I said this but I should have listened to my mother. Forming good eating habits when you're young beats breaking bad ones when you're older. We are what we consume and sooner or later our bodies will remind us that we are not indestructable, that we are not immune to heart disease and cholestorol problems. If we treat our bodies right, we will reap the benefits of a longer, healthier and happier life.

A book that gives some insight into the importance of nutrition follows:

Wildman, Robert E. C., Advanced human nutrition
Boca Raton : CRC Press, c2000.

Kill Your Food...Or Not

(So I was out of town this weekend and lost my assignment sheet. That doesn't really excuse the lateness of this post, but I might as well contribute as best I can. So here it is, for your reading pleasure.)

The idea of hunting has never been one that appealed to me. It's not so much a moral stance, it's just not having a desire to kill anything. Everything has been available in my local grocery store (or national chain) so I don't really need to. But I can appreciate the hunters who do so for food, to claim the animal and use it for a number of purposes such as food or clothing or anything else they can do to waste as little of the animal as possible. That is understandable, if you want to grow your own vegetables or hunt your own food, who am I to stop you? As long as you stay within the confines of the law, you should be able to do as you please.

Where hunting does get iffy for me is in the sport of it. To essentially waste an animal, killing it solely for sport, seems unnecessary. Meat, and the animals we get it from, should be respected enough not to be wasted for fun. And this is coming from someone who understands that some do find real pleasure and fun from hunting. I've never done it, nor do I interact with those who do very often, but I do know people enjoy all sorts of things that I don't do, so I can deal with it. But there is so much you can do with a hunted animal, which includes putting it to good use.

Outside of that, I do find something appealing in harvesting food for oneself. There is a pride in doing so, in making a way for yourself, by yourself. Growing your own food seems like an interesting lifestyle, even when it includes raising animals to butcher and eat. The food chain, with us at the top, allows us to consume animals and plants, so why not do so? Of course, I side with those who would not want to be cruel to animals, but treat them with enough respect. The same goes for raising them, because they are beings that feel... I will only eat them because, like them, we are designed to eat certain things. I'm not one to question that, in fact, I embrace some of human's base animal instincts.

Harnack, Andrew. Animal Rights: Opposing Viewpoints. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, 1996. Print.

Ogden, Samuel. How to Grow Food for Your Family. New York, NY: A.S. Barnes, 1942. Print.

To Hunt or Not to Hunt

Growing up I had a strong sense of right and wrong with respect to animals: anything that hurt them was wrong. Even when I would watch movies as a child I remember my mother trying to comfort me as I sobbed after a horse was killed in a western shoot out. Silly as that may be I still have a fondness for animals that might make you think I would be against eating them, but this is not the case. I was raised eating chicken and beef and when I was about ten and discovered that “beef” came from cows it saddened me, but didn’t stop me from begging my mom to take me to McDonald’s.

My mom raised me in a poor area in Los Angeles County yet always managed to keep us out of apartment living. We always had a house and always had pets, so when she announced she wanted to start a dairy farm I was all for it!! I didn’t realize how much effort it took to actually care for animals other than cats and dogs. Dairy goats have to be milked twice a day (at least) even if you have no need for all the milk, if you don’t milk them they will stop producing it. As you may remember I was opposed to goat milk from the start, and you can imagine my shock when my mother had one of the older goats butchered for meat!! It was hard to know that our oldest goat Aphrodite was in separate packages marked ground meat in the freezer but when my mom actually made spaghetti with her I couldn’t handle it. She begged me to try it, and after fighting to no avail I did. I was not impressed. I could tell it was different, but not in the same disgusted way I could tell with the goat milk. It was different, but not gross. I never ate goat again, mostly because I’ve considered them pets and it is hard to think of them otherwise.

Harvesting your own food is good for not only the environment but also for your own health in knowing the diet and the treatment of the plant or animal you are going to consume. It is definitely advantageous to have a stronger connection with your food; it makes you waste less because it is more meaningful. It is an investment of time, money, sweat and sometimes even blood, so the final product on your dinner plate has more meaning then shelling out twenty bucks for a prepackaged piece of meat that is so far removed from the animal it was originally, without a label it would be unrecognizable.

We like to think that we are more civilized than we were 200, 100, even 50 years ago. But a lot of the problems we have with overconsumption and unfair distribution of food and wealth come from not having direct contact with the food and the environment that make our lives worth living. It is not only moral to hunt for food, if it were the rule instead of the exception to the rule we wouldn’t have many of the problems we face today. Granted I would have a hard time with it at first, but like anything that was meaningful, with hard work and determination the benefits would far outweigh the costs.

I think there are valid arguments on both sides so I’m recommending two books with opposing viewpoints…..

Swan, A. James. In Defense of Hunting. HarperSanFransisco, 1995. P

Bronner, J. Simon. Killing Tradition: Inside Hunting and Animal Rights Controversies. U Press of Kentucky, 2008. P

If You Can Stomach It...

For those who can stomach it, I think hunting your own food is a great idea. I think hunting for food increases awareness on a whole score of issues that many people today aren't able to deal with (myself included). Not only are you positive where your food came from, but you're also conscious of how much pain the animal experienced, how healthy it looked, etc. One aspect I really like of hunting one's own meat is that you can control how much of the animal is wasted. I think people who make the effort to use every part of the animal are quite admiral; they're ensuring that the life of the animal didn't go to waste.

In our modern culture, we are so far removed from the source of our food it's pretty unbelievable. The more our food technology advances, the more detached we become from our food. I know I certainly value my detachment from the animal that I'm consuming, but at the same time, I'm probably causing the poor creature much more pain and strife by purchasing its meat from a grocery store than from killing it myself. I am especially aware of my detachment from food because a few years ago, my guilt about eating animals consumed me and I became a vegetarian. I gave it up after a year and a half (and, ironically, enjoy meat more now that I ever did before), but I am also aware of the fact that I avoid at all costs knowing the source of my protein. If I had to look into the eyes of the creature I wished to consume, I would never be able to eat its flesh. I think it is noble of those who can; they are living in a much more natural realm than those of us who are squeamish about killing animals. People who hunt for their own food are reaching out to the fundamental circle of life that so many of us have lost.

I thought the article about Escoffier's Guide Culinaire was quite interesting. I think it's cool that the author has a network of people that hunt their own food and trade it amongst one another. Although it was kind of disgusting to read about how some of the food is made, I think it was an enriching experience nonetheless. I think hunting for one's own food is perfectly justifiable, certainly more so than purchasing a package of meat in a grocery store. I think the only humans who are truly justified in consuming meat in the first place are those who hunt their own food, after all, they are the only ones who can deal with the moral consequences of the act. The rest of us (once again, myself included) just sit back and let others do the dirty work for us. If everyone hunted their own food, we would certainly be a lot healthier, and we would senselessly murder so many less animals than we do now.

Jackson, Alison. I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie. New York: Dutton Children's Books, 1997. Print.

Rubin, Lawrence. Food for Thought: Essays on Eating and Culture. Jefferson: McFarland, 2008. Print.

Harvesting Food

After reading the articles "The Scavenger's Guide to Haute Cuisine" and "The Urban Deerslayer" my views of hunting have changed someone. I had never really thought about hunting as a necessity and rather a sport for two reasons. First, I never saw it as necessary when you could walk into a grocery store and get meat from animals who have already been killed for that purpose, for humans to consume. Second, hunting always seemed to be more of a sport. People seem to get so much joy out of hunting and it seemed to me that they turned it into more of a party than was necessary.

The authors of both articles helped me to see things from a different perspective. I never had though about the satisfaction one would get from harvesting their own food, and the connection it would give to the food. How much more you would appreciate the animal you were eating if you were the one who had killed it. Although I had previously seen hunting as immoral because their is already so much meat at grocery stores, I never really thought of people hunting out of necessity because they may not have enough money to purchase meat from a grocery store. In one of the articles the author mentions that for the price of a hunting license (I believe it was around forty dollars or so) he could keep his family fed for almost a year.

Hayes, Ruth. Gluttony. Seattle: Random Motion, 1985.

Regguinti, Gordon, and Dale Kakkak. The Sacred Harvest: Ojibway Wild Rice Gathering. Minneapolis: Learner Publications, 1992.

Give Me Your Best Shot

As I read "Waiter, There's a Cloven Hoof on my Plate," I wondered what the most disgusting food I've ever eaten was. And even after, I'm having a hard time picking one out, and not because there are so many, but because there are so little. In my previous post, I mentioned how I love trying new things, any kind of food is fair game, as long as it is commonly accepted by other cultures and countries. So, as of now, I don't have a most disgusting food, and any foods I'm not in love with is likely due to not liking it more than other things, but I'd still eat them if they were in front of me.

For my culture, whatever that means, there are many foods that may seem strange, even though they are commonly eaten by other American's. The rural south has a number of dishes people from our "area" or "culture" might shake their head at, but in that area of America, it's perfectly acceptable. It seems, generally, that American's as a whole avoid meat products of any animal that may resemble a pet. And, in my experience, people tend to avoid foods of a certain texture, though the range and diversity is so large, it's hard to pin down what is acceptable and what is not. If you ask me, it is indeed all psychological, and anyone could eat anything if they 1) didn't know what it was, or 2) were raised in a different environment.

The psychological aspect is what keeps certain people from trying new foods or finds vegetarians believing that a sliver of meat just touching their tongue will make them sick. Not to offend, though it shouldn't if thought about, the very idea is ridiculous. There isn't anything stopping them, from a biological standpoint at least, and to insist otherwise would be, in all likelihood, wrong. There are exceptions to every rule, but the vast majority cannot escape it. Food is food and meat is meat. There are certain foods that exceed disgusting and venture into undigestible territory, but no culture eats those things anyway. Gross is a relative term, which means something different to everyone. For me, the line is far ahead, which leaves me the opportunity to try all sorts of interesting and delicious dishes. Bring on the balut.

"Weird Food & Strange Food from Around the World."Weird Food. N.p., 2008. Web. 13 Apr 2010. .

I Can Tell the Difference

While reading the article “Waiter there’s a cloven hoof on my plate”, along with trying to read through the article without turning away in disgust (which seemed a little silly since I wasn’t looking at anything other than words), I tried to think of the grossest thing I’d ever eaten. This was extremely challenging since I am not the least bit adventurous with my diet. There are foods like tripe (sheep stomach) and menudo (cow stomach), which are essentially absent from the American diet, but in Ireland and Mexico they are said to be great hangover cures. I have been offered a variety of foods that people around me eat everyday including sushi, oysters, calamari, and even duck. Although I wasn’t brave enough to let many of these even touch my lips, I did place a bite of duck in my mouth…although that’s as far as it got so I cannot claim to have actually eaten it. Regardless of what my stepmother claims duck is not like a gourmet chicken. Eatable, delicious, and disgusting vary from culture to culture and household to household so it must be psychological if food can be so many different things to so many different people.

Due to the fact that I have always been a finicky eater it was hard to think of a time where I was forced to consume something that I didn’t choose, and then it hit me: goat’s milk. When I was about 12 my mom decided to get into organic farming and raise her own chickens and goats, for fresh eggs and milk. My brother and I weren’t too excited about the idea of goat’s milk especially since we loved cow’s milk so much that we would drink about a gallon a day between us. From cereal in the morning to two big glasses with lunch and dinner we could have been the poster children for the milk industry. My mother explained the nutritional value was far greater in goat’s milk than cow’s and how the money saved will benefit the family. Valid arguments but they fell on deaf ears; remember we were too young to care. We protested about the smell and the taste and the yellow color and the thick consistency, it looked more like eggnog than milk unfortunately the similarity ended there. At first my mother compromised and bought cow’s milk and pasteurized her own goat’s milk until one day when she’d had enough and claimed we couldn't even tell the difference. She refused to spend any more money on milk and said all of our concerns were “psychological” and we needed to get over them. For a few weeks neither side budged, so my mother resorted to trickery. She poured the goat’s milk into the empty gallon milk container, and I was the unfortunate victim of this hennas act. I poured the milk perfunctorily as I wondered through my morning routine, my mother watched anxiously…I took a bite and then another. I turned to my mother and said the milk must have gone bad and she flipped out. “It’s psychological” she cried, “you had two bites before you looked at the container and saw it was yellow”! Actually I had a bite, then a second to see if it was me, then I looked at the container to see how bad the milk actually was because clearly something was wrong. To this day my mother swears “it’s psychological” and we never opened ourselves up to the experience. It’s a funny story to tell to newcomers, but it remains the grossest thing I’ve ever eaten.

Pickled Pig's Skin

The weirdest thing I've ever eaten was pickled pig's skin. My cousin bought it from the grocery store when we were in Ensenada, Mexico. It came in a milk jug filled with vinegar. The skin itself was in small pieces, similar in shape to french fries. It didn't taste like much, except for the pickling flavor, though the texture was pretty disgusting. I tried not to think about it while it was going down. Other than that, I haven't tried a wide variety of odd foods. I'm much more open to the idea of eating weird animals than weird animal parts; I don't think I'd be able to stomach eating penis, liver, or any internal part of an animal.

It's very interesting how one animal can be considered a delicious, common meal in one culture and be sacred in another, and even how different parts of animals are cherished or avoided, depending on the cultural context. I definitely think the phenomenon is all psychological, but I also think it's something we cannot avoid. Our food preferences are ingrained into us from the cultures in which we live, and although we can be open minded, I don't think it's possible to completely leave behind our cultural influences. Even if I liked the taste of it, I would have a very hard time eating dog or cat because I grew up with these animals as pets who were cherished, and I am not able to separate the food from the memories of my pets. I do wonder how some delicacies (like chicken shitholes) become popular in the future, but it kind of grosses me out to picture people testing out different parts of animals, so I try not to think about it. Still, the realization that growing up in American led me to favor chicken thighs or breasts, when my food preferences could have been shaped vastly differently if only I had been born somewhere else, is a very interesting thought, indeed.

Website:

"Weird Food & Strange Food from Around the World." Weird-food.com. 2008. 10 Mar. 2010 .