Homemade Thai Food

Thai Fried Rice

4-6 cups cooked Jasmine or Basmati rice- slightly cooled.

a bit of olive or sesame oil or little bit of both

2-4 eggs, lightly whisked

1/2 -1 onion slicked thinly

1-1 1/2 tsp minced garlic or plenty more; depends on your liking of garlic

1-2 tsp minced ginger or plenty more...my husband adds a few Tablespoons, chopped finely

1/2 -1 lb diced chicken or tofu (have made it with fresh crab; oh my goodness..divine)

other sliced or grated vegetables as desired...1 or 2 cups (I sometimes use diced butternut squash, fresh sautee-mix greens, broccoli, frozen peas, mushrooms, grated/shredded carrots and/or zuchinni; it all depends what's in season or in the fridge. It's all great and makes it different every time.)

1/2 -1 bunch green onions, sliced thinly

little bit of chopped fresh basil for sprinkling on top

SAUCE

2 Tbl. soy sauce

2 Tbl. fish sauce

1 tsp. brown sugar

1 tsp. chile paste (optional)

*These amounts are entirely up to taste and mood.

1. Whisk eggs; cook first in a little oil and slide off to a plate or pour them over the vegetables or chicken when you are stir frying them.

2. Combine ingredients for the sauce in small bowl and set aside.

3. In a wok, stir fry sliced onions in sesame oil til lightly browned, adding vegetables that take longer to cook at the end (butternut squash).

4. Add garlic, ginger, chicken or tofu and stir fry a minute or two.

5. Add eggs, either cooked and chopped or still raw. Stir til set.

6. Add vegetables that cook quickly.

7. Add a little sauce and stir fry til almost ready to eat; don't overcook veggies here. You want them crisp-tender.

8. Add rice a cup or 2 at a time, stirring into the mixture, adding sauce a little at a time, until all rice is incorporated. Every grain does not need to be separated. Continue adding sauce to taste, being careful not to make it soggy.

9. Toss in green onions and mix for about 1 minute. Make sure they stay bright green.

10. Let set for a minute or two and then adjust to taste, cooking for a minute after the sauce is added. Be prepared to make a little more sauce if needed.

We eat this dish at least once a week and it is definitely a favorite of everyone. Using a variety of different vegetables make it a little different every time. If we have limes on hand, we'll serve it with limes as a garnish, or we'll make chili-lime sauce to pour over the top: Use 2 Tbsp lime juice, 1 Tbsp fish sauce, and 1 or more jalapenos or Thai chilis, and chop a couple cloves of garlic and throw them in too. Very good for colds with the raw garlic and jalapenos!

We have loved Thai food for as long as I can remember. We find the balance of the flavors sweet, salty, and spicy satisfy us with even a very light and simple dish. If those flavors are in good proportion, we are thoroughly satisfied by our meal. We make Thai food regularly; we love homemade fresh salad rolls with rice pasta wrappers and all sorts of curries as well. I just made Thai salmon cakes the other night that were incredible.

This recipe is a gift from my in-laws, who have visited Thailand several times, and have traveled by tandem touring bike while there. They have visited several Asian countries, and have brought home a love of the culture and foods. We have benefitted from their experiences by expanding our world views and have learned about the people who live in the refugee camps along the Thai-Burma border as well. I hope to someday visit Thailand in a way that is respectful of the culture and cuisine of this amazing country, and hopefully helpful to the people. We talk about plans to someday travel and teach overseas (my husband is an ESL teacher), and Thailand is one of my top choices of countries to visit/live in. My son wants to go just so he can have Thai food three meals a day. I can't say that I blame him; sounds like a great reason for me! The palm trees and beaches wouldn't be too bad, either.

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.

GMO Websites

Monsanto:

The author is Monsanto (but who exactly, it isn't clear...), their purpose is to promote and sell their product and the concept of GMO safety and it's importance in feeding the world, protecting biodiversity, etc. Their bias is clearly toward their product; they want positive public opinion; they want happy shareholders; they look like heroes on their website. Info is basically current; and hey, every 2 weeks you can get their latest videos and newsletters. Audience: people who are questioning GMOs and the Monsanto name, and/or normal everyday folks. Shareholders. I'll add, people who want to be reassured that our health and safety and the future of our planet are in the hands of trustworthy corporations and governmental institutions that really do have our well being in mind....Contact info is available. Clear design, easy to use....very professionally done and polished. Lots of video clips...some convincing experts speaking...lots of images of good ole American farmers...and they are somehow in bed with the International Food Information Council (in at least the "comparison of organics and gmo foods" video...which isn't even a comparison at all, rather a mockery of organics). Who is the IFIC? They look good on paper....but they're on Monsanto's video clip...?

Least credible. It's a huge corporation with shareholders and a mission to promote their business and make money. They're holding hands with how many government agencies?

Scitable

Author of this article: Theresa Phillips PhD. Purpose: to educate people and to publish her research findings on the "free science library and personal learning tool". Bias: toward the furthering of our understanding of GMOs and their scientific risks, controversies without trying to sell us one or the other. It's a little old, 2008, but the website itself as a whole seems up to date. Intended audience: anyone; it's posted on "the collaborative learning space for science". Power to the People through knowledge. Yes, contact info given clearly. Great design and easy to use.

I think this has the most authoritative info given. It is the least biased; it is a forum for science education and research; PhDs are posting well researched articles.

Say No To GMOs

Author: Volunteers put together the website, and within it one can find articles written by many different scientists on the various topics surrounding GMOs. Purpose: to educate the public. Bias: against GMOs. Current information, with past issues/versions available as you click around the site. Intended audience: people concerned with the safety and prevalence of GMOs. Yes, contact information in the form of send us your email and here's a comment box. Clear design. It doesn't look as professional and svelte; it looks a bit homemade and crazed-leftist-earth first-y. With this website design against Monsanto's, the general public is least likely to dismiss Monsanto's message. This one looks far less credible.

This is the second most reliable; within it's links you will find articles written by PhDs as well, but they are on a website that is clearly and strongly biased in one direction.

1. Yes, I definitely have qualms about eating GMO foods. I'm outraged that they aren't labeled, and that they produce health concerns to children....isn't that saying something? What about all the unintended impacts of all of this manipulation of nature? This is reductionist science, and I just don't believe that you can change one thing (supposedly to make an improvement on nature) without the entire web being affected, and negatively. And those negative affects are too far-reaching to then turn around and fix with more science. I would turn away from any gmo food IF I knew it was gmo; sadly, I'm sure I consume more gmos than I probably realize due to the lack of labeling laws. If I buy regular (not organic) corn tortillas at the market, it's gmo corn. Same with masa when I make tamales. Same with cornmeal. Same with oils if you're not careful....it goes on and on. And the chicken food I feed my hens in order to enjoy healthy homegrown eggs; if it's not organic feed, then it's gmo corn. But organic is $10 more per 25 lb. bag. And here's another thought: If we are feeding people a product that leads to 50% death in laboratory rats, then what we are essentially doing is executing natural selection on the human race; only the survivors who can tolerate these gmo products are able to reproduce with each other; creating a whole new race of humans. Far fetched perhaps, and now I sound crazy, but it's just one of my fears. Big Brother. Brave New World. Handmaid's Tale. Any futuristic doomsday novel or nightmare coming into being....this is how I feel about the corporate domination of our agricultural land with gmos.

2. The only reason I can think of why foods shouldn't be labeled as containing gmos is because the public wouldn't buy them. They want to sell their product. Don't tell America what's in hot dogs or chicken nuggets either....or let them see inside our chicken farms...they might not buy Tyson corn dogs at Costco next week....I'm feeling jaded and cynical at the moment.

Smith, Jeffrey M. Seeds of Deception. Fairfield, IA: Yes Books, 2003. Print.

Nelson, Gerald C., ed. Genetically Modified Organisms In Agriculture: Economics and Politics. San Diego, CA: Academic Press, 2001. Print.

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.

"Plant a Garden (even a small one)"

Watching Food Inc. was like swallowing bitter medicine. I believe I have become complacent with my food choices to a degree that is uncomfortable for me, especially after viewing the film. While at home we cook the chicken that we grew, and the grass-fed beef that we bought from our friends who live in Acme, I still participate in the industry-produced meat business that devalues the animals, the workers, and the environment. On a personal level, there is room for improvement in my food choices, and I have been thinking a lot about this since watching the film. I am reminded of how I do not want to participate in this system that is in place; the corporate takeover of our farms, seeds, grocery stores, and farmworkers.

It's hard to pinpoint what struck me the most about the film; I can reflect on so many things. Regarding the animal cruelty aspect, I was familiar with this; but it was still agonizing to behold. Certainly the practice of hiring independent chicken "farmers", then requiring upgrades to the tune of $500,000 with an annual paycheck of $18,000 is just unethical and wrong (like so many aspects of the system). I read Omnivore's Dilemma, so many of the characters and topics that were presented in the movie were familiar. Still, putting a face to the farmers and seeing an actual picture of their farms brought their stories to life for me. My heart ached for the older man who had the seed cleaning equipment, who fought Monsanto to the end, until he ran out of money. It's so sad to see a long-time farmer, 50 years in the business, upholding a traditional American farming practice of saving seeds for next year's crop get essentially bled to death by this corporation that's in bed with so many politicians in the White House. It enrages me. What's wrong with this country that farmers are just pawns of the regime, not independent businessmen? So much is wrong.

Of course, I took hope and encouragement in Joel Salatin, owner of Polyface Farm, who is a wild-eyed farmer who's managing to do his own thing, living and farming by ethical standards and enjoying a thriving business. I loved his description of the bacteria count as he was in the process of the chicken gutting (I also loved that he was right there in the thick of all the dirty work), when he described the health department wanted to shut him down... but his bacteria count was way under that of a factory farm, even with all their bleach baths.

I could go on and on. Finally, I really liked how Schlosser and Pollan closed the film with all the answers to the inevitable sentiments of feeling overwhelmed and powerless to affect any change...they're just too big...what could I possibly do? I thought that was a good ending to a very bleak presentation of our country's food situation, and puts the power back into our hands. We really do vote with our dollars, as the organics entering Wal Mart proves.

U.S. National Library of Medicine. National Institutes of Health. Straight Talk About High-Fructose Corn Syrup: What It Is and What It Aint. Argenta: IL, 2008. Online.

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.

To Market To Market

I thought this was a great assignment. While accustomed to shopping at the market, I haven't made it yet this year prior to this Saturday. I enjoyed browsing among the various vendors, and visited a couple friends who have booths there, selling handcrafted goods. I spent more money than I had planned for, as in addition to the produce I purchased for our class assignment, I also bought a skein of hand dyed and spun alpaca yarn from a lady in Nooksack, and succumbed to the temptation of bringing home a mushroom kit that promises at least two pounds of oyster mushrooms...if I can follow the very basic instructions on the care and feeding of the contained spores.

In the spirit of eating as close to home as possible, I was on a quest to find a farmer who was in my neck of the woods (I live in the county out towards Everson). In the past I have focused on buying food from Cedarville Farm, as they are right around the corner from my house. Due to my tight schedule and wandering nature, I never stumbled upon their booth on Saturday. I did, however, find a man who I have purchased from in the past who farms in Nooksack, out on Highway 9. He calls his farm, appropriately, Nooksack Nine, and is exclusively organic. He didn't have a huge variety of produce, and his selection was a little small. Alas, I do tend to root for the underdogs in life, and felt like I wanted to support this man's business on that particular shopping trip; also, his Napa cabbage looked incredible....that's really what ultimately pulled me in. I told him as much (leaving out the underdog bit), as he was weighing the head of greens, and he told me that it was so delicious, he had eaten an entire head in one sitting. It didn't occur to me until later that day to ask him his favorite method of preparation for this veggie; perhaps he ate it sans accoutrements? I wouldn't put it past a farmer to do something like that. My friend Terry, who grew up on a lettuce farm in California, told me the other day that upon arriving home from school when he was a pup, he would just bend over in the lettuce fields, stick his entire face inside a lettuce head, and eat the whole thing, without his hands, like a grazing animal....which he was, in effect. My daughter's favorite way to eat kale is like this; straight off the plant itself. It's much less exciting once it's been brought inside, prepared, cooked, and served at the table.

While I was visiting with the farmer about the cabbage, I noticed his beautiful spinach, and couldn't leave without a large bag. The leaves were so fresh, tender and delicately ruffled...I wanted to taste one right from the basket, but held back. I asked advice about what to do with my kale at home that was going to flower; should I let it go to seed, or should I just dig it up, give thanks, and accept that it's lived a good life? I have some kale in another part of the garden that had naturalized....should I try to do this? I am glad I asked, because he told me of a disease that cruciferous vegetables can succumb to if they aren't rotated with other crops; he described a condition called club root, that manifests in a large, bulbous, pus-filled growth on the base of the stem, that is hard to get rid of once it enters the garden. Hmm. I will happily pull up the kale and plant green beans there this year with a clean conscience.

Over the weekend, I enjoyed the cabbage and spinach in our regular salads, and I also tossed some of the spinach leaves in a quinoa dish that I regularly make that has a dressing of olive oil, lemon juice, cumin, chili powder, paprika, pine nuts and cilantro. I added the spinach and it elevated the dish from "great" to "divine". The spinach was so tender and delicious; nothing like the bags of spinach that I tend to pick up at Trader Joe's. Nothing can compare to this spinach from Saturday's market. Tonight I decided to look up a recipe on Epicurious.com that featured Napa cabbage (similarly tender, crisp, delicately flavored and oh-so-fresh) and an Asian dressing; I changed the one I found a bit to accommodate the ingredients I had on hand; I ended up shredding the cabbage and chopping the spinach, adding some red cabbage, and made a great toasted sesame dressing to drizzle over it all. I served it as a salad alongside plain quinoa and baked cubed sweet potatoes, tofu, onion and garlic. I mixed everything together and drizzled dressing over the whole mess; it was great!

As I was leaving the market, I was unable to resist the prepared food vendors, and after perusing the stands for a couple of laps, I settled on the vegetarian Ethiopian food. I was in heaven; I wished I knew how to make lentils taste this good...not to mention cooked carrots and cabbage. That meal alone is enough to bring me back next week, even if I have to make a special trip from the county...

All in all, I felt very connected to the various food and plant growers in Whatcom and Skagit counties; also the local food vendors who may not have an official restaurant, (some do...Thai House and India Palace are there) but who sure do have great Saturday Market offerings. It is so nice, as well as deeply satisfying, to put a face to the source of our food, clothes, jewelry, art, and home goods. Bellingham is an amazing community that truly values it's artisans and farmers; this is evident in the robust and vibrant Farmer's Markets that we boast. I am so happy to live and shop here.

Citation Only AvailabRacine, Elizabeth F.; Vaughn, Ashley Smith; Laditka, Sarah B. "Farmer's Market Use Among African-American Women Participating in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children." Journal of the American Dietetic Association, Mar2010, Vol. 110 Issue 3, p441-446, 6p; DOI: 10.1016/j.jada.2009.11.019; (AN 48403875)

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.