6. "On a sticky August evening two weeks before her due date, Ashima Ganguli stands in the kitchen of a Central Square apartment, combining Rice Krispies and Planters peanuts and chopped red onion in bowl.” - JhumpaLahari
8. Who? Women. Mothers, Grandmothers, Sisters, Aunts, if she was a woman she was most likely in the kitchen. When? By hand. People ate at home, and especially in tough economic times, they ate whatever they could afford. How?
9. Who? Anyone and everyone. Driving to a nearby restaurant, McDonalds, or even easier…calling for takeout delivery. How? (Kong)
46. Works Cited: "A Roundup of Comfort Foods." Comfort Foods & Spirits. 2007. Web. 7 Apr. 2010. <http://worldsgreatesthoneymoons.com/ Themes/Culinary/comfortfoods-world.htm>. Barleby. "Pierogi History: Eastern European Dumplings of Dough and Filling." Lifestyle. 25 Apr. 2006. Web. 04 Mar. 2010. <http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/28107/pierogi_history_eastern_european_dumplings.html>. Blunt, Richard. "American Food: It's as Varied as the Melting Pot by Richard Blunt Issue #30." Backwoods Home. 1998. Web. 02 Mar. 2010. <http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles/blunt30.html>. Bremmer, Brian. "McDonald's Footprint in Asia." Business Week. Web. 2 Apr. 2010. <http://images.businessweek.com/ss/ 07/01/0124_mcasia/index_01.htm>. Bittman, Mark. "Eating Food That's Better for You, Organic or Not." New York Times [New York City] 21 Mar. 2009. Web. 6 Apr. 2010. <http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/22/weekinreview/22bittman.html>. "Childhood Overweight and Obesity." Overweight and Obesity. Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 31 Mar. 2010. Web. 7 Apr. 2010. <http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/childhood/index.html>. Cursedthing. The Pernos Famous Chocolate Chip Biscotti. Digital image. Flickr. 22 Nov. 2007. Web. 7 Apr. 2010. <http:// www.flickr.com/photos/cursedthing/2055587141/>. Dach, Clayton. "Our Grandparents: The Real Environmentalists?" AlterNet. 3 Oct. 2007. Web. 02 Mar. 2010. <http:// www.alternet.org/environment/64201/>. Diner, Hasia. "Immigration and U.S. History." America.gov, 13 Feb. 2008. Web. 24 Mar. 2010. <http://www.america.gov/st/ diversity-english/2008/February/20080307112004ebyessedo0.1716272.html>. Essman, Elliot. "Organic Foods." Life in the USA: The Complete Guide for Immigrants and Americans. 2010. Web. 02 Mar. 2010. <http://www.lifeintheusa.com/food/index.html>. Fernandez-Kelly, Patricia, and Lisa Konczal. "Murdering the Alphabet: Identity and Entrepreneurship among Second Generation Cubans, West Indians, and Central Americans." Ethnic and Racial Studies (2004). Print.
47. Works Cited: Golden, Caron, and Matt Gordon. "Cooking Up Comfort Food." Interview by Maureen Cavanaugh. KPBS. 2 Feb. 2010. Web. 2 Mar. 2010. <http://www.kpbs.org/news/2010/feb/02/cooking-comfort-food/>. Hawkens, Kirsten. "Culinary Traditions Of The Caribbean Islands." Food Editorials. 2009. Web. 01 Dec. 2009. <http:// www.streetdirectory.com/food_editorials/cuisines/international_cuisine/>. "Interview with Kate Osmond." E-mail interview. 27 Feb. 2010. "Interview with Stephanie." Personal interview. 26 Feb. 2010. Lahiri, Jhumpa. The Namesake. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2004. Print. "Let's Move!" Let’s Move. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Web. 10 Apr. 2010. <http://www.letsmove.gov/ choices/index.html>. "National Organic Program." Agricultural Marketing Service. U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2010. Web. 2 Mar. 2010. <http:// www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/NOP>. Ronca, Debra. "Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About the Slow Food Movement." Food and Recipes. TLC Cooking. Web. 30 Nov. 2009. <http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/slow-food-movement.htm>. "Semester At Sea." Semester at Sea. Web. 01 Mar. 2010. <http://www.semesteratsea.org/>. Stracansky, Pavol. "East Europe: Taxing Fast Foods for Health." IPS. 2 Mar. 2010. Web. 2 Apr. 2010. <http://ipsnews.net/ news.asp?idnews=50514>. Wansink, Brian. "Engineering Comfort Foods." American Demographics (2000). Print. Wright, Clifford. "Did You Know: Food History." CliffordAWright.com. 2009. Web. 02 Dec. 2009. <http:// www.cliffordawright.com/caw/food/topics/>.
48. Picture Works Cited: A Taste of Slow. Digital image. San Francisco. Web. 2 Mar. 2010. <http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/07/08/18606352.php>. Automania. Ketchup. Digital image. Flickr. 30 Dec. 2005. Web. 2 Apr. 2010. <http://www.flickr.com/photos/automania/79679570/>. Brown Brothers. Immigrant Children. Digital image. Wikipedia Commons. June 2007. Web. 23 Mar. 2010. <http:// commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Immigrant-children-ellis-island.jpg>. Canton Public Library. New Reusable Tote. Digital image. Flickr. 28 Jan. 2008. Web. 6 Apr. 2010. <http://www.flickr.com/photos/ cantonpubliclibrary/2226579886/>. Carthesian. French Old Woman. Digital image. Flickr. 12 Oct. 2007. Web. 2 Mar. 2010. <http://www.flickr.com/photos/carthesian/ 1550976414/>. Cawl. Digital image. Flickr. 16 Nov. 2005. Web. 26 Feb. 2010. <http://www.flickr.com/photos/twmlabs/64032794/>. Claypot Tofu and Salted Fish. Digital image. 7 May 2008. Web. 26 Feb. 2010. <http://www.flickr.com/photos/avlxyz/2499915563/>. Conch Shell. Digital image. Ancient Symbols. Web. 7 Apr. 2010. <http://www.ancient-symbols.com/buddhist-symbols.html>. Eklund, Scott. Green Thumbs. Digital image. The New York Times. 21 Mar. 2009. Web. 6 Apr. 2010. <http://www.nytimes.com/ 2009/03/22/weekinreview/22bittman.html>. EKSwitaj. Drum Tower and McDonalds. Digital image. Flickr. 4 May 2008. Web. 25 Mar. 2010. <http://www.flickr.com/photos/poetry/ 2467189884/>. Enjoying a Sunset. Digital image. Semester at Sea. Web. 3 Mar. 2010. <http://www.semesteratsea.org/images/stories/gallery/ shipboard_life/ENJOYING_A_SUNSET.jpg>. Fisher. Chili at Chuck's Southern Comfort Cafe. Digital image. Flickr. 6 Aug. 2008. Web. 25 Feb. 2010. <http://www.flickr.com/photos/ ehfisher/3797569218/>. Fresh Produce at the West Side Market. Digital image. Flickr. 22 Apr. 2008. Web. 2 Mar. 2010. <http://www.flickr.com/photos/ leadenhall/2436080466/>. Go Organic. Digital image. Effect. Web. 2 Mar. 2010. <http://www.effectpartners.com/programs/go_earth_2009/>.
49. Picture Works Cited (continued) Harald, Kong. Ciao Italia. Digital image. Flickr. 31 July 2006. Web. 20 Feb. 2010. <http://www.flickr.com/photos/kongharald/ 202784768/>. Harneis, Julien. Maindombe. Digital image. Flickr. 21 June 2007. Web. 2 Mar. 2010. <http://www.flickr.com/photos/julien_harneis/ 581568957/>. How Are You Feeling Today? Digital image. Web. 2 Apr. 2010. <http://www.che.lsu.edu/staff/cygan/index.htm>. Hwee. Grandma. Digital image. Flickr. 26 June 2007. Web. 3 Mar. 2010. <http://www.flickr.com/photos/93211024@N00/637447796>. Idreamofdaylight. Delhi Street Life. Digital image. Flickr. 14 Mar. 2006. Web. 2 Mar. 2010. <http://www.flickr.com/photos/ grantmatthews/112570072/>. Kuyman. By Her Work. Digital image. Flickr. 2 Nov. 2008. Web. 3 Mar. 2010. <http://www.flickr.com/photos/kuyman/2998280916/>. Lancaster County Farmers Market. Digital image. Lancaster County Farmers Market. Web. 6 Apr. 2010. <http:// www.lancastercountyfarmersmarket.com/>. London Brad. Poutine. Digital image. Flickr. 22 Feb. 2005. Web. 7 Apr. 2010. <http://www.flickr.com/photos/londonbrad/5266854/>. Metc, Regg. Asian Woman. Digital image. Flickr. 4 Aug. 2009. Web. 2 Mar. 2010. <http://www.flickr.com/photos/regmetcalf/ 3789429521/>. Mittelman, Rudolf. Moroccan Mint Tea. Digital image. Flickr. 12 Mar. 2008. Web. 2 Mar. 2010. <http://www.flickr.com/photos/ruwolf/ 2329409244/>. Molly. The Oldest Woman in Kuranda. Digital image. Flickr. 26 Jan. 2008. Web. 2 Mar. 2010. <http://www.flickr.com/people/ mollyeh11/>. Organic. Digital image. Flickr. 16 May 2009. Web. 19 Feb. 2010. <http://www.flickr.com/photos/vaxzine/3536388545/sizes/o/>. Overweight Boy Sits Out at Gym Class. Digital image. 27 July 2008. Web. 2 Apr. 2010. <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ article-1039006/Schools-resort-fat-reports-pupils-tip-scales.html>.
50. Picture Works Cited (continued) Pax Et Agape. Green Apple. Digital image. Flickr. 2 June 2007. Web. 6 Apr. 2010. <http://www.flickr.com/photos/paxrock/527120067/ >. Pillai. French Cassoulet. Digital image. Flickr. 6 Jan. 2009. Web. 25 Feb. 2010. <http://www.flickr.com/photos/premshree/ 3176273078/>. Political Map of Earth. Digital image. Free World Maps. 2006. Web. 2 Mar. 2010. <http://www.freeworldmaps.net/download/maps/ political.gif>. Romania. McDonalds Romania. McDonalds. Web. 2 Apr. 2010. <www.mcdonalds.ro/>. Roo, Quintana. Comfort Food. Digital image. Flickr. 7 Jan. 2007. Web. 25 Feb. 2010. <http://www.flickr.com/photos/quintanaroo/ 348987075/>. Saradailyobsession. Tomato Fritters. Digital image. Flickr. 18 June 2009. Web. 7 Apr. 2010. <http://www.flickr.com/photos/ 38280152@N07/3639993456/>. Storr, Francis. New Mac Book. Digital image. Flickr. 6 July 2006. Web. 2 Apr. 2010. <http://www.flickr.com/photos/fstorr/183506526/ >. The Namesake. Digital image. Google Image Commons. 2006. Web. 25 Mar. 2010. <http://www.impawards.com/2006/ namesake.html>. TobyOtter. Full-Figured Man. Digital image. Flickr. 30 Aug. 2009. Web. 2 Apr. 2010. <http://www.flickr.com/photos/ 78428166@N00/3872155588/>. Tojosan. Wiener Schnitzel. Digital image. Flickr. 12 Nov. 2006. Web. 25 Feb. 2010. <http://www.flickr.com/photos/tojosan/ 4098867065/>. Vendor. Digital image. Flickr. 5 Feb. 2005. Web. 2 Mar. 2010. <http://www.flickr.com/photos/sminor/3255816315/>. Why Healthy Fast Food May Not Work. Digital image. Peninsula Toastmakers Club. 10 Nov. 2009. Web. 25 Mar. 2010. <http:// www.peninsulatoastmasters.info/2009/11/food-glorious-food/>.
Editor's Notes
Photo: (Emilie’s Photo)Time: 1 minute 15 secondsNotes: My great grandfather was from Germany and he moved to Philadelphia with my great grandmother to start his own bakery. This is the bakery he opened with her, and they named it Silber’s Bakery. He was especially good at wedding cakes, but he made many delicious desserts. Especially cookies. Lots of cookies. My mother and grandmother still use his cookie recipes to this day when we make them at Christmas. Speaking of my mother, she is an amazing cook. Not only does she enjoy cooking, but her meals always turn out delicious. Between my grandmother and my mother being super stars in the kitchen, the thought of trying to make a meal, and failing horribly, was scary. I mean, I should be able to handle this, I’ve had great role models. But until this project I hadn’t really tried. I did my part helping with dinners, and I’ve rolled out more cookie dough then you could possibly imagine. When I decided my project was going to be about food, I wanted to connect it to my grandparents, and my great grandfather. Food and the way people eat it constantly changes, not just around the world, but also with time. As Americans we can explore both topics simply by asking: how did our grandparents eat?
Photos: (Political Map of…), (Carthesian), (Matc), (Vendor), (Harneis), (Molly)Time: 1 minuteNotes: Not only has new technology and increasing abundance of food changed the way we eat, but some of our grandparents, or great grandparents, or great great grandparents came from countries all over the globe. Luckily for us, the foods they brought with them were not completely melded together in a large melting pot. For some reason spaghetti with olive oil, served with bratwurst, with a side of fried rice sounds less than appetizing. Instead, the recipes and cultures have found their way into American life. And yes, they even meld sometimes, in edible forms, such as Creole cuisine which combines French and Spanish foods (Blunt).
Photo: (Brown Brothers)Time: 7 secondsNotes: About 16 million immigrants entered the United States through Ellis Island alone from 1892 to 1924 (Diner).
Photo: (Irish Flag) (German Flag) (Italian Flag)Time: 20 secondsNotes: Ireland, Germany, and Italy were the top three countries most represented by the Ellis Island Immigrants (Diner). The Irish were even well represented before Ellis Island opened, when they came to America during the Potato Famine in 1845. Today, 44 million Americans are believed to have Irish ancestry. 47 million Americans today have Germany ancestry, and 25 million claim Italian (Diner)
Photos: (The Namesake) Time: 50 secondsNotes: Part of the reason the recipes that these 16 million plus immigrants brought from the old country still affect our lives today is the pride our ancestors had for where they came from. Most immigrants, work hard to integrate themselves into American culture without sacrificing their own (Blunt). In her novel The Namesake, JhumpaLahari thoroughly explores how the diet of immigrants changes upon their entering America. In the novel Ashima is craving an Indian snack that she can’t replicate in America with common American ingredients. So she uses Rice Krispies, Planter’s peanuts and chopped red onions. The reader feels for her throughout this struggle, and for other immigrants who are isolated not only in their diets, but their culture as well. You can’t help but ask if her children’s children will even know what snack she was originally trying to replicate.
Photo: (Hwee)Time: 45 secondsNotes: Even though the immigrants often felt extremely strong ties to their culture and foods, their children often felt otherwise. More often than not, children of immigrants are quick to forget their ancestry. At a time in their lives where children look for acceptance and want to fit in, the unique customs their families may participate in seem unimportant and even embarrassing (Fernandez-Kelly). Personally, my grandmother has told me she tried to distance herself from her culture as well. She was born in America, in Philadelphia, but her parents taught her the German language and were still involved in their German culture and customs. My grandmother said that if she wasn’t forced to learn about Germany, and work in her father’s bakery, she would not value her heritage as much as she does today.
Time: 1 minute 10 secondsNotes: So how did our grandparents eat then, and what has changed? To start with, women did most of the cooking back then. This is a majorly European trend, but even in Eastern cultures and African tribes, women were the gatherers in society, the ones who provided the comfort (Dach). It is not who made the food that is most important, but how they made it. They cooked homemade meals every night, they bought their food from a local market, and used recipes that were around forever (Dach). Their recipes were not complicated, and they were cooked with easy to find ingredients depending on where you were from. People who lived through the Great Depression in America especially understood the benefits of eating every part of everything they cooked (Dach). They didn’t throw away the leftovers, or feed the vegetables to the dog. Which might be why some our grandparents are so offended where there is food left on our plates.
Time: 45 secondsNotes: Compare that to today. The kitchen is not restricted to just women. Anyone who dare enter it and tackle the mystery of the oven is welcome to give it a shot. There are still families that make home cooked meals every now and then, but most prefer KFC’s homemade “style” chicken. As we know, it’s extremely easy to call for takeout after a hard day at work or classes.
Photo: (Why Healthy Fast Food May Not Work)Time: 15 secondsNotes: It’s sad to think about, and I know we’ve all heard enough about the risks of fast food in health class. Most of us have seen Super Size Me. But it is important to realize that this trend is not just affecting America.
Photo: (EKSwitaj)Time: 40 secondsNotes: China is a huge priority for McDonald’s. There are more then 1,000 Mickey D’s in China, and the country is even seeing an increase in drive-thru’s since the growth of car ownership has grown (Bremmer). It is estimated that consumers in Asia spend 580 billion dollars eating out each year. That is slightly bigger than American consumers and double the size of European spending. McDonald’s company even invests money in new menu concepts, such as a rice sandwich in Hong Kong, McCurry Pan in India, and the McArabia flatbread in, you guessed it, Arabia, aka the Middle East (Bremmer).
Photo: (Romanian Map)Time: 8 secondsNotes: You might be surprised to hear that one of the worst fast food offenders is in fact, Romania. As a country, Romania was it hard by the recent world wide recession. In only one week, this past January, one hundred thousand people lost their jobs (Stracansky).
Photo: (Romania)Time: 1 minute 10 secondsNotes: The onslaught of fast food that has descended upon the country, in addition to the job loss and more low income families, has had terrible results. Romania is one of Europe’s poorest countries, and Romanians spend almost half their income on food. Half of the countries 22 million citizens are overweight (Stracansky). Even more threatening, the obesity rates of Romanian children have doubled in the last 5 years. Fast food is cheap, and McDonald’s is easier on the wallet for many Romanians than buying fresh foods. To counteract this trend, and save the culture and quality of life of Romanians, government leaders have proposed a tax on fast foods (Stracansky). This tax could reach as high as 20%, and would have a good chance at being affective since most Romanians only chose McDonald’s for its quick and cheap food (Stracansky). Though no decision has been made yet, it is an interesting proposal, and one other obese countries, including ours, should consider.
Photos: (Tobyotter)Time: 15 secondsNotes: Why should the US consider this tax? Well obesity is the main reason. Over 60% of all Americans can be considered overweight (“Let’s Move”). The term overweight is defined as having a body mass index of 25 or above (“Let’s Move”).
Photo: (BMI Calculator)Time: 8 secondsNotes:The body mass index, or BMI is a quick way to estimate body fat based on your height and weight. A BMI between 18.5 and 24 is considered healthy. Any higher and you are considered overweight. Higher than 30 and you would be considered obese. (“Let’s Move!”)
Photos: (“Overweight Kid Sits…”)Time: 20 secondsNotes: But maybe that isn’t convincing enough. Or you believe that they are adults, and chose to let themselves get that way. In that case, there is an even more heartbreaking statistic. 1 out of 7 preschool-aged children from low income families is obese. What’s preschool aged you might ask? Two to four years old. Preschool aged children can barely count and read, yet they are already set up to fight their own weight for the rest of their lives. And it’s because of fast food, and the food culture we are bombarded with every day. Low income families think it’s easier and cheaper to go to McDonalds then to cook a home cooked meal. But when you think about a generation of people growing up with an obesity issue, it would be pathetic if we didn’t try to stop it.
Photo: (Organic)Time: 1 minuteNotes: So, it’s time for a change. America may have been responsible for the fast food trend, but we are also participating in another, much healthier, trend. It may have to do with the economic situation, or the growing obesity issue in America, but for whatever reason, old school cooking has become new again (Wright). More and more people are supporting local farms, growing their own food, or at the very least going to the grocery store and tackling the kitchen (Essman). That’s not to say that we’ve forgotten about Wendy’s, or don’t enjoy bacon with breakfast, but we are becoming more aware of the negative risks of an unhealthy diet.
Photos: (Go Organic), (Fresh Produce at…)Time: 1 minutesNotes: And so the organic movement began. There are different levels of going “organic”. Some people believe organic means buying locally, some think it means growing all your own food (Dach). According to the US Department of Agriculture, food can be labeled “organic” if it contains multiple food ingredients that are 95-100% organic (National Organic Program). In the sense of food, the word organic means made without the use of pesticides or synthetic fertilizers, and organic foods can be defined as something that was infused with life (National Organic Program).
Photo: (Eklund)Time: 10 secondsNotes: The federal government began to certify “organic” foods in 2002, and the American reaction has been enthusiastic for the most part (Bittman). Sales for organic foods have doubled since then, and today, over 75% of our nation’s grocery stores carry organic food items. We take for granted the fact that today we can go to Trader Joes, or even Acme and find organic products. There is some controversy though, over whether our food needs to be organic, or just plain healthier.
Photos: (A Taste of Slow)Time: 1 minuteNotes: And that’s where the “slow food movement” comes in. This movement has also had its moment in the spotlight in America (Ronca). Instead of advocating the ingestion of organic foods only, the slow food movement suggest healthier eating all around, even if it means eating an apple that was grown on a fertilized orchard instead of a Happy Meal. This trend ran opposite towards the increasing number of fast food joints like McDonalds and Wendy’s, to encourage people to buy ingredients from local grocers and prepare their own meals (Ronca). This movement has been called a “throwback to a different era” because of its emphasis on homemade meals (Ronca).
Photo: (Pax et Agape) (Canton Public Library)Time: 30 secondsNotes: This unique movement, in an effort to change the way people eat and live, has also adopted other ideas that seem more about the environment than food. Programs promoting the slow food movement also promote re-using containers for take-out and cloth bags for grocery shopping (Ronca). Not only is buying fresh fruits healthier for us, but also promotes a cleaner earth. Without the process of shipping and packaging that large grocery stores use, we save gas and plastic products. Shopping at your local farmers market is a good way to take a small part in this movement. Farmer’s markets are generally self sustainable, which means many farmers and growers around the area sell their goods and there is no need for an industry or corporation to add to it (Ronca).
Photo: (Lancaster County Farmers…)Time: 25 secondsNotes: If you live in this area, this trend might remind you of the Lancaster Country Farmer’s Market, in Wayne. What makes this a famer’s market is the fact that it is indeed self sustainable (Ronca). There are no giant grocery store’s selling their products here. Instead, you can go on their websites and freely read about which farmers are represented there and more about their farms. For example, Good Harvest Farms in a family owned farm that sells fresh fruits and vegetables year round in their own greenhouses (Lancaster County Farmers…).
Photos: (www.slowfoodusa.org) (www.uppermeriontownship.org)Time: 45 secondsNotes: In Upper Merion, this just got easier to do, since come May we will have our own farmers market located at the township building.
Time: 30 secondsNotes: At that point in my research it all got a little overwhelming. There are so many cultures to explore and there is no way I could possibly do them all justice. So how does one go about learning about food culture around the world? If you’re Kate Osmond you decide to sail around the world.
Time: 30 secondsNotes: Kate Osmond is an Admissions counselor for Semester at Sea. This program is like a study abroad, except students spend a semester on a giant ship, stopping to dock at as many as 10 different countries and experiencing world culture to it’s fullest (“Semester At Sea”). Along the way they experience a wide variety of food, both good and bad. As they dock at different countries, the students are totally immersed in another culture. Immersion is the best possible way to experience an unfamiliar culture because you are, in a way, forced to see the difference. The testimonials on the Semester at Sea website intrigued me to find out more (“Semester at Sea”)
Time: 1 minuteNotes: I emailed Ms. Osmond asking about the food and culture she witnessed during her semester at sea experience, and her answer was better than I had hoped for. It turns out she completed her Masters thesis on a topic very similar to mine, and was more than willing to help me out. She explained that food “tells you about gender roles,family structure, values and traditions, holidays and ceremonies,religion, and so much more” (“Interview with Kate…).
Time: 1 minuteNotes: She used the country of India as an example of how much you can learn about a country just from their cuisine choices. She pointed out that India has a large population of malnourished people as well as an overwhelming number of cattle roaming the streets. To an outsider this appears preposterous. How could people be starving when there are animals people in other countries eat all the time, roaming around the cities (“Interview with Kate…). But to native Indians, the cattle are “religiously sacred and therefore would never be eaten” (“Interview with Kate…). There is a food-culture connection that “runs deep in India socially, religiously…and historically” (Interview with Kate…).
Time: 2 minutesNotes: Kate Osmond also shared another instance with me that taught a lot about a countries culture by the food, or in this case, drink they served. In the country of Morocco it is customary to serve a cup of mint tea to to anyone who enters your home, whether that person is a close friend or enemy (“Interview with Kate…”). As Americans, who tend to think of our homes as a very personal extension of ourselves, this amount of openness and vulnerability is hard to comprehend. We imagine inviting someone over to dinner to be a big step in a friendship. But to Moroccans, this is a way of life, a daily custom, that shows their unique dedication to 100% hospitality all the time (“Interview with Kate…”). As a culture, they have less emphasize on the home, and rely more on certain standards of treatment for other people (“Interview with Kate…”)This mint tea example is a perfect illustration of how one food custom can show the values of a group of people or nation.
Time: 30 secondsNotes: Unfortunately, I can’t take a semester at sea to travel and eat, and then come back and tell you about it. So, I had to think of another way to narrow down the culture and customs of our grandparents. I did not want to commit myself to one specific part of the world, or even by an ingredient, say 5 different chicken dishes. There was just so much variation in cuisine.
Photos (L to R, Top to Bottom): (Clay Pot Tofu…), (Roo), (Cawl), (Pillai), (Tojosan)Time: 1 minuteNotes: Not only does food culture vary from country to country, but region to region, and family to family. One thing all cultures have in common though, is the presence of a comfort food (Golden, Caron, Matt Gordon). That dish that you will always love, that takes you back to a moment or a feeling of safety and simplicity (Golden, Caron, Matt Gordon). The particular dishes may change, but the feelings it produces are the same (Golden, Caron, Matt Gordon). Home, Family, Security. There’s a psychology behind comfort food that shows how people around the world enjoy reminiscing through food (Golden, Caron, Matt Gordon).
Photo: (How Are You…)Time: 60 secondsNotes: Comfort foods are universal because it’s not about the food you choose, its about why you want a certain dish. A lot of people assume comfort foods are something we turn to when we are sad or depressed, but studies show otherwise (Wansink). People crave so called comfort foods when they are happy, sad, lonely, nostalgic, excited, bored, and just about any emotion. Studies show that sad people often crave ice cream, and happy people crave a nice steak dinner (Wansink). But everyone is different and it has a lot to do with how you grew up. Personally, I crave chicken parmesian when I’m happy because when I was younger, if my brother or I had something to celebrate, my mom always made chicken parmesian. It’s all about association.
Photo: (Automania)Time: 20 secondsNotes: Another misconception is that comfort food has to be something you want to eat. Foods that remind us about loved ones also serve as comfort food even if, personally, you don’t enjoy eating it (Wansink). For instance if you dad loves green bean casserole, or if your boyfriend would put ketchup on anything and everything (Wansink). You may be a mustard lover personally, but the memory of ketchup and your boyfriend meld together. Any food that brings a reaction out of you, any emotion at all, can be a comfort food.
Photo: (London Brad)Time: 15secondsNotes: Some foreign comfort foods might include the Canadian comfort food of Poutine. Now this is going to sound fatty, which it is, but it also has potential to be delicious (A Roundup of…). Canadians top french fries with fresh cheese curds and a heavy dose of brown gravy to create this comfort dish. Sometimes they even add smoked meat (A Roundup of…).
Photo: (Conch Shell)Time: 15 secondsNotes: Definitely a more exotic comfort food dish would be that of Turkey. The Turks enjoy anything made with conch (A Roundup of…). Before it’s a beautiful shell to decorate someone’s shore house, the conch is a live animal that the Turks cook in stews, chowder, and even tacos (A Roundup of…).
Photo: (Saradailyobsession)Time: 20 secondsNotes: For a more European taste of comfort food, we head to Greece, where Santorini tomatokeftedes, are legendary. No, Santorini is not a chef, nor a restaurant, but an island of Greece that claims to grow the best tomatoes, and many people agree (A Roundup of…). Greeks will chop up their famous tomatoes, onions, parsley and oregano, mix it all together to form balls and fry them up to form this dish, a sort of tomato fritter (A Roundup of…).
Time: 2 minuteNotes: In order to understand the way our grandparents cooked, and participate partly in the slow food movement, I have tried my hand at cooking a number of different comfort food dishes myself. I took on the Caribbean Islands by making a very popular dish, Jamaican Jerk Chicken (Hawkins). On the island of Jamaica, the chicken is cooked over a fire (Hawkins). This is not only to infuse the food with a certain smoky flavor, but also to ward off the flies and other insects that populate the tropical island (Hawkins). Every ingredient and way of cooking has significance to the Jamaican natives. The chickens ran wild, the spices were home grown or recently brought in from South America. And of course, the mosquitoes were annoying, so the grilling method was a perfect solution. Served alongside the Jerk chicken was rice and peas, a typical comfort food. The minimal spices in the rice, plus the bland red beans, makes a hardy side dish that goes great with the intense flavors of the chicken (Hawkins).
Time: 2 minutesNotes: My next stop on the menu was Poland. I found an authentic pierogie recipe and got started making my own dough. I found it interesting that many countries share a similar dish like the pierogie. It seems to be mostly countries in Eastern Europe that all adopted this dough and potato cuisine (Bartleby). What makes it unique throughout countries and regions is what they are filled with. In Poland, they are most often filled with potatoes, cheese, and onions, and sometimes sauerkraut (Bartleby). So why does Poland get all the credit? Well, Poland is a country that has be occupied and re-occupied a lot throughout history. There was Russia, Germany, Ukraine, along with constant Czech and Slovak influence (Bartleby). Although it is almost certain that the pierogie tradition did not start in Poland, it is the most popular there (Bartleby). In fact, judging by the dumpling-esque qualities and the very thin dough, most historians assume the tradition actually began somewhere in Asia.
Photo: NoneTime: 1 minute 30 secondsNotes: Now, diving into an unknown culture head first is fun, but I decided that I also wanted to cook a dish that I could talk to someone about instead of just researching. Luckily, my friend Stephanie was willing to show me how to make fried rice, and tell me about it’s history while we cooked (Interview with Stephanie). The fried rice you know from your usual take out order is not quite the same rice that was eaten in China. What surprised me the most about it, is that it is not a side dish. I’m so used to eating it as a side with my sweet and sour chicken, that this was a complete shock to me (Interview with Stephanie). In reality, fried rice was a dish for peasants in China to eat on a sort of left over night. It was always a complete meal in itself. They just took whatever was in their home, added soy sauce, and fried it up with some rice (Interview with Stephanie). This usually included scallions, onions, carrots, peas, mushrooms and eggs. Personally, this was one of my favorite dishes to cook. Picking what to put in the rice was a sort of creative process that made cooking fun. Plus the fact that I had some preconceived ideas about the dish itself made it more interesting to learn the truth.
Photo: (Cursedthing) (Emilie Brosz)Time: 40 secondsNotes: And then we have the comfort food you may typically think of. The sweets. While this was not a complete meal, it was worth trying to make since comfort foods tend to be sweet as well. Two things I have made that you will get to taste a little later, are Italian biscotti and Mexican bunuelos. Biscotti literally translates to twice baked, as the sweet treat is cooked twice to ensure a crunchiness that makes it a perfectly dip-able dessert for your after dinner coffee. Bunuelos are equally as delicious, and definitely a favorite snack in many countries of Latin America, not just Mexico. The fried tortilla dough can be flat or ball shaped, but they are always tossed with cinnamon and sugar.
Photos: (Storr)Time: 30 secondsNotes: After making many dishes I decided I needed an easy way to showcase all the meals together, and the research I put into them. So, I set off to design my own blog. Let me start off by saying, deciding to make a blog and actually creating a blog are two different things. The creative process took way longer then I was expecting.
Photo: Taken by meTime: 15 secondsNotes: So here was my first attempt. I went with the very cliché title “Food for Thought” and a very yellow background. It’s hard to see the title over the picture I chose, and the yellow, while supposed to be promoting the feeling of trust, is a little to overwhelming and is just distracting from the overall blog.
Photo: Taken by meTime: 15 secondsNotes: Which brings me to my second attempt. This was around the same time when I decided to focus my research and food choices around what our grandparents ate, so that’s what I named the blog and it stuck. Unfortunately the red color was also distracting as a title, so that didn’t stick around for the final product.
