Keep it Simple. Keep it in the family of Green

I guess the biggest message of my blog is to fully enjoy food by building social networks and keeping it in the "family" of green. I'm not asking you to spend thousands of dollars on organic foods or to become Hill Billy Lou by growing your own food. Food is just such an incredible, all encompassing thing in our lives that will follow us to the day we die. In this world of growing populations and finite resources, I find it very important to care a little bit about the future generations along with my future. It takes very little effort to eat within the family of green. Just keep an open mind, an open ear, and an open mouth.

To see how important and great food is within our social networks, I recommend watching Ang Lee's Eat Drink Man Woman.

Summer Fruitanza

Summer is such an incredible time to take full advantage of all the fresh produce. It is the one time where you need to venture forth into the farmer's markets to look for fresh fruit and vegetables!

I recently just reconnected with strawberries. I have these food phases where I really love something and I continue to eat it nonstop until I get really sick of it. So, strawberries are on the rise of the standard curve for me. They are so incredibly sweet and aesthetically pleasing. No need to bake or cook with berries for me, I love them fresh and fully ripe.

So, save the boxed oreos, chips, and other boxed goods and head for the farmer's market. You would be amazed at how much better the food tastes at the market! Plus you're supporting the local economy!

Biscuit Clarification

Biscuits are becoming more and more widespread. As a result its potential to become bastardized by commercial kitchens is becoming greater and greater. To prevent this, only buy biscuits when they are
1. Tender, soft, delicate.
2. Flaky - you should be able to taste the richness of the butter.
3. Crunchy exterior
4. Fresh!!!

Add...
a. more butta
b. jam
c. bacon
d. egg
= deliciousness

Jell-O..not so friendly

I think one of the funniest things that are unknown to most people is how animal unfriendly gelatin is. It comes from the bones of animals and is used to make friendly foods such as gummy bears and jell-o. Can you imagine Bill Cosby making a Jell-O commercial while standing in a slaughtering house?

Chocolate!

Chocolate is so delicious...can't stop eating it. Milk chocolate, dark chocolate, bittersweet, dark, bars, chips, curls, chunks, brownies, cookies, cakes, mousses, ice cream, gum, coke, skittles.

Those are just a few of the forms chocolate is available. Life is too short. Eat as much chocolate as you possibly can! It's been proven to make you happy and it just melts in your mouth.

Bread Making

WHY WON'T THE DAMNED THING RISE???

Bread is one of those things that is WORTH every cent that you pay for. It takes so much time and effort to mix all the ingredients to the right consistency, letting it rise, beating it down, letting it rise again, forming the loaf. If this process sounds easy, don't be fooled. It takes a lot of skill to know how much liquid to dry ingredients to use. This all differs depending on the humidity and temperature of the room. In addition, shaping the loaf usually requires a lot of skill as well.

Take my advice, buy bread. Savor every bite and appreciate the fact that everytime you eat bread, your kitchen is not covered in flour!

The beauty of bars

After recently turning 21 and spending many, many hours in the swanky Crunkleton with a large group of friends, I have learned to appreciate the social networking that goes hand in hand with cocktails, dimly lit bars, and the barkeepers.

There's something so refreshing about being in a room full of strangers of alcohol. For one, the people are usually nicely dressed and very talkative...there's this constant excited chatter that goes on.

I do wonder why people are so attracted to bars. Is it because they lead such congested, isolate lives that they need cocktails to loosen their personalities and unwind? Or is it because we're all just alcoholics?

SAVOR THE FLAVOR!!!

There are so many food magazines!!!!! My all time favorite is by far and away Saveur . It captures such a full length picture of food. It focuses on food, culture, and people. There are beautiful, glossy picture of food and community. I guess that's why I love it so much. Those are my two favorite things in the world! The articles are in depth, including much more than recipes. They include stories. This magazine is truly unique because it somehow manages to captivates the emotion of food.

Coffee

As a result of being in exam week and therefore being in a pure week of hell, I am fully unleashing my coffee addiction that I've miraculously kept at bay for the past 6 months. I drink my coffee black because I love having something sweet with it that usually enhances the boldness of my coffee. It's been my experience that granola, chocolate, or a DONUT are really good accompaniments!

Why do I usually try to keep this addiction at bay?
- It's expensive. Sometimes I crave venti caramel macchiatos from Starbucks with extra gooey caramel.
- It takes a LOT of energy to produce. So if you do have to have a cup, please try to be eco friendly by buying fair trade, organic, shade grown coffee.
- I tend to drink three cups at a time...so much liquid

Good ol Southern Food

Having lived in NC for the past 21 years, from the mountains to the ocean to the Piedmont region, I have to say I know a little bit about "southern food". As I go into further detail, please keep in my mind that these are my personal accounts and it in no shape or form fully captivates everything that falls under the umbrella of southern food.
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When I think of good ol southern food I think of piles of tender, smoky, bbq pork slathered with vinegar and vinegar based bbq sauce. I think of deep fried hush puppies, mounds of coleslaw and gallons of sweet tea. Another favorite is the beautifully, tender, deep fried chicken. Perfect friend chicken consists of a crispy exterior with a steamy, tender inside. I love it all and I usually congratulate myself after each semester at school with a plate of this comfort food!

Fruit Looped Colored Plastic

What is the deal with these multi colored plastic bottles??? Is this just another fad gone wrong - something generic that all the kids are doing? ---I hope not. The idea of reusing containers has been around for a long time in the form of Tupperware and has only recently caught on in the shape of disposable drinking containers. Nalgene and Camelbak are making nice looking, durable, reusable bottles that are essentially odor free and will not easily degas like the regular plastic bottles that drinks are usually disposed into. By "degas" I mean the plastic will not easily break down in the sun and release its many toxic gases in your beverages, later acting to poison the body. These are great investments and last for years! I have two large Nalgene bottles used on hikes and a 500 mL, smaller Camelbak bottle for everyday use that I just throw in my bag or purse.
This is a great invention and I hope everybody reduces their per capita waste production by investing in a disposable bottle! News flash: water in Aquafina or other bottled forms are just bottled tap waters!

Heaven on EARTH

So, the most beautiful and delectable foods to ever have been created is seared sea scallops with white truffles! Try it when you can!

Food and Celebration

Last week my 21st birthday took place and the greatest thing that I enjoyed about it was not the infinite amount of drinks that everyone at the bar continued to pour for me, but the great company that surrounded me. I think one of the most rewarding and satisfying things is sharing good food with great people. For some reason, the fulfillment of the senses of smell, touch, taste, hearing with the combination of good company is always enough to send me into a state of pure happiness and bliss. So, please, fulfill your sense of community and network through one of the best outlets: food.

I love you like a FAT KID LOVES CAKE!

As my English 300 class raps up, I want to stress the importance of keeping an open mind about all the different types of food out there in the world. Remember that the vast majority of the time food is an extension of one's culture and tradition. When a friend, an acquaintance, a colleague offers to share some of their food with you, keep in mind that they are sharing much more than food with you. Another reason to keep an open mind about trying different foods such as chicken feet, chitlins, squid, black pudding, is that these "different" foods promote the idea of sustainability. Try to diversify and eat more than one part of an animal. I'm not asking you to become vegetarians, but to try and be a little more sustainable in your food practices. Try to be a little more thoughtful and don't let the slaughtering of animals go to waste. Let this one small idea of sustainability propel you forward into further thoughts of how you can live more sustainably. This earth has neither infinite amounts of resources or space. Start with the smallest thing such as reducing the amount of waste you create by using a Nalgene bottle or another reusable liquid carrier. Every little bit counts. : ]

Hamburgers...clogging your arteries never tasted so god!

This hamburger is called the double bypass and it comes from a restaurant called the Vortex. Instead of a bun, there are two grilled cheese sandwiches! There was also two fried eggs, lots of bacon, and a half pound of beef! The restaurant was a little unorthodox because if you were done eating, you were not allowed to sit and chat because so many people were trying to get into the restaurant for dinner. The waitress proceeded to get on the mike and say, "if you are done eating and not drinking anymore, please get the hell out."

Ikea!

So, I was in Atlanta, GA last weekend and had my first eye-popping experience at Ikea! For those of you who have never experienced this phenomenon, you need to do it whenever the first opportunity pops up!Ikea exists of three different parts: the cafeteria where you can get fabulous cake for cheap and Swedish meatballs with mac and cheese and lingonberry jam (yes, it's really that awesome!), the Model floor where there appears to be an infinite amount of rooms with different themes (kids rooms, space efficient rooms, mod rooms, etc), and the fabulous, fabulous market place where there are thousands and thousands of items from spoons to comforters to paintings!

Where my largest question arose was when I was in their cafeteria and their little foody market place. They sale an array of Swedish foods and I really started to question the authenticity. Do Swedish people really eat stuff out of tubes? Do they really eat their daim chocolate candies, milk chocolate cylinder discs filled with bits of nut and toffee? How well do novelty stores such as Ikea represent goods in their home country? After talking to a friend who has visited Sweden, it was confirmed that Swedish people indeed to like stuff in tubes! I think it's great how you get little snippets of a different culture by experiencing some of their goods even if it is cheese and fish in a tube! I did thoroughly enjoy Ikea's Swedish milk chocolate encrusted with hazelnuts also!

You paid what???? Part Un

ORGANIC!!!!!! [cringe]

The first thing I think about when I hear the two words, organic foods, is overpriced, overbearing, pretentious food. Does anyone else have this same phobia? I think of the grocery chains, Whole Foods, the Fresh Market, Weaver Street Market, and I see wooden floors, cute, little bakeries, and a $70 GROCERY BILL! Now don't get me wrong. When I start wearing Pradas and drive my Bentley, I will be more than willing to pay those prices, but until then, I can't afford it.

On the other hand, what is organic? For produce, it usually means that the farmers don't use herbicides or pesticides. For meat, it typically means no hormones were used to induce the rapid growth of animals.

What is the point of eating organic foods?
1.)Animals are more likely treated more humanely. I don't think they're crowded one on top of another in pens like most animals farmed for consumption.
2.) It's probably healthier. I don't love the idea of eating animals that have been hormone injected to the max and maybe aging prematurely in the process. You are what you eat.
3.)Organic produce just tastes better. I feel like organic produce has real flavor; so much flavor that you can saute it in olive oil and a little bit of garlic and have a great, tasty, non bland meal.
4.) Saves E (energy). Pesticides and herbicides take a lot of energy to make in chemical labs.

Although I can't always afford it, in theory, if you buy organic foods, it's win win!

Sorry guys....Willy Wonka is already here!

For those of you who thought Willy Wonka's little confections packed full of flavor in the movie don't exist, you are mistaken my friend. I bought a bag of the 49 flavor jelly beans from Jelly Belly today and they are truly incredible.

Many of us love to go on great food adventures when we experience new foods and new cuisines, but very few know about the $3.59 journey in a bag! Ranging from French Vanilla to tangerine, the bite sized candies are packed full of flavor because they are actually made of real fruit and food extract. You are not going cheated by fake, generic, and bland chemicals! So, the next time you feel like eating 30 different things without gaining 30 extra pounds, pick up a bag! My many favorites are vanilla, very cherry, and juicy pear!

Drink tea with your pinky in the air? Williams Sonoma is for you!

For some odd reason I have an incredible bias against Williams Sonoma, but I absolutely love the store. They have incredibly expensive, but quality products. For those of you that are unfamiliar with Williams Sonoma, it is a kitchen equipment store that sells top grade knives, pots, pans, coffee machines, pretty much any utensil that you could possibly use, not need, in the kitchen. The type of product that I love the most would probably be a match up between their bakeware and their knives. They carry the nicest Wusthof knives that last a lifetime. The same thing goes for their bakeware. Their cake pans and baking sheets are heavy duty ensuring an evenly baked product with every use. As a big baker myself, I definitely appreciate a product that lasts with the test of time. I see shopping at Williams Sonoma as an investment. On the other hand, it is not necessary to pay thirty dollars for a stainless steel whisk or garlic press!

ESCAPE! EXIT HERE!

I think we use food, meals, and all dining experiences to get out of the traffic clogged six line highways currently known as our everyday lives. I truly don't know what it's like to be in the real world, but as a college student, I am constantly running back and forth from building to building, room to room, from one face to another. I stay sane only by putting my life on slow motion for an hour or two a day where I have a meal, coffee, or soft serve yogurt with friends. This so called slow motion starts the second I step foot in a food venue and goes back to fast forward once I step out. According to Doreen Massey, these actions are seen as "a retreat from the (actually unavoidable) dynmaic and change of 'real life'. " We try to find and become a part of intimate communities in order to preserve ourselves from the ever changing world and surroundings around us.

The very reason I blog is (let's be real) A.) To get a good grade in my English class and B.) To try and make the world seem a little warmer and personal by connecting to other people. ; )

Attack of the mediocre produce!

After visiting Super Wal-Mart, Harris Teeter, and Lowe's Food, I started to notice a big difference between the quality of produce amongst all the grocery stores. Wal-Mart definitely has the cheapest prices, but definitely the poorest quality. The broccoli, the corn, the apples just don't have the sheen and crispness of the fruit and vegetables that Harris Teeter and Lowe's Food has. I question the real reason for this because all three are large corporations or chains that buy from large farms. Although, Harris Teeter does sometimes go out on a limb and buys regular and organic produce from North Carolina farmers. How much are we willing to compromise the quality of our produce before we stop buying the tasteless, water filled cellulose shells?

Diets

I don't think diets are good for anyone. For starters, the word "die" is in it. You only live once. Why complicate your life by eating like a rabbit? They eat their own feces! : [

Just exercise people! Just get ur butt on the treadmill. It releases endorphins and makes you happy.

One last thing...don't eat fast food everyday. I feel like that's pretty sound advice or something like this could happen....

Martha Stewart ATTACK!

I absolutely love Martha Stewart and everything that she comprises, from her humble beginnings of being a caterer to CEO of Martha Stewart Living. I can't count how many times I've used her recipes or scanned her wedding section! She represents the well rounded woman who can be a CEO and Suzie Homemaker at the same time. Martha and her corporation represent perfection in so many ways, with the small exception of her insider trading fiasco...but who really thinks of that incident when she's making mashed potatoes with Snoop Doggy Dog? Come on!

Being a little bit obsessive compulsive and a perfectionist myself, I know that we, the people, who are in the pain in the ass category of the deeply troubled circle of perfectionists truly reach their prime when they can be humbled by their little mistakes...

BRUNCH!

Brunch is by far and away my favorite meal of the week. I can't think of a better way to start off a lazy Saturday or Sunday than with a 12 or 1pm meal at a cute, little sit down restaurant in the Triangle area. One of my absolute favorite dining experiences was at the Carolina Inn in Chapel Hill. Their bread is baked perfectly, soft and moist in the inside and crunchy on the outside. With a smear of french butter and some exotic sea salt, it can't be beat. I had their classic shrimp and grits and it was perfectly cooked. The grits were creamy with a light broth, the shrimp perfectly seared, the scallions were in the correct proportion...it was just DIVINE! Moreover, the Carolina Inn has a really nice old southern like decour. Their dining room is filled with comfortable chairs and booths upholstered with patterned cloths. Although, it could feel a bit stuffy with china on the wall papered walls, the room was light and airy.

Another great place the little Railroad Car restaurant by Weaver Street market in Carrborro. Their brunch on Sunday is great for 12 dollars for all you can eat ---cook in front of you food!

The Essence of Food

Ever feel like we use food to just past the time? When I find myself studying for hours, I usually have a bag of pretzels and a large bottle of water to make the awfulness of studying seem more pleasant. In other parts of my life, I go out for coffee, pastries, ice cream, etc. while at the same time creating these social connections with friends, families, acquaintances. Food is what brings us together and makes these meetings more meaningful. For some odd reason, eating and talking go hand in hand. The most important and moving of all these random interactions is when a home cooked meal is introduced. I can't find anything more enjoyable than cooking with a group of friends while sharing stories and laughter at the same time. When I cook for and with friends, it's a way for me to give a piece of myself, my knowledge, my time, my hands, my infinite amount of love spun into dishes that were meant to soothe the soul. When was the last time you did this?

Beer, La Birra, Bier

Ahhh...icy cold fresh beer from the tap...ooo Newcastle...you are my friend. Beer is an incredibly satisfying beverage next to wine. It goes great with wings, summer barbeques, pizza, great friends, great company, good times. I was listening to NPR the other day and it is reported that the beer industry, especially local microbreweries are doing exceptionally well in this economic downfall that is so comprehensive in our everyday lives. It is great to hear that an industry exists in the US that isn't hurting right now. I guess people drink when the times get hard to make the hard times seem softer. Ales, lagers, IPAs (Indian Pale ales), wheat beers, fruity beers (lambics), what's your favorite?

The Farm Bill affects the

Ever wondered why your cheezy poofs were cheaper than that bag of carrot sticks in the produce isle? Well, it's because the Farm Bill aka the Food Bill creates exorbitant subsidies for agricultural products such as corn and soy beans keeping it's byproducts such as the lovely and tasty high fructose corn syrup artificially cheap and prevalent in many, many boxed goods. Nowadays, I am always AMAZED when I see that there is actual sugar in a product! Sugar people! Good ol sucrose...two C6H12O6 molecules chained together...to create delicious sweets.

So, what does this have to do with obesity? Instead of increasing subsidies for other healthy and nourishing produce such as carrots, or broccoli and preventing the less wealthy families from becoming malnourished, large or already well off farms are thriving by producing products that keep the "middle isles" of the grocery store artificially cheap. Instead of feeding your kids vegetables for a week for about $60, you can feed them junk food and soda instead for $30. As a result, kids of the lower class perform more poorly in school by not gaining the proper nutrients to allow them to physically develop to their fullest potenial. You could venture further into larger social problems such as crime as a result of deficiencies started from childhood and the list goes on and on.

O snap...tastee cakes

Now I will be the first to say that I LOVE Little Debbie cakes. Cream filled, coconut topped, chocolate covered, marshmallow filled, ooey gooey caramel, fudgy, high cholesterol, hydrogenated fats, fake sugar, and inevitably cancer filled little cakes warm my soul. No, I'm not 300 pounds and I do not eat my emotions. I just appreciate the time and effort that I do not have to put forth into making an individually wrapped, essentially perfect made for me little bundle of goodness snack cake. While that is my point of view, others see this differently. Most people see the consumption of snack cakes as a doorway to childhood and adult obesity. What is America's obsession with obesity and it's presumptious accusations against schools, food businesses, and the government? Why does all this blame fall upon anyone and everything else except for the true culprits, the individual adults and the parents?

As a result of increasing childhood obesity, many public schools in NC have taken out vending machines that include many filler snacks and sugary sodas. I don't understand how this is a viable solution conducive to decreasing obesity. A child follows the eating habits of his parents. If the child can't get those filler snacks at school, he'll probably eat it at home and/or bring it to school. Childhood obesity starts in the home and that's also where it has to stop. If anything, I think the absence of those machines bruises the relationships between schools and large companies in the sense that those large corporations such as Pepsi or Coca-Cola sponsor many much needed school-community organizations. Schools in general have enough on their plate as a result of bills such as no child left behind and other hierarchical related problems. Is it really the role of schools to play mom and dad?

As for adult obesity, it is easy to understand that no one is forced into eating fast food five times a day, seven days a week, but does a higher power such as the government have a very small hand in obesity? Of course it does, but that doesn't mean we don't have free will. To be continued...



For the record my favorite snack cakes are the snowballs and cosmic brownies. O delicious sprinkles and fudge...