Ecology and Geography of Food

aMAIZEing experiment

2008-04-19T17:35:00.000-07:00

On my way from work I stopped by Farmers Market to pick up some veggies for dinner. It was almost too late: vendors were packing their stuff up. As I hastily grabbed an eggplant and peas my eye caught something curious: ears of corn with kernels of different colors. I’ve seen such thing before–as Thanksgiving ornament but never as food. I turned it around in my hands: it was tough and dry.

“It’s called an Indian corn” the vendor intervened

“Do you know how to prepare it?”

“No, not really, but I heard you can grind it into corn flour”

But I wasn’t going to grind it. What I wanted to do is to cook it on the cob because I thought it would taste similar to the corn I had back home. The stuff they sell here is sweet. Indian corn, not being “cultivated” into another desert item, held promise of bringing back almost forgotten memories. And it was only a couple of bucks for the bunch of three.

So the experiment began. I decided not to consult the Internet on what you can do with purchased Indian corn in an urban kitchen, but rather truly give it a shot on my own.

The kernels were so dehydrated they were rock-solid and needed to be softened before cooking. So I’ve soaked them overnight in cold water. Next day, the kernels were still tough but softened enough to be broken in half when I bit into one. And although the inside was still dry I decided to start the process of boiling anyway–who knows, maybe it’ll never get completely hydrated.

It was boiling for a couple of hours. The kernels increased in size and their shell cracked. The water turned dark red, almost spooky. Finally, I turned the heat off, took a cob out and tried eating it. It was still really tough. I had to grind it with my teeth forever (what an irony: not wanting to grind it before I had to do it after with my own devices: teeth). It wasn’t very flavorful either. Disappointed, I mindlessly started to pick out kernels off the cob and they were popping out quite easily. I imagined Indian women sitting around in a circle taking kernels out and grinding them in mortars. New idea popped into my mind.

Well, I don’t have a mortar but I have blender and electricity. There was about a cup of kernels I just took out. When I turned the blender on it sounded like pop-corn being cooked in microwave. But it did do the job, although milling it didn’t produce fine flour but at least decent enough corn meal. Indians probably mixed it with just water but in my kitchen there was an egg and salt and garlic powder. It was time for some corn pancakes. I also had to add some bread crumbs to increase viscosity. It held rather well in the skillet and was ready in no time.

And the taste wasn’t bad either. Cakes were nicely browned to be crispy on the outside and had more distinctive corn flavor and were pretty filling as a meal. Not to say much easier on the teeth.

Somehow I felt better knowing that if I had to I could survive by grinding kernels and making it into a meal. In my mind I just got accepted into that circle of Indian women. This experiment was my right of passage (of sorts).

Survival meal

2008-04-01T22:06:00.000-07:00

Fish, potatoes, broccoli and water. Preferably clean.

Local diet and food I can't give up

2008-04-01T21:54:00.000-07:00

If I had to eat locally I'd choose salmon and apples.

Under the right circumstances you'll give up a lot but it would be sad if tea and coffee disappeared.

Another corn crime

2008-03-13T09:21:00.000-07:00

http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/03/corn-based-biof.html

Reading ponderings

2008-02-25T22:31:00.000-08:00

– I am wondering what would happen if government stops supporting corn. Since it became such a cheap commodity that corporations are thriving on it, what will they do if corn disappears? Will they even let it happen?

– When buying meat at the market or Whole Foods how can one be sure that it doesn't come from feedlot? I'm actually never bothered to find out.

– What is amazing is how FDA approves so much crap that goes into our food chain. And their complete failure to recognize the future health risks is just unacceptable. How can we monitor and influence them and is it even possible?

American apple

2008-02-19T13:03:00.000-08:00

Big, shiny, colorful and appetizing apple was sitting in my hand ready to be consumed. There is such a variety of products in America and I, newcomer then, was fascinated and excited especially about apples. I was an apple fan, I ate apples like kids eat candy on Halloween; I even picked apples from the trees in the huge community garden back in my home city before they even have a chance to ripen.

I was an apple fan until I bit into that big, shiny and colorful apple. Biting into it was like biting into one of those display fruits that look deceptively real but really made out of wax. It didn't taste like apples I knew back home. It was bland and boring.

Later I discovered an organic apple with much improved taste. Still, it wasn't close to my ideals. The true apple happiness occurred when one day I found a guy on the Farmers market who was selling real, tasty apples. They weren't shiny and were pretty small in size but the taste was right.

Unfortunately, the farmer didn't come back to sell his apples after that summer. I'm assuming he was losing business with his less attractive real apples.

The BBC News article dating way back to 2001 says that organic apples do taste better but are less efficient and produce half the yield. And the taste heavily depends on quality of the soil which gets ruined by conventional farming that include chemical treatments.

So my concern is that the fruit of the future will have no taste, since even organic farms implement conventional farming (that's why even organic apples don't taste quite right). My only hope are local farmers but even they are hard to find.

...Maybe I'll ask my mother to send me a package with apples from that community garden back home.

Paper topic research

2008-02-10T19:47:00.000-08:00

Idea 1:

Research if corn is good or bad for our bodies and the planet and why.

Idea 2:

Continuing the quest on bug-eating. Do people cultivate them? What percentage of the land does it take to do so?

What the world and I eat

2008-01-31T10:39:00.000-08:00

So, how does my diet compare to other cultures' diets?

I definitely eat a variety of different things for each meal each day. Where I come from originally, many families will cook food for days to come (like borsht, that is cooked in large quantity to last several days), so items don't vary as much.

Living in America I have access to more food than needed and I have a privilege to buy new and fresh items almost daily although most Americans tend to buy groceries for a week or more.

Again compared to Eastern-European countries where most people cook at home, my diet consists of food that someone else cooked, from cafes and grocery stores.

My diet is primarily meat-based and in this sense could be compared to Chinese, Bosnian, German and Australian diets where meat plays a vital role in many meals.

Overall I eat fairly balanced meals, and absolutely no fast-food and soda drinks like Coke. Countries all over the world are falling prey to McDonalds and soda (Australia, Mexico, China)

Unfortunately, my diet is low on fresh fruit and veggies compared to countries like Guatemala and Ecuador where it's the primary food. I try to substitute it with juices and multivitamins.

And I eat three full meals a day with plenty of snacks in between which is to many countries, like African ones, is not even possible.

And it seems I like to drink a glass of beer with my evening meals just like Germans.

Country Case Study: Poland

2008-01-29T14:25:00.000-08:00

Overall impression:

When my husband and I visited Poland in 2006 we were lucky enough to see both urban environment and country side. Impressions: food was really good and people are generally active. From the reading I got the idea that despite the international food influences (such as Japanese food sushi), Polish people still prefer their traditional diet and cooking at home.

Major staple foods:

Potatoes, meat (specifically pork and beef), cabbage, beets, grains (bread, pastry etc), dairy

Comparison to US:

Seems like people are overall more active, even older people (we saw this happy granny on a bike in the countryside)

People tend to eat at home and I've noticed there are more Polish fast food restaurants like Pierogarnya (where they serve pierogi) rather than McDonalds. Another thing is that Americans live suburban lifestyle, driving to work in their own cars and in Poland urban environments are designed for living: they have all the shopping, playgrounds for kids, restaurants and this promotes walking or taking public transportation rather than driving.

From the case study in the book I also noticed that they didn't drink a lot of soda but rather juices and mineral water.

Other interesting things:

Meatshops virtually on every corner; "Bar Mlecny", subsidized governmental cafes serve really, really tasty meals. People who work there speak only Polish, so you better know how and what to order:)

Food Tracking Jan 25 2008

2008-01-27T00:35:00.000-08:00

Breakfast

Plain bagel with Philadelphia cream cheese and drip coffee-the same info as Jan 23rd breakfast plus handful of grapes and filtered 1 cup of water

Lunch

½ Turkey Panini Sandwich +

Item: Progresso Clam Chowder

Portion Size: 2 servings (1 can)

Ingredients: see below

Nutrition info:

Maker/Producer: Progresso

Geographic origins: Minneapolis, MN

Where purchased: Costco

Packaging: aluminum can 18.5 oz

Notes: Our office provides canned soups and I had it with my left-over sandwich. Hurray for chowder week!

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Coffee break

1 espresso (nespresso) +

Item: Anthon Berg Chocolate liqueur candy

Portion Size: 1 candy

Ingredients: sugar, cocoa mass, cocoa butter, spirits, flavoring (ethyl vanillin)

Nutrition info:

Maker/Producer: Anthon Berg

Geographic origins: Denmark

Where purchased: free from work

Packaging: bottle-shaped foil wrapped candy in a box

Notes: The liqueur-filled candy go very well with espresso

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Dinner

Item: Oikos Organic Plain Yogurt

Portion Size: 1 6 oz container

Ingredients: see below

Nutrition info: Calories: 100

 

Maker/Producer: Stonyfield Farm

Geographic origins: Londonderry, NH

Where purchased: Whole Foods

Packaging: round plastic tub

Notes: The taste was ok but too sour for Greek yogurt

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Leftover potatoes and salmon candy from last night and 0.5 l beer
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Item: Boiled egg

Portion Size: 1 medium egg

Ingredients: egg

Nutrition info: Calories: 13

Maker/Producer: local farm

Geographic origins: *local

Where purchased: Farmers Market

Packaging: egg carton
Notes: There’s a small dairy shop in the Market where I always get eggs. The eggs are the tastiest I have ever tried. Even my husband agrees (and he eats everything!)

Food Tracking Jan 24 2008

2008-01-26T23:32:00.000-08:00

Breakfast

Item: Denver eggs

Portion Size: 1 serving

Ingredients: 2 teaspoons butter or margarine, 2
tablespoons chopped fully cooked ham, 1 tablespoon finely chopped bell pepper, 1 tablespoon finely chopped onion, 2 eggs, beaten

Nutrition info: 1 Serving: Calories 260 (Calories from Fat 180 ); Total Fat 20 g (Saturated Fat 9 g); Cholesterol 455 mg; Sodium 430 mg; Total Carbohydrate 3 g (Dietary Fiber 0g); Protein 17 g Percent Daily Value*: Vitamin A 18 %; Vitamin C 6 %; Calcium 6 %; Iron 8 %

Maker/Producer: Whole Foods

Geographic origins: *local

Where purchased: Whole Foods

Packaging: na

Notes: Very tasty, comfort breakfast for the winter. I prefer scrambled eggs and boiled eggs.

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Item: Bacon

Portion Size: 3 strips

Ingredients: pork, water, turbino sugar, natural spices, lactic acid, started culture

Nutrition info: 3 strips-156 cal

Maker/Producer: Whole Foods

Geographic origins: *local

Where purchased: Whole Foods

Packaging: na

Notes: I like sausages over bacon but they didn’t have them that day

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Item: Naked Green Machine juice smoothie

Portion Size: 2 servings (1 bottle)

Ingredients: see below

Nutrition info: calories 130 per serv

Maker/Producer: Naked Juice

Geographic origins: Azusa, CA

Where purchased: Whole Foods

Packaging: plastic 15.2 fl oz bottle with green label with photographic images of fruit

Notes: Tastes good, Naked juices are better than any other of this kind

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Lunch

Item: Turkey panini sandwich

Portion Size: 1/2 sandwich

Ingredients: panini olive bread, turkey deli meat, swiss cheese, fresh tomatoes

Nutrition info: Calories: 257  Fat: 8.2g  Saturated Fat: 2.9g  Monounsaturated Fat: 0.2g Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g  Protein: 18.4g Carbs: 30.4g Fiber: 4.1g Cholesterol: 30mg

Maker/Producer: Olympic Deli

Geographic origins: *local

Where purchased: Olympic Deli

Packaging: foil wrap

Notes: The sandwich was big, I ate the other half next day for lunch. Taste was good, even the next day.

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Item: Garden Vegetable soup

Portion Size: 1 cup

Ingredients: tomatoes, broccoli, corn, green beans, beans, cauliflower, carrots, zucchini, (broth unknown)

Nutrition info:

Maker/Producer: Olympic Deli

Geographic origins: *local

Where purchased: Olympic Deli

Packaging: food container

Notes: good

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Snacks: banana, Chiquita brand

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Item: Vegan Chocolate Chip bar

Portion Size: 1 bar

Ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, oil, vanilla extract, soy milk, chocolate chips

Nutrition info:

Maker/Producer: classmate

Geographic origins: *local

Where purchased: free from classmate

Packaging: na

Notes: tasted really good

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Dinner

Item: Boiled potatoes

Portion Size: 3 small potatoes

Ingredients: potatoes, salt, olive oil

Nutrition info: Calories: 144 

Maker/Producer: Agri-Star, Inc

Geographic origins: Oregon

Where purchased: Whole Foods

Packaging: 5 pound plastic bag

Notes: After watching “The Gleaners and I” I craved potatoes for the next few days. It’s a staple Ukrainian meal, even more so than bread

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Item: Yukon Salmon candy

Portion Size: 1 strip (appr. 0.16 lb)

Ingredients: wild salmon, brown sugar, salt, garlic, onion, citric acid, celery seed, paprika, soy sauce powder, natural tumeric, lemon oil

Nutrition info: Calories: 140 

Maker/Producer: n/a

Geographic origins: Yukon river, Alaska

Where purchased: Whole Foods

Packaging: wrapped in paper

Notes: Salty dried fish goes well with potatoes

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Item: Spring salad

Portion Size: 0.5 lb

Ingredients: 4 tomatoes on the vine, 1 cucumber, 3 teaspoons of virgin olive oil, pinch of dry basil, pinch of sea salt

Nutrition info: Calories: 159

Maker/Producer: Zlata Zubenko

Geographic origins: Arizona, Italy

Where purchased: Whole Foods

Packaging: na

Notes: The lazy salad, very simple and refreshing. Italian recipe includes fresh mozzarella cheese, but this one my grandma used to make.

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Other dinner items: fresh red bell pepper, beer 0.3 l

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Approximate total calories for the day: 1787

Food Tracking Jan 23 2008

2008-01-26T22:24:00.000-08:00

Breakfast

Item: Plain Bagel

Portion Size: 1 bagel

Ingredients: Unbleached high gluten enriched wheat flour, water, brown sugar, invert sugar cane molasses, malt flour, salt, yeast

Nutrition info: plain bagel and bagel with cream cheese

This type of label is taken off the Internet to be the closest match

Maker/Producer: Whole Foods bakery

Geographic origins: Local*

*means I'm guessing

Where purchased: Whole Foods

Packaging: N/A

Notes: Tastes great toasted in the oven, that Andrew turns on when he gets up as well as making coffee, while I try to drag my butt out of bed. Then I toast a bagel for myself and heat up some pastry for Andrew and pour coffee while he shaves.

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Item: Philadelphia Cream Cheese

Portion Size: 2 tbs

Ingredients: pasteurized nonfat milk and milkfat, whey protein concentrate, cheese culture, salt, whey, stabilizers (xanthan and/or carob bean and/or guar gums), sorbic acid as a preservative, vitamin a palmitate

Nutrition info:

Maker/Producer: KRAFT

Geographic origins: Glenview, IL USA

Where purchased: Fred Meyer

Packaging: 8 OZ plastic tub

Notes: I only like Philadelphia cream cheese. I tried organic ones from Whole Foods and they all taste “wrong”-wrong texture, density, taste.

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Item: Rugulach cinnamon-Walnut pastry

Portion Size: 1 cookie

Ingredients: Unbleached wheat flour, cream cheese, butter, white sugar, etc

Nutrition info: Calories 160

Maker/Producer: Chewy’s

Geographic origins: San Diego, CA

Where purchased: Whole Foods

Packaging: Clear plastic round tub

Notes: Tastes and looks a bit like European pastry I’m used to. There were three kinds of filling: Cinnamon-walnut, Fruit and Chocolate. I didn’t like the chocolate one at all-I never understood chocolate in pastry.

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Item: Banana

Portion Size: 1 banana

Ingredients: um…banana?

Nutrition info: Calories 72

Maker/Producer: Organics Unlimited

Geographic origins: Mexico

Where purchased: Whole Foods

Packaging: N/A

Notes: I love sweet bananas and this one was close to it. I usually prefer Chiquita brand bananas, because they are very sweet.

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Item: Brewed Coffee

Portion Size: 1 cup

Ingredients: coffee beans, water, 1 tbsp half and half

Nutrition info: Calories 20 (including crème)

Maker/Producer: World Market (coffee) Horizon Organic for half-and-half

Geographic origins: amaica, Brazil, Hawaii; Illy, Lavazza, Ghirardelli (coffee) Boulder, CO (crème)

Where purchased: World Market, Whole Foods

Packaging: Black foil bag, one pint milk carton

Notes: I chose it because we usually get coffee beans from Starbucks and we wanted to try something else. Tastes good.

The half and half I prefer from Horizon. It has the right thickness and doesn’t flake in coffee.

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Lunch

Item: California Turkey and bacon sandwich

Portion Size: 1 whole sandwich

Ingredients: Wheat bread, turkey meat, bacon, avocado, lettuce, mayonnaise, swiss cheese

Nutrition info: Calories 510

(this table is based on Turkey Club sandwich, the closest match)

Maker/Producer: Olympic Deli

Geographic origins: Local*, California

Where purchased: Olympic Deli

Packaging: Plastic wrap

Notes: I love this little lunch place near my apartment. The owner and the cook is a Serbian woman, she makes fantastic sandwiches and soups that bring her plenty of customers. She always complains that there are too many of them, it’s hard to handle for her alone.

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Item: Corn Chowder soup

Portion Size: 1 cup

Ingredients: 1 onion, chopped, 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped, 2 tablespoons butter, 3 cups potatoes, diced, 2 cups water, 1 can cream style corn, 1 can evaporated milk, salt and pepper to taste (cook.com)

Nutrition info: Calories 283

Maker/Producer: Olympic Deli

Geographic origins: Local*

Where purchased: Olympic Deli

Packaging: Food container

Notes: I’m generally not a big fan of chowders, but there are exceptions. Seems like this week especially.

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Item: Nespresso coffee

Portion Size: 1 espresso cup

Ingredients: premium blend coffee, water

Nutrition info: Calories 1

Maker/Producer: Nespresso

Geographic origins: Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Togo, Kenya and Ethiopia

Where purchased: free from work

Packaging: individual capsules

Notes: I never drink espresso, just Nespresso. The taste is phenomenal, I got so addicted I had to force myself to limit espresso intake to 1 cup (compared to 3-4 before)

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Other lunch foods: banana, Chiquita brand, Equador

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Drinks:

Item: Hansen’s soda

Portion Size: 1 can

Ingredients:

Nutrition info: Calories 180

Maker/Producer: Hansen’s

Geographic origins: Corona, CA USA

Where purchased: free from work

Packaging: aluminum can

Notes: A bit too sweet for my taste

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Item: Talking Rain Sparkling water

Portion Size: 1 can

Ingredients: water

Nutrition info: Calories 0

Maker/Producer: Talking Rain Beverage Co

Geographic origins: Preston, Washington USA

Where purchased: free from work

Packaging: aluminum can

Notes: Too sparkly. I have to air it for a while.

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Dinner (at TechCity bowling party)

Item: Hawaiian Pizza

Portion Size: 1.5 slices

Ingredients: ¼ cup bell pepper  • ¼ pocket pita pocket, whole-wheat  • 2 tsp parmesan cheese  • 4½ slices ham, lean  • ½ tsp oil, olive  • 2 Tbls tomato sauce  • 1 tsp garlic  • ¼ cup pineapple, chunks in juice  • ½ oz cheese, non-fat  • 1½ slices onions, red  Spices / Flavoring

• ¼ tsp black pepper  • ¼ tsp dried basil  • ½ tsp italian seasoning

Nutrition info: Calories 239

Maker/Producer: unknown

Geographic origins: unknown

Where purchased: free from party

Packaging: cardboard box

Notes: Eh, didn’t taste that good. Didn’t even finish my second slice. The dough was too thick and I dislike thick dough.

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Item: Stella Artois beer

Portion Size: 0.3 l

Ingredients: water, malt, rice groats, hops, ascorbic acid Density - 12%, ABV - 5.2 +/-0.2%

Nutrition info: Calories 102

Maker/Producer: local distributor

Geographic origins: Belgium

Where purchased: free from party

Packaging: draft

Notes: Draft beers always taste better than packaged

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Item: Chocolate cake

Portion Size: 2 pieces

Ingredients: chocolate, flour…

Nutrition info: Calories 340 per serving

Maker/Producer: na

Geographic origins: na

Where purchased: free from party

Packaging: na

Notes: It’s European-style cake, someone from our party might have made it

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Approximate total calories for the day: 2683

Memorable Food Experience

2008-01-16T21:01:00.000-08:00

Some years ago for an HS class students had to bring a dish traditional to their culture. One girl brought fried rice with larva (I forget where the girl comes from; I think it was Indonesia).

Many of the students refused to try it. I didn't. Knowing what it was it was challenging to try but surprisingly it didn't taste gross. In fact, it was flavorless and crunchy.

In my Eastern European culture we eat things that might be considered "gross" by others: lard, marinated salty fish, cow's intestines, tongue and even brain. But still I wonder: why do people eat bugs? Is it strictly regional because of the lack of animals in the area? Is it because of shortage of food? Is it beneficial to one's health?

I found some interesting info on National Geographic, explaining some of the aspects of bug-eating. Apparently it is healthy.