mmm sandwiches w10

     In my opinion, there are a variety of foods that can be considered a sandwich. When you first think about eating a sandwich, you immediately think that a sandwich is something you eat with your hands. In addition, most people think of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, lunch sandwiches such as Subway and hot sandwiches like Penn Station. Are those really the only food items that we can call sandwiches? I really don't think so. I believe that a sandwich contains ingredients that are held together by any type of breaded dough. This is what makes sandwiches creative, you can put just about anything together in a number of different combinations. I agree that a hot dog, hamburger, quesadilla, and even a crepe can be considered a sandwich.
     A hot dog is held together by a bun that you eat with your hands. A hot dog can come with a number of different toppings. The combination of the hot dog and toppings create a sandwich because the bun holds it all together creating a delicious combo that you can easily eat with your hands. Although people mostly think of sandwiches to be eatin solely with your hands, there are alternatives. Take crepes for example. They don't look like a sandwich and they aren't always eaten with their hands due to the mess they could make. I believe that they are still considered a sandwich though because it is holding together a combination of ingredients in between a breaded substance called a crepe.
     Quesadillas and Hamburgers can be considered sandwiches too. They hold together a mixture of complementing ingredients that come together to form one. This also goes for burritos and tacos. Just because they aren't called sandwiches doesn't mean they can't be considered one. The ingredients in a sandwich are not separated, they come together to form one item. Burritos and tacos bring together delicious Mexican ingredients that come together to form a sandwich. Burritos and tacos were created to hold the toppings and meat together, making them sandwiches.
     Others may disagree due to the fact that they stick to the original sandwich that is held together by two pieces of bread. Where is the fun in that though? I believe that a sandwich was meant to be creative and brings ingredients together to form one delicious combination of food. Whether it is a Chipolte burrito or a crepe you eat for breakfast, I see no reasons why they can't be considered sandwiches. I believe that the idea of a sandwich can be very versatile, and there isn't always a standard definition for it.

should we just stop eating beef all together?! w9

     I have been thinking a lot about the Taco Bell controversy over their beef. Taco Bell now has commercials stating that their beef is eighty eight percent USDA approved. I guess this claim is a step up from only about thirty percent beef. Although Taco Bell claims that they were wrongly accused of this fact, why would there be a lawsuit against them? It just makes me wonder who is lying here.
     The public has a right to know exactly what kind of beef from fast food chains they are eating. After everything we have learned about fast food industries, I really don't know if I can trust any of the meat anymore! The USDA says that beef has to be at least thirty five percent to be advertised as beef but is that even safe? I believe there should be a higher standard than that. What is the other seventy percent of beef? It can't all be seasoning and spices. This means that most fast food places are using fillers for their meat, in which we have no clue what those fillers are.
     After this class, I have been traumatized by secrets of the food industry and sometimes wish I lived in a different country. America runs to heavily on fast food. I use to eat so much of it, but now instead I am eating gross dining hall food along with unhealthy frozen foods from the market. In my position, I just can't win as of right now!
     I definitely agree with Gabby's presentation about how OU's food needs to change. I work at Boyd Dinning hall and I see how the food is prepared, and it wouldn't surprise anyone in class to how disgusting it is. I was washing pots and pans when a cook brought back two deep pans of burnt cauliflower that nobody in the grab-and-go line touched. The cook said "I don't know why we have that, nobody eats it."
     This made me think of how we are all choosing unhealthy choices here at the dining hall but that's because they put out nasty cheap vegetables out! Other than salad, the best they could come up with is cauliflower?! It just makes me wonder what are these fast food companies and cafeteria institutions in schools thinking!
    

w8 Myers and Foodies

     Myers spends time looking deeper into the world of foodies. To a certain extent his claims are legitimate but I feel like he gets a little harsh with some of his points. He is legitimate in the claims where he uses examples to show how foodies have a stuck-up attitude. He goes into detail to describe the foodies' lavish lifestyle, and what sets them apart from an average person. Myer's created a negative image of foodies for me. When looking deeper into the texts and examples, I reflected on why and how I should trust a foodie's judgment. Their judgment does seem to be very single-minded which Myer's makes clear throughout his text. I don't understand the reasoning for looking up to snobbish, rich, single-minded people for food advice when I am on a completely different level of a foodie.
     When I talk of being on a different level, I mean that I don't look for the same standards as a foodie does since their standards are so high and they have a lot of luxury compared to me. Myer's does a good job of painting a picture of famous foodies, with their quotes and images portraying them as nowhere near average people. Myers points out that its repetitive for a foodie to overuse dramatic descriptions of the food they taste. I agree with this because in this text and in class, I have noticed food writers tend to put food on a pedestal making it seem like its their religion.
     The only point I think that Myers goes overboard with is his claim; "is there any civilized value that foodies can't turn on its head?" he uses this to refer to how certain foodies like Bourdain, see it as rude when religious reasons come into play while eating a meal someone has prepared for them. I don't feel like the foodie is in any wrong here due to the fact that you should be able to respect someone else's cooking and especially if it is of great tradition in their family. I think that Myer exaggerated here and was trying to make a foodie to seem more evil then what they really are because I highly doubt the intentions were the same.
     Myers did a good job of giving me a negative image of a foodie, in which most I agreed because in some ways a foodie can seem a bit ridiculous. He does get a little harsh but still uses his logic to back up his claims. His logic can be either accepted or denied by the reader. If one thing is for sure is that Myers doesn't seem like he is going to jump on the foodie bandwagon any time soon.

Secret Family Recipe (W7)

     When it comes to family recipes, I usually don't question the ingredients because I just accept them for their deliciousness. I actually called my mom to ask her if there is any secrets in the recipes that her, my dad and my grandma may use. I asked her about my dad first and of course she responded with, "well your dad just thinks he has secret recipes but really doesn't." This was funny because my whole family knows that my dad tries to exaggerate the originality of his meals. He usually isn't exaggerating though, because I find almost everything he makes to be out of this world! I have mentioned his ribs before where he claims there is a secret technique to the cooking process. I am pretty sure it has to do with the timing because they are "fall off the bone ribs" every single time. I was sad to hear that my dad actually just cooked ribs tonight because its my favorite meal and my mom rubbed it in my face. She promised that when I come home for spring break she will have him make them again though.
     The question to my mom about the recipes also sparked some funny memories of my aunt's chili. My aunt (bless her heart) isn't the greatest cook. She is a nurse, so she is kind of a work-a-holic and doesn't have a whole lot of time to cook. When she does cook though she always makes a lot of food so my family comes over to try whatever it is that she made. She has a special chili she makes, and when she makes it right it is actually pretty good. My mom told me that her secret to the chili is grape jelly, which surprised me because I never really noticed. The reason why I haven't ever really noticed is because nine times out of ten the chili would be burnt. We would call her chili "ash tray chili" and has been a joke ever since.
     As for my mom, I noticed that her main ingredient for almost everything is cheese! My mom makes the cheesiest broccoli casserole ever along with the cheesiest lasagna. Her lasagna has beat the lasagna at every Italian restaurant I have been too. Every layer (including the very top and very bottom) has a generous amount of Velveeta cheese. I can't wait to have that again either!
     Lastly, I have to mention a punch that has been in my family forever. I first tried it from my grandma, and then my mom started making it for every one of my birthday parties. It's an orange punch that doesn't sound extremely special or anything but I would have to say that it's my favorite drink and would pick it over anything else if I had the choice. Whenever you decide you want to throw a party, I recommend serving this punch. Our family punch includes 4 packets of orange kool-aide, 5 cups of sugar (my grandma uses 6), 1 can of frozen orange juice and 1 large can of pineapple juice. This actually serves four gallons of punch, so my mom usually freezes the rest if it isn't all used. It makes a delicious Popsicle and you can even fill up an ice cube tray with it for some extra cool flavor too the punch.
    My family secret recipes may not be the most secretive and original but they sure do make an impression. I have to say that my dad wins with his ribs every time though and if he says its secret and original then I am going to believe it. My mom just likes to prove him wrong sometimes!

Food Injustice W6

      It was my first time watching Food Inc. and I have to say that it completely changed my perspective on the American food industry. I have known that the business is sketchy and we have had a lot of discussions in class, but to see it on screen was horrifying to me. Every time an animal was shown, I had to cover my eyes. There were a lot of points in the film that successfully persuaded me. The few that stood out most to me were the animals, how the farmers and workers are treated by the companies, and the story of the mom dealing with the death of her son.
     I am the biggest sap when it comes to the death of animals, so I basically had a frown on my face through the entire film. I'm not even a vegetarian, and sometimes I wish I was but I raised on eating meat. Anyways, I couldn't believe some of the images I saw. The two absolute worst were they showed how the chickens can't even stand up and the pigs were getting slaughtered by a "kill floor." Genetically modifying animals to fit our tastes such as making the chickens fatter than they naturally are showed a crueler side of the industry. When seeing all of those chickens starting to fall and breaking their legs, I was just thinking to myself how un natural and inhumane that was. The "kill floor" almost made me cry! I would of never thought that something like that existed. For the pigs to be slaughtered in a mass quantity, you just squash them all at once with the floor? I still can't believe it as I sit here and reflect on the sad image coming back to mind.
     Those images shown really made an impact on me because I am really sensitive to the fact of how our companies are treating the animals with so much cruelty. The film showed us the alternative to this, with a farmer who ran a small business from his farm and he definitely did not harm the animals in the way that the companies did. I just did not know the companies were that powerful and especially over the farmers and workers they control. It was so sad to see how the companies treated the farmers and the workers by making them work so hard for so little control and so little money. These companies are making a fortune, while having the farmers and workers doing all the dirty work for them. This really showed me how cruel the companies were. Not only do they treat the animals in such an inhumane way, they don't have respect for anyone such as the people working for them!
     In addition to the companies treatment of the people involved, another persuading concept that stood out was the story of the mother and son. The mother lost her son to a food illness that wasn't recalled until about twenty days after the little boy's death. This image was used to emphasize the important fact that our food contains so much bacteria and illness more than ever before. The film showed how the way the farms are feeding the animals corn now along with putting the animals in unsanitary conditions in which the disease feeds off of. So the conditions that the companies put the animals in are just harming us more, by the increase of ecoli and salmonella present. The story of the mother and son added a lot of emotion behind this fact that really made me think "why?" Why do the companies even put animals in conditions where disease is easily contracted? Why are they making food un-safe, rather than safe? It just doesn't make sense to me. I really liked how the mother continues to fight for safer food, because obviously something needs to change.
     The images of the animals, the workers and farmers, and more diseases successfully persuaded me to really hate the companies involved in this horrible business. The companies that control our food industry are suppose to make sure our food is safe, but ironically it's the complete opposite. They treat everyone around them with disrespect and I really hope we can continue to fight with these companies until there are some major changes made.

W5 More Fast Food Nation

     I am going to reflect on the chapters we read in Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser. The sections about McDonald’s chicken nuggets have officially made the McNuggets dead to me. When you choose chicken over beef, you automatically think that you are making the "healthier" choice. This is not always the case, and especially when it comes to the McNugget. According to Fast Food Nation, the Mcdonald's McNugget actually resembles beef more than it does poultry! Okay, I thought we were buying "chicken" nuggets. These chicken nuggets also contain twice as much fat per ounce as a hamburger! The sad part is that parents let their kids eat these fatty processed chicken nuggets that have absolutely no health value.

     Fast Food Nation enhanced my awareness of how our Country relies heavily on fast food and how it lacks the whole point of nutrition we need for our bodies. Fast food comes from processed foods that contain so many chemicals that we don't know half of the real ingredients. Americans spend ninety percent of their money on processed foods, and it is the flavor industry in America that is responsible for this. In almost all of the food products we buy contain the words of either "artificial flavor" or "natural flavor." Surprisingly, natural flavor is no better than artificial flavor. These flavor compounds contain actually more ingredients than the foods given their taste. This is shocking to me, because I had no idea that processed foods contained chemicals we didn’t even know about!

    I have been ignorant of all the details shown in Fast Food Nation, so I am glad that I have more knowledge of what is actually going into my body. These readings make me wish for my own kitchen, because I know everything that I heat up in my dorm microwave is no good!  But then again our culture runs off of this kind of food so how can I escape it? If ten thousand new processed food products are entering the American market every year, then it makes it almost impossible for me to escape it. Sometimes I wish we could go back to the good old days and live off the land!

Fast Food Nation (w4)

     There is no denying that America runs off of fast food.When I was younger my parents mostly made dinner so I really didn't start having the luxury of fast food until I started to drive and have a job. I don't really have a childhood memory of fast food (besides happy meals here and there from McDonald's). When I got my own car I was seventeen years old and by that point my parents didn't care about what I ate anymore. Oh and did I eat it, a lot of it.
     First off, I started working at Dairy Queen when I was a sophomore in High School. The rule there was that we couldn't have food for free, and we had a slight discount of ten percent. This rule was broken constantly. Everyone I worked with made food for free and we would eat on the clock all the time. I know that this sounds bad but the only person that cared was the owner and he was barely there. Anyways, I ate everything and I mean everything. I worked there for almost four years and tried new combinations of food all the time. What I ate most of though, was the ice cream of course. For some reason the soft serve never got old.
     In addition to being addicted to Dairy Queen food, I also loved to drive around and go to every the drive thru in town . Like in every city in America, strips of fast food places surrounded us. This burned a huge hole in my pocket. Even though I was buying dollar tacos from Taco Bell and dollar sweet teas from McDonald's, it adds up quick when your buying it about every day. Luckily, I am mostly over my fast food stage due to the fact that it really isn't cheap.I am really looking forward to cooking a lot food in my apartment next year just because fast food does get old.
     I feel like America runs on fast food mostly because it does surround us so much and it is much more convenient to spend a dollar on a burger versus grilling out. It is also fast, Americans are both busy and lazy people. We have people who rush to work every morning, so they are picking up McDonald's for breakfast. There are also just plain lazy people who can't or won't cook to save their life.
     Even though I haven't traveled to a different country, my friend is from Beijing and she notices a big difference in food culture. China has fast food of course, but they don't rely on it as much as Americans do. She says that in her culture, it is more important to sit down with family and friends eating authentic food than anything else. I feel like fast food in America takes some of that away because it is so prevalent and convenient for us that we forget the true value of food. Of course we need food, but we should also take time to slow down our lives a bit and share food in a more traditional way with family and friends.

w3 American Eats

     American food is hard to define due to the fact that America is made up of so many different cultures. If I were to open up an American restaurant in Germany and incorporate foods that best represent America, I would have a restaurant made up of the most appealing food Americans love to eat. Now, the most appealing isn't always the healthiest. I am not considered to be a healthy eater, so of course my meals aren't going to be on the healthy side but they are too delicious to resist. I serve at a steak house in Cincinnati, and I have tried just about everything on the menu. The good thing about a steak house is that it includes a variety of different foods on the menu that appeal to Americans (not just steak). My restaurant would include the following dishes that I find the majority of Americans would enjoy and that Germans wouldn't be able to resist. Here are a few dishes that would be included in my "Comfort Cookin'" restaurant. I cannot list all of the foods that most represent American food culture because almost all dishes have been “Americanized,” but I will come up with some of the tastiest American delicacies there are.

“Comfort Cookin’” Presents:

The Victorian Filet
The first meal on my menu would be a delicious filet cooked to the consumer's perfection (I prefer medium of course). The filet is the tenderest of all the steaks, so this is key for why I chose this steak. This filet would be seasoned and seared, to enhance the juiciness of the meat. Let's face it, a lot of Americans love red meat. You can't have an American restaurant without steak, right? The Victorian filet would also come with a side and a salad of the customer's choice.

Gold Halibut
Seafood is viewed highly in the food culture of America, so you I wouldn’t have a restaurant without it. Seafood is considered healthy (compared to most food we eat), even though we ignore the fact that it was probably cooked in a lot of butter anyhow. In my opinion, white fish is way better than salmon and that is why I chose Halibut. The halibut would be over a wood fired grill served with rice and a vegetable of choice.

Spinach Artichoke dip
For starters, try some "spin dip." Creamy Spinach artichoke dip with flakey, buttery, crunchy chips. The spin dip would be made to perfection, where the combination would just melt in your mouth. There won't be any big chunks of artichokes either; they would blend in with the creamy sauce.

Skyline Chili
I know Skyline Chili doesn't represent all of America, but it represents my America. Everybody needs to try it at least once anyways. So instead of having a Texas style chili included on my menu, I thought I would include a different type of Chili that some Americans are crazy for. The chili will be served anyway you like it. On hotdogs, spaghetti, burritos, etc.

Mama's Cookin'
(Warning: Portion sizes may overwhelm you)
This is a special category for southern comfort foods that are also prevalent in America. Under this menu will be massive amounts of; corn bread casserole, fried chicken, homemade mashed potatoes, corn, macaroni and cheese, baked beans, green beans, grits, hash brown casserole, fried Okra, barbeque on honey buns, and delicious homemade rolls. You aren't American unless you enjoy the satisfaction of these comfort foods.

Blue cheese salad
Another somewhat healthy menu item that would be included will be a delicious salad. This salad would have a blend of dark greens along with carrots and blue cheese vinaigrette dressing that comes with blue cheese crumbles and pecans on top. If you aren't a lover of a blue cheese salad, there will also be traditional salads and dressings of your choice as well.

The triple threat desert
You can't have an American restaurant without a desert to die for! My triple threat would include the following; New York Cheese cake, gooey turtle brownies with caramel and nuts, and a huge scoop of vanilla bean ice cream with whip cream included.

    

W2

     When it comes to family dinners and recipes, I have to say that I am pretty lucky. Both my mom and my dad know how to cook mouthwatering meals. My mom is very precise with her cooking. You can't even talk to her while she is in the kitchen preparing our amazing thanksgiving dinner. Everything has to be perfect; from the creamy texture of her homemade gravy to making sure that she has the cheesiest broccoli casserole on earth. I also can't forget to mention her special homemade stuffing that has the perfect balance of spices along with golden brown edges and the perfect degree of moistness in the center. I could go on and on about her delicious thanksgiving dinner, but I think it’s better if I stop before I start to really miss it.

     Another thing worth mentioning about my mom's ability to cook is that she is a great baker as well. Apple pies, sugar cream pies, heresy bar pies, dump cake, brownies, and butterscotch scotties are just a tiny list of some of her favorite desserts to make. She also makes fudge, almond joys, and buckeyes for Christmas treats to give to the family. My mom definitely personalizes her food with her precision in the kitchen and determination to make food she knows her family will enjoy.

   With my dad, on the other hand, he uses more improvisation. He likes to create new recipes, and uses the trial and error technique. Luckily, there are rarely any flaws in his cooking. For instance, my dad's cheesy potato casserole has been through a couple stages. The first time he made the casserole he had added onions to the recipe. I did not like it this way (I am kind of picky), so next time he tried a different approach. He carefully boils the sliced potatoes until they are almost considered to be mashed. He then would put them in the baking pan, add butter, salt, and would load them up with almost the whole thing of Velveeta cheese. Instead of unions this time, he crumbled sour cream and cheddar potato chips on top of the casserole creating a crispy outer layer. My dad knows how big of a fan I am of potatoes (mashed, smashed, loaded, baked, garlic), so this simple but delicious casserole has become one of my favorites. He continues using this technique and has recently been using hash browns, making it his hash brown casserole as well.

     In addition to my dad making the perfect cheesy potato casserole, nobody can beat my dad's famous fall off the bone ribs. I have been to many different steak houses and tried their ribs and honestly none of them compare. I work at outback steak house, where their ribs are pretty good, but still don’t beat my dad’s. He uses a special rub for his ribs that I still don't know what is in it, and uses mouthwatering Montgomery inn barbeque sauce. I have never eaten a batch of his ribs that weren't literally falling off the bone. His ribs have been my favorite meal since I can even remember. For every birthday, my sister and I get the dinner of our choice and my choice is always his ribs with the cheesy potato casserole. Not only does my dad like to try different combinations with every food he makes, but he also likes to get good feedback on his meals. If we don't like something he makes, he feels like he has let us down in some way. He is always worried about what we think, which reflects how much he cares when he creates his special dishes.

   I value both my mom and dad’s cooking and hope that I can someday be passionate about creating delicious recipes for my future family.

Fast food culture...say what?!

     

     What is considered American food culture? McDonald's, perhaps? Well that was my initial thought. To me, American food culture has grown into a fast food culture. Many Americans rely heavily on fast food because of the easy access and affordable prices. I mean come on, I am a poor college student without a stove or an oven. There is also no way I can eat the dining hall food everyday either.

      Whether you’re in college, too busy at the time, or too lazy to cook; fast food is the way to go. You will also always find those people who need to grab a burger and a fry almost everyday for lunch. It was a common occurrence to see the same people through the window at Dairy Queen everyday.

      So since we interact with fast food so much and is continually present through our daily lives, doesn't that make it a part of our culture? In society today, you can't avoid it. Advertising is all over TV and the Internet. Even worse, fast food is packaged and readily available in stores. These are some elements that make it almost impossible to avoid fast food. Also, why wouldn’t fast food businesses push to make an extra buck; that’s the main driving force in almost every business in America, right?

     In addition, fast food can also raise the concern of being unhealthy. Most Americans are aware that fast food isn’t the healthiest choice. We are informed of it, but most don’t truly listen. Fast food is way too prevalent in this society, so you can’t fully blame it on the vulnerable consumer. So whether you are in favor of fast food or not, you can’t deny that it is a part of an American culture. How can anyone resist a buy one get one free deal?! :)