For our last day of cooking, my group prepared Vegetarian Italian Farro and White Bean Soup. Once again, the soup was quite simple to prepare and only required a few simple ingredients. We first heated olive oil in a large pot and then added onions, celery, rosemary and garlic. After the vegetables were soft, we added farro, whole white beans, bean puree, tomatoes and vegetable stock. We then let the soup sit for about a half hour and seasoned to perfection with salt and pepper. The soup was once again delicious and satsifying.
When I first heard we were making Italian soup I got quite excited because at my job at home they prepare an Italian Sausage Gumbo soup which is my absolute favorite. The soup at my work is alot spicier, and since I'm not a fan of spicy foods, I was very glad to find that this one did not have so much kick to it, but was still incredibly tasty. Also, they do not puree any part of the soup at my work, and I think they should for creamier texture and a thicker soup. I just might have to give them a call and suggest some of my class creations!
Monday, September 17, 2007
Hope For The Future
After watching "The Future of Food" in class this morning, I cannot stop thinking about the film and all of the thoughts and questions it has provoked within me. I was so shocked by the real life stories of the farmers, ranging from Saskatchewan, Canada to Oaxaca, Mexico. I was truly touched by the emotional trials and tribulations the farmers shared on camera, and I felt the movie’s impact was heightened by their personal stories, families, and various court cases. I had no idea the impact that genetically modified foods is having on the farming industry and how one pesticide corporation, Monsanto, is now taking over every single piece of cropland, seed, or gene they can get their hands on. The monopolistic tyranny of Monsanto is a phenomenon that must be stopped before it begins to take over more than just the agricultural aspects of life.
Probably the most shocking statistic of "The Future of Food" was the fact that a company has patented the breast cancer gene and has prevented other researchers from doing breast cancer research and attempting to stop one of the deadliest and fastest growing cancers of America’s society. I was and still am stunned that something could literally stop cancer research, and this has made me worried that if they can “own” cancer genes that soon enough people are going to be patenting other genes, which could lead to people owning and patenting one another, which is absolutely ridiculous.
Although "The Future of Food" had a strong emphasis on the dangers of patents as well as genetically engineered food, the end of the movie (which we had to cut short due to time constraints) began to show the slow movement against genetically engineered foods and toward local community foods and organics. Because the rest of the movie was cut short I decided to look into some other organizations that were trying to fight the epidemic, feeling the need to give myself hope that there are programs out there trying to help and organizations that are making progress as well. This brought me to "The Slow Food Movement" website which is an organization that attempts to create relationships with producers, organizes campaigns to protect traditional foods, and encourages chefs and schools to do what they can to move to more locally grown foods.
One of the most encouraging aspects I stumbled upon on "The Slow Food Movement" website was the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity. They aim to not only protect biodiversity but take it one step further and realize that saving biodiversity results in saving cultures, communities, and lives. Their programs are worldly and are even emphasized in third world countries.
A further look into the website reveals a program called Terra Madre, which is a counteracting force to genetic engineering which brings together farmers, breeders, fishermen, processors, distributors, cooks and agricultural experts from 130 countries to discuss problems, share stories and combine ideas to help solve so many of the issues at hand.
After being so disappointed by "The Future of Food" film, it was very encouraging to read about "The Slow Food Movement", and to see that people all over the world are beginning to come together to fight the genetic engineering epidemic that seems to be controlling so many aspects of our lives. I will continue to research "The Slow Food Movement" website and try to help fight the system in any way I can.
Probably the most shocking statistic of "The Future of Food" was the fact that a company has patented the breast cancer gene and has prevented other researchers from doing breast cancer research and attempting to stop one of the deadliest and fastest growing cancers of America’s society. I was and still am stunned that something could literally stop cancer research, and this has made me worried that if they can “own” cancer genes that soon enough people are going to be patenting other genes, which could lead to people owning and patenting one another, which is absolutely ridiculous.
Although "The Future of Food" had a strong emphasis on the dangers of patents as well as genetically engineered food, the end of the movie (which we had to cut short due to time constraints) began to show the slow movement against genetically engineered foods and toward local community foods and organics. Because the rest of the movie was cut short I decided to look into some other organizations that were trying to fight the epidemic, feeling the need to give myself hope that there are programs out there trying to help and organizations that are making progress as well. This brought me to "The Slow Food Movement" website which is an organization that attempts to create relationships with producers, organizes campaigns to protect traditional foods, and encourages chefs and schools to do what they can to move to more locally grown foods.
One of the most encouraging aspects I stumbled upon on "The Slow Food Movement" website was the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity. They aim to not only protect biodiversity but take it one step further and realize that saving biodiversity results in saving cultures, communities, and lives. Their programs are worldly and are even emphasized in third world countries.
A further look into the website reveals a program called Terra Madre, which is a counteracting force to genetic engineering which brings together farmers, breeders, fishermen, processors, distributors, cooks and agricultural experts from 130 countries to discuss problems, share stories and combine ideas to help solve so many of the issues at hand.
After being so disappointed by "The Future of Food" film, it was very encouraging to read about "The Slow Food Movement", and to see that people all over the world are beginning to come together to fight the genetic engineering epidemic that seems to be controlling so many aspects of our lives. I will continue to research "The Slow Food Movement" website and try to help fight the system in any way I can.
Dumpster Diving!
On Thursday in class we had David Giles visit, and I would consider him to be our most interesting guest speaker to date. David works for the organization “Food Not Bombs.” He is a frequent dumpster diver, and literally dives in dumpsters to save food that is still edible. He and the organization he is involved in give out a lot of food every year to homeless shelters, and they also provide free markets where they just give away food for free.
To be honest, before meeting David, I was slightly reluctant to a profession that involved diving into dumpsters to scrounge for food. However after tasting the dumpster fresh orange juice and listening to David talk about his experience in Food Not Bombs and how many people the program feeds every single day, I was able to stray away from the fact that the food comes from a dumpster. It is all completely sanitary and often times thrown away before its over due date because of grocery store overstock. David also stressed that dumpster diving does not always involve literally diving into a dumpster, their greatest contributions come from grocery stores or farmers markets that are willing to give away their food at the end of the day rather than throw it away.
Hearing David speak and learning about his organization has opened my mind tremendously to the possibilities and means of attaining food. In our class we are often focused on growing our own foods, however we do not often discuss how much is discarded every single day and how that food can easily be made into another family’s dinner.
To be honest, before meeting David, I was slightly reluctant to a profession that involved diving into dumpsters to scrounge for food. However after tasting the dumpster fresh orange juice and listening to David talk about his experience in Food Not Bombs and how many people the program feeds every single day, I was able to stray away from the fact that the food comes from a dumpster. It is all completely sanitary and often times thrown away before its over due date because of grocery store overstock. David also stressed that dumpster diving does not always involve literally diving into a dumpster, their greatest contributions come from grocery stores or farmers markets that are willing to give away their food at the end of the day rather than throw it away.
Hearing David speak and learning about his organization has opened my mind tremendously to the possibilities and means of attaining food. In our class we are often focused on growing our own foods, however we do not often discuss how much is discarded every single day and how that food can easily be made into another family’s dinner.
Sunday, September 9, 2007
Pizza-My-Heart
After cooking lentil soup on Thursday, our class met back at the UW Farm for the oven firing and pizza baking. We had previously prepared our pizza dough, so now all was left was to add the toppings and stick them in the oven. On my pizza I put pesto (the homemade pesto we cooked in class last week!), tomatoes, onions, tomato sauce, and a blend of Italian cheeses. We then handed our pizzas over to Keith, who played pizza chef for a day, and perfectly cooked all of our pizzas for us, each one taking about 5 or 6 minutes. I was shocked to see how fast the pizzas took, and also very pleased. My pizza was delicious, I ate it almost as fast as the lentil soup earlier in the day.
I was very honored to have had the opportunity to be a part of the first day of firing of the farm oven. The experience made me feel connected to the campus, like I had taken a small part in something that was going to expand and grow into a larger production at UW.
I was very honored to have had the opportunity to be a part of the first day of firing of the farm oven. The experience made me feel connected to the campus, like I had taken a small part in something that was going to expand and grow into a larger production at UW.
Friday, September 7, 2007
De-Lentil-Ful
On Thursday we walked down again to the Husky Den to cook vegan lentil soup and to prepare our pizza dough for the afternoon. Never having prepared a fully homemade soup before, and being an avid Campbell’s ‘Soup at Hand’ sipper, I had my doubts before even stepping foot into the kitchen. However after splitting into smaller groups and seeing how simple the ingredients were, I began to have a little more hope. We chopped up all of the vegetables and simmered them in a large pot with water, adding red wine, vinegar, oil, and tomato sauce for flavor. After letting the soup sit for a half an hour, we proceeded to blend half of it in a food processor to create a creamier texture, and then we mixed it all together and served ourselves a bowl. After adding a little pepper and a lot of salt, the soup was delicious!
After consuming three and a half of our lentil soup I felt a little bit too full, but completely satisfied. Our lentil soup was the first time I felt I was eating a healthy, hearty, home cooked meal since I’ve been in college. I returned back to the dorms and read the handout we received in class, “Nourishing Traditions” by Sally Fallon. After reading that most restaurants these days do not even prepare their own homemade soup, I was even more pleased about the soup I had helped cook and consume.
Furthermore, Sally Fallon’s piece has inspired me to want to prepare a variety of home cooked soups. I had no idea that soups were so popular in other countries and cultures, from China to Russia to France, the possibilities seem endless. It was also encouraging to read how easy it is to make creamy soup, and while we blended half of ours for the sake of texture, I would definitely like to try making a creamy soup using the suggested cultured cream or piima cream.
Overall, my soup making experience was a positive one. I will never again doubt my soup abilities, and I think that whenever possible I will stray away from my Campbell’s and take an hour to make my own delicious soup!
After consuming three and a half of our lentil soup I felt a little bit too full, but completely satisfied. Our lentil soup was the first time I felt I was eating a healthy, hearty, home cooked meal since I’ve been in college. I returned back to the dorms and read the handout we received in class, “Nourishing Traditions” by Sally Fallon. After reading that most restaurants these days do not even prepare their own homemade soup, I was even more pleased about the soup I had helped cook and consume.
Furthermore, Sally Fallon’s piece has inspired me to want to prepare a variety of home cooked soups. I had no idea that soups were so popular in other countries and cultures, from China to Russia to France, the possibilities seem endless. It was also encouraging to read how easy it is to make creamy soup, and while we blended half of ours for the sake of texture, I would definitely like to try making a creamy soup using the suggested cultured cream or piima cream.
Overall, my soup making experience was a positive one. I will never again doubt my soup abilities, and I think that whenever possible I will stray away from my Campbell’s and take an hour to make my own delicious soup!
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Test the Effect
I felt it was quite ironic that today we watched “Super Size Me”, in which Morgan Spurlock undergoes a 30-day McDonald’s diet test, and we read New York Local, in which the author undergoes a weeklong local food diet test. Although Morgan Spurlock wanted to test the effects that solely eating fast food had on his body, and Adam Gopnick wanted to see if it was even possible to eat only local food from five boroughs in New York City, both experimenters chose to eat only one kind of food for an allotted time, and then reported the trials and tribulations of their food encounters.
“Super Size Me” was probably one of the most eye-opening films I have seen in a long time. The documentary not only showed Morgan’s thirty day journey, but it explored the effects of fast food all over the nation- especially with children- from the unhealthy school lunches to the lure of toys and playgrounds that McDonalds offers. I was so shocked to find out that it costs about the same amount of money to have healthy food choices as it does to have junk food and frozen boxed meals. I feel as if the healthy food companies need to advertise themselves more, make their food available in as many cities as they can, and to press school districts and local communities to make the changes.
I do think that some communities are beginning to push for a focus on healthier food in schools. At my high school I definitely saw a shift in the food from my freshman to my senior year. During my freshman year we had at least 9 soda vending machines on campus; by my senior year they had all been changed to water and juice machines. Furthermore, the cafeteria my freshman rarely had anything besides pizza, bagels, doughnuts, fries, chicken nuggets, cookies, chips, and other junk food. My senior year there were all of the previous options plus veggie sticks, salads, sandwiches, salads, milk, baked chips, and just overall healthier options. While this shift is great, it in no way rids of the problem of the junk food consumption on campus. The only people who chose to eat the salads and sandwiches were those who were used to eating healthy, and were now able to eat the cafeteria food because of the options. I feel as if you have to rid the cafeteria of all junk food in order to really cut back on the problem. Even if there are healthy options, many kids are only going to choose them if they don’t have any other alternative.
I was pleased that “Super Size Me” focused so much on the issue of children’s health and implied that the problems of obesity in our nation are rooted in our health as kids. I think all schools, especially elementary level, should only have healthy food, ensuring that at least one meal a day is a healthy one for our nations children.
On the contrary to “Super Size Me”, the New Yorker article we read evoked some feelings of hope for me. It is fascinating to read about the local foods found in the middle of New York City. I was most astounded by the honey, created on local roof tops, I never would have imagined such a thing was possible nor attempted. And although Adam Gopnik’s chicken quest wasn’t quite the success he had hoped for, it was amusing to read about his drug-deal-like adventures in the world of underground chicken slaughtering.
I thoroughly enjoyed both “Super Size Me” as well as “New York Local” for their attempts to break the common eating rituals and test the effects, limits, and possibilities of food.
“Super Size Me” was probably one of the most eye-opening films I have seen in a long time. The documentary not only showed Morgan’s thirty day journey, but it explored the effects of fast food all over the nation- especially with children- from the unhealthy school lunches to the lure of toys and playgrounds that McDonalds offers. I was so shocked to find out that it costs about the same amount of money to have healthy food choices as it does to have junk food and frozen boxed meals. I feel as if the healthy food companies need to advertise themselves more, make their food available in as many cities as they can, and to press school districts and local communities to make the changes.
I do think that some communities are beginning to push for a focus on healthier food in schools. At my high school I definitely saw a shift in the food from my freshman to my senior year. During my freshman year we had at least 9 soda vending machines on campus; by my senior year they had all been changed to water and juice machines. Furthermore, the cafeteria my freshman rarely had anything besides pizza, bagels, doughnuts, fries, chicken nuggets, cookies, chips, and other junk food. My senior year there were all of the previous options plus veggie sticks, salads, sandwiches, salads, milk, baked chips, and just overall healthier options. While this shift is great, it in no way rids of the problem of the junk food consumption on campus. The only people who chose to eat the salads and sandwiches were those who were used to eating healthy, and were now able to eat the cafeteria food because of the options. I feel as if you have to rid the cafeteria of all junk food in order to really cut back on the problem. Even if there are healthy options, many kids are only going to choose them if they don’t have any other alternative.
I was pleased that “Super Size Me” focused so much on the issue of children’s health and implied that the problems of obesity in our nation are rooted in our health as kids. I think all schools, especially elementary level, should only have healthy food, ensuring that at least one meal a day is a healthy one for our nations children.
On the contrary to “Super Size Me”, the New Yorker article we read evoked some feelings of hope for me. It is fascinating to read about the local foods found in the middle of New York City. I was most astounded by the honey, created on local roof tops, I never would have imagined such a thing was possible nor attempted. And although Adam Gopnik’s chicken quest wasn’t quite the success he had hoped for, it was amusing to read about his drug-deal-like adventures in the world of underground chicken slaughtering.
I thoroughly enjoyed both “Super Size Me” as well as “New York Local” for their attempts to break the common eating rituals and test the effects, limits, and possibilities of food.
Sunday, September 2, 2007
P-Patches!
After visiting two P-Patch gardens in local communities right off of the University of Washington campus, I was astounded at the vast amounts of plant life that were growing right in the middle of the city of Seattle! From the bright red strawberries to the full-grown sunflowers to the scent of the gorgeous roses, the gardens were full of color, life, and beauty.
Our special guest, Teresa Mares, an anthropology grad student, was our unofficial tour guide of the P-Patches. Aside from showing us the different plants throughout the patches, she provided insight from the other gardens she had visited and worked at throughout the city. The P-Patches she described that struck me as the most fascinating were the ones that provided the main sources of food for the people tending the gardens. They did not tend P-Patches as a hobby or an interest, but as the staple of their diet. It is amazing to me that in the middle of an urban city, people can survive off of the food from their neighborhood gardens!
I really enjoyed seeing the two P-Patches and hope to stumble upon a few more throughout the city!
Our special guest, Teresa Mares, an anthropology grad student, was our unofficial tour guide of the P-Patches. Aside from showing us the different plants throughout the patches, she provided insight from the other gardens she had visited and worked at throughout the city. The P-Patches she described that struck me as the most fascinating were the ones that provided the main sources of food for the people tending the gardens. They did not tend P-Patches as a hobby or an interest, but as the staple of their diet. It is amazing to me that in the middle of an urban city, people can survive off of the food from their neighborhood gardens!
I really enjoyed seeing the two P-Patches and hope to stumble upon a few more throughout the city!
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