The Joy of Cooking

It's funny how a meal which comes out of a frozen container can still fell homemade. You don't mix ingredients, and the preparation usually goes no further then to turn on the oven, but when the meal is ready, and you sit down to eat, it can be mistake for something that took all day to make. With chefs getting better and better at pre-preparing food to be frozen, meals that take 15 minutes on the stovetop can easily replace an hours work why you're too busy to cook. I can't help but have mixed feelings about these pre-made meals. On one hand, I can understand why they are so handy, especially the good ones which taste nothing like frozen food. I myself have eaten "Bertoli" frozen pasta dinners many times, and honestly, I love them! In fact, I've paid $15 at an Italian restaurant for just about the same thing. I know it sounds cliche, but they really are just as good as going out and paying twice and three times as much. Health wise, they aren't the healthiest choice, but then again most creamy Italian dishes aren't, no matter where you're getting them. The truth is, when I have been at school all day, I have a ton of homework to do, and am starving, emptying a bag of frozen pasta into a pan for 15 minutes doesn't sound half bad. Combine that with a pre-made bagged salad and I'm happier then a kid on Christmas.
On the other hand, I really do enjoy to cook, and I believe food made with love really does just taste better. Then again, I tried to make a white wine sauce for something the other night which turned out watery and dull, but hey, you win some you lose some. It seems to me that the love for cooking as vanished in many people due to time restraints. The only times I do attempt to cook are on a weekend when avoiding my homework is doable. When more and more opportunities arising to be able to grab something on the go I question weather that is as great as it sounds. With that option at hand, I wonder if people are more inclined to go the quick and easy route just because it's just that, quick and easy. Do people who one loved to cook now resorting to frozen dinners out of connivance? I hope the answer is no, and it's just a once in a while thing, when their schedule is too cramped. I hope people are able to make time, and to enjoy cooking for the process, not just the end result. I hope we have not lost the "Joy of Cooking".

*Comfort Zones

After watching the file Tampopo, and reflecting on my own food behaviors, I realized that comfort zones are very prevalent in food. Have you ever found yourself at a favorite restaurant and ordering the same thing you always do? "Well I love it!" you might respond, and granted, that is probably true. But have you ever tried anything else on the menu? Most people would probably respond "no". It is our nature to hold onto what we like, and live inside this comfort zone that we have created around us. I am by no means trying to criticize, as I do to a wonderful Cuban sandwich place quite often and have the same sandwich every time, and every time I swear I'm going to try something different, but then resort back to my "old favorite". Even calling it my "favorite" is incorrect because I have never tried anything else there, and who knows, I might have several favorites if I branched out.

Some restaurants, which serve foreign food, will also have something on their menu which is not by any means traditional, but that they know is in this comfort zone. For example, in many Mexican restaurants, they offer cheeseburgers. I'm sure there's no kidding anyone that cheese burgers are from Mexico, but there are a few people, (a friend of mine being one of them), who will scan the menu of unfamiliar food, and choose the cheese burger, in all its comforting glory.

I believe we subside to these comfort boundaries because we are creatures of habit, and to break those bounds could mean a number of different bad outcomes. We could have hated what we tried, and then have wasted a meal on something not only unsatisfying, but regret not just sticking to what we know. "Oh, why didn't I just get what I always get, I know that would of been good."

There is something to be said though, for breaking the food comfort zones, and branching out to try something new and unfamiliar. I believe much of this happens traveling, although living in a country where we have food from all around the world at out finger tips, it can easily be done close to home as well. When I traveled in Turkey, a lot of what I ate was either ordered for me, or I pointed to a word I thought sounded nice. Had it all been in English, and each ingredient spelled out, I might not have been so open to trying as much as I did. But I had already left my comfort zone, and so my guard was down. You could of shoved just about anything in front of me, and as long of it wasn't staring back at me, I would of eaten it.

I have decided then, that I will go to the Cuban sandwich place this week, and I will order something different. I will not climb back into my comfort zone, but I will break free, and take a risk...

Ave Bentos

When first learning that we were going to construct bentos as a class , I pictured the only "bento" which I had ever had, which was on the ave. The bentos there are not only incredibly unhealthy comparatively, but they are  huge.  The food is of a much greater proportion that a traditional bento box, almost to the point of not being able to finish them, which is quite ironic now knowing the tradition in Japanese culture of being required to finish everything in your bento. The benos which I have had, usually consist of rice, chicken teriyaki, small sushi rolls, and gyoza. When you're done eating a bento from the ave, you're typically full for the rest of the day. When I ate the bento which we made in class, I was hungary almost immediately. 

The flavors of the ave bentos are also dramatically different than those of the traditional ones. Everything in the ave bentos seems to be coated in either salt and sugar, to appeal to the american pallet. This theme is one which I have realized carries over to many American takes on foreign cuisine. You won't find a chalupa in mexico. Thinking about this, I wonder why we feel the need to recreate traditional food which is already good. Rarely do you hear someone eat out and say "it's just as good as the real thing". Typically, you hear, "it was good, but the traditional version is better". A friend of mine recently traveled in Italy and came back ranting and raving about the food there, saying it was better than anything she had ever tasted. Sense then, I have yet to hear of her rant of Italian food in the states, and even from places which claim to be 100% authentic. I think what it comes down to is unless there's an old woman with family recipes in the back, and ingredients that were grown around the corner, it really just doesn't have the same effect. 

I experience this phenomena quite frequently as I work as a server in an Afghan restaurant. The food, which by what I hear is traditional, is also modified for the American diet. The owner, who grew up in Kabul, has told us that he's had to change a few things in order to please the masses. One example of this a rice dish called Palaw, which is traditionally studded into a pig, and then cooked. This technique however probably not only violates health codes, but is probably not appealing to many Americans. Then again, we eat stuffing which as been shoved up the rear of a turkey, so you never know. 

*Trade you carrots for cookies?

Lunchtime, a vital and exciting time in every child's school day, or for that matter, a vital time in anyone’s day. Of all the years of lunchtime though, it's elementary school that sticks out most in my memory. My mom would pack my lunch everyday, and everyday I would eat just about the same thing. There was the peanut butter and jelly sandwich, always on wheat bread, with Adam's peanut butter and no added-sugar jelly. There was a sugar free apple juice, carrot sticks and Fignewtons. I would sit at the lunch tables and gaze at the other children with the Wonder bread sandwiches, Capri-suns and cookies and drool. How I envied those kids, with their processed sugars and food colorings. All I had to look forward to was a lousy Fignewton, which doesn't even count as a cookie in my mind. I would beg my mom for food like the other kids, but she just wouldn't budge. Nothing processed would enter my mouth for as long as I lived if she had anything to do with it.
And so, the challenge lay before me to do a little deal making. I offered up Fignewtons for cookies and surprisingly got some kids to partake in the trade, but only because they had never seen these strange things before and wanted to try it. After that though, that deal was shot and nobody wanted to trade. Carrots of course, were always a failure, trading those all you would get was celery, which was equally as lame in my mind. With the exception of "ants on a log", those were all right, as most things slathered in peanut butter are.
Looking back though, what I saw as my mother’s crude and unfair lunch packing, was actually an act of love. She wanted me to be healthy, and didn't want to create eating habits in me that would carry over to adult hood. Come to think of it, I ate better than just about any kid I knew, although at the time I thought it was the other way around. While I was overwhelmingly jealous of the kids with Lunchables, I later realized that not only are those horrible for you, but there really is no love it creating them. You don't take the time to cut little cheese and meat slices and portion them out, you simply run to the store and grab the thing. When I now picture my mom chopping apples or carrots into small pieces, cutting the crusts of my sandwiches, and writing my name on the brown paper bag with a big heart around it, I see the love that was crafted into the lunches, that I complained so much about. This is not to say that the Lunchable moms didn't care about their children, but I definitely thing the time put into making a meal holds significance.
If I look at my fridge and cupboard today, I would have to say my mom would be proud. The cereal is sugar free, the milk is soy, the bread is whole wheat and the peanut butter is Adam's. I'm living proof that the habits you learn when you're little carries over to adulthood. On a side note, my roommate, who was the Lunchables kid in elementary school, only recently starting eating wheat bread and Adam's peanut-butter, when she moved in with me.

The Sharing of Food

I have always thought that food brings people together, I had just never thought to stop and think why. In fact, when I stop and think about it, I rarely cook just for myself, and if I do, I end up sharing it with someone. Leftovers are not popular with me, as nothing is as good as when its fresh out of the oven. That's one good thing about having three roommates, there's always somebody wanting a bite, or a meal. 

Cooking too, is something I find is much more satisfying with someone else. I sometimes find myself starving after work and not wanting to eat until my boyfriend gets home and we can make something together. The idea of not wanting to "waste a meal" on something lame like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, or cold pizza always crosses my mind. And so, most times, I wait it out and we make a small feast together. The preparing for cooking is a ritual which I love as well. Pulling all of the ingredients out, chopping and mixing, snacking along the way, and of course, accompanied by a glass of wine. Finally when the meal is starting to come together, and the aroma begins to seep into the living room, heads start poking in with curiosity. Then the meal is ready and the best part comes, time to eat. The long awaited food is always better, in my mind, then that quick snack, and typically keeps you full for a lot longer too. 

This sharing though, between two people, although satisfying, is much different then the satisfaction of cooking for/with a big group, and having many people try your creation. As I come from a seafood business family, most the recipes I know include either crab, shrimp, oysters, or salmon. I love preparing any of these for friends because although seafood is common in the northwest, most people have only had it in nice restaurants, and is in the category of grommet. For me, I've grown up around it, and its as common as broccoli. 

The easiest recipe, which I love to make for people is oysters on the bar-b-q. When I first bring out the creatures I find people look a bit timid, and aren't sure if they want to try it. Most people have only had them on the half shell, which is much different then on the bar-b-q. Soon though, I mixing the sauce and throwing them on the grill and people's interests are grabbed. As soon as the oysters pop open and I poor my buttery concoction on top, the smell is rich and people finally start to believe me that maybe it won't be that bad after all. Finally they're ready, and served, and I can't tell you how fast they go. In fact a lot of times I have to hide a few on the side for myself just to get any. But it doesn't matter to me, I'm cookin' up something that everyone loves and for a while at least, am treated like a master chef.

THE RECIPE:

This recipe, oysters on the bar-b-q is probably one the simplest recipes out there. So easy, yet so wonderful, everyone will think you're a master chef...

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

OYSTERS: I would recommend getting more than you think you'll want, because there's a lot less meat inside the shell than it appears. One person can easily eat half a dozen, if not more, and they're typically pretty inexpensive, so I would recommend about 2 dozen for 3 people, or somewhere in there. I also would recommend, if its available, to get them from a farmer, and not a grocery store. Although they are harder to find, they're fresher and really just taste better. 

TOPPING:

butter

olive-oil

lots of garlic

parmesan cheese

Step 1: Throw the oysters on the grill (medium heat) and let them hang out there for a bit, usually about 10 minutes, or until they pop open.

Step 2: While the oysters are on the grill, mix the butter, olive-oil and garlic.

Step 3: When the oysters pop open, use a shucker if you have one, or if not, a butter knife, and pry the top of the shell off, careful it'll be hot, so use a towel or something.

Step 4: Slather them in your sauce, the more the merrier!

Step 5: Add the grated parmesan cheese and let it melt for a few minutes

Enjoy!

Gardens and Farms

After the trip today the UW farms, I realize I might have actually grown up on one, or a small one at least. When I was young my mother had an extensive garden which inhabited all sorts of fruits and vegetables. There were apples and berries, lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, rhubarb, and much more which has long left my immediate memory as I was just a child. I do however, remember a few things. My "bed" was the carrots, and for the longest time I referred to the carrots as a "bed" not because I thought it was the proper name, but because it was about the same size of mine, and in my mind the carrots had a bed just as I did. The carrots, were one of my favorite to pick because unlike a berry, or an apple, you didn't know what you were going to get until it was plucked from the earth. I of course, did not like the idea of patients as a child and was always eager to pull the carrots long before they were ready. I can remember pulling out a carrot and in my imagination it would be be about a foot long and plump, only to reveal a 4 inch carrot which could of used a few more weeks. My mother was never too fond of me pulling the carrots out so early, but she never got mad, and let me pick about a dozen 4 inch carrots before telling me it was enough for now. Bigger ones came eventually, but I have high suspicion it was because she had another bed of them somewhere...

Free Write: Potatoes for dinner... again.

It has been in my experience in traveling that no matter where you go, no matter how lost you are, finding the local cuisine can always lend comfort. It is the act of eating, of fulfilling ones belly, which is a universal love. Even if the cuisine isn't the most expensive, the most sought after, or the took the most time to prepare, people unite around the table and share in food.

It was in my travels to Peru that I realized this comfort food was potatoes. Peru has something like 2 million different types of potatoes, of all different shapes and size, and so you no doubt get them at every meal. As I was staying with a host family, I never actually cooked the potatoes, so I can't say I am a master potato preparer, but I do think I have tried a wide variety. The family I was staying a with in peru, made us dinner 5 nights a week, and being on a budget, potatoes were a main staple of every meal, much like it was in the rest of the country. After a few weeks, while part of me groaned when I saw potatoes cooking in the kitchen, I now see potatoes in a new light. Eating them at least twice a day for a month engraved a taste for potatoes which is now brought forth every time I eat them. When I sit down to thanksgiving dinner, the potatoes hold new meaning to me. 

As there are 2 million potatoes in Peru, there are least a million more ways to prepare them. And sure enough, the family I was staying with tried a good many of them out on us. With each new meal came a new potato in a new form, mashed, whole, diced, baked, you name it. I found it encouraging that a family with little budget could take something as mundane as a potato, and make it new and interesting to please their guests night after night. Maybe next thanksgiving, I'll find a new way to prepare the potatoes, and share my new love with the entire dinner table.