Welcome to the blog for Colgate University's interdisciplinary course on food. This is the place to keep up with what students in the course are experiencing in their work at Common Thread Community Farm and through their everyday encounters with food.

Friday, September 30, 2016

Apples on Apple Pies on Apple Crisps on Apples

As the leaves are beginning to crunch under our feet and pumpkins are making their way to doorsteps, the residences of the Loj are preparing for the most Fall of Fall festivities; Applefest. Applefest is an event and tradition hosted by the Loj every homecoming weekend. Pounds of Critz Farms apples are picked, grocery bags full of flour, sugar, oats, and cinnamon are purchased from Price Chopper, hundreds of Clinton Cider Mill donuts and cider are preordered, all with the intention of sharing the beauty and bounty that Autumn brings for Central New York with our community. The actual event will be Saturday from 9:30-12:30 am, free apple baked goods and all other plausible apple products will be available for the Colgate and Hamilton Community for the taking. Pies on pies on pies.

I found this article in a Maroon News issue from 2011 about Applefest. Apparently, back then, they had a DJ AND the Colgate Juggling Club entertain at the event!

When we went to go apple picking this past weekend, the trees were in pretty bad shape. In fact, this is the case along most of the East Coast as a result of some late frosts in April of 2016. When I was looking into articles to find out more of this spring’s weather affects, I came across an article from 1981 that reported on a very similar incident. At the end of the article, they write that the price per pound for McIntosh apples from 49 to 89 cents. (http://www.nytimes.com/1981/04/25/nyregion/new-york-s-apple-crop-hit-hard-by-3-late-frosts.html). Following, I read an article about this year’s spring frost effects, including the impact it had on the local apple orchard we visited to pick apples from for Apple fest, Critz Farms.
“In Cazenovia, meanwhile, Critz Farms is concentrating on its U pick and stand apples, but may need to buy apples elsewhere for its hard ciders. The orchard lost up to 60 percent of its crop. "I have absolutely no Empire (an apple variety,)," Matthew Critz said. "And not much Macouns, either." He said warm temperatures in March, followed by a sub-freezing plunge at the end of that month, were too much to overcome. Even the use of "smudge pots" to warm the trees couldn't help. "It was too cold -- no amount of smudge pots could help that," he said. (http://www.syracuse.com/living/index.ssf/2016/09/the_2016_upstate_ny_apple_crop_smaller_sweeter_and_in_some_cases_scarce.html)
Clearly, this is a problem that we will have to be addressing more frequently in the coming years, especially as weather patterns become more unpredictable as a result of global warming trends. Despite the 60% loss, we came home with over 200 lbs of apples from Critz Farms ready to be baked into some amazing dishes. There will be conventional apple pies and crisps, as well as some more creative recipes including apple grilled cheese sandwiches. There will also be gluten free options!  

Here are some pictures from previous years' Applefests.




Wednesday, September 28, 2016

The 5 Second Rule Debunked

I'm sure most of us have dropped a piece of food on the ground before and quickly grabbed it, cunningly quoting the five second rule before taking a bite.  Most of us also know intuitively that there isn't a whole lot of rhyme or reason to the rule, but it is great for justifying our appetite, or maybe we had just been cooking for a really long time and it would be such a waste.

Rutgers University researchers put the 5 second rule to the test and found contamination can occur pretty quickly, even less than five milliseconds.  Donald Schaffner a food science professor found "The five-second rule is a significant oversimplification of what actually happens when bacteria transfer from a surface to food."  The researchers dropped a huge array of different foods on a variety of surfaces includding ceramic tile, stainless steel, wood, and carpeting.  The researchers then contaminated the different surfaces with a salmonella like bacteria known as Enterobacter aerogenes.  The researchers examined bacteria transfer in different time intervals and assessed 128 different scenarios 20 times for 2,560 measurements.

Overall, the researchers found that "Bacteria can contaminate instantaneously", but longer exposure to dirty surfaces as well as moisture made the contamination even worse.  The key explanatory variable was moisture, which amplified the transfer of germs from floor to food.  Additionally, the topography of the surface played a significant role as food items dropped on tile and stainless steel has more contamination than those foods dropped on carpet.  

These results aren't actually that surprising to us.  Due to the number of bacteria on our floors and the rate of germ transfer it is silly for us to believe in such a rule as shown by the graphic below.  The origin of the rule is unclear; however, to nutritionists delight it seems as though most view the rule as a myth.

 

Trump the Glutton

With the recent Presidential Debate drawing millions of viewers, many Americans are scrutinizing the candidates more and more.  In tribute to the recent political debate, I thought I would give an overview of Mr. Trump's dietary habits.

"The world is his Oyster, but he prefers Filet-O-Fish" says a Washington Post columnist regarding the Republican front-runner.  After reading Trump's strange dietary habits there doesn't seem to be much rhyme or reason to his different tastes.  Furthermore, what is interesting about his tastes is that he views cleanliness as very important and has even been known to yell at double dippers at parties.  Trump claims to eat fast food because "its quick", which makes sense as he is surely a very busy man.  However, I suspect that a man of his stature would command the ability to have gourmet meals at every campaign stop.      

Mr. Trump hates breakfast and often skips it.  When he decides to indulge he often eats bacon and eggs, or even cornflakes.  He often eats lunch at his desk as he is pressed for time.  However, Trump loves dinner.  Trump loves to eat pasta, potatoes, and steak that is cooked extremely well done that "it would rock on the plate."  Donald doesn't care very much for vegetables and inhales his food as quickly and efficiently as possible.

What is interesting about Trump's tastes in food is the response he has gotten from supporters and opponents.  Many Americans view his penchant for fast food as evidence of his lack of willpower and indulgence.  Conversely, Trump's habits endears himself to some voters as he is not perfect and he can appeal to blue collar workers.

Interesting Food Facts:

Favorite Food - Meatloaf, special family recipe

Eats pizza with a fork and knife, scrapes off the toppings, eats them separately and throws out the crust.

Go to Drink - Diet Coke

Taste in food - Pasta and Beef

Likes Cherry Vanilla Ice Cream

Eats Oreos on the road

Loves Filets-o-Fish and Big Macs, "it's great stuff"




Tuesday, September 27, 2016

Fryeburg Fair

As I was reading the part of Farmer Boy about the county fair, I was remembering a lot about the fair in Maine that I used to go to every year. I'm not really sure when we started, but since I was a little kid, we went to the Fryeburg Fair for the weekend (though I haven't been since I became more of a big kid). They had vegetable contests, barns full of animals to see, petting zoos, competitions (sheepdog herding, horse racing, draft horse pulling, pig scrambles, etc.) I've always adored animals, so this was a pretty big deal in my young life. If you've never been to an agricultural fair, I recommend it. It's really fun to see all of this stuff up close and personal, especially today, when most of us are completely uninvolved with any sort of farm work. Here are some pictures of me living the dream throughout the years:


I never really understood why the sheep wore head to toe coats, but they're super sweet animals and adore attention.


Also you get to see baby cows! This one was born previously that day, I believe. (Here's to hoping we get to see some babies on our field trip next week!)


Okay so apparently I wore this outfit a lot that weekend. But yeah, at some point, I had a panic attack because I wanted a bunny so bad and my parents caved. He sat on my lap in the car the whole ride home. (Willie the bunny lived happily at my house for several years, until I became severely allergic all of a sudden, and now is like 10 years old and lives happily in a large indoor room with lots of other bunnies at my mom's dentist's house)


I basically pet everything I saw.


I remember getting in trouble at the petting zoo for "picking up the goats" when they kept jumping into my lap (I'm serious)


Wow just like the cows in Farmer Boy, am I right?


They sold lots of fun farm toys, and I tried many of them (stationarily)


Also, I guess I wore these teal pants a lot.

Arnold Palmer: A True Legend

As a tribute to Arnold Palmer's passing this week, I wanted to talk about one of the most iconic men in the sport of golf, winning 95 tournaments and 7 majors (the first to have this type of success in the sport). He was an inspiration to Tiger Woods, Phil Michelson and many other great, amazing golfers that are seen on TV today. Some people may not even know Palmer as a golfer, but I'm sure they have tried his drink at least a few times.

This drink, known  as "The Arnold Palmer", has an interesting origin story that I thought I would share. The concept of the Iced Tea/Lemonade mixture that seems to be so common nowadays all started when a young Arnold Palmer came back home after working on the golf course. His wife, Winnie, was preparing lunch for the family and as part of that lunch, iced tea was served. Mr. Palmer told his wife to make a normal batch of the iced tea, but requested "a splash of lemonade" be added to the drink "to see what happened." He loved it so much when he tried, he decided to take this drink with him on the golf course and ordered it at many of the restaurants he visited. At one of these restaurant visits, a woman overheard him ordering an iced tea with a third of lemonade it in, his usual specifications for the drink. The woman was overheard saying, "I want want he's having, I want an Arnold Palmer." The rest is history. After being trademarked, the rights to this iconic drink were sold to the Arizona Beverage Company in 2002. By 2010, the drink had exceeded $100 million in sales.

When asked how he felt about ordering the drink in restaurants after the rise in popularity of the drink, he said he felt odd because he would request the drink to his specifications, and the bartender would immediately ask, "Oh, an Arnold Palmer?" To think this drink would become one of the most popular beverages of the Arizona Brewing Co., a simple mixture of lemonade and iced tea, is astonishing. How could nobody else come up with something this simple? It is a testament to the legacy of Arnold Palmer (what other athletes have a drink named after them? A Michael Jordan? A Tom Brady? They just don't have the same ring to it).

Arnold Palmer completely changed the game of golf. He brought massive audiences to the game at a time when golf was barely even regarded as a prime sport. He is as iconic as Michael Jordan, Muhammad Ali, or Peyton Manning, if not more. This man will be missed for his style of golf, and the demeanor with which he carried himself. He was a family man, and enjoyed the success he earned. The world lost a great man this past weekend, but he will always be remembered as the man that allowed golf to become what it is today.

For my personal favorite as a do it yourself variation of The Arnold Palmer:

60% unsweetened iced tea
40% lemonade
Stir and Enjoy!

Nutritional Facts: https://www.drinkarizona.com/product/arnold-palmer-made-with-real-sugar

http://www.usatoday.com/story/gameon/2012/11/28/how-arnold-palmer-invented-the-arnold-palmer/1732613/
http://www.today.com/food/how-arnold-palmer-came-iced-tea-lemonade-drink-bears-his-t103263



Image result for Arnold Palmer now and then

(1929-2016)

Monday, September 26, 2016

Pumpkin Picking

In spite of a small back ache and freezing fingers, my experience on the farm thus far has certainly been positive. I am really enjoying myself, especially since I have never done something remotely close to farming before. This past week we cut various types of squash as well as pumpkins as a precaution for the frost that was supposed to come this past weekend. We learned that there were certain ways to cut the squash and pumpkins and some required us to cut them so that there is a large amount of the stem remaining (such as for the pumpkins and grey [hubbard] squash), but for others we were supposed to cut close to the squash itself leaving very little stem remaining so the squash would not cut into one another when placed together in a bunch. As I was cutting the pumpkins, it brought me back to my childhood. I really love the Fall and the beautiful scenery as leaves change and the air becomes crisp. When I was in preschool, we had a field trip to a local farm in New Jersey where we would go pumpkin picking and go on a hay ride. I have to say, this certainly was one of my favorite field trips and as a four year old, I was thrilled to go get pumpkins and bring them home, especially with Halloween approaching. Riding in the wagon pulled by horses was invigorating as a four year old. When it came to selecting the pumpkin I would take home with me, I looked for a nice bright orange, relatively large pumpkin that did in fact have a long stem (as I have learned people prefer when buying a pumpkin). I suppose looking back to my experience on the farm as a child, I really did not know how much went into the process of cutting these vegetables from the ground. There is a complex process that involves a particular/specific method in terms of obtaining these vegetables. I was surely unaware of and underestimated the effort that goes into preparing these vegetables to be sold or given to the public. Some stems were sturdier and harder to cut and some were brittle and easy to cut. Many varied in terms of shape and size and Asher told us there were certain species of squash, which he jokingly said he would quiz us on next time we come. The butternut squash was in the same family as pumpkins and there’s a maxima, pepo, moschata, and mixta species. Finally, we were able to take two delicata squashes each home with us afterwards.
-Below, I included a picture of me on my field trip in preschool. I was so happy to be there and loved picking a pumpkin to bring home. You can see the hay on in the back on the wagon and my coat to match the pumpkins and fall season.

Summer Meat Festival-NYC

Each Summer, in New York, there is an annual meat festival called the “Big Apple Barbecue Block Party”, which takes place around Madison Square Park. A description of the vent goes as follows: “Looking for the best BBQ in NYC? Look no further—the Big Apple Barbecue Block Party brings together New York ‘cue superstars with pitmasters from the best barbecue restaurants in America at Madison Square Park. Sink your teeth into both regional and global barbecue styles, from Texas (Baker’s Ribs) to Tennessee (Martin’s Bar-B-Que) and beyond. In between plates of meat, you can even take in outdoor summer concerts on the park’s main stage for free” (timeout.com).
I have two aunts who live in Manhattan so I’ve gone to this festival for the past two to three summers. We take the food we purchase to the rooftop of my aunts’ apartment and then just enjoy a day in the sun. My father and I are similar in the sense that we are meat-lovers. Whenever my mom prepares salad or solely vegetables and rice for dinner, my dad always inquires, “Where’s the meat? I most definitely am a carnivore. I’m not a rabbit who eats leaves” in a joking manner. I of course take after my father and do enjoy when there is meat in my meals. Although I have never tried veal nor lamb, I have eaten pork, chicken, beef, and even alligator. There are different food trucks for each restaurant that decides to showcase their specialties. These restaurants are from all over the country. The way in which my family approaches this event each year is to do research on what restaurants will be present and look at the online menus they provide and further assess the overall quality of the food by looking at the reviews. This would help us locate our favorite restaurants ahead of time. The food trucks for each restaurant don’t serve what one would typically find on their menu but rather search a small container that will show people what they’re about and demonstrate the excellence of their meat.
Out of all the restaurants we previewed, our favorites included:
-Salt Lick from Driftwood, Texas, which served beef brisket and sausage
-Pappy’s Smokehouse from St. Louis, Missouri, which sells ribs.
-Blue Smoke (my personal favorite), which featured a pulled pork sandwich with a side of coleslaw. Conveniently, this restaurant has a location in New York that is a few blocks away from the festival. (All based on info from New York Eater).
There are a few people in my family—my brother and mom— who are not particularly fans of meat other than chicken. Thus, we will just get takeout from a local restaurant so they are not excluded during this food excursion. My brother will often go to “Smacks” in fact, which is a well-known macaroni and cheese food establishment that sells individual bowls of various kinds of macaroni and cheese. All in all, more info on this event, with menu’s included, can be found at: http://ny.eater.com/2016/4/6/11372154/big-apple-barbecue-block-party-nyc .

Sources:

It's That Time of Year

Although it is still September, it feels as though the Holidays are approaching as we enter into Autumn. Considering the fact that the pumpkin spice latte is in season at Starbucks (which I know because I had two over the weekend) shows we are past the days of Summer. As the leaves begin to change color soon and it gets a bit nippy outside, I could only begin to think of Thanksgiving. Many families have various traditions around the holiday season and there are some things that are essential to do over this time. Fortunately, my family is very close and we all live on the North East side of the country. Since my mom has three sisters, there are ten grandchildren on my mom’s side and one great-grandchild, with whom I am all very close with. Additionally, my dad has two sisters so I have a few other first cousins on his side of the family with whom I am also close with. Thanksgiving is always a fun time to be around family, be home, and be out of school. I am always Nostalgic about Thanksgiving and the Holiday season.
Each year, we would alternate who hosts Thanksgiving amongst my mom and her sisters. However, when Thanksgiving was at one of my aunt’s houses in Rochester, NY, I would have two Thanksgiving dinners because my Abuelita, my dad’s mother, lived about 15 minutes away. Thus, we would go to my Abuelita’s and then to my aunt’s house. This meant not only double the food, but double the leftovers.
Thanksgiving is definitely one of my favorite holidays not only because of family, but also because of the food. I have a very large appetite and am not a picky eater in the slightest—I take after my dad. At both my aunt’s house and Abuelita’s house, we would have a variety of foods. Some dishes were a necessity to have each Thanksgiving. My Abuelita was Colombian so she would make dishes such as paella, arepas, flan, sancocho, etc. We would also have generic dishes such as a turkey, macaroni and cheese (potentially my favorite), stuffing with raisins, sweet potatoes, and apple pie with ice cream. Although I am mildly allergic to apple, this pie is worth the itchy throat that resulted afterwards.
Whenever my mom’s side of the family convenes, certain immediate families are expected to bring certain dishes. One of my aunt’s is in charge of ham with pineapples and the sweet potatoes with marshmallows. This aunt is known for being late even if we tell her we’re meeting earlier than we actually are. Therefore, the ham and the sweet potatoes are typically the last dishes to arrive. Each year, we place bets on when my aunt will arrive, each putting a dollar into a pool, and whoever is closest to the actual time she arrives wins the jackpot. Another aunt and her family are responsible for mashed potatoes, desserts, and ice cream to “cut the sweetness” as we say. Another aunt is responsible for rice, the turkey, and the rolls. My grandmother is responsible for the macaroni and cheese, which usually includes large chunks of cheddar cheese. Moreover, my mom is responsible for the sweet potato pies, the greens, the stuffing, and the gravy that we get from Williams Sonoma. When we all gather, we usually play games, play music, chat, watch football, and enjoy being together. We all are together very few times throughout the year because many of us are in college so this is a special time of the year. I can’t forget to mention the leftover, which is a big part of the experience. When it comes to this, I’ll admit I can be a tad greedy. I usually claim the macaroni and cheese, stuffing, sweet potato pie, and ham. There’s generally enough food prepared so that each family can bring home a good portion of all that was made. To conclude, even though Thanksgiving isn’t for quite some time, I’m already imagining the wonderful aroma of candles blazing and pies baking as we sit around the dinner table surrounded by delicious food (and good company).

Lent


Since a young age, religion has played a key role in my life. I was raised Roman Catholic and therefore partake in religious practices such as Lent. Just to begin, the following information pertains to my upbringings and might not be reflective of all who partake in Lent. With that being said, during Lent, we are encouraged to give up something of our choosing for 40 days leading up to Easter. People don’t necessarily have to give up something, but can rather commit to doing more of something such as good deeds--which might entail doing chores around the house, volunteering at a soup kitchen, working with various charities, just to give a few examples. On a side note, people are not supposed to eat meat on Fridays during Lent, but are permitted to eat fish. As lent approaches each year, I struggle to think of something to give up. I ask family members and friends what they’re giving up to hopefully gain some inspiration. Each year, I do my best to give up something I know will be challenging.

There is a wide array of options as to what I could give up within the two categories of bad habits and food. However, food usually triumphs over bad habits in terms of my selection. In 6th grade, I gave up chocolate. This wasn’t all too hard because I was still able to obtain other forms of sugar. In 7th grade I gave up cheese, which was very challenging because I am a CHEESE LOVER and cheese probably makes up most of my diet. At this point in time, I would always get quesadillas from Chipotle and thus I remember it being a sad day when my family decided to go to Chipotle on a Friday and I could not eat chicken nor cheese. Furthermore, for quite some time now, I would chew on ice multiple times throughout the day as if it were a bag of chips. Therefore, when I gave up cheese and ice during both my 8th and 9th grade school years, I struggled, but in the end was successful. Sophomore year of high school I gave up “sweets”. At the time, I described it as “sweets”, but now realize sweets includes much more than simply desserts. Consequently, I gave up “desserts” that year. Each year, Lent always falls around the time of my birthday so that year, I had an inner conflict if I should give up desserts knowing I wouldn’t be able to have cake on my birthday. Freshmen year of college, I gave up ice, cheese, and desserts and was successful. Last year however, I was not as successful. I decided to give up bread, ice, cheese, and desserts but one by one broke my commitment. In all honesty, although all were hard to give up, ice was the hardest. In spite of Lent being in the far future, this year I plan to give up similar things as in the past, hopefully working to break bad habits such as chewing ice. This past summer for the month of July, I gave up bread and grains so I might continue with that during Lent. I also hope to give up ice, fried foods, or potentially desserts or even all of these. However, maybe this year I can think of something equally as challenging yet divergent from what I have given up in the past.

Tuesday, September 20, 2016

Grape Harvesting



I came across this article, "Harvesting Grapes in France with Champagne as Reward" the other day when scrolling through the New York Times and thought that it was worth sharing.  Many of the points the author raises have interesting connections to Harper’s “Changing Works.”  In the article, Mah, the author, recounts her experience as a volunteer worker on a champagne vineyard in France.  On the vineyard Mah worked for, she harvested the grapes by hand, along with other volunteers and paid workers.  She had come to France to participate in the “age-old tradition of les vendanges.”  During the harvest, when the demand for workers in so much greater, vineyards rely on the temporary labor that comes in the form of volunteers. 
            Mah discusses how there are some wineries that have made the transition from harvesting by hand to harvesting instead with a machine.  She explains that while the machines are faster and cheaper, the quality of the grapes is inconsistent.  Therefore, in the premier regions, much of the grape harvest is still done manually.  I found this an interesting juxtaposition to the changes in farming Harper observes in “Changing Works.”  It is interesting that while American farming is becoming quicker, cheaper, and more productive through mechanization, grape growers in France chose to forgo those advancements to maintain high quality.  This suggests that although general farming has to keep up with progress, some types of crops, especially those making high quality, luxury goods like champagne, can stick to traditional methods because of the good they produce.

            Another relevant point to “Changing Works” is the community aspect of the harvest that Mah describes.  Many champagne wineries entice volunteers by offering meals and lodging.  Therefore during the harvest, many of the workers are all living and eating together.  In addition, she recounts working in the fields in pairs.  She goes on to describe the comradery this creates through conversation and offering help to each other.  This sense of community created by working the harvest together is the same sense of community that the practice of changing works creates, as explained by Harper.  The community, established through shared manual labor, is something that has been lost in the age of mechanized farming, especially in the US.  However, in the champagne producing wineries of France, because of the status of their product, they are able to hold on to this age-old tradition.   

(Image: Haslam, Andy. 2016. Harvest time Domaine Rouge-Bleu. Retrieved September 20, 2016 (http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/25/travel/wine-harvest-france-volunteer-vendange.html?mabReward=A3&moduleDetail=recommendations-1&action=click&contentCollection=Briefing&region=Footer&module=WhatsNext&version=WhatsNext&contentID=WhatsNext&src=recg&pgtype=article))

Sunday, September 18, 2016

Banana Crumb Muffins

Rich with potassium, Banana has been one of the most common fruits you see in any market. Whether it is during the winter or summer, you can always find plenty of bananas. However, this common fruit, was nowhere to been seen in the Western Hemisphere until the mid 18th century. Scholars believe that bananas originated somewhere in South and Southeast Asia and have been migrated through trade to the Western Hemisphere. Only two hundred years later, Central and South America are one of the most important banana growers for the United States and the world. (For more information on the history of the banana, during your spare time, try reading James Wiley's The Banana: Empires, Trade Wars, and Globalization.) 

With this banana that has rich history and journeyed hundreds of miles, I decided to make banana crumb muffins! You do not need a lot of ingredients and the recipe is very simple! 
  1. Mix 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, 1 teaspoon of baking power, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
  2. Take three bananas and mash them. After mashing them, put 3/4 cup of sugar (white or brown), 1 egg, and 1/3 cup of melted butter. 
  3. Take the flour mixture (from #1) and mashed banana mixture (from #2) and mix them.
  1. Place the mixture (from #4) into small muffin cups and sprinkle some sugar and flour mixture on top.
  2. Bake it in a 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) oven for about 15 minutes. To see if it's all done, using a chopstick, poke a hole into the muffin. If the chopstick comes out clean, they're done!


Random Food I've Tried

Although I'm a pretty adventurous eater, I find that I rarely try new foods while at home or in my day-to-day life. I love to try anything new, just to say that I've done it, so I'm super open to trying almost anything that doesn't compromise my health and safety (though I really want to go bungee jumping...) Basically, many of my fun/weird food experiences have occurred while abroad. Here are some of the highlights:

- Termites: so if you're ever lost in a forest, you can survive on about 7 decent sized termites a day! They're high enough in protein, evidently. They taste super funny, in that they don't taste like you would think bugs would whatsoever. I thought they tasted like pepper (spicy-ish), but I was told that there are lots of different/unexpected flavors that people can experience with termites. I tried my first live termites in Costa Rica, right off of the nest. They go down pretty easily (even my mom tried some). They also can be used as a natural insect repellent, if you crush a bunch of them in your hands and rub them around your skin.


- Brazil: I tried a ton of new food here...not necessarily as strange as the termites, but definitely lots of things we don't have/use a lot in the U.S. First off, they put condensed milk in everything and it's completely out of this world. They make little desserts called "brigadeiro" with it, which are basically just condensed milk and cocoa powder (see below). Also, they put it in popsicles! The orange popsicle was mango flavored with condensed milk inside...wow. Another food thing that I absolutely loved was having a small coffee-type meal between lunch and dinner. They eat dinner pretty late, but have a snack around our normal dinner time. Usually it was coffee, tea, juice, bread, pastries, cookies, hot chocolate...all the good stuff. Also, they use mandioca to make soup, fries, and basically as a potato substitute. It's a root vegetable/starch and is absolutely delicious. (Mandioca is the Portuguese word, yuca in Spanish, cassava in English.) Last but not least, they have açaí, which is one of those super fruit berries that we sort of have in the U.S. They make smoothies out of it with, of course, condensed milk, or a variety of other toppings (fruit, cream, etc.) They also have some super awesome barbecue down there...I didn't have any, but overall I would definitely recommend stuffing your face in Brazil if you get the chance!







- Peru: from what I could tell, they eat basically everything in Peru. I stuck to the veggie options, but it was not uncommon to see pig heads, skinned frogs (for soup, of course), and LOTS of salted/dried fish in the markets. Salt mining is also really popular in the highlands, which is pretty neat! I had no idea how salt was produced, but apparently it's made through making lots of little pools from a salty stream and waiting for the water to evaporate. I also am a huge fan of "squeaky cheese". It has a variety of names, depending on where it's from, but it has popped up in a lot of my Latin American travels. Basically, it's delicious and squeaks in your teeth as you eat it. (The name is very unofficial and was made up by myself and other Americans) Lastly, there's the coca tea. I can't seem to find a picture, but they use coca leaves to help with altitude sickness in Peru. I have to say, it was not fantastic...it's pretty bitter.






Overall, I'd recommend pretty much all of these foods to a friend. (Except maybe the pig head...unsure of how one would prepare such a thing)

Sugar Detox

Discussing sugar for the past has made me start thinking again on just how much sugar we consume on a daily basis.  This past summer I cut out refined sugar entirely from my diet for two weeks.  Let me just preface this by saying that I have the biggest sweet tooth ever.  Baked goods are my weakness.  So by no means did I have any intention of making this a lasting thing.  If anything I was just curious as to what would happen if I was more conscious about what I was eating. 
            I did the sugar detox with my aunt who is by far the healthiest eater I know.  She framed the detox more as an introduction to conscious eating rather than a diet so I figured “how hard can this be, I can totally give up my cookies, brownies, and cake for a little while.”  What I did not realize though was just how many foods contained added sugar.  It is everywhere!  Things I ate on a daily basis, which I never thought had sugar in them were some of the sneakiest offenders.  What also surprised me were foods that I had considered healthy in fact had a ton of added sugar.  My “healthy” stables like almond milk, oatmeal, and almond butter were all things I had to cut out for those two weeks. (These things can also contain no sugar, you just have to pick the right brands!)
            At first I found it very difficult to figure out what I could or could not eat.  The first few days required reading nutrition labels on everything.  I soon came to learn that the sure fire way to avoid sugar was by cooking with raw foods and avoiding all processed food.  After some practice it became a lot easier.  I eventually got familiar with what foods I could eat and which ones to avoid.  The days when I had enough time to cook, cutting out sugar was not too challenging.  It was instead the foods I reach to when in a rush that presented a problem.  My go to easy food like protein bars were typically loaded with sugar.  Finding a substitute for those foods was one of the biggest challenges.
            In retrospect, cutting out sugar for two weeks was an eye opening experience.  However, physically I did not feel very different without sugar, which I was disappointed by.  Generally my diet does not consist of a lot of processed or sugary foods.  Therefore I do not think that it was a drastic enough dietary adjustment to begin to see changes in only two weeks.  I am sure that if I continued to eat that way for longer I would have begun to notice a difference.  One change that I did notice though was that I experienced less sugar cravings.  I am almost always craving cookies or brownies but during those two weeks I did not want them as much as I ordinarily do.  The biggest take away for me, and the reason I would say it was worthwhile, was that I learned to read labels and understand what I am eating.  I use to just pull something off the shelf and assume that because it is packaged to look healthy that it was.  Now I am far more conscious about what I eat and about the hidden sugar content in a lot of foods.  I am glad that I experimented cutting out sugar.  While I still appreciate a really good piece of cake, my diet now consists of far less sugar than it use to. 

What a day of food looks like on sugar detox

Breakfast:  Oatmeal (plain, no added sugar), with bananas and cinnamon
Lunch:  Salad with veggies, a hardboiled egg, and dressed with olive oil
Snack:  Carrots and hummus
Dinner:  Roasted chicken breast with sautéed broccoli

Never will I stop eating sweets like baked goods but here are some changes I made that haven’t been hard to stick with
  • Buying the version without added sugar (ex. Plain oatmeal, unsweetened almond milk etc.)
  • Avoid store bought salad dressing and tomato sauce (homemade tastes so much better and store bought ones have a ton of sugar)
  • Limit packaged granola bars or granola (when you make your own you can control exactly what goes into it and it’s super easy)
  • Pay attention to the sugar in drinks (stick with water, black coffee/tea and herbal teas)