Ketchup: All-American?

Earlier this week, I came across this article on the NPR site/blog that discusses the “true” origins of one of our favorite, all-American condiments: ketchup. To sum it up, author Lakshmi Gandhi finds that what was at one point known as 鮭汁 (kê-chiap, “fish sauce”) made its journey (with several detours) from Southeast Asia to the United States by at least the 19th century. Of course, this wasn’t without a few alterations—lemons, walnuts, oysters, elderberries, mushrooms, and even beer were all the main ingredients of ketchup at some point (in fact, walnut ketchup was a favorite of novelist Jane Austen!). Tomato ketchup is thought to have originated in the United States as the fruit is native to North America and Europeans believed that the fruit was poisonous. It was originally and widely spelled “catsup”; however, in 1882, Henry J. Heinz deliberately chose the spelling “ketchup” as a way to stand out. Clearly, the popularity of Heinz ketchup in the years soon after up to the present day led to the linguistic change in the word, and became the “ideal” ketchup that we understand today.

More on the topic can be found here

Recycling in Japan

As much as we say that diet and exercise is a lifestyle, after studying abroad in Japan, I have come to believe that recycling is just as much a lifestyle, as well. In fact, one of my biggest culture shocks was coming to know the extent to which Japanese people recycle. Though not directly related, my first impression if Japan was that of its nearly divine cleanliness. Tokyo, a metropolis even more crowded than New York, hardly had a paper straw wrapper littered on the ground. Also, due to a subway terrorist threat in 1995, nearly all public trash cans disappeared. Yet, the ground remained just as tidy. New York, though abundant in trash cans at every intersection, still has litter everywhere! When I visited Tsukiji market, the largest fish market in the world, miraculously the stench of dead fish was not present at all. I felt so spoiled when I came back from Japan and entered a small fish store in New York's Chinatown on a humid August day. I could not believe how anyone could take that smell and I am positive it has some neurological consequences. I say all this to illustrate the extent that Japan takes its cleanliness of the environment.

Now, going to Japan and marveling at his cleanliness is a luxury of the traveler, but upon arriving at my host family's house, I also became subjugated to these rules to help protect the environment - and these were not easy, as I grew up not thinking twice about putting everything except plastic, tin, or glass into one trash can. For starters, your standard vending machine Coke bottle had to be separated into three parts. One, the bottle itself. Two, the plastic label that wraps around the bottle. And three, the cap.

Another huge shocker. Of course, as part of my host family, I wanted to do all I could to help. I washed dishes, did laundry, and took out the trash. This sounds pretty average, but unlike in the US, where trash is picked up once a week, trash, where I lived in the outskirts of Kyoto, is picked up everyday. We mainly separated trash into three groups: burnable, non-burnable, and recyclables. Burnable trash mainly consists of food waste, which must be put into another plastic bag to keep out flies and other pests. Non-burnables were mainly plastic goods. And recyclables include bottles that are thoroughly washed to not attract pests.

Another difference that I noticed from living there was that trash was left out in clear plastic bags (not like black ones that we can find here). And they were not even put into trash cans. I later learned that trash bags are clear in Japan so that people can easily tell whether the trash has been sorted correctly. And when I say people - I mean everyone - neighbors, sanitation officials, joggers, etc. In essence, everyone becomes everyone's checker. If your trash bag is incorrectly sorted, it will not be picked up, and rumors will soon be circulating. And not unlike in the US, rumors spread fast.

Chia Seed Pudding!

Surprisingly Tasty!

I found a recipe for chia seed pudding, and since I still had SO much chia on my kitchen shelf, I decided to try it out.  It's great for breakfast with fruit, nuts, or other toppings, or as a snack!  It's yummy, vegan, and super nutritious!

Ingredients:

1/2 c Chia Seeds

2 Bananas

2 c Almond Milk

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

1 tsp Cinnamon

 

Directions:

Peel and slice bananas, then add to bowl and mash as well as possible.  Add Chia seeds and mix well, continuing to mash bananas.  Add Cinnamon and continue to mix.  Combine mixture with Almond milk and Vanilla extract.  Allow to set for at least 3 hours or until the mixture has thickened.  

It's best to prepare the mixture in advanced to allow the pudding to set.  The Chia seeds will absorb the liquid, creating a dish the consistency of tapioca pudding, with a slight crunch due to the shell.  

Feel free to top with berries, jams, honey, peaches, nuts, or dried fruits.  

Yield: 4 servings 

Benefits

Chia seeds are high in omega-3's, essential oils, protein, antioxidants, and a load of other things necessary for a healthy diet! The bananas naturally sweeten the pudding, so no added sugar is necessary.  

Supermarkets

Over Thanksgiving break, I worked at the local supermarket in my town. Previously I had worked at the front end of the supermarket but this time I was put to work the produce section. In this section I would constantly make sure that any produce that was running out would be restocked as soon as possible. I spent most of my day making lists of what needed to be brought out and then going to the freezer room in the back and finding the fruits and vegetables I needed.

After taking this course though, I found myself observing very carefully where all these different fruits and vegetables came from. Along with the fruits and veggies, we dealt with different types of nuts and some packaged seasonings. What surprised me the most of this high end supermarket in my town that the organic section was not so big. There were plenty of arugula, kale, carrots, broccoli and many more but I almost wish they had more choices. There were definitely lots of different salad mixes, most commonly known as the Olivia's but this one section of organics was much smaller than all the other produce they sold. The packaged seasonings also had an expiration date for sometime in 2016. This was shocking and it made me think that something that can last 2 years without going bad is definitely not healthy for anybody or anything.

Another detail I noticed as mentioned before is where all these fruit and vegetables came from and the long trips they have endured to make it all the way to the east coast. Many fruits and vegetables came from places like Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Guatemala, and the list just goes on. It was also surprising how often these shipments came into this small supermarket: three to four times a week. Many people from my town and the towns nearby shopped at this high end supermarket making it reasonable for shipments to come in that often. Yet, it still amazed me how far these crops had traveled and the alterations that had to be done to these crops to make it this far to survive without rotting.

I would say that this class has made a huge impact on how I look at things when I walk into a grocery store. This class has definitely taught me a better and healthier way to live my life.

Peking Duck

My parents absolutely despise cooking... they are always working (corporate work, I suppose) and think cooking is just a waste of time. They are the types of people that will pay for convenience. Hence, roasting a turkey is an unfathomable idea for them. And consequently, we have always eaten out on Thanksgiving. Not many restaurants are actually open on Thanksgiving, but a nearby Chinese restaurant always is.

Although Turkey is traditionally the spotlight at Thanksgiving, my family had another roasted bird - duck. It is known as Peking Duck, as it has been a famous dish prepared since the imperial era. Peking duck is famous for its super thin and crispy skin. The duck meat is wrapped in a thin pancake (not sweet - basically just flour and water) with scallion and hoisin sauce. Here are some pictures:

Thanksgivukkah

This year Thanksgiving and the first day of Hanukkah fell on the same day. Because this is such a rare event (it won't happen again for another 70,000 years!) and my family was hosting Thanksgiving this year, we wanted to incorporate both holidays in the food that we were going to serve. I saw this Buzzfeed article that had various recipes that combine aspects of Hanukkah and Thanksgiving foods. We decided to try to make one of their recipes for challah-apple stuffing. Here is the recipe that serves 10-12 people:

Ingredients:
2 1-lb loaves of challah
2 sticks of unsalted butter
2 cups diced celery
2 cups diced onion
2 cups peeled and diced Granny Smith apples
8 sprigs thyme, leaves picked and finely chopped
3 sprigs rosemary, leaves picked and finely chopped
6 sprigs marjoram, leaves picked and finely chopped
3 cups of chicken or vegetable broth
3 teaspoons kosher salt and ground pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Cut challah into 1-inch cubes and let cubes sit out in a bowl or on a baking tray, uncovered for at least 6 hours to make them stale. You could also dry bread in the oven at 250 degrees by laying the cubes in a single layer on baking sheets and baking for about 30 minutes or until bread is dry but not toasted

2.  In a large pan, melt butter over medium-low heat and then add the onions and celery. Add 3 teaspoons of salt and pepper to taste and cook for about 8 minutes or until the onions are soft.

3. Add the apples and herbs and cook for about 5 minutes or until the apples are soft

4. In a large bowl, combine the challah cubes, cooked apples and vegetables, and broth. Mix until the bread is saturated with liquid and everything is evenly mixed

5. Press the stuffing into a baking dish and cover with foil. Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes. Remove the foil and raise the oven to 450 degrees and cook uncovered for another 10-15 minutes or until the top starts to brown.

Presidential Turkey Pardon

Before Thanksgiving is too far gone, and we've moved on to new topics I thought I would share this opinion piece, published by the Washington Post, with you: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/11/26/the-turkey-pardon-is-americas-dumbest-tradition/.

Some may know, and other may not, but yearly two male turkeys, destined to be Thanksgiving dinner at the White House, are pardoned by the current president. This year President Obama pardoned Caramel and Popcorn (as they were affectionately named) and sent them on their way to the Mount Vernon estate to live out the rest of their days. Caramel and Popcorn average 1' 11.5" tall and 38 pounds in weight. They have favorite songs, foods as well as definitive and unique walks. You can even vote for which turkey has a better gobble and join their team through social media outlets (spoiler alert: Popcorn won) (http://www.whitehouse.gov/turkey)!

Now this tradition (or lack thereof as the article may argue) may tug at our heartstrings and make us happy to see the turkeys be free, but it is nonetheless quite frivolous and poses some more serious questions. In class, we recently discussed chickens--their genetic modification, manipulation and the conditions in which they are raised. Turkeys are another form of poultry not too far from chickens. As the article discusses, is it really natural that these turkeys average 38 pounds, when a wild turkey averages 9? Even if they are able to free range at Mount Vernon, how long will they actually live if their bodies cannot support their rapid and extreme growth? Is it humane for us even to raise these turkeys and subsequently to pardon them? Additionally, pardoning just two turkeys makes almost no impact on the large-scale meat market in America, but gives false implications that the pardon does or at least provides a more humane setting for these birds to live in.

The turkey pardon also has larger political themes behind it, such as pardoned or commuted human sentences in contrast to those of turkeys. But I think this tradition is just another interesting Holiday-themed food issue!