This list comes from Buzzfeed. While I’m not gluten free, I know many who are. This list covering the most difficulties of those who are gluten free/intolerant seem to be spot on.
My favorites are “Feeling Strangely Attracted to Potatoes” and “Speed Reading Labels on the Back of Packaged Foods”. The only one that seems odd is intentionally cheating by eating gluten. Have you experienced any of this?
Source: Buzzfeed via Freshjuice.ca
Fall will officially be here in a matter of days. That means it’s time to break out the scary TV shows and movies. My girlfriend just introduced me to a show on the SyFy network called “Paranormal Witness.” It’s one of those which features first person accounts of hauntings along with re-enactments.
Full disclosure: Several years ago I had a period of watching paranormal shows like Ghost Hunters. After a little while though the shows lost their charm because they often found nothing or the investigators would jump at the littlest thing. (Maybe the show was a little too honest.)
The episode of Paranormal Witness we watched was called “Dining with the Dead.” It was about a newly opened up restaurant Italian restaurant in El Paso, TX called “Montleone’s.” Without giving much a way, a Virgin Mary is discovered in the wall, and was then moved? When is that ever a good idea? A secret room is discovered and the contents are moved? Once again, why would you do this? No single entity is identified per se but several see an undead looking man in the walk in freezer and bathroom. Every member of the staff ends up having a paranormal experience. Of course none of this happens in the dining area.
The owners were faced with a dilemma. Do they leave because of fear? They pumped lots of their own money into the venture. Apparently the ghosts are under control these days, so you need not worry about someone breathing heavily in your ear while enjoying a chicken parm. Have you tried out this restaurant? How was the experience? I just hope they haven’t turned the whole ghost experience into a gimmick. For example: Scary sounds playing in the bathroom.
Raita
Raita is an Indian/Pakistani/Bangladeshi sauce or dip made with yogurt. It’s often served with biryani but pairs well with pretty much anything. If it’s not too forward of me, might I suggest serving it with an Indian chicken fajitas? The recipe below comes from my visiting cousin who I previously mentioned in the World of Coca-Cola post. If you’re vegan, plain soy yogurt can be substituted. The recipe is naturally gluten free. Mint is also a great addition to this.
Serving Size: 4
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 0
Ingredients:
2 cups lowfat yogurt
1 medium cucumber, sliced into small strips or grated (as pictured)
½ medium tomato, sliced into small strips (as pictured)
½ red onion, chopped small
1.5 T Chaat Masala (or ½ t cumin powder ½ t coriander powder, ½ t chili powder, ½ t amchur )
1 T sugar
1 t salt
Cilantro as garnish
Method:
Combine ingredients in a bowl. Mix well and adjust sugar and spice levels to your liking. Chill in the fridge until ready to serve.
Cucumbers
Cucumbers and Tomatoes
Cucumber, Tomato and Red Onion
Raita ready to go
Okra and Potato Curry
It’s nearing the end of okra season in the Northeast so I’ve been chowing down on the stuff every chance I get. This recipe is a variation of my Mom’s legendary recipe. I’m happy to report it turned out well. Note: The recipe is naturally vegan. It goes best with naan or roti but rice works well too. Feel free to change the okra to potato ratio to how you like, I like a little more okra to potato. Here is another okra recipe, Cajun/Louisiana style.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
1 pd fresh okra, chopped into bite size pieces (front and backs cut)
2-3 medium red potatoes , chopped bite size
1.5 plum tomato chopped small
½ onion, chopped small
1 t cumin seed
1 t mustard seed
1 t turmeric
1 t garlic
1 T ginger paste
chili powder or chilies to taste
salt to taste
Method:
Heat an oiled pan to medium-low. Toss in cumin and mustard seed and allow to sputter for a minute. Next include ginger and potatoes. Cook for 5-7 minutes. This will help the potatoes firm up a little bit. Now add in the okra, tomato and other ingredients and mix well. Cook together for a few minutes. After tomatoes begin to cook down, add about a ½ cup of water and cover. Once the okra begins to darken, it’s done.
Greenwood Cemetery last weekend hosted a memorial for the 237th anniversary of the Battle of Brooklyn. While it was a defeat for the nascent Continental Army who were vastly outnumbered, the Battle of Brooklyn (or Long Island) was the first major battle since declaring independence from Great Britain.
After defeating the Brits in Boston, General Washington surmised that the Brits would then attempt to take over New York Harbor for the purpose of housing it’s sizable navy. Assuming the initial attack would be on Manhattan, Washington moved most forces there. The British chose to arrive instead via Gravesend Bay to outflank the Continental Army.
Unknown to the Americans, however, [General] Howe had brought his main army around their rear and attacked their flank soon after. The Americans panicked, although a stand by 400 Maryland troops prevented most of the army from being captured. The remainder of the army fled to the main defenses on Brooklyn Heights. The British dug in for a siege but, on the night of August 29–30, Washington evacuated the entire army to Manhattan without the loss of material or a single life. Source: Wikipedia
Memorial Ceremony and Parade
A re-enactment took place between an organized British regiment and a handful of scrappy Americans. The re-enactment group was called Second Battalion New York. They were very friendly and stuck around to answer questions even after being killed.
Post-battle, there was a parade and memorial ceremony. During this early period of Independence, there wasn’t one officially agreed upon flag. As many as 100 flags were flown during the battles. Some represented states and towns. Others were designed with the hope of becoming the official flag.
As part of the parade, spectators were allowed to hoist flags, which were mounted along the parade route. There was a wide array of images like badger, a dozen variations of stars and stripes, flags of French regiments, trees etc. A memorial ceremony was held at the top. The Governor of Maryland, Martin O’Malley also gave a great speech on the sacrifice of the Maryland 400.
As I was exiting I spotted a few period foods. Pictured are sugar cones as they would’ve been sold. Also I sampled a piece of cake made from flour, sugar, lemon rind and oddly caraway seeds. During this time it was believed that caraway aided digestion and was a common addition to sweets. The baker was a very nice man named Niel V. DeMarino of Sugar Loaf Baking Company who specializes in period cooking.
Sugar Circa 1776
Lemon Caraway Cake
In the final stretch of the work day, between lunch and dinner, it’s hard to imagine not having something small to munch on. The body’s energy dips so those extra calories help power through the day. While it’s considered totally normal today, in 18th and 19th century America, snacking was viewed with some suspicion.The first widespread snack food in America came via slaveships: Peanuts. From Southern plantations, they spread north through Union Soldiers. Eventually they became a mainstay with beer at baseball games
“…and became a symbol of the cheap and often rowdy upper balconies, dubbed “peanut galleries,” in vaudeville theaters. Associations with vaudeville, sports, and the working class didn’t lend the legume a very prestigious image, nor did its inherently messy nature. Because peanuts only came in shells, one could identify a peanut-lover by the sound of shell-scrunching and the typical trail of peanut jackets left in his wake.”
Popcorn became popular in the 19th century. While a tasty snack and not as dirtying as peanuts, popcorn wasn’t sold in theaters till decades later.
Peanuts and popcorn also bore the stigma of being sold by street vendors of questionable hygiene. Sometimes referred to as “squatters,” these vendors were known for roaming sidewalks and parks as well as swarming early tourist sites such as Niagara Falls. The shrill of the peanut vendor’s steam whistle drew the ire of many a quiet neighborhood, and the fare itself, often sold uncovered and dust-exposed, was prone to draw the public’s suspicion.
Pretzel Cart: Lunch hour NYC Exhibit
Snacking began to gain acceptance with the start of mass production in the 1860s. Prior to this time, pretzels were often sold uncovered by immigrants of “foreign” places like Germany. An association with saloons didn’t help. Pretzels and beer were often sold in conjunction. To break this “negative” association pretzel makers began advertising them as “healthy and mineral rich.” They were produced in kid friendly forms like half-moons and letters. The pretzels were now sealed in cellophane rather than open crates. See also previous post, Lunch Hour NYC.
Companies collaborated to design pairings, the most successful of which was pretzels and mustard; pretzels and ice cream was a hit in the 1930s. Companies also promoted recipes for pretzel soup (touted as a Pennsylvania Dutch tradition) and pretzel-crumb pie crust (perfect with a lemon meringue filling). Eventually pretzels even made their way into salad dressings, casseroles and Jell-O. Source: Wall Street Journal
In short, marketing and better packaging changed the reputation of snacking from “lower class “ and “unhygienic” to acceptable. When time allows one of my favorite snacks to make is a variation of the potato pancake. I eat packaged goods like tortilla chips, and Indian crunchies most often and usually a piece of fruit. What are some of your regular snacks, packaged or not?
This song will make you smile. The RoodonFood Song of the Month is called “Eat It” by Weird Al Yankovic. A parody of the classic Michael Jackson song “Beat It,” it’s almost a frame by frame homage to the video as well. The song hit #12 on the Billboard charts back in 1984 and even won a grammy for Best Comedy Recording.
There is nothing subversive about “Eat It.” It’s about a person frustrated with a friend who is a picky eater. Carried away by the eating fervor, by the end antacid is necessary. Yes it’s a silly song but few do over the top as well as Yankovic. Lyrics can be found here.
Food plays such a role in Weird Al songs that this RoodonFood monthly tradition could’ve been The Weird Al Food Song of the Month. From “Eat It” (Beat It) to “Fat” (Bad) to “Grapefruit Diet” (Zootsuit Riot) it’s difficult to choose which one to go with. I chose “Eat It” because it’s a personal favorite and highlights how fun the video age was on MTV in the 1980s. The song was also Al’s biggest food related hit .
Fun fact: Weird Al has been a vegetarian since 1992.
Sheem beans – Hyacinth Beans
My Dad is quite a gardener. From squash to okra to eggplant, he has overseen a successful garden for years (except for the times the wild rabbits ate everything). One less common item he grows is called sheem or in English, hyacinth beans. These beans look like a rounder, plumper version of snow peas.
One of the most common ways to make sheem in West Bengal, India, where my family hails from is with shorsh (mustard). You can make your own version by combining freshly crushed mustard seeds, chili, salt, garlic and ready made mustard. Be careful though as you can make it very, very bitter. If you can’t find this hyacinth beans, snow peas or sugar snap peas also work. If you live in an area with a South Asian community, kasundi or pre-made mustard sauce can be purchased.
Ingredients
1/2 pd sheem beans, chopped bite size
1 T mild mustard (be careful to match the mustard paste with your taste)
1/2 t mustard seeds
1 t garlic powder
1 t turmeric
1 t black cumin (kalonji)
chili powder to taste.
salt to taste
Method:
Cut the inner seam of the bean as well as the ends off, then chop to bite size. Heat a pan to medium with a little oil. Add black cumin to pan and allow to sputter for a minute, then follow with sheem beans, tumeric and cover. In the mean time combine mustard, mustard seeds, garlic, chili powder and salt into a mortar and pestle and pound until a paste forms. (Start with only a small amount, if needed add more. Water and salt can help dilute if it becomes to strong). Mix sauce in well with beans. If necessary add water to pan. Covered, it should cook in about 15 minutes.
Sheem
The World of Coca-Cola is located in the middle of downtown Atlanta, within walking distance of CNN, Aquarium, Underground Atlanta and the upcoming Civil Rights Center. Devised to re-sell you on perhaps the best known brand in the world – this is the stuff of marketers’ dreams.
As a rule I don’t consume soda. There are too many stories real or not about how teeth dissolve in pop in a matter of days. But a visit from a long lost cousin with her 4 1/2 year old son in tow, meant a trip to one of Atlanta’s main tourist draws was in order. The initial room features bottles which were specially created for the ’96 Atlanta Olympics as homages to different countries. Videos played showing faces of people around the world and the names of Coke’s brands.
Coke Bottles
Coke Brands
Around 90% of Americans regularly wash raw chicken with the belief that they’re ridding it of bacteria and sliminess. We’ve been given this advice from many authorities including, perhaps the most beloved of all, Julia Child.
In fact, according to food researchers, the opposite is true.
That’s because washing increases the chances that you’ll spread the foodborne pathogens that are almost certainly on your bird all over the rest of your kitchen too, food safety experts say. We’re talking nasty stuff like salmonella and Campylobacter, which together are estimated to cause of foodborne illness in the U.S. each year.
Food safety researchers suggest that cooking your meat thoroughly will kill any dangerous bacteria. A meat thermometer can also be helpful.
