Cool zine No comments yet

If you like the Best American Travel Writing series or Smart Set, in other words, if you appreciate the handy work of Jason Wilson, Editor, navigate to Table Matters. I did and liked it.

Japanese candy 1 comment

One thing that you notice traveling outside the USA is that most food tastes different in other places. Even the same product has a different taste elsewhere. Another thing is that there is a lot more variety, perhaps because there is more interest in things from other countries as opposed to the USA where foreign things are sometimes frowned upon. Check out this article about Japanese candy in New York Magazine.

Candy in Japan

The future of food No comments yet

The Future of Food

Check out what’s up with The Future of Food in he November Issue of Wired Magazine.

Mole No comments yet

This past Saturday I went to El Rancho Grande, a small family owned restaurant in Providence, RI. I have been there several times, each time trying something new. This time I shared mole and enchiladas rancheras with my friend JC, who first told me about the restaurant.

Mole

It was my first time trying mole. JC had told me about it and suggested that El Rancho Grande would be a good place to try it since the owner is from Puebla, where mole originated.

The dish looked very appetizing from the get go. We got tender chicken breasts covered with the spicy chocolate sauce and a sprinkle of sesame seeds served in a white dish. The strong color contrast was enhanced by the great sunshine bathing our table.

I was not sure what to expect, as chocolate is not something that I would normally associate with chicken, but was immediately impressed by the flavor of the spices and the chocolate, which was rich and bitter. I commented that I could almost taste Indian in the sauce, which was probably from the cinnamon and cloves.

From what I have read, the mole sauce takes many ingredients, besides the chocolate. The end product is unique and quite a pleasant experience, although I am not sure that I could eat the whole portion served, so I was glad to have shared it.

I will try it again. I think mole is one of those dishes that will reveal new nuances each time you try it.

Where does food come from? No comments yet

There is a growing awareness that people are becoming unaware of what exactly they are eating. I personally have come across people (college students) who did not know that shrimp have heads, not to mention the fact that heads are actually the tastier part of the shrimp. One difference that I find when I travel outside the USA is the contrast between supermarkets here and those in other places. Odors are almost completely absent from USA supermarkets in marked contrast to supermarkets and open air markets in Europe and Asia. Especially in Asia, where food is often bought still alive, be it at the market or in restaurants. I remember the first time I traveled to Macau, when one day my father wanted to eat fish, so the waiter brought him a fish, taken from a fish tank located in the middle of the restaurant, for his approval. As my sister an I looked at the fish flapping inside a bucket, another waiter from the table next to us lost control of an eel and then had to chase it on the restaurant floor as the eel tried to make a dash to the door. I also clearly remember the chicken they served us that day. The entire chicken was cut into bite size portions, but was laid out on the plate in front of us still retaining its whole body shape, including its head, which stared at us no matter how hard we tried not to look.

Anyway, these memories came to me after reading this piece yesterday so I thought I would write about them.

Yesterday’s class No comments yet

Yesterday we broke into groups and reviewed drafts of an assigned work, the topic being memoir about food from childhood. Everyone seems to have very vivid memories of food from when they were growing up. It is definitely a good topic to explore.

We also talked about the first two chapters of “American Food.” Most of the conversation was about hominy and chowder and Thomas Jefferson’s food habits.

Today’s lunch No comments yet

Had a ham and cheese sandwich for lunch. Should have brough some noodle soup. I’m thinking of the salmon I am going to make for dinner today.

Columbus day weekend No comments yet

This weekend we went away to Syracuse, NY to visit Carla. There were seventeen people sleeping at the house. We got to visit an Apple Festival where I tried some delicious apple fritters and had an impromtu dinner with mango salad, shrimp and chinese noodles were on the menu.

Sinful breakfast No comments yet

For breakfast I made a fried egg, seasoned it with salt, and ate that as sandwich between two slices of toasted bread. I also made fried chouriço slices to accompany the egg sandwich.

Yesterday’s meals 2 comments

Yesterday I went with Elsa to Dana-Farber so we had lunch at the DF Cafeteria. I had the salad, which is buffet style. I concocted my own with artichoke hearts, lettuce, beans, goat cheese, cherry tomatoes, couscous, cucumbers, croutons, eggs and seasoned  with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

At night I made broiled tuna steaks, which I marinade before hand with salt and crushed pepper, olive oil, soy sauce, ginger, garlic and lemon juice. It is a simple dish but provides much excitement to the gustatory glands.