McD's Influence

A student in class brought up an interesting question today in class during the discussion of a national cuisine. When foreigners think of American Food, they think of McDonalds! I'm not saying that we do not eat fast food, but when I think of American food, I immediatly think of hot dogs, hamburgers, and barbeque, the food we eat on Fourth of July. America does not have a national cuisine because it is made of diverse cultures and people from all over the world, which according to Michael Pollan has lead to the omnivore's dilemma and I agree.

Watching the documentary clip today, I heard the Indian woman talking about the Green Revolution, but I had no clue what it was until I googled it up. It was termed by William Gaud, who was once a USAID director, in 1968. It was a time when technological advances were developed to improve crop performance with an escalating population crisis. Some critisize the movement for its detrimental effects on the environment. Nevertheless, the Green Revolution has reduced famine by 20%.

P-Patches, also know as community gardens, are another solution to famine and it is not just a hobby. You know in your heart that you don't have to worry about what you are putting in your mouth and it tastes a little better because you put effort into it. When I first heard of P-Patches, I thought Mrs. Anagnost meant Pea-Patches. I interpreted it wrong, except for the fact that you could grow peas in P-Patches. From the support of Seattle citizens and city coundil, P-Patches have been an extraordinary and eye-opening example for what is possible in a city and to not depend on other nations for food. It costs $40 or more a year, depending on the size of the lot, but it is affordable and cheap.

UW Gardening Site

In the beginning of the year, I was in the car with my mom and Alex, a family friend who lives in Seattle and was driving through the campus to show me UW. We passed by the greenhouse and I never thought that there was anything special behind starting it up, but a couple of biology professors and others who were interested grew plants in a lot that was once useless and filled with weeds. I bet they never thought it would have so many willing volunteers to help around, whether it might be pulling weeds or relocating a bed of seeds. Today, the botany greenhouse has about 2255 species! Keith Possee did a great job explaining smart methods in growing plants and giving us a tour. Vines could be used as shade and planting certain kinds of flowers provide nutrients to surrounding plants.

When I arrived at the greenhouse, it felt so welcoming, especially with vines growing in a curve above the walkway. It was amazing to see these huge Kio fishes swimming in a 3 foot tub of water with a type of plant branching out circular leaves that I haven't seen before. The chance to grow organic and healthy fruits, vegetables, and herbs and to provide a research and learning facility allows students a hands-on experience like that of our ancestors. It is so important to not lose knowledge of growing food. I'm from Milpitas, CA and it used to be miles of orchards and farms, but it's all gone. Viewing the greenery at the greenhouse and medicinal herb garden and taking this class has moved me to change the way I eat and to volunteer during Early Fall Start. I can't pretend that I don't know what is in the food I eat.

Reading All Over Creation by Ruth Ozeki made me want to eat local and organically grown food. The Seeds of Resistance message was clear and they made me wonder what genes are added to the food we eat. I can't believe scientists have developed genetically engineered pesticides in plants, which we consume and go into our bodies. It's scary to even hear they created a gene called The Terminator. Not only does it harm us, but also kills bugs that are essential in the process of farming. It was sad to see the bug die after chewing a Nulife plant in the book. Even if the chemicals are not concentrated enough to "hurt us", it must have some effect on our bodies. From my own encounter, I used to be able to eat seafood when I was little, but suddenly one day when I was 12 I got itchy and red bumbs started to form on my hands. I became allergic to all seafood except for fish. Now I have an idea of what may have been the cause.

In the United States, food corporations do not label foods if GMOs were used, but it's a consumer's right to know. In Europe and Japan it is required since their citizens are worried about biotech foods and its effects. Very few researchers look into GMOs partly because companies donate to schools, which lead to pressure to stop the investigation. Money is very powerful, but the people's strive and pursuit will prevail!

Pike Place Market

My dad and I went to Pike Place Market for fun and to meet John, his friend, for lunch later on in the day. I’m from California and I have been to the market only once. As we walked around, there were so many stores. Some had Turkish baked goods, gelato, Italian food, fruits, vegetables, seafood, and donuts. The rows of fruits, vegetables, and flowers were beautiful. Everything looked so fresh and delicious as well. I wanted to try the donuts because they were made on the spot. However, we had to leave and meet up with John. I can just imagine chewing them warm in my mouth. Mmmmm. Yummy! I have to get them the next time I go. The view was incredible and today was the perfect day. There weren’t any clouds and I even saw Mount Rainer driving there.

When we were eating at Jai Thai, I had the Swimming Rama, which includes spinach and chicken with peanut sauce and rice on the side, but the chef added too much sauce.

Swimming Rama (Photo Courtesy of Google Images)

Overall the dish was mediocre and nothing special. My dad ordered the Garlic Prawns. John didn’t eat anything because he ate before and had orange juice. He didn’t take a sip until my dad asked him about it. John said it was discolored and it’s true. The color was a mix of orange and guava juice.

Bento Bonanza

Our guest speaker for my class was Dr. Andrea G. Arai, who lived in Japan and taught us about obentos. I was shocked to find out that there are even bento competitions! Here is an example of one entry:

Don't worry about making such elaborate obentos, but it is amazing to see how beautiful they can become. Obentos are made in Japan by mothers of nursery children and teachers evaluate the obento to see if mothers are putting enough effort and time for their children. The amount of time spent on creating and preparing is incredibly long. It's interesting to learn that mothers are judged strictly by the food they make instead of how much they love and treat their children.

At school I got the chance to create my own obento for Dalya. I do admit that I could have tried a little harder. It took so much energy on something that I thought would be so simple. Contrast in color, shapes, and texture, creativity, and presentation all make a phenomenal obento. As you can see there is a nori-wrapped, triangular rice ball, pickled radish, mini cucumber slices, seasoned seaweed with sesame, green beans, and kamaboko.

Bagel Cutter

After class I went to Eleven 01 to order the cobb salad, but I remembered that one of my neighbors Andrea told me that it wasn't all that good. So I just went to look for something, anything, that won't fill me up too much. Walking around 2 Convenient, the convenient store (how surprising, right?), I decided to get a bagel. Right around the corner, I saw a bagel cutter and I never knew that one existed before because people usually just use a knife to cut it. I thought that the bagel cutter was so awesome.