I've been tracking what I eat for the last few days, specifically the carbs, protein, fat, fiber and fluids. I've done this before, and I'm usually surprised at how well I actually eat. I'm not within the guidelines (50-60% of diet in carbs, 10-15% in protein, and <30% in fat) but I'm darn close, this time more so than the last, so I'm eating better. No one is more surprised than I. In fact, were it not for a certain "donut incident" the other day, my averages would even be better.
Mmmmmm.....donuts.
They really are sort of disgusting, if you think about it. These light, sweet, airy breads fried and covered in a solid glaze of sugar or injected with a highly sweetened fruit gelatin. Yuck. But put a box in front of me, and look out. The smell is compelling, sure; but for me, there is something about biting through that sugar crust, breaking that shell. It reminds me of a walk on fresh snow, fresh footprints on virgin territory.
Of course, that begs for some sort of Freudian analysis of donuts...or me...but I'm not going to do either. I don't want to spoil my childlike joy in donuts, for one; and I barely know you.
3/17/09
3/11/09
Dessert quandry
My task today is to plan three course meals for both a vegan and a lacto/ovo vegetarian. As a confirmed carnivore, the rare meatless dishes I eat tend to have cheese on them, at least.
Finding entrees and appetizers is easy enough, there seems to be no shortage of those around, but the dessert course is proving to be rather difficult. Many of the dessert recipes online substitute margarine for butter, which I refuse to do; and a few of the “vegan” recipes use eggs. Yeah, eggs. I’m no biologist, but I’m pretty sure eggs are an animal product.
So my options seem to be serving fruit. I can’t even swing a tart, since the crust needs some sort of fat (can I use Crisco? I’m not a baker; I’ll need to do more research). That seems like a cop-out, though. If I’m going to serve vegans, I want them to be able to have a dessert that is just as decadent as those that use cream and egg yolks.
Speaking of decadent desserts, there is one local restaurant that serves a maple ice cream atop of an apricot-corn bread, and garnished with rendered bits of bacon. It is the most masculine dessert I’ve ever had. Amazing stuff. Proving conclusively that all food is made better by the addition of bacon.
Finding entrees and appetizers is easy enough, there seems to be no shortage of those around, but the dessert course is proving to be rather difficult. Many of the dessert recipes online substitute margarine for butter, which I refuse to do; and a few of the “vegan” recipes use eggs. Yeah, eggs. I’m no biologist, but I’m pretty sure eggs are an animal product.
So my options seem to be serving fruit. I can’t even swing a tart, since the crust needs some sort of fat (can I use Crisco? I’m not a baker; I’ll need to do more research). That seems like a cop-out, though. If I’m going to serve vegans, I want them to be able to have a dessert that is just as decadent as those that use cream and egg yolks.
Speaking of decadent desserts, there is one local restaurant that serves a maple ice cream atop of an apricot-corn bread, and garnished with rendered bits of bacon. It is the most masculine dessert I’ve ever had. Amazing stuff. Proving conclusively that all food is made better by the addition of bacon.
3/10/09
Big Brains, Big Appetites
The human brain accounts for about 2% of the body’s weight, but it requires about 25% of our energy supplies. So a quarter of everything we eat is used to keep our brains working. Evolutionarily, that is sort of interesting. Our ancestors were able to develop their brains because they found a way to make their food gathering more efficient.
One of the ways they managed that was through the discovery of fire and the invention of cooked food. Cooking rendered many foods more easily digestible, so the supplies that primitive humans had were made more efficient without having to increase the actual food supply. This was probably the instigator. After that, it seems as though the escalation was inevitable. People get smarter, come up with a better way to raise food, more food allows their brains to develop more, and they invent another way raise food better.
So, in a very real way, the more food available, the smarter humans were able to become.
Fast forward to today. Food is more available now as it has ever been – everything is always in season somewhere. Markets carry goods now that were unimaginably exotic even ten years ago. Food is so available that obesity is becoming a “national health crisis” even.
So why don’t we seem to be getting any smarter?
One of the ways they managed that was through the discovery of fire and the invention of cooked food. Cooking rendered many foods more easily digestible, so the supplies that primitive humans had were made more efficient without having to increase the actual food supply. This was probably the instigator. After that, it seems as though the escalation was inevitable. People get smarter, come up with a better way to raise food, more food allows their brains to develop more, and they invent another way raise food better.
So, in a very real way, the more food available, the smarter humans were able to become.
Fast forward to today. Food is more available now as it has ever been – everything is always in season somewhere. Markets carry goods now that were unimaginably exotic even ten years ago. Food is so available that obesity is becoming a “national health crisis” even.
So why don’t we seem to be getting any smarter?
3/9/09
Surprised by food
I like to be surprised by what I eat...not in a bad way, of course, but I don't necessarily need to like the taste of it to enjoy it. One of my most memorable meals was at a Japanese place last New Year’s eve. It was a six-course meal of traditional “good luck” foods, so there was quite a bit of food on the table, and every bit of it was a surprise. I only liked two or three things, but everything I put in my mouth was surprising.
Especially that cake made out of fish roe and seaweed.
I mean, you expect roe to be a little crunchy at first, but every single bite, no matter how long you chewed it (and it took some chewing) there were pops and squeaks and little bursts of sea-flavor every time my teeth came together. It took a good bit of sake to mitigate all that, and it isn’t a flavor I am looking to experience again…ever…but I’ll always remember it.
On the other end of that spectrum I remember some Thai shrimp wraps that I had a few years back. I don’t remember all the ingredients, but there were those little dried shrimps that the Thai make, some roasted peanuts, small-dice hot peppers, something sweet and something sour, all wrapped up in a leaf of butter lettuce. The whole thing went into the mouth at one time. Virtually everything that your mouth could experience was experienced – crunch, heat, sour, sweet, umami – and it was all going on at once. The first couple of bites were almost overwhelming in the sensations it provided. They had a nice flavor, but the physical experience of chewing and tasting was mind-blowing.
Both of these foods had such unique and interesting textual elements that the taste itself was eclipsed. Most cooks, and all chefs, know that eating is a visual and olfactory experience as much as it is a taste experience, but a lot of people, even professionals, seem to forget that eating involves the sense of touch, too.
EDIT:
The roe dish is called kazunoko, a herring roe on konbu. There is a recipe for it here.
You've been warned though.
Especially that cake made out of fish roe and seaweed.
I mean, you expect roe to be a little crunchy at first, but every single bite, no matter how long you chewed it (and it took some chewing) there were pops and squeaks and little bursts of sea-flavor every time my teeth came together. It took a good bit of sake to mitigate all that, and it isn’t a flavor I am looking to experience again…ever…but I’ll always remember it.
On the other end of that spectrum I remember some Thai shrimp wraps that I had a few years back. I don’t remember all the ingredients, but there were those little dried shrimps that the Thai make, some roasted peanuts, small-dice hot peppers, something sweet and something sour, all wrapped up in a leaf of butter lettuce. The whole thing went into the mouth at one time. Virtually everything that your mouth could experience was experienced – crunch, heat, sour, sweet, umami – and it was all going on at once. The first couple of bites were almost overwhelming in the sensations it provided. They had a nice flavor, but the physical experience of chewing and tasting was mind-blowing.
Both of these foods had such unique and interesting textual elements that the taste itself was eclipsed. Most cooks, and all chefs, know that eating is a visual and olfactory experience as much as it is a taste experience, but a lot of people, even professionals, seem to forget that eating involves the sense of touch, too.
EDIT:
The roe dish is called kazunoko, a herring roe on konbu. There is a recipe for it here.
You've been warned though.
3/7/09
First Post
Howdy.
This is yet another food blog. The plan is to write about whatever happens to grab my fancy on any given day. If you are looking for recipes, this is probably not going to be the place for you, but if you have any interest in the history or science of food, then I hope you'll enjoy yourself here.
I'll also be commenting on and reviewing whatever food writing I happen to be reading at the time. I'm always looking for suggestions on new stuff to read, too, so go to it, with a will...
Ahh...the title of the blog comes from a quote by Epictetus (55 AD - 135 AD), the full text of which reads "Preach not to others what they should eat, but eat as becomes you, and be silent."
This is yet another food blog. The plan is to write about whatever happens to grab my fancy on any given day. If you are looking for recipes, this is probably not going to be the place for you, but if you have any interest in the history or science of food, then I hope you'll enjoy yourself here.
I'll also be commenting on and reviewing whatever food writing I happen to be reading at the time. I'm always looking for suggestions on new stuff to read, too, so go to it, with a will...
Ahh...the title of the blog comes from a quote by Epictetus (55 AD - 135 AD), the full text of which reads "Preach not to others what they should eat, but eat as becomes you, and be silent."
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