Musings on food security and systems, nutrition, and gastroecology
The Guardian posted some photos comparing food advertisements to the real food. And just as you imagine, the adverts are much more appetizing then the real deal. My favorite is the Arby’s beef and cheddar sandwich posted below. Shame on you for even thinking Arby’s would produce something that looked edible.
Arbys beef and cheddar monster
Ever been to Doughnut Plant in the lower east side of NYC? If not, it is a must, as is a visit to the Pickle guys. We used to live right on top of the pickle guys and right down the street from the dreamy doughnut shop, but interestingly, I always thought it was called Planet not plant. I like planet better.
doughnut plant
Serious eats seriously tried out almost every doughnut they have to offer, but missed my favorite, seasonal variety – the pumpkin doughnut. Yum. I am not a fan of promoting junk food, but a doughnut and a hot cup of coffee in the lower lower east side is just a thing to do sometimes. At least a New York thing to do.
Forging a Hot Link to the Farmer Who Grows the Food – cool article in the Times
Raj Patel wants you to Buy Japanese or at least, live in Japan
Teenagers near fast food = obesity. And Marion Nestle has some ideas on it. And she was in the NY times last week. Go Marion.
The new Food Inc movie. Can’t see it here in Nairobi but see it if it comes to a theater near you…
And another film called “Food Fight”. It is hard to keep up these days…
Best Trattoria in Rome? Let the Debate Begin. God, how I would die to be eating this food every night. Taking slow food to the profound letter. But hell, this the origin of slowness in all its beauty.
My apologies for the long haitus, but we have been eating our way through Thailand for the past two weeks. I don’t think I have to say that Thailand has a plethora of food awesomeness and diversity. You know when you are eating Thai food, not just because of the beads of sweat that come rolling down your head from the hot chilis added to just about everything, but the unique flavors and ingredients that can only be classified as Thai.
lots of chilies
Supposedly the secret to Thai food is the balancing of the five fundamental flavors of hot, sour, sweet, bitter and salty. They like to use strong and salty fish sauce, kaffir lime leaves, Thai basil, ginger, cilantro, curry powder, lemongrass, limes and large amounts of chilis.
essential thai ingredients
I remember the first time I had Thai food was in Tucson during my undergraduate years. It was truly an awakening experience and no matter how you slice it or dice it, Thai food is unique. Everyone says that you don’t know a cuisine until you have traveled to the country of origin, like Indian or Vietnamese food. But I must say, there are some restaurants in the United States that have gotten Thai food right. Maybe the spices have been simmered down to an acceptable gringo level, but overall, the flavors are there in the basic popular dishes. The green and red curries and pad thai, even in Thailand, were excellent but didn’t taste all that different to what you get in the U.S.
pad thai on banana leaf
The green curry, made with green chilies and is considered one of the hottest curries, was never hot. Not in Thailand. Not in the U.S. I just don’t get it. One thing I have not seen anywhere in the U.S. that was added to a lot of the dishes in Thailand are fresh peppercorns.
peppercorns and shrooms
One of my favorites, and still after traveling to Thailand, remains a favorite, is Tom Yam Goong or in Thai, ต้มยำ a hot & sour soup with shrimp. Yum. Everywhere we went in Thailand, it was always a little bit different, more spicy sometimes (like at some random bar in a small city north of Bangkok) or more mushroomy in other places. But, tom yam goong, in my opinion, encompasses all the flavors of Thai cuisine. Their fried whole fish with chilies is also so delicious, everywhere we went, especially the coast.
fish and chilies
The Thai also lean towards the exotic. Derek tried a few interesting “snacks” like giant water bugs and grubs, and also frogs. Most of these are prepared by deep-frying them and are often fermented in fish paste and smothered with chilies.
derek eating giant water bugs
Speaking of deep frying, although most Thai are thin, there seems to be an increased amount of individuals who are overweight. You can see more overweight children in Bangkok. I also noticed that everywhere you look, on the street carts or in the food stalls, there is a plethora of fried foods being sold, and sugary drinks. Even their Thai iced coffees have a heaping mound of whip cream on them.
1/2 thai iced coffee, 1/2 whipped cream
Fried chicken, fried fish balls, fried pork rinds (the favorite) fried bugs etc etc. Also, lots of american-type junk food everywhere – lays potato chips, cheetos, and candy in brightly colored packaging. But fried food here is king.
pork rinds on a cart
Other interesting things about Thai cuisine and food habitation:
Cupcakes have been all the rage for a few years in New York. Ever since Sex and the City’s ladies went to Magnolia Bakery, there seems to be this unhealthy obsession with the cupcake. NY Times even got on the bandwagon and wrote an article questioning whether cupcakes are the new Krispy Kremes. They have a point. Ever year or two there is a new “dessert” that gives the justification to indulge, guilt-free. This past year it was the dark chocolate craze. “It has antioxidants and is good for your heart.” Yeah, so is broccoli. Other sweet tooth crazes have followed the same suit – gelato, creme brulee, donughts (as the retro comback), and the list goes on and on. Basically, it is all just bad for you.
Cupcakes these days are particularly bad. Places like Magnolia have about 2 inches of buttery-creamy frosting on the top of a somewhat dry piece of cake. I can’t imagine how many calories and fat are in the little morsels that you eat in two bites, 4 dollars later. What happened to the Hostess cupcakes?
Why does there always have to be a sweet food craze and why do people have to go overboard and justify it by saying its hip or in fashion? Pure sillyness. What happened to the days when a cupcake is something enjoyed once in a while – like at an office party or a baby shower? The problem is, NYC has all these quaint little bakeries in the lower east side and upper west side that put the pastel-laden butt busters in the window to tempt passerbyers. Great, more incentive in helping us get a little chunkier, and put the ‘M’ back in ‘Mud Flaps’ as Spinal Tap profoundly sang. Remember? “Big bottoms, big bottoms, talk about mud flaps, my girl’s gottem.” Put that in your cupcake and smoke it.
Frontier Restaurant on Route 66
Derek and I stopped off at another fine eating establishment on our journey across the United States, called the Frontier Restaurant on Route 66. I highly recommend it if you want to expend your entire caloric worth in one meal. The huevos rancheros and vegetarian bean burrito with green chili sauce rocks. Too bad the food is so bad for you…The place has been open forever and is a hallmark establishment when stopping by Albuquerque. It used to be open all night in the safer days, but now only open 5 am to 1 am. The western artwork hanging on the walls is a bonus.
Crackerbarrel is sort of the farmer, country-crockery version of Dennys. The fat and calorie-laden menu accompanies their “antique” flair covered walls of ol’ American farmer yesteryear. The average breakfast runs about 3,000 calories including eggs, hash, swine, and homemade biscuits doused in thick gravy.
On Derek and my road trip out west, we decided to stop in a Crackerbarrel and not only are the breakfast menus disturbing, but the “country” store in front of the restaurant is a mishmash of kitchen kitsch and junk food. Check out the displays below to see the finest in America’s Fat Land. No wonder children have diabetes by age 2.
putting the crack back into crackerbarrel
