EAT, COOK, LOVE

In my foods class, we have just finished watching a CBC Doc Zone called Eat, Cook, Love. It is all about how we can recreate a relationship with food. People are starting to eat only because they have to, not because they want to. Food is beginning to be viewed as something negative for many reasons, such as it can cause obesity. This documentary mentions some places around the world that are trying to control what the people intake. For example, in New York, they wanted to reduce the salt levels because 8 out of 10 people intake more salt than their daily recommendation. So they tried to ban salt in restaurants. In Japan, there is now an obesity tax and Foiegras, which is duck, is now illegal to serve in the United States. These are a few examples of how people are trying to control what the people in our world eat and try to limit our personal choice. In Eat, Cook, Love, they convey their message which is that it is important to have personal choice, which comes along with personal responsibility. This means that it is important to have choices such as what you want to eat. There shouldn't be any restrictions on what you can and can't have. It is your responsibility to make the right choices for yourself on what you want to eat and how much you want to eat the government should not be in control of that. Furthermore, this documentary encourages us to recreate a relationship with food. They provide a great example, which is the Mediterranean diet. This diet is part of the peoples heritage and the recipes are passed down through generations. If these traditions are not passed down then they will be lost. Therefore, it creates a relationship between people and food. Secondly, in Las Vegas, there is a restaurant called the Heart Attack Grill. The chef there strives to corrupt the American diet by delivering nutritional corruption. These two examples demonstrate how we should all eat because we want to eat, develop a positive relationship with food and make our own choices about what we want to eat. This documentary has inspired me to do just that!

The French Culture

One of my good friend's just recently did an exchange with a girl from France. Her name was Charmaine Laurent. During the time she was in Thunder Bay I took the opportunity to interview her about her culture. Here are some of the questions and answers from our interview.

1. What is a famous food from France? A French food that really stands out in my mind are crepes. They are so delicious and you can eat them with almost anything.
2. What is your favorite food to eat? My favorite food would have to be Strawberry Napoleon's. They are my favorite French dessert. It is made with Puff Pastry, strawberries and some type of whipped cream.
3. What kinds of French foods do you enjoy making? Well, my favorite thing to make are crepes probably because they are so easy and delicious. But, some of the other foods I enjoy making are Ratatouille, chicken cordon bleu,  and onion soup. I don't really like blue cheese at all so I don't like to eat the chicken cordon bleu. I make it because my parents love it so I'll cook a meal with the chicken once in a while.
4. What is a common ingredient used that is different than what is commonly used in Canada? Well, in France there are so many different kinds of desserts that are made with Choux pastry. It is a light pastry dough used to make eclairs, beignets, French crullers and many others. 
5. What are three odd foods you can find in France? To start, Pigeon can be found on many of the fine restaurant menus. Secondly, at a restaurant in Paris called Au Pied du Cochon where you can try just about any part of pig you want to try. Lastly, a really disgusting in my opinion French food is Boudin Noir. This is blood pudding or blood sausage. It is often served with diced potatoes, onions and sometimes little bits of apple.

I found that interviewing another person from a different culture really opened my eyes to the diversity of cuisine throughout the world. There are many foods that I would love to try out to experience different cultures through their cuisine! I definitely need to try out these Strawberry Napoleon's.

Shirley Temples

My young sister, who is in grade nine, came home today and began to tell me all about her multicultural project in geography class. Each of the students had to bring some type of food or beverage from a different culture to class. So of course my sister decides to do the United States. I was thinking wow you couldn't have been a little more creative, but whatever. So her group decided to make Shirley Temples. Now I have had them before and I wasn't a big fan, but I decided to try one of her's anyway. To my great surprise it was actually delicious! It has a very unique flavour, but i can describe it best by saying it tastes like orange juice with a fizziness in it. She also taught me how to make one (I had to make my own actually because she doesn't like to make anything for me). So to make it you put about 1/4 of the glass filled with orange juice and then fill the rest up with ginger ale. Then you put one drop of grenadine in it and there you have your Shirley Temple :) This is definately a drink that I will be making again!

Chewing Gum

Nowadays, gum widely varies in its shape and flavor from spearmint to cheesecake flavored. The spearmint and peppermint flavors are the most popular in today's market. Did you know that the average person chews over 300 pieces of gum per year? Wow, I honestly don't think I have ever chewed that much gum in one year. Although chewing gum is some peoples favorite pastimes, it does have some serious drawbacks to it.

To start, chewing gum can lead to tooth decay, gum disease and cavitites because of the sugar that coats our teeth when we chew it. It slowly damages our tooth enamel, which leads to these issues. Secondly, the artifical sweeteners used to provide and special kind of taste or a longer lasting flavor runs the risk of causing allergies. These artificial sweeteners can also cause irritation or headaches. Next, chewing gum causes jaw stress and in many cases social distraction. Chewing gum in social environments is now accepted in most places, but it can be very distracting and irritating. I can definitely relate to this. For example, one of my teachers in the past chewed a lot of gum all the time and I found it very distracting and difficult to focus on the lesson.

On the other hand, chewing gum also has its benefits. Chewing gum helps to improve your memory and enhance your cognitive powers. It has been found that people who chew gum throughout tests have had better results than those who did not. Next, it reduces symptoms of stress, for it increases alertness and concentration within yourself and it help to reduce tension and release nervous energy when you are chewing. Lastly, chewing gum helps to improve digestion. The constant chewing increases saliva flow and promotes frequent swallowing. This helps to prevent reflux of acid from the stomach back into the throat.

All in all, chewing gum has many benefits and drawbacks, but I think I will still continue to chew gum. But I will try to stay below 300 pieces per year!

Tennis!

Recently, I have began going out to the tennis courts and practicing. I have had so much fun each time in the sun and I began to wonder: what else am I getting out of this besides a lot of vitamin D? Well, I have decided to make this blog to answer my question. To start, playing tennis gets you moving and is good for both your body and mind. It is a sport that you can play at nearly any age and any skill level. Whether you play competitively or just for fun there are health benefits for each!

1. Tennis helps to decrease your risk of heart disease. In a study at the College Alumni Health Study it shows that people who burn 2000 calories per week through exercise have lower death rates from heart disease. An average-sized man burns around 600 calories playing and an average woman burns 420 calories. So just by playing a few hours of weekly tennis you can reduce your risk of heart disease significantly.
2. Tennis enhances your flexibility, coordination and balance. The sport requires the whole body; your feet maneuver you around, your arms and hands position the racket to hit the ball and your torso and legs provide the power to hit the ball over the net. Each of these actions help you build up your flexibility, coordination and balance.
3. Tennis boosts your brain power. Tennis is not only a physical game, but a mental one where you must use your brain to be creative, use tactical thinking and maintain your agility and coordination of your body. The more your play tennis, the stronger the neural connections related to these activities become.
4. Tennis improves your bone health. While playing tennis it allows you to increase your peak bone mass and slow the rate of bone mass loss over time. the National Institutes of Health has named tennis as one of the weight-bearing activities that is well-suited for building strong bones.
5. Tennis helps you to lose weight. Everything about tennis can be a real workout when you are up against the right opponent. It is a full body sport, as it requires running, swinging, reaching and pivoting. You can burn a lot of calories when you are constantly on the move like you are when playing tennis. Playing tennis three to four times a week will help you to lose around half a pound a week. 

So after reading all of these benefits of tennis I hope it has inspired you to go and try it out! I know I will continue to play as I now know it has so many great benefits to it!

For more information on tennis you can visit the website below :)

http://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/aging/retirement/5-health-benefits-of-playing-tennis.htm#page=5 

Salad Rolls!

Today I decided to make a video of how to make salad rolls. They are a delicious appetizer or side to have especially during the summer months. They are so fresh tasting and very healthy for you. They are also one of my favorite things to make because they are so easy and they are always so delicious. The dipping sauce also goes very well with the salad rolls, but it does have a spicy taste to it. I also like making salad rolls because you can choose what you want in all the different rolls and how much you want of each type of filling in your salad roll. I hope you enjoy my video below and try them out yourselves so you can see how amazing they are! You can also find the recipe below.

Ingredients:

Rolls

• 8 round rice paper wrappers (22 cm in diameter)
• 1 head Boston bib lettuce, leaves separated
• 1 pint of alfalfa sprouts
• 1 small red pepper, julienned
• 2 carrots, julienned
• 2 green onions, julienned or sliced on the diagonal
• 1 pound of fresh king crab meat, shredded
• 1/2 cup roasted peanuts, chopped

Dipping Sauce

• 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 4 tbsp lime juice
• 2 tbsp orange juice
• 2 tsp grated ginger
• 1 tsp fish sauce
• 1 fresh Thai Chile, minced or to taste
• 3-4 tbsp honey

Directions:

Rolls

1. In a large bowl of warm water, soak the rice paper wrappers one at a time until softened; about 10 seconds.
2. Lay them on a tea towel to absorb some of the liquid and then transfer to a work surface.
3. Place a lettuce leaf in the center of the rice paper wrapper and then add some sprouts, red peppers, carrots, green onion and crab meat.
4. Sprinkle with some of the peanuts.
5. Begin to roll up the wrapper, tucking the ends in as you go.
6. Repeat with remaining wrappers.
7. Cut each salad roll in half and serve with the dipping sauce.

Dipping Sauce

1. Put dipping sauce ingredients in a bowl and mix to combine. Serve with the salad rolls.

Lunches!

Today at lunch I surveyed ten students lunches anonymously. I noticed that most people have very similar lunches. Most people brought some type of juice box or bottled water along with some type of granola bar. I noticed that the most popular granola bar was the Chewy bars. Some people also brought some type of fruit or vegetable such as snap peas or strawberries. It was the main part of the lunch that varied the most amongst the students. Some people brought sandwiches while others bought pizza at the caf or brought leftovers from their dinner. Lastly, the majority of the students brought cookies for the dessert part of their lunches. Overall, I think that the fruits and vegetables food group was the most lacking amongst the students lunches. Also the dairy and alternatives food group is also lacking. To improve their lunches the students should bring a salad or some cut up fruits and vegetables. They can also bring some yogurt to fulfill the dairy food group. I think that the average student lunch would cost about $5 if you are buying a lunch, but if you bring your lunch from home it could be between $5-10 depending on what you bring. Personally, I think my lunches are lacking these two food groups as well and from now on I will work harder to make sure I include all the different food groups in my lunch.

Bird's Nest Cookies

For Easter I decided that I would try a new Easter cookie recipe. This recipe is called Bird's Nest Cookies. They are very festive when they are finished and are quite colourful. To start, you mix together all of the ingredients which are butter, cream cheese, eggs, sugar, vanilla, coconut and almond extract, baking powder and flour. Then you form the dough into balls and make an indentation in them using the back of a tablespoon. You then bake them in the oven for 11 minutes at 350 degrees. When they are finished you indent the cookies again and let them completely cool. Once they are completely cooled you mix coconut flakes with green food colouring then place the coloured coconut in the indentations in the cookies. Next you put some Cadbury mini eggs on top of the coconut and they cookies are complete. You can also put other toppings on the cookies such as jellybeans, smarties or other little candies. These cookies are extremely easy to make and are a very tasty treat. I would recommend these cookies to anyone looking for a quick and easy Easter recipe:) Below is a picture of the finished product and they recipe of how to make it... Enjoy:)

The Egyptian Way

Lately I have been doing some research on the Egyptian culture and I have decided to share some of my newfound knowledge of their etiquette when it comes to dining. To start, when eating with others it is considered rude to stare at a fellow diners plate. It is said that staring at another persons food symbolizes greed and envy and it will bring bad luck. I would find it very difficult not to look at another persons plate because I am always curious about what other people have ordered and what their dishes look like. Although if the Egyptians are eating at home then it is okay to stare at someone else's plate because you are all eating the same thing, therefore you are sharing. The next thing about Egyptian food etiquette is that you should always leave food on your plate when you are done eating. If you do not then the host will think they have not been generous enough with the amount of food provided. Therefore, when you are finished eating you should leave a little bit of everything on your plate. Leaving food on your plate is also a sign of wealth. The next thing is that you should never pour your own drink. If you want a refill then you first refill your neighbours glass then they will refill yours. You should also never use your left hand for eating, only your right. Keep your left hand at your side and pass any food with your right hand as well. In addition, men and women may be asked to eat separately and alcohol is usually never served with the meal. Also, it is quite common to sit on a carpet or at low tables when eating a meal. Pertaining to the order of service, the honoured guest is always served first just like how it is when you go to someone's birthday. Then it changes, the oldest male is then served then the rest of the men then the children and finally the women. Overall, I don't think I would enjoy eating in Egypt because I like to eat right away and I don't really like waiting for everyone else to get their food first. I also like to sit at a table and be able to use both my hands to eat because it is much more comfortable. Otherwise, I thought that the Egyptian etiquette for dining is very unique and I never expected that any place would have rules such as they have for dining!

Harry Potter Cookbook

Today I had decided that I wanted to go through some of the cookbooks in my house and I came across a very unique one. It is the Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook. 

This cookbook is filled with many different recipes from Cauldron Cakes to Knickerbocker Glory, many of which I have yet to try. Some of the recipes I have tried include English Fried Eggs and a Gammon of Bacon, Big Fluffy Pancakes, Cheesy Chivy Scrambled Eggs and Hot Chocolate. My favourite is the big fluffy pancakes. This cookbook also has some interesting features in it. Each of the different recipes have their own explanations and origins written beside the recipe itself. There are also introductions before each recipe that relate to the Harry Potter books and where you can find when the characters tried these foods in the books. I love this cookbook for many reasons. I love how it is layed out and everything is easy to find along with how it provides you with information on what exactly the food is because I honestly haven't heard of a lot of the names of these recipes. Most of all I love this cookbook because it is a Harry Potter cookbook and I am definitely a big fan of the books :) Every time I read the books I wondered what each of these foods mentioned really tasted or looked like and now I can experience them myself! 

The only drawback I can think of about this cookbook is that it's pages are like an actual book's pages. I worry that if I spill anything on it I could easily wreck the pages. I also don't like how the book is hardcover so it is difficult to keep the book open to a certain page without it closing on itself. Otherwise this cookbook is amazing and I would recommend it to anyone who is a Harry Potter fan or even if you want to try a taste of some unique British dishes.

White Raspberries

Over the summer I visited my grandparents house many times. They live in the country and they have many gardens with a variety of fruits and vegetables in them. Always, my favourite fruit is the raspberries. There are a variety of different kinds in their garden, but they just recently added a new kind, which is the white raspberries. They look exactly like any other raspberry except they are white with a little yellow colour to them. In my opinion I did not like them very much. They were okay because I like the taste of raspberries, but I thought it lacked the flavour that red or black raspberries contain. They tasted a little too plain for my liking. I think that in the future I will probably stick to the red raspberries which are my favorite out of all the different kinds of raspberries. Although I am glad that I was able to try something new and find out what my opinion on these raspberries is. 

Pomegranates

Today, for the first time I tried a pomegranate and I thought it was delicious! The outside of the pomegranate is a little hard and it is the colour red. When you cut open the pomegranate there are many little seeds inside which is what you eat. These seeds are crunchy, but the seeds are surrounded in this red jelly stuff. They taste sweet, but they have a very unique flavour to them that is very addicting! The one thing that I think is annoying about pomegranates is that the juice stains very easily. When you cut the pomegranate the juice goes everywhere so I looked up some ways to stop this. I found that if you cut the pomegranate underwater in a bowl then it stops the juice from staining everything. Although it is a lot of work just to eat the pomegranate I think it is definitely worth the work. I can't wait to go and have another pomegranate! I think that pomegranates are now one of my favourite fruits because of their unique flavour.  

Benefits of Downhill Skiing

Downhill skiing is a great sport that allows you to get outside and increase your fitness levels in a seemingly effortless way. An article from Fit Day called "The Health Benefits of Downhill Skiing" focuses on the many aspects in which skiing benefits your body.

http://hqwallpapersplus.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Downhill-Skiing-Wallpapers-3.jpg

This article states that a high level of flexibility will benefit you greatly when you ski. If you are flexible, it is more likely you will not experience a strain or sprain. The article suggests that you stretch routinely, focusing on the core muscle groups such as your abdominal, obliques and hips which are used most when downhill skiing. One great stretch this article suggests is called "the superman". This is when you lie on your stomach and slowly raise your arms and legs stretching them out and lifting your head at the same time. You should hold this position for about ten seconds then start again. This particular stretch targets your lower back, core muscles and upper thighs.

Secondly, this article focuses on muscular fitness. Stability is key when downhill skiing, therefore you need to ensure you have strong leg muscles to keep your balance. When you ski downhill, your athletic stance includes having your knees bent putting you in a slight crouch and your feet at shoulder width apart. To ensure your legs will keep you stable while skiing you can do squats to build your leg muscles.

Lastly, this article talks about the cardiovascular benefits of skiing. To start, your heart rate will increase when you are hiking and carrying your ski equipment as well as when you are going down the hill, but there is also a healthy psychological part to skiing. When you ski your body releases endorphin's and adrenaline into the bloodstream, which elevates your mood ultimately making you happier.

Overall, I agree with many of the points stated in this article because I can easily relate to what it is talking about. I have downhill skied for many years and have also done training specifically for downhill ski racing. Throughout my years of training I have noticed that my skiing has improved as my strength and flexibility have increased. I also agree that skiing does put me in a great mood and it makes me enjoy each day so much more when I am outside on the slopes! Overall, skiing is a great way to get outside, enjoy the fresh air and benefit your body in many different ways.

http://hqwallpapersplus.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Downhill-Skiing-Wallpapers-7.jpg

For more information on this article or related ones you can visit the link below.
http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/fitness/sports-training/the-health-benefits-of-downhill-skiing.html#b

German Cuisine

During my trip to Europe we went to Neuschwanstein Castle. During this day trip we went and had lunch at a restaurant in an area below the castle. At the restaurant I got to try some German food for the first time. Normally I would choose a "safe" choice at a restaurant, such as chicken fingers and fries, but this time I decided to be a little more adventurous. I had bratwurst, sauerkraut and whipped potatoes and to my surprise I really enjoyed it. Bratwurst is similar to a regular sausage. I have tried sauerkraut before and I did not like it, but in this meal it was delicious and accompanied the bratwurst perfectly, making the meal very flavorful. Lastly, the potatoes were not my favorite part. They were so smooth and had a different flavor than what I am used to. I decided I did not like it as much as I like mashed potatoes; they were too smooth for my liking. In addition to the food, the service was wonderful. The waitress was friendly and our food was prepared very quickly. I thought the presentation of the food was good and the atmosphere of the restaurant was welcoming and authentic. Overall, it was a good experience trying new foods from a different culture and I was looking forward to trying other new foods! Below is a picture of the meal I chose and the menu. As you can see on the menu there is a picture of Neuschwanstein Castle. This is a restaurant I would definitely recommend to others to go to, to have a quick tasty meal!

              

                                                         

My Top Ten Foods

Here is a list of my top ten favourite foods... At this point in my life because I am sure I will try new foods that I will probably enjoy more. My favorite foods right now are: 

1. Oriental chicken salad

2. Lasagna

3. Tacos

4. Raspberries

5. Pomegranates

6. Bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich

7. Shrimp fried rice

8. Banana chocolate chip muffins

9. Salad rolls

10. Swedish poppyseed blueberry pancakes 

In my opinion, I believe that I have tried a wide range of unique foods in my lifetime due to the fact that my mom likes to experiment and try new recipes. Some of them I did not enjoy, but I still made myself try each and every one of her different dishes. Some of my favourite foods are very common although some are things you may have never heard of. I am glad that I have been able to try such a wide variety of different foods from different cultures and from there I have chosen my favorite foods.

Manicotti

I have just recently tried manicotti for the first time yesterday. Before I tried it I had no idea what it even was or what to expect. I was completely taken by surprise that is was basically noodles stuffed with cheese and cooked in a pasta sauce. In my opinion I thought it was delicious and I would defiantly try it again. The manicotti that I recently tried contained manicotti noodles, Parmesan, ricotta and mozzarella cheese with a mixture of different types of sauces. One thing I would change about how it was made it I would put less cheese inside the noodles because I thought its taste was overpowering. Otherwise, it was delicious. Now in our foods class I will not only be able to try it again, but I will get to learn how to make it. I am excited to try out a new recipe and make something that I know I will enjoy!

Hokitika Wildfoods Festival

http://www.wildfoods.co.nz/index.cfm/1,64,html/Festival-Images

This is a famous food festival that takes place on the wild west coast of New Zealand. It is a celebration of all the wild and crazy foods out there. This years theme is "A Taste for Adventure". There is even a contest for the wildest recipe. This year it will take place on Saturday, the 8th of March. Some foods that you may find there or sometime in the future include:

http://travel.allwomenstalk.com/festivals-in-2014-for-your-diary/6/

•  Huhu grubs
• Wild snails
• Lambs' tails
• Sheeps' brains
• Worm milkshakes
• Mussels
• Sweetbreads

Here is a taste of what's on the menu this year...

http://www.wildfoods.co.nz/index.cfm/1,235,html/Stallholder-Information

The festival started with a crowd of 1800, it has now grown to 22500!

In addition to the food there is a variety of entertainment such as bands, comedians and dancers.

You can even get creative and join in the costume competition!

I hope that one day I will be able to experience the wildness of this festival! 

Food Inc.

From watching this video I couldn't believe how many things that surprised me about where are food is from and how it is produced. Here are some interesting/scary facts I learned from watching this video:

• Chickens are raised and slaughtered in half the time it takes them naturally and they are twice the size.
• The chickens bones and internal organs can't keep up with their rapid growth so they can only take a few steps before falling over.
• It is extremely dark inside the chicken houses so that the chickens will lie down and it will make them less resistant when they are taken to be killed.
• I also didn't know it was traditionally black men who caught the chickens, but now it is usually Latinos. 
• After a decline in the tobacco industry, many farmers turned to chicken farming.
• There are many different products that corn is found in and you would never expect it to be in the product. For example, in batteries, Twinkies and ketchup.
• Many animals are fed corn that shouldn't be fed it. Farmers do this because it is cheap and it makes the animals fat.
• Meat packaging is now one of the most dangerous jobs in America.
• Many of the employees in the meat packaging industry are illegal immigrants.
• Lastly, one in three Americans will contract diabetes type 2 at an early age.

  

  http://www.amateurgourmet.com/2009/06/foodinc.html