fine dining

In my experience of working at an upscale restaurant, I’ve experienced the fine dining environment as well as the food they serve.  The employee’s experience of course is rather different from the customers.  As employees, we have to satisfy the guest's needs and make their experience one of the best ones.  Although not all customers are understanding and nice we always have to maintain our positive and calm attitude no matter what. We need to understand that the customer is paying for the ambiance and the service and the food.  Working for an upscale restaurant is difficult and consists of strict rules that you have to follow.  I know the place where I work at, professionalism is everything, and even your vocabulary has to reflect it.  There just seems like a distance between the employees and the customers at fine dining restaurants.  It just seems like everything has to be professional and polished no room for mistakes.  I bet many of you can sense that, compare a family restaurant that has been opened for years and you have been a regular customer ever since it opened to a fancier chain restaurant.  The environment is different as well as the food. 

                The fancier the restaurant the smaller the food portions are, but there are more courses.  The customer is paying for the quality of food and food tends to be of higher quality in fancier restaurants.  It’s also healthier to eat smaller portions in different courses with varieties of food coming out one at a time.  Some restaurants I know do a 6 course meal.  There’s a starter plate that comes before the appetizer, then the appetizer, followed up by soup or salad, then an intermission which gets you ready for your main entrée.  The main entrée comes and last but not least you have the dessert.  The courses sound like a lot, but the portions are super small, so they get a bit of everything.  That’s the key difference between a fine dining restaurant and a regular restaurant.  In a regular restaurant, you tend to pay for the food so they give you more all in one time instead of doing 6 or 7 courses.  

The perks of knowing your food

It’s always beneficial and important to know what you’re eating and the good benefits and bad benefits you get from your food.  I know that I’ve talked a lot about healthy eating and how important it is to know where your food comes from, from my previous blogs.  After all, this blog is called the pivot point of food, the turning point of food. 

                Now I know that sometimes I get confused and categorize food as bad or good, either the food I am eating is healthy or unhealthy.  It doesn’t really work that way, surely some foods are worse than others but it’s all about portion size, control and mixing and matching.  For example if you are a huge fan of potato chips or chocolate, it’s important to control the amount, even though it’s hard and addicting.  Watch and take notice of how much you are eating because it’s unhealthy.  Make it a little bit healthier.  Get creative and make the chocolate into a granola bar, or smash the chips and use it to bread chicken.  This mixing and matching of foods makes the unhealthy chips or chocolate a bit healthier.  The two junk food sits in the middle of the scale between healthy and unhealthy.

               Being knowledgeable about the food world is also very important if you want to eat healthier or if you are on a diet.  Research or read about foods that will help you and your lifestyle.  Different kinds of foods do different things that will either harm you or help you.  Making sure that you know what you are eating will make your body function properly or better. 

                As people begin to be more cautious about what they are eating, many grocery stores have a rating system in which it rates foods from 1-100 on the nutritional value of the food. 1 being the lowest in nutrition and 100 as the highest.  Use the system to your advantage, the system is a great way to monitor the healthy foods you are buying and the unhealthy foods.  You might be shocked on what you might find and consider being healthy but it’s not really healthy. 

                Remember that foods are not all bad or all good, portion size, control and mixing and matching foods will make the unhealthy foods you like to eat better for you

Homemade is better

I am a girl that likes to bring food from home for lunch rather than eating cafeteria style food.  I’m sure there are others that are like me who despise packing and cooking but loves eating and knows that homemade lunches are incomparable to cafeteria food.  I guess you can ask me why don’t I just eat the cafeteria lunch, but make it a hassle to cook and pack food for lunch.  Well first of all let’s face the truth, homemade is better.  You put what you like in your food and take out what you don’t like.  You care about what you’re putting into your mouth so you cook carefully putting sanitation first.  You understand what you like exactly and the way you want it cooked.  When you’re eating at a restaurant or in the cafeteria at work or school you don’t have an option of what you want to eat.  Instead you have a menu with limited choices to choose from.  Worst yet in cafeterias they don’t even have menus, they just cook what they want and if you like it well theirs your lunch.  If you don’t, too bad it is what it is.  Does the cook know what you like specifically and don’t like specifically? Not as well as you know yourself.  Does the cook care about sanitation and preparing your food with the upmost care?  I don’t think so, it’s their profession to cook, so as long as they make their money then there’s no complaining. 

            I mean let’s also put money into consideration.  When you dine out or get food from the cafeteria, you have to pay for the food, and often the food there is far more expensive than it really should be.   At restaurants, you have to pay for the food, and the service.  For example, the chicken you buy at home is much cheaper than the chicken you order at a restaurant, simply at restaurants you are not just paying for the chicken but they charge you extra so the restaurant can make profit.  Although for convenient reasons, dining out is fancier, more relaxed, and you don’t have to clean up after wards.  I personally think dining at home is more intimate and the food just taste better. 

Fighting against hunger around the World

                    When we look around the world, there are first world countries that are doing well and not have hunger as a problem.  At another glance around the world, you see many third world countries that are struggling every single day with hunger.  Whether it's political, economic or natural disasters none of them deserve to go hungry every day.  Food is a necessity that everyone needs, to stay alive and not be malnourished.  There are many things that we could do to fight against world hunger and prevent families from starving.  

          1) Get involved in hunger programs There are so many different programs that are dedicated in stopping world hunger.  Whether it's donation or packaging food or having a food drive, help out with the programs.  They always need volunteers to help with something so get involved!

          2) Learn more about all the different hunger programs  In order to know which program suites you and which one you like, research about different programs that you like to join.  What program stands out to you? Why do you like being a part of that program? What does that program do? There are tons of programs out there, find some information about them and be a part of a program that you are interested in.  By researching more information about the different programs, you could educate others and tell others about all the different hunger programs they can be a part of.

          3.) Educate others about hunger  It's not that no one wants to help out, but sometimes it's just that nobody knows about hunger and how it's a big problem around the world.  Educate people about hunger, make brochures or informational packets for people.  Talk to them about what they could do to help out and reduce hunger around the world.   

                4.) Write letters to people to help contribute donations At my school, we are writing letters to different people asking for donations that would help the One Campaign.  The project was aimed to help the Filipinos recover from the typhoon.  Tell them about what the donation would go towards and a bit more about what the program does and how it will help the hungry adults and kids around the world.  Donors like to know where their money is going to so writing letters is a great way to inform them.

          

How much do we trust our food?

         I often pack my own lunch at home and take it with me to school.  Although it's a lot more convenient  just to eat school lunch so you don't have to pack lunch.  You miss you out on the foods you like to eat at home.  There's more choices to choose from at home, you pack what you like and eat what you like.  At school theirs a limited menu everyday, and if you don't like the school lunch then you are out of luck, you just have go hungry for the rest of the day.  It's always good to know what you are eating and have a first account of how it was made.  At school, the lunch ladies make your food, you don't know what it's made with or how it's made.  Wouldn't it be better if you knew what your food was made with?  When my brother was in elementary school, the students found out about how the spaghetti sauce used for the spaghetti had more red food coloring than the actual tomato sauce itself.  That's a bit scary isn't it?  The students don't know what they are eating because they don't know how it was made!
            So how much do we really know about the food we are eating?  Reality is, we know nothing about what we are eating.  That's actually pretty sad when you think about it.  Behind the scenes in the food industry is ugly, it was so ugly and horrendous that filmmaker Robert Kenner went to investigate the truth about our food.  In his documentary Food, Inc, Kenner opens the eyes of all the clueless and innocent Americans.  After watching that documentary, it made me wonder and think how powerful the food industry is.  They don't want us to know about what we are eating, because if we do, then we won't buy them and as a result they begin losing money.  Take a moment to think about how many foods that you have eaten that are not local grown? They are usually produced from either another state or even from another country!  We don't know exactly where our food comes from.  We have come from a society in which foods are not carefully grown but rather food industries care more about quantity rather than quality.  Quantity is where the big profit comes in because more people will buy it.   After watching the documentary over the food industry, it really opened my eyes and made me care about what foods I  am eating, my lifestyles has changed.  I eat only organic now, and I am slowly going towards in becoming a vegetarian.  I hope that each one of you will develop a sense of curiosity and question the food that you are eating, instead of just eating everything.  We only have one life, might as well make a healthy one.

Tea-licious

          Certainly in America, coffee is way more popular than tea.  The definition of coffee to me is a necessity  that I need in the morning to get through my day, and provides energy for me to stay awake.  To me it acts like an energy booster when I am drowsy or tired.  Coffee to me was something that I needed everyday to wake me up, however that changed when my mom told me about the benefits of tea.  You see, there are so many different kinds of teas with all different types of flavors, each type of tea has its own health benefits.  However the most common type of health benefit is it helps you lose weight.  By replacing a bottle of pop everyday to a cup of herbal tea, you can lose weight and stop gaining weight.  Tea also helps stop heart diseases and certain kinds of cancer, rich in antioxidants it boosts the immune system preventing cancerous cells to develop and grow.  The benefits of tea are endless, however you have to be careful on what kind of tea you are drinking.
         Brewed teas taste better and more nutritious than instant bottled teas.  The tea leaves brewed taste so much more different than the instant teas you buy at the grocery store.  If you have tried both types you can taste the difference between the two.  The brewed teas have a sweeter aroma from the tea leaves while the bottled teas are also sweet, the sweetness comes from the sugar that was added.  This ruins the taste of the natural tea flavor making the tea flavor less strong. 
        The  tea leaves could be used for many things, I know my mom uses the tea leaves to soak her feet.  Especially when winter is approaching, you might have dry cracked feet.  Add a couple of tea leaves to warm water and soak your feet in for about 15 minutes and your feet won't be dry but soft.  Tea leaves are also great for facials, acne problems? dry skin? no problem just blend the tea leaves and leave it on your face for about half an hour to an hour.  You skin will feel soft and refreshed. 
          If you don't believe me in the benefits tea can give you, give it a try, drink a cup of  tea everyday and see how you feel.

Eggs and Flour

          There are a lot of times in which many of you just can't decide or don't know what to eat.  With a refrigerator packed with food, there's still nothing to eat.  Here are some easy ideas on creating 2 meals, breakfast using eggs and flowers. 
         For breakfast, start with something light to get your day going.   Get a glass of milk to get your dairy for the day, top it off with a pancake and an omelet and voila, the perfect light hearty breakfast.  When making pancakes add some blueberries, chocolate chips or fruits that you like into the pancake, that way you don't just have a plain boring pancake.  Change the shape of the pancakes to make it more fun.  What I usually do is I have an egg shaper, so I put the egg shaper on the skillet and pour my pancake batter in the egg shaper to shape the pancakes.  That way you have a perfect shaped pancake that's fun and lively.  Going onto the omelets, I make my omelets healthier without using a skillet, I boil the omelet In a pot.  First I would take 2 eggs (2 eggs per person) and crack it in a Ziploc bag.  Then I would use my fingers to smush the egg to mix it up.  I go and get all the ingredients that I like to put in my eggs, like mushrooms, ham, or spinach.  I put the ingredients in the bag and mix it again, and then I would zip up the Ziploc bag nice and tight fold it in half and put it in the boiling water for about 12 minutes.  After 12 minutes the omelet should turn yellow and should be like a roll shape.  With milk, pancakes and an omelet for breakfast you don't have to worry about getting hungry later. 
         For lunch a healthy hardboiled egg, fried clam salad is an easy and filling lunch.  Get some mesclun lettuces and some spinach, toss it with a bit of ranch fried clams and sliced hardboiled eggs and you have your lunch.  To fry the clams, you can just use regular flour to coat the clams, put in the oven or the fryer for a couple of minutes and it should be ready.  The mesclun lettuce provides you with a variety of baby lettuces with all sorts of vitamins, they are colorful and nutritious.  The eggs provide you with protein, the ranch dressing is a good source of fat and oil and the clams are high in good fat. 
          Eggs and flours are easy to incorporate into our food, almost every recipe calls for eggs and flour.  Eggs and flours  are that component that can add a bit of flavor and fluffiness to our foods.

The evolution of food

         When you look back 50 years ago, 100 years ago, or 1000 years ago you realize that foods are so different back then compared to today.   Food was once something that was a necessity for survival is now something we take for granted and desire.  In prehistoric times, many hunter gathers would not waste a part of an animal or crop, but used every part of the food.  They did not have restaurants back then that catered costumers and produced an abundance of food that would just be thrown away if not finished.  If something doesn't look very appetizing we simply just throw it away, you’re full? Just throw it away.  We waste more food in a day in which we could have enough food saved up in a year to feed the hungry children around the world, places that don't have an abundance of food.  Sometimes we over eat because we want to eat away all the negative feelings we are feeling.  Our mentality has changed, food that was eaten for survival and nothing else is now food that we take for enjoyment.  In many first world countries, we don't ever have to worry about food, we get 3 meals a day, eat as much as we want, eat when we are bored and we overeat.  That wasn't necessarily true before or in other third world countries.  Those people have to go hunt for food and get food to bring home.  Sometimes they don't find much so they just have to eat what they have.  How many of us want to eat something but is not available to us?  Not many right? There are a variety of foods at the supermarket that we can eat what we want to eat.  The globalization of food has allowed almost everyone to get foods that are not native to their country.   

           Science has had a close relationship to food.  Scientists learned how to genetically modify foods to make them last longer or make them more nutritious and bigger in size.  People didn’t know how to do that 100 years ago!  It kind of makes me think how far we have come.  Corn for example, the corn we know today was so different from ancient times.  The corn we have today is about 3 times bigger then it’s ancestor.  Through thousands of years of selective breeding, the end result is the corn we have today.  With great power also brings great responsibility and consequences.    Although GMOs makes it a lot easier and prevents bad things from happening to our food, theirs also cons to GMOs.  You don’t know if it’s safe to eat your genetically modified tomatoes.   Even though nobody has been reported dead from eating genetically modified foods, you still don’t know the health risks involve and studies haven’t proven that there are no health concerns. 

Do you sea-food differently?

      Majority of us mid west folks don't really like eating seafood, we don't like the fishiness flavor from the seafood.  However the people from the west coast and east coast are huge seafood eaters.  Regions of where we grow up can impact the food we like and don't like.  As mid west folks we are known for the crops, and cattle, therefore we are big meat eaters rather than seafood eaters.  The east coast and west coast are by the oceans so they rather like seafood.   I lived in Maryland for about two years when I was a toddler and I remembered how the people their love crab cakes.  You can find crab cakes just about every restaurant you go too.  I don't like crab cakes, you can't really taste the crab but I just don't like the taste of it. I love certain kinds of seafood, but only when theirs lemon provided for me, I like my seafood with lemon juice.  I am okay with the typical seafood like shrimp, lobster, fish, clams, oysters, mussels, scallops and snow crab legs.  Other types are just too extreme for me like squid, and crayfish.  Squid has like a texture of a rubber band, it's really chewy and hard to swallow.            
      Their are certain types of fish that I like, sea bass, salmon, and mahi mahi.  Preparing fish is really important especially when you don't want to end up tasting the fishiness of the fish.  Most common ways fishes are cooked are grilling it or baking it with lots of lemon on it.  The sea bass is my favorite type of fish.  It's really tender and flaky, and you can barely taste the fishiness.  Fish are a great source of omega 3 and provides protein in your diet.  If you're not a big fish lover I would suggest mixing it up with other types of food, for example my mom makes these fish tacos that even my friends who are not fish eaters crave them.  For those of you who love seafood like I love seafood, you will love Red Lobsters, they are known for their seafood and of course their lobster.  They had an endless shrimp month, all you can eat shrimp for $14.00.  They had garlic shrimp, shrimp scampi, shrimp pasta, grilled shrimp, coconut shrimp and more.  It definitely filled my appetite for shrimp.  The fried clams their are also really good, it doesn't taste like clams at all, it just melts in your mouth.  I love their seafood pasta and their seafood pot pie, both very amazing and very delicious.  The seafood pasta comes with scallops, lobster and baby shrimp with a lemony garlic sauce.  The seafood pot pie is a regular pot pie, but instead of the chicken it's seafood.  If you love lobster, they have live lobsters that you can choose and they prepare the one you chose and cook it for you.  You get the whole lobster as well as a side with it.  That definitely will make you sea food more differently.

Comfort foods

       Comfort food could be described as foods that make us feel warm, happy and comforting.  Whether you're sick or lazy, comfort foods always have a benefit of making us feel better inside.  Everybody has different kinds of foods that they consider to be comforting, especially when winter is approaching, many would consider warm hot meals as a type of comfort food. 
       One of my classic favorite comfort food is chicken noodle soup with muffin.  The two duos make me feel better when I am sick and it's something that is easy to digest and soothes my throat.  The light chicken broth from the soup is delicious and tasty.  Their is just something in the chicken noodle soup that makes me want to eat bowls and bowls of it.  The muffin adds a little bit of sweetness to my mouth, and I like to have something sweet with something salty, it just balances the soup out.  Another type of comfort food most of us might eat when we are feeling low or anxious are junk food.  We chow down chocolate bars, chips, fries, cookies etc.  We eat junk food to comfort our feelings and eat our feelings away.  I personally think that doesn't work whatsoever.  By chowing down tons of junk food is not going to make my feelings go away but rather it makes my stomach ache from overeating.  I think that junk food is not a type of comfort food, it could be once in a while and in moderation but not so when you are over eating it.
      One of my favorite restaurants that probably has all the comfort food I love is Panera.  Panera serves pastries, salads, sandwiches and soups that are tasty and makes me feel warm.  The bear claw that they serve is delicious.  It's a croissant  shaped of a bear claw( thus named bear claw) with nuts on it and it's sweet.  Pair it up with a salad or their broccoli and cheddar soup and you're in comfort food heaven.  It's filling and doesn't leave you feeling nauseous.
     

Effective ways of Grocery shopping

     It can get overwhelming and hectic when you are going grocery shopping, deciding on what you should buy, budget, how long the food will last, how long the food will spoil etc.  I came up with a system where it will save you some effective time, money and just makes grocery shopping a bit more fun.
      Before I go out to do my daily grocery shopping, I look around the kitchen and write down a list of things that I must need that I don't have.  For example, If I ran out of coffee, that will be on the the list, I definitely need coffee in the morning or I will not have a good day.  Then write down other things that  you would like to get at the grocery store, like a bag of candy, chips, or cookies.  Remember if you are on a budget, write down your budget on top of the paper so you know not to over spend.
      At the grocery store, I like to take a cart just because it's more convenient to put the foods in your cart rather than hauling it around everywhere you go.  First, get the foods you need, the foods you don't have any at your house and is essential.  Get those necessities first that way you won't forget later.  When buying groceries keep in mind that the cheapest isn't always the best, and the most expensive types aren't the best either.  When I go out and shop, I look for healthier choice brands, the good kinds, not the best but yet not the worst.  If their's two types of milk, for example, whole milk for $2.99 or 2% less fat with omega 3, for
$3.99 I will get the 2% less fat with omega 3.  It's up to you on what you like but take into consideration that big brand name products are not always the best.
      After you grab all your necessary foods move on to your other foods, the reason why you are getting these last is because if you are getting over your budget you can start cutting back on the other foods.  These types of foods are the foods that you enjoy, it doesn't have to be the best, as long as they taste good and suites your taste buds then theirs no difference between $2.00 cookies vs $3.00 cookies if they are the same size and same type of cookies.
      Creating a list of all the groceries you need saves time and saves you from finding and thinking of all the things you need.  Shopping with friends is a great way to make grocery shopping more fun.  Invite a few friends over for lunch or dinner and go grocery shopping together, it's more enjoyable and more fun that way.

Quick bites for those who are in a rush in the morning

      Many of us sometimes are in such a rush either to work or school that we forget to eat breakfast.  I cannot stress enough about how bad, very bad that is for you and your body, your stomach will be in starvation mode and you will not function properly if you don't have something to eat.  Here are some tips on grabbing and going when you're on a rush.
Pack some food the day before you have something important going on.  If you know you have to wake up early in the morning for something important, pack some breakfast the night before your trip.  That way in case you overslept, you will have some food packed already and ready to go.
Grab something that is easy to eat or prepare for later.  If you didn't follow the first step and ended up being in a rush, grab something you can eat on your way, grab a granola bar, poptarts or some bread.  Don't upset your stomach by not feeding it.   If you just seriously don't have time to eat in the morning, take something for later, so that at least you have some food to munch on when your hungry later.
Grab and go at restaurants.  Don't feel like or have time to  make breakfast?  Find a breakfast place that has a drive thru, and order from the drive thru, it's convenient, and saves a lot of time, of course unless it's busy.
Buy some quick foods.  When you're shopping for groceries, buy some foods that are the type that you can grab and go, and easy to eat.  For example, the Lunchables are easy to eat and you could take with you, poptarts, raisin breads, bagels, microwavable breakfast foods or muffins.  
Eat something, anything for breakfast.  Breakfast doesn't mean you need to have breakfast type foods, pancakes, bacon, or omelettes.  As long as you eat something for breakfast that will fill your stomach, your stomach will be happy.  Your stomach is not going to reject the food you're feeding just because it's not breakfast food, it won't know the difference, food is food.
      Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and it's important to eat something when you're heading out and starting your adventure for the day.  Breakfast eaters are a lot more happier, and have more energy than those non breakfast eaters.   Remember if you're in a rush, grab something, anything with you so that you won't be starved.

Organic food vs Inorganic food

      Eating organic is very beneficial to your health, your not only getting all the nutrients you need, but also your not ingesting all the pesticides and chemical fertilizers that farmers put into their produce.  Organic farmers use traditional ways to grow their produce without using any chemical fertilizers or growth hormones to advance and grow the foods we eat.  People buy organic foods because their are no additives added, no pesticides and because of environmental reasons, organic practices are designed to benefit the environment, reducing pollution, conserving water and soil quality.  Although organic foods are a bit more expensive because of the labor that goes into it, you can taste the difference between the organics and the inorganic.  For example a tomato from a regular grocery store is different from the tomatoes that you might grow at home.  The inorganic tomato at the grocery store is bigger, perfect looking, it taste a bit more sour, while the organic tomato is more red, a lot smaller, not as perfect looking but you can taste the natural tomato flavor, it's sweeter and softer.  You can taste the difference between organic foods and inorganic foods, I personally think that organic foods taste much better than inorganic foods.  Many people are eating more organic foods and many grocery stores have an organic section, where they sell all different types of organic and healthy food.  Here in Cedar Rapids the Newbo Market in downtown sell fresh local grown organic vegetables and fruits that you may like, they are delicious and healthy.

      If some organic foods are harder to find in your cities, you can grow your own fruits and veggies.  Growing your own fruits and veggies, you know exactly what your doing to what your going to be eating, and it's less expensive.  If your going to plant your own veggies and fruits make sure you know what kind of fruits and vegetables are suitable for a certain season.  You wouldn't want to grow tomatoes in the fall because they're not suitable for the weather.       Whether your eating inorganic foods or organic foods it's important to know what exactly are you eating and always remember to read the labels CAREFULLY, sellers would try to get you to buy the words even if they have to twist their words around.  All natural does not mean organic, all natural assures you of a little organic,  tells you you’re buying food made without the use of toxic persistent pesticides, GMOs, antibiotics, or artificial growth hormones.  In order for a food to be organic the food was made with a set of farming and production practices defined and regulated, in great detail, by the USDA. 

Kids competing to become Iron Chef

     You don't have to be a certain age to get the title of Iron Chef, this year their has been many TV shows of kids ages 8-12 from all over the nation competing for the title of Iron Chef.  The kids create healthy, delicious, and creative dishes for the judges and they are judged on creativity, appearance, and taste.  The winner of the competition gets the title of Junior Iron Chef, and a scholarship to any culinary school they choose.
      If you've seen shows like Iron Chef of America or Chopped, you know how difficult it is to create something from scratch with the ingredients given to you.  The kids are under a ton of pressure, and it's not easy to create something within a certain time.  Planning and speed are two important factors that those kids have to know and master in order to win the competition.  In order to be in the competition you have to be chosen, you apply for the competition and the judges look to see if you have potential and then you're selected to be in the competition.  It's hard to get in, but harder to stay in.  I think it's great how cooking channels are giving the opportunity for kids to compete and cook, I think it's a great experience for those passionate young cooks who want to be a chef one day.  Of course being in the competition is competitive and it gets emotional sometimes.  Getting eliminated is the worst thing for those kids and they might feel like a failure.  However I think the most important thing for the kids in the competition is that they've  learned something new that they didn't know a clue about walking into the competition. 
     I think the best part of the competition is the judges interaction with the kids.  Chefs like Rachel Ray, and Gordon Ramsay teach the kids to become a better cook one on one, teaching them skills as well as giving them tips on perfecting their dishes. 
     Some of the dishes that the kids made were just incredible, it looked really good, they were creative with their dish, and I was just surprised that a kid could create something so unique from nothing.  Those kids are definitely passionate about cooking and enjoy cooking, and I think that they are doing a great job. 

Raw Sushi

     A couple years back, my parents and I went to a really nice Japanese restaurant in Chicago to try out there sushi.  My parents immediately fell in love with the sushi they served, they loved the appearance of the dish and the freshness of the raw fish.  I on the other hand could not imagine putting something raw in my mouth, the thought of that really disturbed me.  I was okay with the cooked rolls, but when it comes to raw rolls ,sashimi or nigiri, I just can't eat it.  Many people either love the raw rolls or hate it, the people who love them say that it doesn't taste fishy or you can't even taste the raw fish in the rolls.  I guess it wasn't that really bothered me, what bothered me was the fact that I am eating something raw, I just can't get over that! What

     I've heard from most people is that raw fish taste better than cooked fish.  As much as I hated raw sushi, i went and tried it to see if it was true.  I went to a sushi restaurant and ordered a couple of sashimis and nigiris.  Surprisingly I ate the whole thing, and to be honest, it was really good, (if you've never tried raw sushi I suggest you do, you will fall in love with it) I never thought I could like something that I could not get over the rawness of the sushi.  You could say that the theory produced by the sushi lovers are true.  The raw fish is really delicate, softer than the cooked fish, and it just melts in your mouth.  It's not flaky and it doesn't fall apart easily.    

     When eating raw sushi I suggest dipping it in wasabi and soy sauce, it just adds a zing to your roll and you are less likely to notice the fishiness flavor of the raw fish.  I don't really like the ginger that comes with the sushi, because I am  not a ginger lover, but most people love it because it kind of soothes the wasabi.  What I like to do when I am out dining at a sushi restaurant is to ask the chef to make me something that's not on the menu, anything that he wants to make, I am never disappointed at the chef, every time it's delicious, beautiful and definitely filling.  From that moment that I tried raw sushi, I fell in love, it was definitely very appetizing, it may not sound appetizing but trust me it's appetizing. 

Unique eats around the world-China

    Different places around the world have different types of food , but some of those dishes are a bit unique or exotic to some of us, however to them, it's a delicacy.  Some of the unique dishes around the world has been around for more than a century or even longer than that.  I personally have tried a few of those unique foods before, but they were not as exotic as the ones that I've seen on Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmerman.  I don't know how anyone could eat some of the things he ate on his trip around the world.  On one of his trips, he went to China and explored some of the different types of food there.  Some foods are not so strange, others, are quite strange, but to them, it's food. It kind of amazed me of all the different types of food that were eaten in China, from imperial dishes to street foods and other foods that the Chinese believed would help your body become healthy. 
    The first time when my parents went to Beijing, they told me all these stories about how different Chinese food was in China compared the Chinese food in America.  The Chinese food that you get at restaurants are Americanized Chinese food, you won't find those in any of the places in China.  In Beijing, there's food courts, street vendors and restaurants almost everywhere you go.  You can buy grasshoppers, crickets, maggots, any bug you can think of on a skewers to raw sea urchins.  I've never tried bugs or raw sea urchins before but I heard from the people who have tried it, that the bugs are very crunchy, poky in your mouth and you can almost taste what the bugs ate before you ate them.  Sea urchins on the other hand taste like the sea, you just know that it came from the ocean, it's rather fishy, most people either like it or hate it.  Depending on the freshness of the Sea urchin, it should taste rather creamy sweet.
     In the city, you can find a few imperial restaurants,   imperial restaurants serve dishes that were previously served to emperors during the centuries.  The recipes for those dishes have been preserved and kept through generation after generation and now normal citizens can try the imperial dishes.  The appearance of the dishes are just way to beautiful, it just makes you not want to eat because of how beautiful it is.  When dining in and imperial restaurant, there's a huge round table and a big lazy Susan in the middle, the food is placed on the lazy Susan, so that guests could just spin to the dish they want instead of reaching for the food.  The décor of the restaurant definitely makes you feel like royalty and the dishes are different from what you might find from the streets in Beijing.  
     Whether it's in the streets of Beijing or at the fanciest restaurants, you can find unique foods everywhere.
    

Cooking- A type of art

     Many people might not believe me when I say that cooking is a type of art, but cooking is surely a type of art.  We have this image of art as paintings, drawings or sculptures that artists make, chefs are artists in many aspects and their food is their painting, drawing or sculpture.  Let's take a look at the T.V shows,  Iron Chef and Chopped on the Food Channel.  In Iron Chef, the chefs only have a certain amount of time to create a kind of food that suites the theme that is given and then is judged by the judges of the food's taste and appearance.  It does take some creativity, experience and  knowledge to create something from scratch to something extraordinary and edible.  Just as a painter with only paint and a canvas would create a piece with color and life that would capture our eyes, but in cooking it would capture our eyes, taste buds and smell.  Now take that further, some chefs like the contestants in Chopped have to use very unusual ingredients to create something that is not only phenomenal but has to fit with the foods provided perfectly.  There was one episode where they faced the challenge of cooking with an appetizer basket made up of eels, congealed pig’s blood, candy bats and potato crisps.  Now that takes some real skill and creativity.

     Culinary chefs have to know a lot about food, so that they know what kind of foods would go great with other kinds of foods, they don't master that right away because it takes experience and daring measures to create the perfect pair.  Just as a painter should know the kinds of brush strokes needed to paint, cooking is similar, chefs must learn the different cooking techniques to cook well.  It's the fundamental basics of cooking.  You basically go off of what you know about food and applying it through the different kinds of foods.  It's not easy, chefs are always experiencing with food and trying to get to know more of a particular kind of food.  Every chef is different in the type of food they make and they bring out their own creative dishes which often is unique.
     Chefs are professional cooks, it's their occupation to make food.  You don't have to be a chef to make good food, make what you like and suites you, have fun and get creative with cooking.  Be daring and experiment with foods so you know what you like and what you don't like.

The process of Becoming a Vegetarian

    I grew up in a household where my mom was vegetarian, and my dad, my brother and I weren't.   She had wanted all of us to become vegetarians for many reasons but we couldn't stand a meal without meat.  She finally gave up on persuading us to become a vegetarian.  I still remember that I became a vegetarian for one day and I gave up, I couldn't do it.  I still wonder how some people, like my mom who can stand eating only veggies, and how she still could get protein from the veggies.  
    Most people, like me dread of becoming a vegetarian because we simply just can't imagine a meal without chicken or steak, we like the taste of the tender juicy steak and the roasted chicken, or veggies can't give you protein.  That's not true,  their are many delicious vegetarian dishes that gives you more protein than the meats.   Becoming a vegetarian takes some serious commitment and it doesn't just happen right away, you have to take step by step on becoming one.  If you are considering on becoming one, ask yourself is their a reason why I am becoming a vegetarian?  People choose to become vegetarians because of religious, health, environmental, animal rights, and health reasons. Usually if you have a reason to become one you have a higher chance of being committed.  Being a vegetarian means having a different eating lifestyle, many restaurants have a limited vegetarian menu.  Are you ready for the change?  Becoming a vegetarian takes time and it's a process, you can't just decide all of a sudden to become one and change your diet. 
    If you still really want to become a vegetarian slowly adjust your diet by taking out specific meats out of your meals.  For example, try taking out red meat from your diet but not all meat because then you will be craving for meat.  Try eating without any red meat for a few weeks and when you get used to the meals without any red meat start pulling back on chicken, then pork and so on.  Usually it takes months before you become an actual vegetarian.  If that takes too long, think about becoming a Pescetarian first, eating only seafood and veggies.  You're basically taking all of the meat out of your diet and that might be hard for some people.  If you decide to become a pescetarian, instead of a vegetarian during the process, it's ok.  Many people are pescetarians because they love seafood and can't take it out of their diet.  Start eating vegetarian meals, so you could have a feel of what it feels like and your body will be use to it.  Keep a journal for 30 days of all the foods you ate and plan on adding different kinds of veggies to you're foods.
         Becoming a vegetarian gives you an opportunity to get creative with cooking, adding, replacing, substituting foods that you've never had before.  Have fun with it and remember that becoming a vegetarian takes time and effort. 

350 first, the new restaurant in Cedar Rapids

     There were rumors about a new restaurant in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.  Located on 350 first ave. in downtown Cedar Rapids has attracted many in town and out of town folks.  The restaurant is in the Double Tree hotel, on the 16th floor.  As you walk inside you can see the whole downtown area and the Cedar River.  The restaurant has full panel glass windows that oversees Cedar Rapids.  There's a lounge area, a bar, and a dining area, although it's small, the decor and ambiance are phenomenal, there's a modern twist in the design of the restaurant that makes it upscale.  The restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, price range for breakfast is about $10-$20, lunch $12-$25 and dinner from $20 all the way up to about $40.  Many people who go there come back because of the exceptional service and the food.  They serve a variety of foods, from the short rib mac and cheese to the Kansas city strip and the cedar plank salmon.  My personal favorite is the short rib mac and cheese.  The mac and cheese is made from five cheeses and served with the short rib on top with a sprinkle of bread crumbs.  The mac and cheese has barbecue flavoring from the short rib and the bread crumb adds a little crunch to it.  I also like there 350 chopped salad, the salad dressing is honey Dijon vinaigrette, so it's a bit sweeter but also a bit sour.  The salad is tossed with sweet corn, carrots, red onions, different kinds of lettuce, tomatoes, and croutons.  If you have never tried the steaks there, they are to die for.  They have the flat iron steak, which is similar to the New York strip steak, the Kansas city strip, which is thicker and has bones, the filet mignon, tender and lean, the rib-eye,  which has a bit more fat. You can choose the sauces or the spices with the different kinds of steak, which make it more unique.  For those of you who have never been there, I suggest you go and try it out, the food is amazing and you will love it.  It's a bit expensive but you're getting what you pay for, it's worth it.

What makes a good restaurant good?

   You are finally at your favorite restaurant, you've been excited to come since this morning, and you haven't been eating all day.  You love the food, the atmosphere and the people there, they are friendly and take care of your every need, and they make you want to come back again and again.  This place just makes you feel warm and special.   These are some of the factors that make a good restaurant good. 

    When you first walk into a restaurant, the first impression is probably what you notice first, then the atmosphere and the décor.  This is the time when the friendly host at the restaurant greets you and makes you feel welcomed and at home, and guides you to your seat.  That is a good impression on the restaurant.  You don't want to be greeted in an unpleasantly way that will disturb your mood later on.  As you are seated at your table, the friendly server asks for your drinks, and takes your order, she brings the foods, refills your drinks.  She asks you if you would want anything else, you want another glass, some ketchup, so she goes and gets your glass and ketchup.  Throughout your meal, you continue to ask her for things, she still maintains a positive attitude and gets what you need in a polite manner.  In a good restaurant, the waiter or waitress should be friendly and nice, and also caring, satisfying the needs of the customers.  This is the time where you decide if the server is worth the 15% tip you are going to give her.  As she brings your food out, you notice the appearance, and the smell, as you take a bite after bite you begin to love the food.  The food in a restaurant is the most important thing in determining whether or not a restaurant is good.  In a good restaurant there are a varieties of food you can choose from with different distinct tastes.  You would not want your steak to be cooked in the same way as a lobster, or would you want all the foods to taste the same just with the different texture.  The chef of the restaurant is important too, you would want a chef that cares about what he is cooking and makes sure that  your food turns out edible and good.  That's why it's important for a restaurant to hire a good chef or cook that knows how to make food.  Ambience is important too when dining out, the mood, quality, look and conditions of the place adds up to your appetite.  I don't think that a good restaurant would be filthy, dirty, unsanitary or obnoxious.  What makes a good restaurant good is the fact that, there food tastes unique, phenomenal and suites your taste, having good ambience, and have friendly  people serving you like they care and meets your needs. 

 

What makes a scary movie scary?

     I have seen so many good scary movies, and some that are not so good.  Some directors know how to scare their audiences and know how to create suspense and horror.  Scary movies don't just happen by accident but you have to know what you are doing, and everything has to go together in unison.  The director has to understand the audience and know what relates to them to create a successful and likeable horror movie.
   The special effects is probably the most important factor of a scary movie.  Without the blood, deformed looking mutant monster or creating them to look monstrous, you would not have a scary movie.  Technology has come along way, the scary movies that you've watched when you were a little kid is quite different from the one's today.  The scary movies nowadays have better special effects and  a lot more frightening.
    The dedication of the director is important too.  If a director is dedicated and passionate about making the greatest horror movie, chances are he will succeed.  If you love what you do and could spend hours on creating a twisted plot and putting things together to make it happen, your dedication will not be wasted.  If the first horror movie doesn't turn out the way you want it to be, you will not give up but continue to try until it's perfect.
   The timing in the scary movie is important, when it come to timing, that's where the suspense and horror starts.  Many people don't like how the first 30 minutes of the movie, nothing scary happens and automatically think that it's not going to be a good horror movie.  Let me tell you, that's not necessarily true, the first half hour to 45 minutes is when you learn about the characters and the story so that when you watch on you have an understanding of the story.  After that,  the creepy deformed monster shows up.  What makes it more suspenseful is that one character in the movie knows about the monster but gets killed from the monster.  The rest of the character don't know about it and when the time is right, Boom! The monster comes and snatches of them and that's when the climax starts.
     Music and sound effects are also important  in creating the creepy eerie mood for a scary movie.  In all of the scary movies, when the monster walks up to the character and their is usually no sound except for the loud footsteps of the  monster and the loud breathing of the character, that creates suspense and you know that the monster is going to get him or her.  In the movie Jaws, when the shark comes up to snatch the girl, the theme sound captures you makes you want to turn away.
    I think that every little detail in a scary movie contributes to having a good scary movie, timing needs to be perfect, sound effects and music needs to be frightening, special effects shouldn't be cheap and the dedication of director is important too.
 

My opinion on the Christopher Nolan trilogy of The Batman

      Batman has been very popular with audiences these past decades, and probably one of the most respectable super heroes, of all time.  Batman is known for protecting Gotham city from crime, and for his exotic weapons.  He is fearless, strong, powerful, and seeks justice.  Batman originally was comic book, but later it was adapted into movies in the mid 1900s.  I have only seen the Christopher Nolan series, which is the most recent sequel that was produced.  The sequel includes, Batman Begins, The Dark Night, and The Dark Night Rises.  The director, Christopher Nolan did a phenomenal job in directing the Batman movies.  All three of the movies were fantastic, thrilling, captivating, and was a modern masterpiece that goes beyond your expectations for an action movie. 
      What stood out of this trilogy than the other Batman movies before this, was the fact that Nolan knew how to capture the audiences attention.  The trilogy had a main character that was unforgettable, Christian Bale is simply charming and has the personality and the looks to become Batman on television.  Bruce Wayne, the flawed but self-sacrificing character is a complex and deep character, and Nolan's films presented him as the type of hero he was born to be.  Nolan did not portray him as the typical superhero that is good, fighting evil villains to save the world.  He captured Bruce Wayne as a typical person who has suffered insecurities and loss hoping to avenge his parent's death by getting rid of crime, proving that a typical man could be a superhero.  The special effects Nolan created was exceptional, the explosions in the Dark Knight Rises were so real, and the sounds were over the top.  The villains in the film were frightening, mysterious, and psychotic.  In the Dark Knight, Jack Nicholson who played the Joker was mysterious and showed the darkness in each of us.  He wasn't your typical villain that hopes to gain something by doing bad, but he was a psychopath that terrorized people to show his dark side.  Nolan brought a great team on set during the Batman trilogy, Moran Freeman, Christian Bale, Anne Hathaway, and Tom Hardy.  The actors and actresses knew how to carry out their role.  Nolan also knew how to write the sequel for Batman.  The storyline was complex but interesting.   In Batman begins, he talks about how Batman became Batman, his second one was about the joker and the third one was his last one that concluded him being done with crime fighting and have Robin take his place. 

My debate on The Immortal life of Henrietta Lacks

         I read this novel my sophomore year in my AP biology class, this book is more of an educational and biological piece.  The Immortal life of Henrietta Lacks raises the questions of scientific ethics in the mid 1900s.  In this narrative writing, Rebecca Skloot takes a closer look at Henrietta Lacks' life and her immortal cells.  
          Rebecca Skloot took years in writing this book, organizing, and processing the facts she got from Henrietta's family, as well as getting their approval of publishing it.  After the death of Henrietta Lacks, her family had no knowledge of her surviving cells known as "immortal",  because they kept on dividing and are still alive to this day.  Researchers took her cancerous cells and began experimenting with it, and companies made millions from her cells.  All the family was ever told was that these HeLa cells were helping to cure other diseases, and they were, these cells help make the first polio vaccine.  You can imagine how curious Henrietta's family were, thirsting for knowledge of their mom's cells.  All these questions of how? and what?  This topic is a topic of controversy and discussion.  Is it right to experiment on her immortal cells without the consent of her family members?
        In my opinion I felt like it was wrong and unethical for researchers to grow her cells and experiment with them  without the families consent.  Although it did provide a pathway for cures and an understanding of cancer cells.  Henrietta's family didn't benefit at all from it.  They were still living in poverty and had no answers for HeLa's cells.  It was not until decades later, the Lacks family got the answers they deserve.  On the issue of Nature, Francis Collins goes deeper into the Lacks family and discusses with the family about the possibility of releasing the HeLa genome data.  Collins refers to HeLa cells as "unique", eventually the family agrees to release Henrietta's genome.  Thank goodness this controversy is settled and may Henrietta Lacks  live in peace now, knowing that what her cells have done in the medical field and her families decision of releasing her genome.

Bucket reading list Rooftops of Tehran

       Rooftops of Tehran was on the top of my reading list this summer.  The story is  richly rendered, about courage, sacrifice, and the bonds of friendship and love.  Mahbod Seraji opens the door to the fascinating world of Iran and provides a glimpse into the life and customs of a country on the verge of a revolution.  Its a love story about the lives of two teenagers living in the Iranian revolution and their process of trying to grow up in the era of the Shah.  Seraji brings humor, emotion, and tragedy into the lives of the characters.  He clearly makes us understand the brutality of the dictatorship during the Iranian revolution.  He brings historical context into an appealing bittersweet love story.
       Many people understand Iran, as a hateful country full of war, hatred, and terrorism, this is what the media portrays it as.  Seraji tells another side of Iran through his characters, he chose to tell the story of hope, friendship, love and humor.  He acquaints his readers about Iran, by bringing a clash of the Persian culture and telling the lives of the regular citizens in Iran.  He portrays the picture of innocence in a country that is going through turmoil.
     I was captured by the book from the beginning because of the rich description the author makes in making the characters, it almost feels like Deja vu.  By the end of the book, you know and you can describe the characters personality and their life.  I felt like I was with the characters during their time of woe, and during their time of happiness.  The setting of this book in the beginning is in a psychiatric hospital, you know from that moment that something is happening.  A couple of chapters later the setting changes to the rooftop where Pasha is spending his summer with Zari.  It kind of makes you want to read on until you find out why he was in the psychiatric hospital.  Even in the beginning of the book I was wondering why, and how the character is in the psychiatric hospital.  I think what made me want to read this till the very end was the way the author wrote the book.  He put a glimpse of the climax in the beginning of the book to make the reader wonder what happened to the character so the reader would read on.  As the reader reads on, the reader is putting the pieces together through the clues the author made.  What makes this novel funny is the portrayal of the teachers.  The witty characteristics of the teacher just makes you laugh. This book is heart warming but also heart breaking at times.  Rooftops of Tehran is definitely a must read novel for audiences that have a high expectations for books, it won't disappoint you      

Is Noah from the Notebook every girl's dream guy?

 

           

Everybody probably have seen the movie or read the book by Nicholas Sparks, The Notebook, or at least the girls.  Noah, the muscular, dreamy guy relentlessly asks Ally to go on a date with him and will not take no for an answer, but Ally eventually said yes and ends up in love with him.  Ryan Gosling the guy that plays Noah captured so many American’s hearts of being the perfect dream guy in the movie.  He wrote 365 letters to Ally while she was away, built the white house for her while she was with another guy, read to her every day when she had Dementia, and most importantly he never stopped loving her.  Noah’s actions captivated so many Americans, and also simply because the movie had a good story plot.  I mean who wouldn't fall in love with a guy that is so committed to you?

            Every girl that has seen the Notebook is probably in love with Noah, because of his charm, personality, and he knows how to love a girl.  I truly think that Noah is America’s sweetheart and America’s dream guy.  I mean if I was a girl and I had a guy that treated me like that, I would fall head over heels in love with him.   When I found out that Duke was Noah I was surprised, I was surprised that for seven years he read to Ally every single day hoping Ally would regain her memory or would remember something.  His undying and unconditional love for Ally really brought the audience’s attention, and I think that’s why Noah is every girl’s perfect dream guy.  Noah never gave up hope on Ally when she couldn’t remember anything, but was patience and calm with her.  When Ally did regain some of that memory he cherished that moment, and made it special.  His dedication to Ally was what made the audience love him.

            Nicholas Sparks, the author of The Notebook was inspired by his wife’s grandparent’s life, so he sought out to write a book about it.  Most of Nicholas’ Sparks books have the theme of love, and most were inspired by his life or his families.  I feel like he does a wonderful job writing his books.  The story line is clear and understandable that doesn’t leave you wondering, what the heck did I just read?  But rather it makes you want to read more of his books until the end.  I have read almost all of his books, and they are good.  His books to me are like a drug, I have to finish reading the entire book before I can do anything else.

            To me, Noah is the sweetest guy that any girl would fall in love with.  In the story you can see how much he loves Ally.  I would have to say, Noah is every girl’s dream guy.

           

 

Movies and books came a long way

Books and movies are probably the best kind of entertainment in the 21st century.  People began reading and writing books during prehistoric times, not necessarily words, but they had pictographs that they can communicate and read with.  However movies were developed later, the first ever movie was made in 1903.   Of course when the first movie came out it wasn't like what we have been watching in the 21st century, high definition quality,  the compelling sound effects, and cool and realistic special effects.  The movies that  were developed back in the days were black and white, had glitches, didn't have the cool special effects, and were not as convenient.  We have come a long way since, I still remember back when i was about 4, we still had VCRs, and we would watch movies and record on our VCR.  A couple years later the DVD player came out.  It was smaller than the VCR, more convenient and had better quality.  What's new now? Blu ray discs, they have even better quality than the regular discs and some include never before seen footage or special features.  Books and movies have changed throughout the ages too.  Back in the 15th 16th centuries, probably the most important book to people were religious texts, then people began writing stories and with the help of the printing press they could replicate books faster and more people began to read while it became available to them.  The books that were written before our time were very different from today's books.  Nowadays you could read possibly about anything and the language has changed so much.  Words have been modernized  and some authors in my opinion write so we could understand it through simpler words.  Before our time, the books, to me, seem so learned.  The words that the author used had a very high vocabulary.  Like Shakespeare's play Hamlet, their is so much vocabulary that most of you might not know, because we have never heard of the words before or never used it before.  Even though books and movies have come a long way the concept has always been the same, movies and books are educational, a form of entertainment and a great way to spend your leisure time.  Throughout the blogs, I will be writing some of my favorite books and movies and I'll be discussing them also.  I hope you will be enjoying as much as I do reading books and watching movies