Integrating art and science into food

Nowadays food isn’t just regular food now in many restaurants.  It’s more of an art and science piece.    I know there’s many places around the world that has combined the elements of art, and science into their food.  Many chefs now are going deeper into their foods and producing something more than an edible piece.  They are changing the way we see food in the 21^st century. 

            There are plenty of restaurants around the world that is serving food that are out of the ordinary.  The chefs are developing foods that are artistic and scientific.  

bread pudding

One of my all-time favorite dessert is bread pudding.  I usually don’t like sweets but recently I’ve found my weakness for bread pudding.  The delicious warm bread filled with chocolate sweet pudding, topped with vanilla ice cream, talk about good stuff.  When you bite into the warm pudding, it just melts into your mouth, the sweetness is overwhelming but the vanilla ice cream evens out the richness of the pudding.  It’s like a taste of heaven on your plate. 

            Before last week I had no idea of what bread pudding was and was not interested in trying it.  My brother on the other hand has more knowledge about the food world than I did (chef material), was in love with bread pudding.  I decided to give it a try because if he liked it then chances are I would too.  We were at Biaggis when I had my first experience with the bread pudding, and they knew how to make it.  The bread pudding was delicious and prepared just right, it was perfect, really good.  The bread pudding there was small, about the size of a small salad plate.  But it also came with ice cream so it wasn’t too bad.  The ice cream really evened out the richness of the sauce from the bread pudding.  Without the ice cream it was just a bit too much and too rich in flavor. 

            My expectations were high now for bread pudding.  Yesterday I went to Cheddars and they also served bread pudding, so I decided to try it.  When the server came out with the bread pudding, it looked good.  However when I started eating it, I was disappointed, the taste was not quite right.  The bread pudding was too mushy and chewy and there was just too much sauce.  I felt like I was eating a mouthful of chocolate and caramel syrup rather than the pudding itself.  The bread pudding was supposed to have a bit crunchy from the staled bread.  (Staled bread had to be used to make the bread pudding)   I only had a few bites of the pudding and it just fell apart.  It wasn’t as good as the breading pudding at Biaggis. 

            Since I was a picky eater, I decided to make my own bread pudding at home.  It may sound easy but it is a lot of work, and it takes time.  You have to make the sauce and the bread, but before you make the bread, you have to let the bread sit overnight to get that staleness.  The end result was impressive and I actually liked what I made.  Proving that what I blogged about a couple posts ago that, homemade is better.  

eating right + staying fit = happiness for your body

           It's true when they say that it's very important to eat right. After all you are what you eat, so if you eat healthier you would become healthier and your body will be content.  Food is everything to your body and it's important to eat right.  However it's also important to keep in mind that exercising regularly is just as necessary and important as healthy eating.  Eating right and staying fit is the right lifestyle in being happy with your body and yourself.
         You don't have to do some hardcore training to be fit or look like the contestants in the Olympics.  Being fit means you have the right amount of muscles and exercising regularly, maintaining that healthy body weight.  Many people get confused with being fit is the same as losing weight.  The only goal of losing weight is to stay skinny no matter what the techniques  are.  You can lose weight through dieting, go on diet supplements or starving yourself, those are some of the ways that people do when they try to lose that weight.  Staying fit on the other hand isn't about dieting and limiting things you should eat.  It's about exercising, training your body, challenging yourself and strengthening your body.
         It's important to know what your workout routine is so you can figure out whether or not you should change your workout habits or stay with it.  I try to fit in a hour of workout everyday into my schedule.  They are not intense rigorous workouts.  I do a set of sit ups, push ups, squats, run for a bit and  lift weights, dedicating an hour each day really works and you will begin to see more changes.
         Eating right on the other hand is just as important as exercising.    Eating healthy helps you perform better in your workouts and you will feel better.  If you are a heavy junk food eater, try to limit the amount.  You'll feel better and your body will be happier.
       

The sick life

We are now in the winter months of the year and that usually means that the cold is going around maybe the flu or the fever.  We all dread the sniffling and itchiness of our noses, headaches and constant coughing that comes along with the cold.  We just feel so helpless, uncomfortable and wished that it will be over soon.  From my experiences there are a couple of tips that I have kept that will reduce the cold.

                Drink lots of fluids – staying hydrated is really important.  You shouldn’t be drinking lots of water just because you have a cold but you should do it on a daily basis.  But when you are sick drink more water than what you usually drink so that the water could wash away the toxins from your body.  When I get sick I drink warm temperature water rather than cold.  It sounds nasty, but when you’re sick, you usually want something warm to warm you up.  Warm water actually really soothes your throat.  But if you don’t like it then try some hot tea.  Sweet lemon hot tea helps me when I want to drink something more tasty and soothing. 

                Cut back on greasy junk foods- The last thing you want to be eating when you’re sick is greasy oily junk food.  When you’re sick, your body is trying to fight off that sickness, you should be eating foods that will help boost your immune system, not foods that will bring you down.  Cut back on greasy junk foods and eat fruits and veggies instead.  Fruits and veggies are abundant in vitamins that will help your body fight off the cold virus. 

                Take meds when necessary- If you’re not super sick then I highly suggest not taking strong medicines.  Let your body fight off that virus.  If you take the medicine then the virus will evolve so the next time you take the same medicine it won’t work.  Try to take the medicine when you really need it. 

                Drink soup, it really helps-  I know that when I am sick I lose my appetite and so I just don’t eat.  I drink soup as an alternative; it goes down easily especially when you have strep throat.  It’s filling and delicious at the same time.  

Your eyes are bigger than your stomach

When I get hungry, I usually take more food than I could finish.  With all the food in front of me, I start devouring it like a hungry lion attacking and mauling its prey.  .  Half way done with my food I realize, oh shoot I took way too much and now I can’t finish it….  That’s when I feel guilty for taking way to much food.  I regret taking so much and should have gotten a smaller potion.  When it comes to buffets, I go crazy.  My goal is filling up my plate with as much food as it can handle, and usually I don’t clean off my plate before I get up and grab another plate. 

                It’s true when they say that your eyes are bigger than your stomach.  Your stomach is the size of 2 of your fists.  That’s not big at all, but your stomach can stretch and become wider and wider.  Your eye on the other hand has this illusion of how one pancake is not enough or a 12oz steak is too small. As you start eating you realize that what you have is indeed a lot of food that you can’t eat anymore.  It’s like your eyes are deceiving you and make you feel like what you have is not enough. 

                Sometimes we don’t want to waste food especially with so much food that is left on the plate.  So we begin to stuff ourselves and keep eating so we don’t waste food.  That’s not a good idea because that stretches your stomach making your stomach bigger and makes you have a bigger appetite later on.  Simply just take it home with you and eat it later when you’re hungry, it might not taste as good but at least you’re not wasting food. 

                A tip to prevent you from overeating or over getting food is choosing a smaller plate to put your food on.  I always use a salad plate when I am eating so I know that I am not trying to fill up my plate.  It also gives you an idea of how much you should be eating and to not overeat. 

                Getting smaller portions and knowing your stomach is key to not wasting food and prevent your eyes from deceiving your stomach.  

Controversial foods around the world- Is it ethical?

       Some dishes around the world are considered delicacies to that particular area.  Some are simply traditional dishes that are kept and preserved for the sake of not wanting to lose that tradition.  Usually those delicacies or the traditional dishes are exotic they might seem weird to us and cruel to the animal.  After seeing the different dishes and how they are made around the globe, it really raises the question of is it ethical to eat something or prepare something that you know is wrong?  Or does it surpass morals and ethics and it's just for the delight and taste of that particular food?  Whether it's a tradition or a delicacy, there are so many foods around the world that are controversial or unethical in the way they are prepared.

        Tradition is something to be cherished and preserved, without tradition; we would not know what their culture is in that particular society.  However there is a fine line between tradition and ethics, especially when it comes to food and the animals we eat or even the way it's prepared.  Ikizukiri and Foie Gras are one of the two types of cultural foods that are controversial today and questions if that tradition of eating it should be banned? Or does tradition justify over ethics?  I think that force feeding a duck or a goose for the sake of a fatty liver and eating something that is still alive, not dead but still alive should not be justified.  

        Sometimes we have to grasp our morality as a human being and listen to our conscience.  If we know that something is unethical or just cruel, we shouldn’t be going for it but against it.  However yet again it’s all about that cultural perspective, and cultural differences.  In the U.S we consume more cows than any other countries in the world and some of us may think that eating cows are okay, it’s normal.  In India, where majority of the people there are Hindus, they consider cows to be sacred, to them eating or butchering cows are unethical.  Sure it’s about the cultural perception, however we can all agree that at one point we all agree that some foods are unethical and wrong.  Those foods are just so extreme.  

Why are chain restaurants so popular?

Most of us probably have been to a franchise restaurant; it just seems that they are always busy or packed with people.  That was the case when I went to Olive Garden one time, it was a Friday night and they didn’t take reservations on Fridays so we had to wait 2 hours for a seat.  So why is it that a chain restaurant that serves regular pastas that we could probably make at home is always so busy and always having people come back constantly for just a bowl of pasta?  Olive Garden is not the only chain restaurant that is like that, it seems like most of the chain restaurants are like that.

                What stands out from a chain restaurant and a regular family restaurant is that the chain restaurant has more resources, more people, and more money to have their name out in the public for people to know.  Most of the commercials you see on T.V are mostly advertising for franchise restaurants like Apple Bees, Red Lobsters, and Outback Steakhouse etc.   When they advertise the specials they have, people know about it and choose to eat there.

                Consistency is also a huge factor of why the chain restaurants are popular and successful.  People expect the Olive Garden they had in Minnesota is the same as the one that is in Kansas.  That means the restaurant also has to hire employees that enforce strict franchising conditions. 

                Chain restaurants are also good at projecting there image thoroughly; people know which chain restaurants has this type of food or what this restaurant serves.  For example everyone knows that Red Lobsters is the seafood destination to go for the seafood lovers.  Olive Garden is an Italian restaurant that serves Italian food.  People have a clear image in their mind of what the franchise restaurants serve.

                Convenience especially for the travelers is also important in determining whether or not they choose a family owned restaurant or a franchise restaurant.  Like a traveler going to Japan, there are two choices to choose from a nearby Burger King or a local Japanese burger restaurant.  Because of reliability and what he has experience and knows exactly what burger king serves, he’ll choose Burger King.