foodmuseumblog

Donuts and Diabetes Among Native Nations

 

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Currently on view at the Institute of American Indian Arts' Museum of Contemporary Native Arts in Santa Fe is this piece on how the white flour, fat, salt and sugar influence on Indian traditional diets has led to out-of-control diabetes issues.  Just outside, as noted in a prior post, visitors and vendors alike are eating fry breads, and other carby offerings.

Via IAIA---

Last Supper - C.Maxx Stevens’ exhibition is a conceptual installation. The new work by C. Maxx Stevens is based on her memories and experiences dealing with devastating effect of diabetes throughout native nations.  The exhibition creates a larger social awareness of the epidemic and its dilemma in all of the United States. The exhibition includes her family archives and testimony/narratives of the disease and its impact on traditional values and the drastic evolution of diet as well as economy.

About the artist: C. Maxx Stevens, Muscogee/ Seminole, received the prestigious Eiteljorg Fellowhip of Native American Fine Art in 2005 and was winner of the 2000 Visual Artist Award from the Andrea Frank Foundation in New York. She earned a Master of Fine Arts in sculpture from Indiana University in Bloomington and earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in sculpture and ceramics from Wichita State University in Kansas. Her installations are responses to site-specific environments where she explores the relationships among land, man, and the history of place. C. Maxx Stevens lives in Boulder, Colorado and is on the faculty of the Department of Art and Art History at the University of Colorado.

Noshing at Santa Fe Indian Market

Navajo Tacos, Frybread, Burritos---all the dough you can eat is on hand at Indian Market. Plus, roasted corn! So don't think about carbs, just take the plunge. It's only once a year, right?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Pop-Up" Restaurants? Helsinki Says They/It Started It

August 21 is the next Pop-Up Restaurant Day, apparently, and Finns are gearing up all over the country to outdo one another with offbeat food offerings in unusual settings. ( Apparently the phenomenon has spread beyond Finland, so be on the lookout. Didn't I read about this happening in Manhattan?) See Facebook for more details.

The idea is to imagine your fave food notion, and then get it going, maybe from your bedroom, or your Mother's aging Volvo.  The young woman pictured is evidently cooking in front of a railroad car/container,with a customer waiting for vittels in a comfy easy chair.

Here's mine. My Mother's (Fabled) Deviled Eggs on Demand, While They Last---Buy them from my storage unit.  Sit crosslegged on the melting tarmack in the hot, desert sun. One day only!

Fair Iowa Fair Fare, and Those Who Eat It

via The Telegraph--

"Funnel cake. Deep fried twinkies. Even fried butter on a stick. Republican politicians mingling with farm animals and standing on hay bales to denounce President Barack Obama - and paint all their rivals as Obama clones, in contrast to themselves.

Welcome to the Iowa State Fair and the starting point for the 2012 Republican White House race, where would-be presidential candidates and ordinary voters are served up small government rhetoric and big portions of the unhealthiest food this side of the Atlantic."

Via Eugene Robinson, WaPo--

"...People were happy to line up for the Famous Dave’s barbecue that (Tim) Pawlenty was serving, but they didn’t stay long — and when they walked away, they weren’t wearing the green Pawlenty T-shirts that signaled support. By mid-afternoon, volunteers were glum.

There were plenty of orange (Michelle) Bachmann T-shirts, though, and an even longer line at her tent, despite the fact that she was serving inferior food: giant corn dogs andtrompe l’oeil “beef sundaes” that consisted of a scoop of mashed potatoes topped with chunks of beef, a ladle of gravy and a cherry tomato."

Now we can show you photos via the Iowa State Fair, but, alas, cannot show the Reuters pic of Mrs. Bachman with a long, erect, corn dog just inserted in her mouth, we just cannot. ( Shows B's naivete as a candidate, even considering trying such a thang...)

 

 

Let 'Em Eat Cotton, Not Chiles, On Their Burritos in America....

New Mexico farmers in Hatch, the center of the state's once robust chile production, are pulling back from their iconic crop.

According to a report via KOAT-TV, 

"It’s been a tough year for farmers and ranchers all over the state, and the small river valley community around Hatch is no exception. First, the record cold caused problems.

 “The onion crop didn’t go well this year,” Scott Adams, with Adams Produce Inc., said. “The yields were down early. We had a real hard freeze in February, and it killed a lot of the stems on the onions.”

 Drought conditions held spring irrigation released out of Elephant Butte to only 8 percent of normal. So farmers left land open and only grew on what they could pump well water onto.

 A lot of the fields in Hatch are growing cotton because it’s cheaper to grow. Cotton costs about $1,000 per acre to grow, while chile costs four to five times that amount.

High cotton prices and the ability to cheaply harvest it have led to a smaller chile harvest."

"Cheap harvesting," usually means fewer human laborers involved, of course.

Guess who is the largest foreign consumer of US cotton by far? China, no surprise. They grow more of almost every edible than any other country, selling much to the US, and they import raw materials at a faster clip than almost anyone.

Farm subsidies for chiles? 

 

 

The Beauty of Breakfast in Bali

In the tranquility of Ubud's Hotel Tjampuhan open air dining area, we ate perfect omelets, croissants, the local ( lousy) powdered Balinese coffee, fruit, and, for "dessert," Bubuh Injin or black rice pudding, a not-too-sweet treat that goes well with the excellent tea we chose, after enduring the poor coffee.

 ( With Sumatra and Java right next door, how is it that Bali coffee, Kopi Bali, reigns supreme?  One can get fine Italian-style coffees, yes, at cafes, but not at the hotel, and non touristic restaurants.)

 

 

 

Bubuh Injin---Black Rice Pudding via Bali The Online Travel Guide

Ingredients... 1/2 cup of black glutinous rice (see below). 1/3 cup of white glutinous rice (Asian variety). 1 or 2 pandan leaves (may be omitted). 3 cups of water. 1/4 cup of palm sugar (white sugar is OK). 1/4 cup of water. 1 cup of thick coconut cream (canned is OK).

Method... Mix the black and white glutinous rice, and rinse under running water to remove starch.   Place the rice, the pandan leaves and 3 cups of water into a heavy pan and simmer, stirring occasionally. The mixture will turn a deep purple color while cooking!   Meanwhile, chop the 1/4 cup of palm sugar, and add it to the 1/4 cup of water. Bring the ingredients to a boil, and simmer for about 5 minutes to make a syrup.   When the rice has simmered for about 30 minutes, add the palm sugar syrup to the cooked rice, and continue to simmer gently until most of the liquid has evaporated. Be careful that the mixture does not boil dry. The rice and syrup will now be a dark purple color.   Allow rice to cool before serving.   Serve portions of the cooled black rice pudding drizzled with coconut cream. Garnish with slices of banana.   Enjoy!   Note: The ingredients for this recipe may be purchased from Asian foodstores or from the Asian section of most larger supermarkets. Black rice is not the same as "wild rice", which may not be substituted. Black rice sold in western supermarkets is often from Thailand - this is OK. Pandan leaves may be the most difficult ingredient to source, but they may be omitted. Palm sugar may be purchased in blocks or jars (often from Thailand).

 

Move, Learn, EAT!

EAT from Rick Mereki on Vimeo.

  "3 guys, 44 days, 11 countries, 18 flights, 38 thousand miles, an exploding volcano, 2 cameras and almost a terabyte of footage... all to turn 3 ambitious linear concepts based on movement, learning and food ....into 3 beautiful and hopefully compelling short films....."

Tubers uber Alles!

Eating potatoes, yeah! Boiled! Yeah! People and critters both.

"Potatoes bad, nuts good for staying slim, Harvard study finds..." WaPo

I beg your pardon, Washington Post!  OK, I have not read the Harvard study, but that is the most simplistic and erroneous bit of info re the noble spud I can imagine. The piece published yesterday goes on to gush over yogurt, as in "...perhaps the biggest surprise was yogurt, every serving of which kept off nearly a pound over four years."

A serving of your average fruit-laced, high fructose corn syrup-filled  commercial yogurt? Or a serving of full fat, plain organic Straus Family Creamery yogurt from happy cows?   

So now America's dairy farmers are gloating, and the spud growers are mashing their own heads, and something complex is once more made simplistic, and misleading. And America's diet-crazed women are scooping cartons of Dannon into their carts.

!!!!!

Here's the beginning of a piece just noted today from SeattlePI: 

"Pity the poor potato.

First, the anti-carb folks shun it. Now a Harvard study attacks it.

The study published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine says the spud is making us fat.

To which Chris Voigt says nuts.

"If eating potatoes was so bad for you...I'd be dead by now."

That's not hyperbole. Voigt, executive director of the Washington State Potato Commission, went on a potato-only diet for 60 days last fall to counter the negative publicity against spuds.

It made him briefly famous. It also made him skinny.

He dropped 20 pounds. His cholesterol, triglycerides and blood glucose were all down. His cholesterol, for example, went from 214 to 147.

"Every health indicator," Voigt said, "was better or the same."

We of The Potato Museum have other stories like this. We continue to think that eating "good" foods like the potato, and a wide range of other foods, in moderation, is still key. ( We have irritated and annoyed the potato industry by stating here and there that French Fries made fresh should be an occasional delicious treat, not a daily staple, and yet fries consumption is on the rise all over, particularly in China, because the commercial industry is all about processed potatoes.  So much for our proselytizing...)

But I should read the actual report. Yes.

 

View Airline "Food" Options Before You Fly

Planning an upcoming trip, we came across this site, Airline Meals, that details what one can expect to be served on an enormous list of airlines. Food matters, right? Especially on long journeys.

Zowie.  This one makes the Best of 2011, week 18, economy meal via Thai Airways. 

Scallops r Them

Full disclosure: I was trying out the Typepad app on my new phone June 20, and just tossed this up, willy-nilly. But today I can add....superb plate of scallops on mixed grains with yellow beets from Artichoke Cafe, Albuquerque. The AC has been excellent for years, but in some ways is beginning to look a tad rough around the edges. Maybe it needs a paintjob. Can't quite put my finger on it. My lunch companion ordered artichoke ravioli, and offered me one, after which there were only 3 ?? left on the plate.  That's a bit skimpy, even though the rav were rich.

 I gave her a scallop.

The Food Plate for Baseball Fans via Chicago Tribune, June 5

 

 

 

Stumbling Across the Red Hot "Hot Tomato Cafe" in Fruita, Colorado

Whoa! Cruising through the small town of Fruita, CO, today, after changing drivers, on our way from Ouray to Moab, Utah, we began to see bikes everywhere--actual bikes, bike signage, bike sculpture, and finally, a funky-looking bike w/tomato sign for an eatery that simply drew us in. Hot Tomato Cafe.

Then the friendly staffers, the vibrant feel, and the Granny's Pesto Pizza sealed the deal. We bought, we ate, we swooned, we reckoned that the locals, who began to stream in about 5:30, felt the same way.

What a find, especially when not looking for anything at all. ( To eat, that is. We were in search of fruit production stories from the area. More on that to come.)  

Turns out Fruita, a town settled as a center for fruit-growing---who knew?---is today a major mountain bike center, and the cafe itself was the inspiration of a biker and a biker/bike photographer.

Did they know that the tomato is a fruit?

Likely they did. They live in Fruita, so yes.

 

 Here is the inestimable Granny Pesto, a pie with feta as well as mozzarella, thin-crusted and generously loaded with basil-rich sauce and multitudes of tomato.

We intended to take the pizza--2 giant slices-- with us on down the road to Moab, for eating later. Having taken it "out," we sniffed the box, opened it, and sat in our parked vehicle, scarfing it down right then and there, offering bits of crust to our eager terrier  whose vocabulary includes the words "pizza night."

Wild Ramp/Apfel Strudel for Ms Merkel of Germany

EAT LIKE A PRESIDENT: THE STATE DINNER MENU

White House Honey Gastrique

Tuna Tartare with Rye Crisps

Pickled Young Carrots and mustard Oil

Spring Pea Salad

Shaved Ham and Ginger Snaps

Petite Filet

With Maryland Crab Ravioli

Wild Ramp Puree                                                        

Apple Strudel

Golden Raisins and Topfe

Am I wrong or are ramps not always wild? The wild leek? They are lovely to look at, for sure.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2000653/Obamas-host-state-dinner-honour-German-Chancellor-Angela-Merkel-But-Michelle-steals-show.html#ixzz1OeUcz1FK

 

Ramp photo and fine info are available via Amy Cotler.

 

Foodish Floridians Still Lack Something...

Ah, the bounty of Florida!  Fish so fresh it smells like Febreze, new spuds in winter, real-tasting strawberries, plump tomatoes, Cuban cigars and sandwiches, oysters, spiny lobsters, crawfish, tropical fruits like mangoes, starfruit and lychees, and so it goes.  It even has Ikea--but, alas, still no Trader Joe's. 

So it is with special pleasure that we return to TJ-land here in New Mexico. And this morning we breakfasted on scrambled eggs ( from the growers market) and TJ Whole Wheat Croissants, baked in our fave old countertop convection oven. Flaky, tasty, light, divine. 

And healthy as can be, especially with a generous addition of Irish butter and boysenberry jam. Yeah!

For those to whom the breakdown of foods into carbs, fats, calories, proteins, etc.,  holds a special fascination, take a look at this site that evaluates Trader Joe's products. It's from Livestrong, Lance Armstrong's non profit foundation.  ( Did he  or didn't he? And do we care?)

 

 

 

USDA MyPLate? YourPlate? Not Really Mine.

So--this MyPlate imagery from the USDA is a decent attempt to make visual to Americans what previous food pyramids apparently have failed to do. The fact that it resembles a plastic kitchen toy may not be a plus, however.

Eat more veggies than proteins ( though beans, spuds and sweet pots, of course, are protein-filled veggies...,) and OOPS--are they implying we all have a hearty glass of milk with our meals, instead of water or wine? Not a great idea, but then again, the dairy lobby is alive and well.

Also--how much of everything should we eat? Deck of cards worth of protein?  I rankle when I read 3 ounces of this and 6 ounces of that, as if we all have little ounce measuring devices available. 8 ounces to a cup is embedded in my brain, but 3?

An alert pal sent me this visual interpretation of MyPlate--source unknown-- that is close to nauseating in its lack of appeal. Overcooked, canned green beans, milk, a slab of unadorned salmon, maybe, a slice of bland looking bread and, can it be, canned mandarin oranges???  Aaaargh.

Clearly the USDA swiftly needs to put together some plates that show real, tasty food.

Here's one, from a Thai restaurant lunch I had.

 

 

 

Rice, slice of orange, loads of veggies, and tofu in a red curry sauce.

Here's another from an earlier post:

 A roll, a slew of steamed summer squash w/onion and spinach, grilled eggplant topped with mozzarella ( dairy!,) tomatoes, yellow pepper, fresh basil, olive oil with spices.....

But wait! The USDA MyPlate shows us no oils, no nuts...how can this be?

And finally, a lunch we had on the road from Florida to NM, in a small town in Texas.

 

 

 

A cup of "baked potato soup," comprised of spuds, cream and bacon, a salad, assorted unnecessary  bits of carb (!) and a decent piece of spinach quiche, with a fine handmade buttery crust. The soup was a tad over the top, but then, this was Texas.

So, USDA, high marks for rethinking the imagery, but methinks the American public needs a wide range of actual plates of food in order to get the message.

On the other hand, one of my favorite writers, M.F.K.Fisher, who happened to focus on food, once wrote, "Balance the day, not the meal." This plan works well for those with some food savvy. I keep it vaguely in mind, but more importantly, like many people, I choose what looks fresh and good, and dive into an enjoyable meal.  And ignore the rules. Sheesh. 

Ayurvedic Earth Apples to Swoon Over in Albuquerque

Yes, Virginia, there is a place where one can savor fresh cut, freshly prepared,  twice fried (seemingly) potatoes with chipotle sauce. And that place astonishly, is an Ayurvedic joint, Annapurna's World Vegetarian Cafe on 4th street in Albuquerque.

A friend of mine wanted breakfast, and I noted what I thought were "home fries" on the menu and ordered a side, as I had indeed eaten breakfast a couple hours prior.

Home fries they were not. I was stunned. The finest fries eaten in months, maybe years ? At breakfast in a calm, fabric draped place with whiffs of cumin in the air.

Read here about the CPA who founded Annapurna with the aim of serving " food as simple as possible – from the earth, just as nature intended, and as prescribed in the Ayurvedic tradition."

Try the earth apples. Truly.

 

 

Chicken Worth Eating---Why Not?!--Plus--Pepsi Seeks Health...

Cruising through one of Florida's biggest supermarkets, I paused in the chicken section, seeking organic wings for my...dog. What passes for the butcher in these places was putting meat in the cooler, so I asked him why seemingly there were no organic wings available. I said I didn't want any chicken filled with antibiotics, even for my...dog.

He paused, smiled, and looked at me, as if gauging what type of shopper I was. "You know, everybody should have access to chicken free of antibiotics, chickens not raised eating other chickens. None of our food should be anything but the best!"

"But, unfortunately," he went on, wiping his hands on a white cloth, "People these days can't afford the best chicken. Or they won't. They won't pay the extra for organic wings, so.....we don't even stock them."

"What we eat, our fuel, though, it should be worth eating, right? It should be healthy," I said.

"They can afford soda and chips," he said.

We both sighed.

For more on soda and chips, see the New Yorker piece on Pepsico, and the push of its CEO, Indra Nooyi, for "healthy" drinks/snacks. Here's an idea: stop producing Pepsi!

Frozen French Fry King is Dead; So Are McD's Fries....

Wallace McCain, 81, the Canadian whose McCain Foods apparently produces more frozen fries than any other company, died on May 13 a billionaire, sitting in the middle of the Forbes billionaire list, in spite of a reputation as a celebrated philanthropist...

McCain Foods does supply McD's with some of its frozen fries, along with Simplot, and others. Just the other day, on a total whim, I pulled into a McD and ordered fries. First time since the 1970's.

OMG the fries were as I remembered---like thin strands of cardboard, bearing zero resemblance to freshly prepared fries made from fresh potatoes. In a word, wretched. In three words, not worth eating. 

It occurs to me that I have never bought any packaged frozen fries for use at home. On the theory that if I eat fries, I will either make them myself ( tossed in olive oil and baked, really) or buy them out, from an eatery that makes them fresh. I wonder if there is a frozen fry product for sale that is worth exploring....

 

 

Chard: No Great Mystery as to How to Cook It

Often I overhear people at growers markets wondering how to cook this magnificent green. They hold up a bunch, sigh at its beauty, then lay it down, seemingly flummoxed by the difficulty involved.

This is not Chateaubriand, friends!

Gently start to sautee at least 3 cloves of garlic, crushed and chopped, in a decent olive oil.

Slice up the washed chard, even some of the stems--they are edible, but maybe not to everyone's liking, texturally speaking.

Toss them in. Move them about with tongs. (The moisture from the washing should be enough, but you can always toss in some wine, too. Never hurts.)  Add ground black pepper, a tad of salt. Cover, briefly.

The chard takes somewhat longer than spinach, which quickly goes limp. But not tooooo much longer.

Eat--or---if you want to, blend in a generous dollop of cream or 1/2 and 1/2 first.

Then eat. Enjoy.