Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Sensational memory
Memories are a truly miraculous thing. A memory is not just simply of sight and auditory but of all your senses. Some of them most powerful memories can be centered on the food we eat. Food is very impactful in our lives and in our memories. People base experiences around the food they eat when they are out at a restaurant or at home. One of my most precious memories is that of cooking and baking with my mother for Christmas dinner. It all started with making a pot of gumbo. The aroma of seafood filled the air and the house for hours on end. This smell was not of the nasty fish smell but the most pleasant sent of a childhood meal. The next sent that enter the air was the roast tenderizing in the crock-pot with the softening vegetables. This is one of my mother’s favorites to cook year around. It is an effortless meal that is delightful and can cook all day long. The next odor to enter the air was so sweet it would make anyone’s mouth water. The sweet fragrance that was entering the air was of the melting chocolate and peanut butter fudge. The chocolate was milk and white. It was so silky and smooth and was used to create the most wonderful dessert treats. Chocolate covered pretzels, hay stack and Peanut butter balls. This part of the cooking is always my favorite due to the mess and the sweetness of the treats. Then finally came the more common smells started to come to my nose. The boiling pots of water on the stove contained rice and another pasta. The rice was turned into a side dish in which an individual could use as they wished with the other food. Meanwhile the pasta was transformed into the common childhood favorite Macaroni and cheese. Last but certainly not forgotten is the fragrance of the famous green bean casserole. These entire put together made the aroma of Christmas dinner at my mother’s house. This is a memory that I will cherish for infinity and hope to make similar ones with a family of my own.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Amazing Global Pizza

Dough: Wheat – Some mid-west state
Sugar- Caribbean
Water- Georgia water
Salt -Michigan
Yeast- California
Vegetable oil-Tennessee

Sauce: Tomatoes- California
Spices- Garlic -California
Onion- Texas
Oregano- Italy
Basil- Some Southern State
Salt-Michigan
Pepper- India

Toppings:
Mozzarella- Wisconsin
Pepperoni- California
Pineapple- Indonesia
Black Olive- Argentina
JalapeƱos- Mexico

Last night me and my family had a pizza for dinner. It is truly amazing how something as simple as a pizza take so much to make. The ingredients in this pizza are not just from one place but from everywhere in the world. How did people ever accomplish this in the old days? Did they ever have the variety that we have today when it comes to fruits and vegetables? Our generation and culture take this for granted. We do not really think about where our food comes from in the world. We just eat it. Something as someone’s favorite fruit today could have been impossible to find in the olden days. Is our food complete safe with it coming from around the world? How have laws changed to accommodate this food revolution that is the modern world? Is our food safe today than it was back then or do we still have problems with quality? How have quantity of these ingredients impacted recipes and the style that our modern society cooks? Does modern food have more flavor?