RomaNostalgia

So, it has been almost two months since my Food Studies trip to Rome (since then I have also travelled to Chicago to indulge in Giordano's deep dish pizza and to the Cake Boss in Hoboken for beautiful tiramisu...but more on that in later posts!). There has been just too much to process and take in, and quite frankly, too depressing to write about because I miss everything so much. At this point, RomaNostalgia is an understatement. It hurts. I've tried to enjoy gelato since returning to the States, and it is just not the same. Artichokes just aren't the same color in America (or wherever they're imported from) as they are in Italy. To try and order a caffe corretto (or coffee with sambuca) at any American coffee shop would be completely futile. Enough gloating, though. I learned so much about myself, American and Italian culture during this trip that my perception of consumption from art to anchovies has completely changed.

My first exposure to specifically Roman culture was through the lens of Federico Fellini's film Roma (1972). As an English and cultural studies major, I am drawn to how language becomes a focal point to create discourse and history in terms of specificity and place. Particularly during this trip I was drawn towards the devout and rather frantic respect for preserving Italian cultures and traditions. The language used to describe wine and coffee production is a relevant focus in terms of food studies. While I did previously understand Italian culture in terms of deep reverence for food and art, exposure to Fellini turned that notion on its head. I specifically love the scene towards the beginning of the film that directly focuses on food. http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8664833614753586960#

Particularly in this clip there is a contrast between the juxtaposition of the appetizing presentation of food with a voiceover that completely deconstructs any notion of good taste. While there is deep reverence for appearance of food with emphasis on the pasta dishes, the voiceover forces a perception of disgust. I simultaneously viewed Italian consumption in terms of the contradiction between respect for tradition and pushing personal preference. My focus shifted away from the pasta dish to the complimentary beverage on the film clip: wine. Wine has become in American culture a signifier of cultivated taste, yet there are laws in Italy that dictate the legitimacy of wine origin and production. During a wine tasting I first noticed that the Sommelier repeatedly used the phrase “You must respect…” in terms of the vintage of the wine and the sequence of drinking the wines in terms of age. While winemaking has been going on for centuries, the regulations and laws as well as sommelier presence started in the 1960s. The tradition of the sommelier is from France which complicates even further the notion of wine as a distinctly unique cultural signifier. While tasting a Prosecco, 2 white and 2 red wines the sommelier listed the wine company, wine name, grape variety, fermentation technique and length of time as well as the region. He repeatedly engaged with us by saying “You need to respect…”

The sommelier described different means of examination for every wine.
Sensory: Includes looking at the wine and analyzing the color in terms of vintage.
Olfactory: Includes smelling the wine, swirling the glass, then smelling again.
Taste: Finally, tasting the wine can also be thought of in terms of multiple sensations including
Sweetness
Acidity
Saltiness
Bitterness

Essentially, respect permeates the mindset of consumption for wine, from the most expensive to the cheapest “vino tabula” or common table wine. Although this form of tasting can get tedious (and distracting when trying to scribble down all the details!) there is a different type of tasting that occurs when activities such as thinking and analyzing and not only chewing and swallowing are involved. We were offered various cheeses with honey as well as foccacia bread with olives all of which altered the taste of the wines, enhancing and changing the perception of flavor.

The contradiction explained previously in Fellini’s Roma in terms of food presentation versus a critical and disgusted voiceover is apparent in Italian food consumption. We similarly see this tension between upholding traditions and challenging the institution of wine tasting. Particularly, while rules such as drinking the wine in sequential order from earlier vintage to later vintage and drinking specific wines out of specific glasses, the consumer is given the choice. The sommelier can offer suggestions, but ultimately one can pair whatever food with whatever wine they want. In turn, the sommelier can show a consumer the traditional pairings and ways, yet the sommelier must also respect the consumer’s palate, even untraditional methods.

This notion of rispetto, or respect, transposed to the Italian breakfast tutorial we had with the gracious bar waiter Sergio. Before Sergio noted that it is most appropriate to use a hot cup for hot coffee, I never realized that was part of coffee production and consumption. The rhetoric of respect surrounded this description. Furthermore, Sergio specifically said that the “Tea temperature has to be respected…” Specifically, an appropriate temperature is 23 degrees Celsius or 70 degrees Fahrenheit. This was a significant similarity that directly connected to the sommelier’s explanation of wine consumption and production.

Analyzing both coffee and wine and comparing how they function in American and Italian culture amplified my understanding of consumption. There are drastic differences between each, such as coffee is not enjoyed on the go in Italy prominently like in America. There appears to be more of a respect in terms of all consumption that permeates Italian culture from coffee and wine to food preparation and ritual as well as art and other cultural signifiers. My personal experience in America compared with my time spent in Rome and Cilento reveals a lifestyle more focused on locality and quality which is also comparatively cheaper. The Italian culture is indeed characterized and preserved through this notion of respect. While Fellini’s films such as Roma and Amarcord challenge Italian culture as previously perceived, a sense of deep respect is still engrained in specifically Italian food culture. While standards remain, consumers still maintain agency in terms of preference. The traditions embody an alternative form of history that offers a new insight into culture and lifestyles. In contrast to American consumption which is constantly mobile, this rhetoric of respect encourages more time for both thought and enjoyment- an important lesson I have particularly absorbed from Italian culture.

Addio Pittsburgh!

The day is finally here. I am travelling to Rome. But, first, as I sit here in the Pittsburgh International Airport with more than enough time to consider the fun to come, there are questions Dr. Julier asked us to think about:

How do we 'see' culture?
How does the history of this place shape the food culture?
What is the food voice that you hear?
What do Italians say about their own culture?
What are you looking for in Italy?
Where do you think you're going to find it?
How does being an American affect your perception?

As I sit here typing, munching on a chicken and cheese burrito from the fast food restaurant "Currito," the inherent internationality of American cuisine is blatant. The catch phrase for this particular food stop is "Burritos without Borders" and the menu reflects this- Teriyaki burritos to Nutella snacks to mango salsa are some of the varieties available. As an American, living in Pittsburgh, I consider myself very fortunate to be exposed to such a great international influence in terms of cuisine. Even within my own family life I grew up with food being directly referred to in terms of nationality.

My paternal grandma always made haluski and pierogies while telling us to get our "dupas" out of the kitchen. My maternal grandma always made eggplant parmesan and ravioli for New Year celebrations and Christmas, while constantly sending all different kinds of pasta to our house to eat after school. My maternal pap's Irish heritage continually led to having ham and cabbage with potatoes while attending our weekly meetings for Ancient Order of Hibernians. My mom and dad always made a hodgepodge of food, from pasta e fagioli to 'man slaw' to potato salad. I grew up consuming culture, as that is the primary way that I understand 'seeing' culture. While American food culture appears homogenized at times, I really appreciate the international crossroads that constantly resurface for American consumers.

I am interested in tracking the international influence on Italian cuisine and the extent of it, as well as the Italian perception of the 'sacredness' of cuisine. While America includes a melting pot of cultures, I expect to see more Italian solidarity in terms of food. Who knows what gelato flavors could lead to!

Another aspect of food studies that will be interesting to track is how food is closely associated with place. My own travel experience domestically includes trying gooey butter cake in St. Louis, crab cakes in Baltimore, and See's candies in Seattle. My Italian phrasebook includes a food section that in some instances directly associates food with place. Some examples:

Minestrone alla genovese- minestrone flavored with pesto (A Genoese sauce of basil, pecorino cheese, garlic and pine nuts soaked in oil)

Tortellini- small pockets of dough filled with minced pork, turkey, ham, eggs, cheese and spices served in a broth or meat sauce

Abbacchio al forno- oven baked spring lamb- A Roman specialty

Cannoli- Rolls of pastry filled with ricotta (A Sicilian specialty)

Panettone- Fruit cake made of fine flour mixed with eggs, sugar, butter and candied fruit peel (Specialty of Milan)

Panforte di Siena- A hard sweet from Siena

Caciocavallo- An Italian cheese from the South, of elongated shape similar to provolone

Mascarpone- A kind of cottage cheese from Lombardy, made with cream

Provolone- Hard, round cheese from Southern Italy

Stracchino- Buttery, non-fermented cheese from Lombardy, made of cow's milk

Even though some of these dishes are readily available and main-streamed in America, like tortellini and cannolis, I am interested to compare my previous experiences with these dishes and compare and contrast the Roman versions. More experiences to come... Arrivederci a tutti! Buon cibo!

One sip...

...and I had found a world completely new, when love walked in with you.

I can never taste coffee the same again after having La Prima's light and dark roasts at last week's fieldtrip to the Strip District roasting facilities. I can pinpoint the significant points in my life that have changed my consumption and perception of coffee. After deciding to not use sweeteners in my beverages about 5 years ago, I began to think more about the body and acidity of the coffee, quite simply I would ask myself, "is this coffee bitter- or can I taste different notes?"

Enrico's Tazzo D'oro in Highland Park was my first significant experience as my mom has taken my sisters and me there since it opened 11 years ago. The barrista's not only pull the best espresso shots I have ever experienced, but they are just as beautiful, with either an intricate leaf or floral image adorning the top of the epicurean embodiment. I don't mean to fetishize food so intensely; however, I have literally dreamed about having a Tazzo D'oro latte after going through a month's withdrawal.

Another significant experience with understanding coffee tones came about three years ago after having French press at the Bee Hive in South Side with my coffee-savvy friend Alex. While I have had Oolong tea and other coffee at home made by my dad with his Bodem press, this coffee I could drink black. And I want to drink it black- the cream and the sugar only conceal the various flavors available to my taste buds.

Finally, after experiencing La Prima's fruity, vibrant light roast and the nutty, woody dark roast, Chatham's Cafe Rachel and their Fair Trade coffee no longer cut it for me. While it has become a privilege and lifestyle for me to consider the various qualities of good coffee, I have also had the opportunity to learn about the politics of coffee. Dr. Julier invited two graduate students from her class at the University of Pittsburgh to present their ongoing research project with Building New Hope.

Building New Hope is a non-profit organization based dually in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Granada, Nicaragua. Since 1992, BNH has supported and operated grassroots development projects in Central America. Their main goal is to "support and partnership to communities in development in Central America, particularly in El Salvador and Nicaragua" which includes a wide range of programming from an organic coffee import project, a veterinary clinic, alternative schools and literacy programs.

This various range of support is constructed through making the coffee trade more fair and friendly to farmers and suppliers:

"The organization has been paying above fair trade prices for the cooperative's coffee since 2002. The coffee is roasted in Southwestern Pennsylvania and sold by coffee shops, fundraising groups, and other vendors throughout the region and country. After paying the farmers, the profits from the coffee project, along with support from private donations, goes toward development projects in El Porvenir and other parts of Nicaragua. In El Porvenir (literally, "the future") BNH has provided funds for a partial-road, scholarships for post-secondary students and a supplemental teaching salary. Coffee revenue also funds approximately 50 percent of BNH's programming based in Granada, Nicaragua including the alternative schools and veterinary clinic" (from their Executive Summary)

My next goal in becoming more aware of the politics of coffee and fair trade includes finding out if my favorite coffee suppliers indeed do partake in the sale of BNH's coffee, yet another reason for loving that latte of mine.

Smörgåsbord of Food and Fun!

While spending lots of time during Spring Break on campus, or venturing to the Elbow Room for a pineapple BBQ burger, Chatham hosted a really exciting foods event. Sponsored by the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture, the first annual 2010 Local Food Showcase included a reciprocal turnout of growers and buyers.

Anderson Dining Hall became a showcase center filled with unfamiliar faces from Friendship Farms, Penn's Corner Farm Alliance, Turner Dairy Farms as well as familiar faces of Parkhurst Dining Services, Dr. Julier and Dr. Wardi. As we navigated through the interesting and delicious exhibits we had the opportunity to taste raw milk, hummus, dip mixes, jams, as well as scrumptious pastries from Enrico's biscotti company.

Friendship Farms was an interesting guest to consider in terms of a local producer and seller. They have a unique bakery and farm story located in the Laurel Highlands of Southwestern Pennsylvania. Their baked goods are focused on hearth baken breads, scones, muffins, granola, and other pastries made from unbleached flour and organic flours and grains. The store, and they brought these products to the showcase, includes homemade jam, sauces, salsas and canned products grown and processed at the farm.

They also sell "all-natural" angus beef produced from cattle born and raised on Friendship Farms. The cattle are specifically bred for quality traits and are carefully nurtured as they are rotated around the farm pastures to consume a combination of alfalfa, clover and orchard grass. They are never treated with hormones or gived articially derived feeds.

Finally, Friendship Farms has a native plant nursery that specializes in containerized trees, shrubs, grasses and wildflowers native to Wester Pennsylvania. This particular business venture is a positive model for local production and consumption, as Friendship Farms is fully aware what is in their products because they control the means of production. This showcase was yet another enlightening food experience that demonstrated the relative financial ease and lifestyle change of considering local.

I'll pass on the MSG.

This spring, I precociously began my spring break with an attempt to do laundry in my residence hall washing facilities. After a random major flooding of my first load, I was rescued by my mom as we went to the laundromat on Ellsworth. While waiting for my drenched accoutrements to rewash and dry we stopped at the Tokyo Japanese Grocery in the same center as the laundromat, with a Coldwell Banker office squeezed in between. There were certain products I was intrigued by, including bags filled with white powder labelled "Monosodium Glutamate." Infamously abbreviated by my mom since childhood, "MSG" is requested to not be in our food at any Japanese and Chinese restaurant we've frequented. While the use of MSG is frequently referred to as the "Chinese Food Syndrome" on various internet sources, its original use was indeed in Japan: "A Japanese company called Ajinomoto - only recently found guilty of price-fixing MSG on the world market, is today the prime maker of MSG. Japan is also where taurine and CoQ10 are now used to treat heart disease, and ginger and taurine-rich sushi are eaten alongside MSG sprinkled food. These foods have protective effects against an MSG reaction. However, even the Japanese have found recently that MSG fed to mice can lead to blindness." (http://www.msgtruth.org/whywe.htm) This use of preservatives is indeed frightening.

In a store that had so many single portioned items such as beautiful filets of salmon, meticulously bagged bok choy and perfectly shaped red bean pastries I was shocked to see bags of MSG. According to the Mayo Clinic's online information database:

Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is a flavor enhancer commonly added to Chinese food, canned vegetables, soups and processed meats. Although the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has classified MSG as a food ingredient that's "generally recognized as safe," the use of MSG remains controversial. For this reason, when MSG is added to food, the FDA requires that it be listed on the label. MSG has been used as a food additive for decades. Over the years, the FDA has received many anecdotal reports of adverse reactions to foods containing MSG. These reactions — known as MSG symptom complex — include headache, flushing, sweating, facial pressure or tightness, numbness, tingling or burning in face, neck and other areas, rapid, fluttering heartbeats (heart palpitations), chest pain, nausea and weakness. (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/monosodium-glutamate/AN01251)

Another source reveals more dangerous consequential links between MSG and health:

A study by Johns Hopkins University suggests that monosodium glutamate can induce asthma in some individuals as well. Other studies show that MSG can cause damage to brain cells and the central nervous system. Some studies suggest it has direct correlations with Alzheimer's disease. (http://www.ehow.com/about_5432119_health-risks-monosodium-glutamate.html)

While there is no definitive evidence of a link between MSG and the previously listed symptoms, I have definitely experienced the wrath of this "flavor enhancing preservative." If I forget to ask for no MSG at Lulu's Noodles or Spice Island Tea House, after I'm finished my forehead gets tight and I get a full head pain that is excruciating. Clearly there must be some link. Furthermore when I do get food sans MSG, there is no obvious taste difference. So what's the point of including it? It is merely a preservative, and is not just included in Japanese and Chinese food. In fact, distinctly defined "American" food is just as much permeated with it from KFC to Burger King including ALL chicken, sausage, parmesan, ranch dressings, croutons, dipping sauces, gravy and soups in the fast food industry.

There is a difference between the way American and Chinese restaurants use MSG:

Chinese food, for the most part consists of fresh vegetables quickly cooked. MSG is added at the end as a condiment. It can be NOT added at the consumers request. Most Chinese restaurant owners also know what else on the menu contains natural MSG - soy sauce for instance is naturally loaded with free glutamate. Wait staff at a Chinese restaurant will often steer the MSG sensitive patron away from dishes containing soy sauce as well as MSG. At Asian restaurants, they know what is in the food because they put it there. Most American restaurants today purchase their foods from large US food companies that have what are called "Food Service" divisions. In American restaurants, most wait staff and often the cooks don't know what is in the food, because the soup base probably came from a can, those cute little jalapeno poppers came from a brightly colored bag in the freezer, and very little is actually "fresh". And, unfortunately, most American food scientists use the fact that soy sauce, and hydrolyzed vegetable protein naturally contains free glutamate to give their free glutamate containing products what is called "a clean label". So even cooks and wait staff don't even know what they are reading on the labels. The people who create the foods supplied to American restaurants have absolutely no compunction about hoping you don't know that MSG is in your food when you are consciously trying to avoid it. (http://www.msgtruth.org/whywe.htm).

Ang Lee's film Eat Drink Man Woman really made me reconsider the artisanal aspect of a culture's food. Chu, the professional chef and single father of the film, attempts to strictly adhere to a fresh, meticulous Chinese cuisine for his family. The ritual of Sunday family dinner reiterates the traditions of keeping family together as well as cuisine techique. This evolving culture and cuisine reflects Western intrusion through food, as the youngest daughter Jia-Ning works at a Wendy's fast food restaurant. The experience at the Japanese grocery, with lots of plastic miniature figurines of food and individually packaged and preservative filled products contrasts so greatly with the opening scene of the film where Chu is intimately connected with his craft, skinning the chicken, de-finning the fish, folding the dumplings. Inevitably, reflection of Japanese and Chinese food reiterates a postcolonial condition that Westernized ideals of commodification and preservative use has permeated both cultures food products. The "West" of Europe and America cannot be simply guilty of this, as the first MSG product was engineered in Japan. For now, for the sake of avoiding a headache, I'll stick to freshly prepared foods and skip out on the MSG.

Strip trip!

When my Gram was a young girl in Pittsburgh, she spent alot of time around the produce yards of the Strip District. The Merlina family, consisting of seven brothers, my Gram and her sister Marie and their parents, worked and owned alot of the distribution areas, providing restaurants and homes around the city with a vast array of vegetables and fruits. The strips of distribution buildings haven't changed much since then, but what I have known them as since childhood includes merely new distribution companies.

La Prima Coffee Roasters takes up a space on the strip on Smallman street. As a fieldtrip for the class Producing Food, Producing Difference, I had the opportunity to learn more about the production of coffee. The morning began with a coffee tasting- including one lighter, fruitier, more vibrant roast and a much darker, woodier, nuttier roast. Sam, an associate of La Prima who closely works with the engineering of flavors and marketing, explained that coffee is the second most traded commodity in the world next to oil. While Starbucks, Caribou, Seattle's Best and local coffee houses such as Tazza D'oro, Kiva Han and Jitters dominate the university landscape of Pittsburgh, I never imagined it would be the number two international commodity.

Sam also discussed the flavor and body of coffee in terms of wine. While wine is prominently produced and consumed in first world countries (Champagne from France, Chardonnay from California, Reisling from Germany) coffee is produced between the tropics of cancer and capricorn, primarily where alot of the third world countries are located. This is one significant difference because the politics of coffee span from fair trade practices for farmers and laborers whose product eventually makes it to first world countries. Furthermore, the body of the coffee is described in terms of acidity. This is determined by how long the coffee is roasted for. Light roast coffees have more acidity and a brighter flavor because the oils are still in the bean. Dark roast coffees are literally more roasted/burnt beans that can have a charred or woody flavor. La Prima prefers lighter roasts, as Sam claims the dark roast beans have everything roasted out of them, including flavor.

We had the opportunity to watch the beans being roasted in the two "San Franciscan" machines, which turns out to be a rather mesmerizing process. Particularly the beans are poured into the roaster and spin for approximately 13 minutes. Once then are ready, they trickle out into a tray in the front of the machine, constantly spinning in a circle to cool until they are placed in buckets for distribution.

While the La Prima aspect of our Strip trip was really educational and amazingly scented with the roasting coffee beans, we also visited Enrico's biscotti shop. This is yet another one of my favorite places to buy lisanti (soft cherry walnut biscotti) and shell pastries filled with ricotta cheese and orange zest. The next stop included Reyna foods which sells delicious chicken burritos and non-alcoholic sangria. After stopping at Lotus foods to partake in the nostalgia of sharing leechie fruits with my dad and sisters as well as Pocky and Botan rice candy, we lunched at Chicken Latino, a fairly new Peruvian restaurant. The chicken burrito was served with an amazing cilantro sauce, as well as fried plaintains- the perfect sweet salty end to another Strip trip!

Crap, Corn?

Last evening I trekked out to Eden Hall Farm with Jenn, Amber and Quayla for a film screening of King Corn with the director Aaron Woolf. Before the film we chowed down on salad with lettuce and radishes harvested seconds before eating, along with some delicious local cheese.

The only beverage choice available was Coca Cola. After learning about food systems for the past year, drinking soda, even sparingly, sends me on a guilt trip. I have already given up soda and sweeteners for drinks. This article was single-handedly responsible for causing me to think about the dangers of sweeteners: http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2006/05/22/060522fa_fact_bilger. Later on this year in Dr. Wardi's World Literature class, the politics of drinking Coca Cola were amplified. In the film "A World Without Water" http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3930199780455728313# I learned that Coca Cola has literally bought the water supplies beneath Rajasthan, India, massively affecting water table levels and putting farmers in peril. Drastic amounts of water have been taken to produce Coca Cola for consumers around the world, so this water is permanently torn from the biosystem and is never replenished. This has been just one journey of knowledge to learn about my own consumption.

Aaron Woolf's film "King Corn" took me on yet another journey of consumer enlightenment. The film is structured in a similar manner to Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma, documenting the journey of an acre of corn that best friends Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis plant and harvest. While this film shocked me on many levels, the most depressing aspect included the instance when Ian and Curt sit in the field, tasting a raw corn cob that "tastes like crap." Essentially, this corn, as a majority of the corn in Iowa, is inedible until it is processed. Contrary to popular perception, American corn is not for consuming whole, but as high fructose corn syrup. It is impossible to escape this entity as it is responsible for satiating our sweet tooth, even if we're unaware. A trip to a supermarket revealed that high fructose corn syrup was in practically everything.

Ian and Curt attempt to make high fructose corn syrup. After cooking their corn kernels for around 18 hours, they proceed to add ingredients including obscure chemicals that have images of a skull and crossbones along with a hand dipped into the liquid that reveals a skeletal hand. Yum! While there are so many other points this movie makes such as the decreased nutritional value of products and the inevitable epidemic of diabetes in America, I really appreciated the film as yet another journey to considering where and how our food comes to the table.

While this film includes political awareness that can instigate action, Aaron does not have a definitive answer of how to cause change. Part of his solution is his Urban Rustic grocery store in Brooklyn. This interesting business venture includes working with local farms to sell produce in season. While many vegetables are frozen to satiate a palate craving a tomato in December, Woolf emphasizes the importance of shifting taste to what makes sense locally (such as winter crops root vegetables celeriac or black radishes). This film on a microcosm affected how Jenn, Quayla, Amber and myself think about consumption. Even if we opt for water over soda, or a salad over McDonald's, effect on the local level matters.

Food Hangover

Last night, Dozen Bake Shop in Lawrenceville hosted a summer cupcake party to release their new flavors. I had the opportunity to taste a lemon basil cupcake that brilliantly fuses together savory saltiness with sweet. Like the current flavor, salted caramel, I am glad to see the salted flavors are continuing with a margarita, salt lined cupcake. I was also excited to see lavendar being used for the passion fruit lavendar cupcake, a refreshing change for the summer. As I navigated through the cupcake towers, filled with a whopping 2000 cupcakes, flavors such as Apple Pie à la mode, Chocolate Chai, Lemon Merengue and Key Lime Pie were tempting. The most intriguing flavor was Twinkilicious, a white cake batter with topping identical to that of the consistency of actual Twinkees (mouth-coating, bland yet subtly sweet). After doing research on Twinkee culture, I'm interested to discover more about this particular flavor and the inspiration behind replication of this petroleum derived product.

I am really intrigued by Dozen not just for their delicious products such as pot pie infused with rosemary, empanadas, cinnamon buns with inch-thick cream cheese icing and the life-altering lavendar waffles with lemon curd. This notion of blurring the lines between savory and sweet complicates my notion of what makes a meal. For me, a meal includes the equation of one savory plus one sweet- for instance, breakfast equals a cinnamon bun (sweet) and a latte (savory). If I apply this reasoning of consumption to Dozen's cupcakes- one lemon basil (savory) and one banana butterscotch cupcake (sweet) makes a meal. Of course this is not a healthy nor sustainable way to eat, but I really appreciate the fact that Dozen challenges and expands my taste buds with such tongue twisters.

Dozen also strives toward the local. The shop's website (http://www.dozenbakeshop.com/html/about.html) includes a list of local suppliers including Penn's Corner Farm Alliance, Grow Pittsburgh, and Turner Dairy Farms, Inc. The shop was listed in Pittsburgh Magazine last year for their noble sustainability efforts.

The night did not end after the cupcake party, as my fellow foodie friend Jenn and I went to the "Waffle Shop, A Reality Show" in East Liberty, located between Ava and Shadow Lounge. The view from the outside is initially peculiar. Looking in through the open view windows surrounding the shop, there is a bar and tables with a talk show stage set up towards the back. On the prominent blue wall in lighting that reminds me of a circus ride, hails customers and potential talk show guests: WAFFLES. After walking in we were cordially greeted by multiple waiters, as well as the shop's manager, Dawn. The shop's website (Waffleshop.org) offers the most succinct explanation of this unique space:

...a neighborhood restaurant that produces and broadcasts a live-streaming talk show with its customers, operates a changable storytelling billboard on its roof, and runs a take out window that sells food from countries engaged in conflict with the U.S. The shop is a public experiment that brings together people from all walks of life to engage in dialogue and the co-production of culture.

Ultimately, the waffles are bait to get people in to talk. The take out window, Conflict Kitchen, is a connected project, as next door they will be selling kafta (lean beef heavily spiced with basil and other ingredients- try it at Aladdin's, too) wrapped in homemade bread wrapped in information about Iran. The layers in which this project operates is so interesting, combining local initiatives and dialogue with international awareness.

The waffles in themselves are completely tempting, as we had the options to choose between the traditional buttermilk, mint blueberry and coconut chicken curry waffles. The food aspect of the shop indeed operates in a (relatively) local-focused paradigm, as they are in partnership with Whole Foods Market. Jenn and I opted to share a mint blueberry waffle, as we were operating on cupcake overload. The tasty concoction had fresh blueberries in the batter, with vanilla bean ice cream on top, and a sprig of fresh mint. Pairing this along with great conversation and talk show entertainment, I will definitely be returning after having something savory to counteract this sugar shock.

Gooey. Butter. Cake...

...are three of the best words a Paula Deen admirer could want to hear. While travelling to St. Louis this past week to present in the Sigma Tau Delta, International English Honor Society conference, I had the opportunity to peruse the food scene around the Arch. After visiting the Culinaria Schnuck's market I learned that Gooey Butter Cake is the favored dessert of the region. The delightful treat is the consistency of a lemon or lime bar- substitute the lemon or lime flavor with butter. Underneath lies a thick graham crackery crust, making for a heavy combination. A small slice goes a long way.

I was also surprised to learn that St. Louis is renowned for the quality of Italian food (which will be an interesting comparison to the food I will be experiencing in Rome this May!). The Hill is characterized as a mostly Italian-American population in St. Louis, reflecting that of the Bloomfield "Little Italy" of Pittsburgh. Italians, prominently immigrated and settled in the area during the late 19th century, drawn to jobs in nearby plants developed to mine deposits of clay discovered in the 1830s. My regular spot in St. Louis was an Italian restaurant, Calico's, where I enjoyed delicious catfish, as well as toasted ravioli which was deep fried and served with marinara sauce. While at the Arch, there was a general store that sold delectable praline cremes, peanut brittle, and of course, in the mecca of Mark Twain enthusiasts, Huckleberry lozenges. I offered the Huckleberry lozenges as part of a presentation for my American Exploration class in which I explored the use of food as a signifier for regional identity in Mary Austin's "Stories from the Country of Lost Borders."

Regionality is such an interesting component of food studies that I am drawn to repeatedly. The vigor with which Austin considers both the Shoshone use of landscape and the society of the California's "Little Town of the Grapevines" emphasizes American identity as multi-faceted and confused. Austin takes on this characterization not with anxiety, but with a profound sense of wonder, experiencing within the natural and socially constructed landscapes Emerson’s “transcendental eyeball” moment repeatedly. She writes of her new found landscape, the California desert. For as regionally-focused as Austin is, the food reiterates a diverse American identity. In turn, food functions as a conduit of memory and history for American explorers to the west as well as the means for survival on the cultivated frontier. Reading this text during my own travels to "The Gateway of the West" resonated with my understanding of a new place in terms of food.

Throughout "Stories from the Country of Lost Borders," Austin pieces together sensory experience in meticulous ethnographic style. In terms of the Shoshone tribe, analysis of food reveals a reciprocal balance between men and women, as Winnenap, the medicine-man first teaches her of the many available nourishments of the landscape. The first focus on food for survival is explored in terms of the Shoshone Land as:

Desert Indians all eat chuck-wallas, big black and white lizards that have delicate white flesh savored like chicken. Both the Shoshones and the coyotes are fond of the flesh of Gopherus agassizii, the turtle that by feeding on buds, going without drink, and burrowing in the sand through the winter, contrives to live a known period of twenty-five years (Austin 59).

Here, Austin explores the landscape in terms of the food it provides. She does not express any disgust with eating either the chuck-walla or turtle, and offers pertinent information on the lives of the animals themselves, reiterating her profound reverence of the natural landscape and its inhabitants. Furthermore, she considers the flora of the landscape in terms of consumption: “It seems that most seeds are foodful in the arid regions, most berries edible, and many shrubs good for firewood with the sap in them” (Austin 59). Once again we are exposed to the specificities of the region in terms of her scavenging experience. Austin offers a how-to guide of living within the rugged landscape while maintaining a poetic, Transcendental tone. Most notably Austin finds her stride in explaining the many uses of the mesquite bean:

…whether the screw or straight pod, pounded to a meal, boiled to a kind of mush, and dried in cakes, sulphur-colored and needing an axe to cut it, is an excellent food for long journeys. Fermented in water with wild honey and the honeycomb, it makes a pleasant, mildly intoxicating drink (Austin 59).

While Austin does not offer an explanation on the specifics of cooking chuck-walla or turtle, here there are multiple possibilities for using the regionally grown mesquite beans. Interestingly, this one product can be used to make many products for survival, from solid meals to sustaining liquor. She learns many of these food preparations from the Shoshone Indians, yet there are other aspects of her experience that relate to food. Women become the primary focus of food preparation during her time with the Shoshones. During the day, Austin notices “These are working hours, and all across the mesa one sees the women whisking seeds of chia into their spoon-shaped baskets, these emptied again into the huge conical carriers, supported on the shoulders by a leather band about the forehead” (Austin 88-89). In contrast to the previous information given by Winnenap, the women here work with the raw materials to create edibles for the tribe.

Austin spends Fourth of July in El Pueblo de Las Uvas, known as “The Little Town of the Grape Vines.” In contrast to the Shoshone use of the land, here Austin finds agricultural constructs that contribute to the community’s consumption. The domesticated means of producing food are quite different compared to the Shoshone’s. Consider her description of food ritual:

Every house in the town of the vines has its garden plot, corn and brown beans and a row of peppers reddening in the sun; and in damp borders of the irrigating ditches clumps of yerba santa, horehound, catnip, and spikenard, wholesome herbs and curative, but if no peppers then nothing at all. You will have for a holiday dinner, in Las Uvas, soup with meat balls and childe in it, chicken with chile, rice with childe, fried beans with more childe, enchilada, which is corn cake with a sauce of chile and tomatoes, onion, grated cheese, and olives and for a relish chile tepines passed about in a dish, all of which is comfortable and corrective to the stomach. You will have wine which every man makes for himself, of good body and inimitable bouquet, and sweets that are not nearly so nice as they look (Austin 145).

Once again, Austin reveals an overwhelming sensory experience in terms of the consumption of grown products. There is a catalogue list of supplies here, reflecting the cataloguing Thoreau partakes in for preparations to Walden pond. The chiles overwhelm this section, being included in every dish and reflecting the regional taste. Furthermore, food focalizes community tradition, as holiday dinners include specific dishes and drinks depending on what successfully grows. While seemingly a minor point, these meals are noted as being “passed about in a dish” which reflects the settled nature of the landscape. This is an established community that has effectively domesticated surroundings to its anthropocentric use. Just as Austin explains her liking for the Shoshone recipes, she also finds that these dishes are “comfortable and corrective to the stomach” that reflects her own comfort in the region.

Food focalizes on ritual, as Austin notes in “The Little Town of Grape Vines.” She identifies and clings to familiarity in this sense, while also meticulously noting the regional specificity. A meal becomes a signifier of time:

There are two occasions when you may count on that kind of a meal; always on the Sixteenth of September, and on the two- yearly visits of Father Shannon. It is absurd, of course, that El Pueblo de Las Uvas should have an Irish priest, but Black Rock, Minto, Jimville, and all that country round do not find it so (Austin 145).

Here, occasions give rise to food, in terms of the same times of year. Interestingly, the inclusion of Father Shannon reiterates the diversity of people exploring the western frontier. Austin notes that he is indeed Irish, yet another transplant on the landscape just like her. This transplantation is not viewed as strange or absurd because so many of the settlers experienced the same uprooted experience. Tasting rejuvenating fresh-picked grapes and chili peppers were comparatively remedial for Austin as the gooey butter cake was for me.

Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate!

After trekking out to Eden Hall farm, our group was welcomed with a tasty chocolate drink made with chocolate, milk and...what could that familiar yet distant taste be...chili pepper! I have tasted this type of drink before, particularly at Mon Amie chocolatier in the Strip District, yet this cold drink had a completely different taste from the hot drink I have had. Chocolate has served many purposes throughout history, from cacao seeds being used as a bitter chocolate beverage in ancient Mesopotamia in social and religious practices, to use as a form of Aztec money in trading practices, to various god sacrifices in ceremonies. (See my earlier discussion of John Lloyd Stephens’ and his interactions with chocolate in the Yucatan, Mocha and Mozart). At Chatham’s recent chocolate tasting event at Eden Hall farm, Emily Stone presented various chocolate producer’s takes on maintaining a local focus. Today in American consumer culture, Hershey’s Chocolate World characters become a focal point of worship, selling “1.377 billion compared to 1.342 billion in 2007” (http://www.csnews.com/csn/cat_management/confections/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003935034&imw=Y). That, is a lot of cacao seeds.

While many chocolate making companies are distinctly American such as Ghirardelli and Hershey, there are a large selection of small chocolate producers. We were able to taste chocolate from a few. My particular favorite was from John and Kira’s chocolate http://www.johnandkiras.com/s.nl/sc.1/.f?gclid=CKP-sJfroaACFQli2godIHOnYg&partner=johnandkira%27s. They produce chocolate based on local components, such as their spearmint chocolate is made with spearmint grown by a local elementary school in Philadelphia. This is their way of compensating for having to buy the cacao seeds from no further than 20 degrees away from the equator. The honey lavender ladybug was my absolute favorite. Biting into the beautiful yellow treat reminded me of gardening at home in the summer, picking lavender for a table decoration, or putting the oil into lemonade. We also tried unconched chocolate from the Grenada chocolate company http://www.grenadachocolate.com/. Conching is a European method of chocolate making that determines the smoothness of the product. A conche is a container filled with metal beads that grinds the chocolate that creates frictional heat to further break down the particles so it becomes smooth. The uneven and gritty texture of the Grenada chocolate combined with the spiciness of added chili pepper was entirely and entirely refreshing experience and offered a completely new take on chocolate for me.

Like the wine tasting, this Eden Hall farm excursion was sweet and enlightening!

Irish potatoes, Italian spaghetti, Polish Pierogies...

This past weekend included the annual St. Patrick's Day parade in Pittsburgh with fun family time, corned beef, and people throwing up drunk by two in the afternoon. Since childhood, my sisters and I would line up in our A.O.H. (Ancient Order of Hibernians) sweatshirts with our cousins for the parade to begin while surrounding adults would be enjoying an early morning shot of Bailey's or Jameson. Alcohol consumption is inevitably linked to Irish heritage, as any films I've seen about Ireland including "Angela's Ashes," "The Butcher Boy," and "The Wind that Shakes the Barley" along with Flogging Molly's song "F*** you, I'm Drunk" perpetuate this stereotype of the drunken, beligerent Irishman.

Talking about stereotypes is a touchy subject especially for a Cultural Studies major because you cannot deconstruct the stereotype without using the stereotype, which contributes to its furthered circulation. This is a dilemma that I constantly grapple with from analyzing commercials in popular culture and literature. Considering how food can further the construction of stereotypes or engender family heritage in the films "Eat Drink Man Woman" and "Soul Food" is a challenging question. The only productive way I could think of approaching this assignment was to draw from my own experience. Growing up in my paternal grandmother’s kitchen I learned Polish words along with pierogie and haluski recipes. Time spent in my maternal grandmother’s kitchen led to picking up some Italian slang while deciphering the secrets to making spaghetti sauce not too bitter nor too sweet. While it is easy to say that Polish people eat pierogies and Italians eat tomato spaghetti sauce are both stereotypes, there are infinite nuances to the recipes and histories of both, varying from family to family and the unique stories that have instigated these recipes.Films can problematically allow for an understanding that representations of marginalized groups as a monolithic example. Representations can simultaneously perpetuate a stereotype and engender a multi-faceted depiction. In both films we see the endurance of family history, as well as the homogenizing intrusion of consumer culture. There is a delicate balance between presenting one family's story as representative of the entire Japanese or African American experience, as a film can easily be read as an overarching narrative of an entire culture. Of course, this is not true, as reflecting on one's own life and heritage reveals both large cultural connections and unique family traditions.
Stereotypes are a difficult representational system to grapple with because they are indeed homogenizing, yet can signify on truths of an entire culture. For example, throughout history a detrimental representation of African Americans included eating fried chicken and watermelon. African Americans in representation were over problematically eroticized and infantilized through these representations with food. The "mammy" figure is connected to preparing food, as "she is heavyset, dark-skinned, scarf-wearing, and able to cook everything that comes her way- from scratch" (Williams-Forson, P. “Still Dying for Some Soul Food?” 187) In terms of the film "Soul Food" there appears to be a reclamation and renarration of this stereotype, as “African Americans also invented new rituals that combined African harvest celebrations and American agricultural procedures” (Tracy Poe, The Origins of Soul Food in Black Urban Identity: Chicago, 1915-1947.” American Studies International. February 1999, Volume XXXVII No. 1: 11).

This same cycle of reappropriation to create negative stereotypes and reclamation and renarration occurs among all cultures. This past weekend most resonated with me, as I unconsciously and continuously deconstructed the stereotype of the "Irish drunk" with parade goers justifying being drunk before noon because it was St. Patrick's day. It is a stereotype that is marketed to us, just as any other. I can't dismiss it as immoral or wrong, though. I am of Irish heritage and 21 years old, so I partook in the Irish carbombs, being critically aware of the stereotype yet partaking in the consumption.

Happy Friday!

After turning 21 in January, I have indulged in a Friday ritual of trying different alcoholic beverages, from a Mango Margarita at Red Robin to a Purple Haze, fruit and alcohol beer, at Fuel and Fuddle. (Check out these 21 fun drinking rituals from around the world: http://www.sloshspot.com/blog/08-05-2009/21-Drinking-Rituals-From-Around-The-World-199)

As an of-age college student at Chatham University, in a food studies course, I am able to begin my weekend with a (free!) wine tasting! A few Fridays ago, students loaded up the university vans and trekked out to Eden Hall farm to taste various local wines from Heritage Wine Cellars in North East, Pennsylvania.

As my fellow World Ready Women gathered around a table we were already deciding which wines to taste. I am a red wine drinker. White wine is completely unpalatable to me because my oldest sister Sara thought it would be a good idea to mix Minute Maid Pomegranate Blueberry juice into a chardonnay and I got sick from it. Really sick, yuck.

So, our table started off with a bottle of Half and Half, made with half Niagara and half Concord vine grapes. It is essentially half red, half white, but it was an interesting blend that had muted sweet tones with a bitter after bite. The following was more like tasting fruit juice: Raspberry Wine. It is one of their best sellers, as it has a natural berry taste with a tangy finish. The natural taste of raspberry was too sweet for me, as I prefer a Pinor Noir over fruit juice. Next, we tasted a Merlot, a European style dry medium body with a soft finish. More than 3/4 of the table opted not to taste, because the smell was so intensely bitter (and was described by one as an "old man drink"), and the taste indeed matched after tasting a drop.

The next red was a Concord made from Pennsylvania grapes, which was sweet (not to the extent of the Raspberry), with a full bodied fruit flavor. This was my favorite from the tasting because it reminded me so much of my favorite drink, red Sangria. I had tried Heritage's Sangria before, as it's one of my mom's preferred drinks (when we're not at Harris Grill drinking frozen Cosmos lined with Chambord). The red wine and citrus blend is refreshing, yet not the best (If you're looking for an outstanding Sangria in Pittsburgh, try La Casa in Shadyside on Ellsworth- their special ingredient is a cinnamon stick!).

Heritage Wine Cellar is a great example of purchasing local. They have many reasonably priced products: http://www.heritagewine.biz/. Chatham's new food studies program and school of sustainability at Eden Hall farm is looking at more opportunities to purchase local, the next one being chocolate. Until next time, cheers!

Stanko Shoutout

When I was a baby I could not eat. An esophageal constriction led anything that was not thin liquid to go down my throat. The only sustenance I could resort to included banana drinks from Gerber, which to me were “Yogies”. After three operations, the final solution being an inflated balloon pulled through my nose and down the esophagus through a cut in my stomach, I could finally eat and digest food. Since then, my palate has been anything but discriminatory as I love to eat, yet do not take the act or quality of eating for granted.

Although there are many memorable meals that I could write about, the one that comes most vividly to my mind is the late night snacks I would partake in with my brother-in-law Stanko. While my sister Sara was a delicate ballerina who put more lipsticks into the refrigerator than food, Stanko’s appetite was larger than life, reflecting his physically demanding lifestyle as a more athletic dancer. When I was in second grade my younger sisters Kiersten and Lindsay and I would spend a lot of time at their house. Although my sister always made delicious dinners and indulged us with our favorite Kozy Shack rice pudding, by late evening we would always want what Stanko referred to as a snack; me, a fourth meal.

As I would sit at the counter, Stanko would take what seemed like everything out of the fridge to make what he deemed “Bulgarian Burgers.” At the time I assumed it was some sort of special recipe that his mother used to make before he came from Bulgaria; however, now I realize that these were of his own concoction to satiate his enormous appetite. Waiting with a large mixing bowl and wooden spoon in front of me, he piled ground beef, bread crumbs, eggs, three different kinds of cheese, yogurt, sour cream, salt, pepper, any bread, and many other random ingredients next to the bowl. He proceeded to put everything into the bowl, letting me add the salt and pepper mix while he told me about his past experiences at music and dance conservatories in Sofia before coming to Pittsburgh.

After everything was mixed he formed the burgers with the mix oozing out of his enormous hands. At the time they seemed at least ten times bigger than any burger I ate anywhere else. By the time he put them into the pan I would be relaying stories about the day spent at the pool or about piano lessons and which songs I was learning, or about preparing for the next activity at summer recreation camp. Finally, after waiting with a watering mouth we finally finished making the burgers. He would put the patties onto slices of bread, with extra mayonnaise, making three for himself and one for me, cut into fours. It always amazed me that he would be finished with three, with not a trace of drippings left on the plate, before I was messily finished with one, Bulgarian burger dripping down my arms. Even though the burgers were so large I would eat until the scar on my stomach began to pull, as I never let myself get so full with anything else so delicious. We would always finish the meal with a Ferraro Rocher chocolate, my favorite, with Stanko taking a last dip into the rice pudding.

Mocha and Mozart: Anchors of Familiarity

My initial experience with food studies has proved to be overwhelmingly inter-disciplinary. Presenting on John Lloyd Stephens' Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas and the Yucatan allowed me to stretch my connoisseur muscles in terms of food, music and literature. Studying Stephens' work through the prism of "Producing Food, Producing Difference" has proven effective in terms of considering identity through what is consumed.

During my travelling experience in Vienna, Austria I was most interested in visiting the Vienna Opera House and sampling the legendary Sacher torte. While I was extremely excited to inhabit the Mecca of European classical music because I had studied it for years, the Sacher torte was a gastronomically new encounter with its unique flavor and texture. Similar interests are reflected in John Lloyd Stephens’ accounts of traversing the distinctive regions of Central America, Chiapas and the Yucatan. Throughout Incidents Stephens consistently skims over descriptions of indigenous peoples to focalize on religious and governmental institutions as evidenced by one of the first instances in the text: “From the negro school we went to the Grand Court…which stand in the rear of the Government House” (16-17). Stephens’ perception focalizes on the vestiges of colonization because that is where his familiarities lie. Ultimately, music and food become a mediated space where cultural values intersect and reveal the extent to which Stephens allows himself exposure to Central American culture.

While Stephens attempts to find a fellow traveler to Guatemala his anxiety is interrupted by an experience that stimulates all of his senses:

At length all was ready; a large concourse of people, roused by the requisitions of the padre, was at the door, and among them two men with violins. The padre directed his own gigantic energies particularly to the eatables; he had put up chocolate, bread, sausages and fowl; a box of cakes and confectionary (178).

In this instance, Stephens notices and actively records his recollection of two men playing violins. The genre of music is not specified; however, his other senses become intrigued particularly through taste. Chocolate is included not as a luxury but as a necessity throughout the text. In Food: The Key Concepts (2008), Warren Belasco identifies chocolate among “tomatoes, corn, and potatoes” (49) as coming to most of the world only after 1492. Indeed in this text food and music emphasize the effects of colonization. This is the first of many chocolate appearances in the text. Similarly, when he travels to the village of Masagua, Stephens immediately desires chocolate:

At the village of Masagua I rode up to a house, at which I saw a woman under the shed, and, unsaddling my mule, got her to send a man out to cut sacate, and to make me some chocolate. I was so pleased with my independence that I almost resolved to travel altogether by myself(290).

Here, chocolate becomes a signifier of Central American culture that Stephens comes to rely on in the face of the unknown. In this sense it becomes a coping mechanism that allows Stephens to find his stride and confidence as a traveler. Margaret Odrowaz- Sypniewski emphasizes the parallel between money and chocolate as a legitimate coinage: “cacao currency [was used] as late as the mid 19th century in Yucatan, Mexico… [and] The Mayans were reported to have used cacao, as money, in Guatemala too” (Indigenous Americans Their Geneology History and Heraldry, http://www.angelfire.com/mi4/polcrt/Chocolate.html). Stephens constantly seeks institutional structures; in this case market value of chocolate allows him to connect with his capitalistic roots. In contrast, chocolate becomes spiritually significant as at a later time as an unnamed boy “prepared chocolate” (183) for the burial of a young man. Inevitably, chocolate becomes part of a cultural ritual that Stephens observes. While he is not intimately connected with the burial, chocolate engenders a contact zone for Stephens to identify within.

Later on in the text, music is similarly present in San José as a funeral procession “approached with the music of violins and a loud chorus of voices, and was escorting the priest to the house of the dying man” (353). Music becomes yet another facet of ritual in Central American culture. There is a distinction to be made between chocolate and music, as chocolate is indigenous to Central American agriculture, while religious authority and Christianization of the culture is affiliated with music. As chocolate becomes a comforting commodity for Stephens to identify with and consume, music becomes a vestige of American and European culture from which he hails. In this instance music is again conflated with institutional legitimacy, in this case government: “at nine o’clock, with violins playing, and a turnout that would have astonished my city friends, I made another start for the capital” (178-179).

There is a specific date, one of few in the text, which Stephens specifically cites as a particularly uplifting occurrence: January 1, 1840. A Guatemalan cathedral becomes yet another site of familiarity and institutionalization that signifies civilization for Stephens. In this case the space is permeated with Mozart’s music: “Gentlemen well dressed, and ladies in black mantas, were crossing it to attend grand mass in the Cathedral. Mozart’s music swelled through the aisles. A priest in a strange tongue proclaimed morality, religion, and love of country” (307). Just as chocolate embodies a means of communication between cultural differences in the case of mourning for a funeral procession, music remains the signifier that represents institutional authority to which Stephens repeatedly defaults.

To reaffirm the connections made between chocolate and music throughout I would like to look at one more scenario of Stephens’ Incidents:

We returned to our horses, and found Mr. Lawrence and the guide asleep. We woke them, kindled a fire, made chocolate, and descended…The streets were alike, long and straight, and there was nobody in them. We fell into one which seemed to have no end, and at some distance were intercepted by a procession coming down a cross street. It was headed by boys playing on violins; and then came a small barrow tastefully decorated, and strewed with flowers. It was a bier carrying the body of a child to the cemetery (366-367).

Once again in this situation, Stephens encounters a burial procession in which he simultaneously partakes in the consumption of chocolate and music. While music is an omnipresent facet of religious ceremonies in Christianity, chocolate is deeply engrained in the death rituals of Aztec and Mayan cultures as referenced by Odrowaz- Sypniewski: “In the tombs of the Mayans and Aztecs, there were cups that were used for the drinking of chocolate in the afterlife. In their tombs, in glyphs, was written: ‘This is the chocolate drinking cup of ..... (insert the name of the dearly departed’” (Indigenous Americans Their Geneology History and Heraldry, http://www.angelfire.com/mi4/polcrt/Chocolate.html). As we read, it is clear that both music and chocolate become ritualistic presences, offering a more nuanced experience of Central American culture. Previous to this encounter, Stephens, Mr. Lawrence and a travelling doctor were surveying the landscape, applying stagnant and encompassing numbers for exact measurements. The landscape here appears to be bare and flat, as the presence of scent and sound offer another dimension. While there is value in excavation information, the cultural experiences involving interaction offer a different kind of valuable experience. Measurements alienate Stephens from the cultural significance of “Idols” (149) and Central American culture, as the presence of food and music offers his audience more profound insight into new populations and themselves.

From the beginning of the text it is clear that Stephens knows the audience he is writing for. He wants to emphasize the stark differences in values and rituals; yet, it is clear that he consistently seeks cultural familiarities throughout the text. Both chocolate and music are apt symbols as they are consumed throughout his journeys. After tracing two recurring symbols throughout Stephens’ text, I would like everyone to identify other layers of familiarity and why they are focused on. No matter how objective he attempts to be, Stephens’ own anxieties reflect our own, no matter if one is nervous about a language barrier or being immersed in a new cultural ritual. Identifying the familiar is always the first step to understanding difference.

One singular sensation!

This past weekend I had the amazing opportunity to participate in the Pops All Star College Choir with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra directed by Marvin Hamlisch. Before our Saturday night performance the stage manager came in and told us that Marvin had bought 40 boxes of girl scout cookies from her daughter and decided to share them with the choir.

After parusing the full platters, I realized how much the face of Girl Scout cookies had changed since I had been a Daisy or Brownie. Samoas are now Caramel DeLites, All Abouts are no longer in circulation and there is now a Lemonade cookie. I opted for a Lemon Chalet despite my being thirsty. Just one Lemon Chalet. The next day I found out from my fellow choir member Joyous that there had been a recall issued that same day for what else...the Lemon Chalet!

The Girl Scout cookie is an American institution that prides itself on quality, wholesomeness and good old fashioned hard work. For more than 80 years they have been the number one source of Girl Scout fundraising, causing people to stock up in February and March for the year. The earliest evidence of GS cookie sales was in 1917 with a local mindset of Girl Scouts baking and selling the cookies themselves for 25 to 35 cents per dozen. Consider an original recipe:

An Early Girl Scout Cookie® Recipe
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar plus additional amount for topping (optional)
2 eggs
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder

Cream butter and the cup of sugar; add well-beaten eggs, then milk, vanilla, flour, salt, and baking powder. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Roll dough, cut into trefoil shapes, and sprinkle sugar on top, if desired. Bake in a quick oven (375°) for approximately 8 to 10 minutes or until the edges begin to brown. Makes six- to seven-dozen cookies.
(http://www.girlscouts.org/program/gs_cookies/cookie_history/early_years.asp)

Today, there are 11 different varieties of cookies made in ABC Bakers in Richmond, Virginia and Little Brownie Bakers in Louisville, Kentucky. In 2007, an estimated 200 million boxes of GS cookies were sold (This statistic is from Wikipedia and although it is not an esteemed source, it was the only one available to offer the magnitude of this product). According to the Huffington Post, a foul smell and taste plagued the boxes of the Lemon Chalets due to a chemical breakdown of oils. CNN reported that approximately 636,000 boxes were affected. While this is the first major product error in Girl Scout cookies reported, the cookies still remain one American sensation. Thanks, Marvin!

Guilty? Pleasure?

If I told you that this American product was named after shoes...contained petroleum derived products...and was claimed as responsible for driving a man to murder, what would you guess?

Well, it is the Twinkie, that seemingly harmless, cowboy clad, four inch long cake filled with vanilla cream. I shared Twinkies in the class "Producing Food, Producing Difference" as part of a food presentation.

In the 1920s and 30s, Continental Bakeries sold baked snacks under the Hostess brand name. Many of the snacks were seasonal, with fruit filling. Hostess Little Shortbread Fingers were made with strawberries, so for several months of the year the equipment used to make them sat idle because strawberries weren't available. On the way to a marketing meeting in 1930, the company vice president saw a billboard advertising Twinkle-Toe Shoes. This was the conception of what we now know as the Twinkie.

The original recipe from 1930 included basic ingredients like eggs, milk and butter. Other ingredients include bleached wheat flour and sugar derived from sugar cane and sugar beets. The sugar in addition to sweetness, in crystal form, holds air and makes the cake lighter. The combination of sugar and proteins make the cake tender, holds moisture and gives the Twinkie its color. Inevitably the needs for longer shelf life lead to the inclusion of chemical ingredients for preservative purposes. Eight out of the 39 ingredients are derived from corn as corn starch, glucose, fructose and high fructose corn syrup are essential in the Twinkie making process.

Chemical additives to Twinkies include monoglycerides and diglycerides which replace eggs and emulsify the recipe by stabilizing the cake batter, enhancing flavor and shelf life. Only a small amount of egg is used to leaven the cake batter. Polysorbate 60 keeps the cream filling creamy without using real fat. (Fellow classmate Caitlyn Krzywiecki also noted the cream filling was "intense" when tasting it, that it irregularly coated the inside of her mouth) Furthermore, hydrogenated shortening replaces butter. Artificial butter and vanilla are used, disturbingly derived from petroleum. Sorbic acid is used specifically to deter the onset of mold.

Contrary to popular belief and urban myth, a Twinkie's shelf life is officially 25 days and they are not chemically preserved. Replacing eggs, butter and fats is what keeps Twinkies from going rancid and is a much shorter list than other products sold today.

In 1979, accused murderer Dan White from San Francisco claimed the act was brought on by severe depression. Evidence of his depression was provided by White's overblown consumption of junk food, including Twinkies. The "Twinkie Defense" became infamous in popular culture. Also, the T.W.I.N.K.I.E.S. (Test with Inorganic Noxious Kakes in Extreme Situations) Project is a series of experiments conducted during finals week in 1995 at Rice University. Students subjected Twinkies to a battery of scientific tests to determine the electrical resistance, water solubility and whether or not they are sentient. Different forms of Twinkies in circulation today include fried ones at state fairs, wedding cakes comprised entirely of them, Twinkie pie, tiramisu and even sushi (http://www.recipezaar.com/Twinkie-Sushi-120476). By the end of my presentation in class there were two plates still full of the Twinkie appetizer- and I must admit I couldn't eat a bite either.

Response to Proust's Madeleine

One of my earliest childhood memories includes filling a volcano-shaped pile of mashed potatoes with buttered corn and peas at my grandmother's house, copying the technique from my dad. So far this week I have had corn pudding at a soul food theme lunch, corn in burrito at Chipotle, as well as high fructose corn syrup used in a majority of consumable products. I've read about the prized maize Belezians offer to John Lloyd Stephens on his expedition in my American Exploration class. Even from before the nineteenth-century rise of commodification and emergence of market culture, corn was a valuable asset to survival. There are many politics surrounding corn. I remember reading a newspaper article in high school about the skyrocketing prices of corn tortillas in Mexico due to the incrased shift in using corn for ethanol production. Corn permeates both our food-consumable world as well as many other aspects. I am particularly interested in genetically modified foods, as Monsanto's manipulation of corn is an interesting case.

In Michael Pollan's book The Omnivore's Dilemma, he discusses the "Pioneer Hi-Bred 34H31" (36). Genetically modified organisms have become favorable to farmers because they enable a higher yield, yet their cost is exponentially higher. The organisms planted are designed prominently to produce insecticidal properties internally. The production quantities are essential in a contemporary America as so many products and a growning population require more and more with the same area of land available which is not realistically feasible. Monsanto poses the question "How can we squeeze more food from a raindrop?" in an advertisement in The New Yorker (Nov. 9, 2009). First of all, I don't understand why this publication advertises Monsanto because Michael Pollan- an opponent of the company's practices- is a contributor to The New Yorker. This is yet another hypocracy of advertising culture. More importantly, in the ad the company asserts that their products yields more crop production while using "1/3 less water per unit produced" (3). This is superficially positive, as less water might be used, yet genetically modified organisms, in this case corn, produce insect repelling toxins. How can this be any better for human consumers, as well as the biosystems that these crops penetrate?

Corn is one of those "all-American food" sources that numerous American traditions are founded on. What sits between the stuffing and mashed potatoes at Thanksgiving? The corn, of course! In attempting to provide a consumer base as well as maintain an image of plenty and wholesomeness that is uniquely American, corn is becoming a toxic entity.

Let the feast begin!

After studying and over analyzing every interest in my life from music, to literature, to film, I have now begun to deconstruct the most necessary aspect of our existence: food. Being an American consumer (and college student) surrounded by McDonald's, microwavable hot pockets and Little Debbie cakes, I am interested in finding the minority artisanal focus on food in American culture and how other cultures values are transposed into American consumerism. I will be particularly looking at producers in Pittsburgh, with some pit stops at other cities throughout this semester as I go on other school-related trips.

As part of the school of sustainability at Chatham University, Dr. Alice Julier is laying the foundation for a food studies graduate program. I am participating in the class "Producing Food, Producing Difference" that views food production and culture through the lens of critical theory. In turn, food becomes more than just another meal, but a window into our own identity and heritage. By viewing food as a signifier of race, class and gender, identity becomes more complicated.

In essence, all of the participants in this class are becoming "Cuisine Connoisseurs." I refer to the definition of both of these words to justify the title of this blog (and thanks to my fellow connoisseur in all things techie Jenn Van Dam for the idea!): Cuisine, as a style or manner of cooking; and connoisseur, a person who is especially competent to pass critical judgments in matters to taste. Remember in the film "Ratatouille" when the title critter tells his brother to close his eyes and think about what he was eating, accompanied by blips of light and sounds? I want to think about food like that- from different perceptions and layers rather than just passively consuming it.

At the end of this class, I will be travelling to Rome as part of the Chatham Study Abroad program. The itinerary for this Roman holiday includes fisheries, wineries, visiting cheese makers among other artisan food producers. I hope this blog will help me to organize my thoughts and opinions on food, as well as get my readers to question and think about the origin of food and labor that goes into production.