Julie & Julia is a story about how a normal woman named Julie in the modern world, who works a monotone job for the government and is known to never finish anything she starts, can transform herself through the art of cooking. She picks up the cookbook of Julia Child, who is known to be one of the world's first female celebrity chefs. As she reads through the book, she uncovers Julia's story of how she got into cooking, including all of the ups and downs of maintaining a married life and fighting to be a woman chef.
If I were to be one person in the movie, I would probably choose to be the husband of Julie, Eric Powell simply because of his characteristics. He is a friendly, loving husband who is always supportive of Julie throughout the movie. Plus, he gets to eat the amazing food Julie makes from the recipe book!
However, life is not always smooth, and Eric does end up fighting with Julie and leaving for a day or two. Despite this fight, the chemistry between Julie and Eric (she believes that she's lucky for getting married to Eric) and a little help from Julia (her problems with her cooking partners and her husband's job) helps Julie realize that she has become too full of herself and her cooking, and brings the two back together.
All in all, Julia's cookbook is more than just a mere cookbook for foods; it's a recipe for life itself. Life has its ups and downs, but with positive thinking and doing what you love with the people you love, your life can change for the better.
Chef - Culinary Artist
What is art? Is art just art in the traditional sense of the word, a simple watercolor painting and nothing else? Is art more akin to the performing arts, such as dance or music? Or is art more diverse than that? To me, art is anything that is created for the sensory or emotional pleasure of beings. Art is the visual pleasure one attains from seeing a Picasso. Art is the audible pleasure one gets from listening to Mozart. Art is even the tastable pleasure of eating a succulent dish, or the inner warmth one gets from eating comfort food.
In this sense, a chef is truly an artist. Sure, we can go on our entire lives eating bland food that gives us just enough to survive, but chefs believe that there should be more than that, that we should enjoy taste as much as we enjoy any of the other four senses. Just like famous painters and muralists, chefs can create masterpiece dishes that invoke emotions that one has never felt before. And just like any other art, chefs are constantly creating new styles of cuisine, new cooking techniques, and even entirely new foods and flavors, so that they can express their form of art in their own unique ways. As such, when talking about artists, chefs should definitely be thought of and included amongst the group.
In this sense, a chef is truly an artist. Sure, we can go on our entire lives eating bland food that gives us just enough to survive, but chefs believe that there should be more than that, that we should enjoy taste as much as we enjoy any of the other four senses. Just like famous painters and muralists, chefs can create masterpiece dishes that invoke emotions that one has never felt before. And just like any other art, chefs are constantly creating new styles of cuisine, new cooking techniques, and even entirely new foods and flavors, so that they can express their form of art in their own unique ways. As such, when talking about artists, chefs should definitely be thought of and included amongst the group.
Babette's Feast
In Babette's Feast, sisters Martine and Philippa are born into a highly religious Cristian sect which revolves around renouncing the pleasures of life on Earth and avoiding any sin. As such, the sisters are not allowed to have relationships, or even indulge in materialistic pleasure, like fancy clothing or elaborate food. However, as the story progresses, and more people from the 'outside' world enter into the lives of the sisters, their views on their religion slowly begin to shift.
Although Lorens' status as a dashing officer in the Swedish army and Papin's claim to fame as a singer do get the ball rolling, the sisters', and in fact the town's, transformation does not fully occur until they taste Babette's feast. The amount of love and care Babette puts into her food for the people who took care of her is unparalleled, and her good intentions of providing the town a sensory pleasure that they have never experienced before truly awakens the inner human spirit of the town. No longer do strict religious standards govern the lives of the sisters, but rather the sisters can truly experience life for the first time. It is almost like Babette's feast is the opposite of The Last Supper, for this is the first supper that many of the townsfolk have really enjoyed thoroughly.
Although Lorens' status as a dashing officer in the Swedish army and Papin's claim to fame as a singer do get the ball rolling, the sisters', and in fact the town's, transformation does not fully occur until they taste Babette's feast. The amount of love and care Babette puts into her food for the people who took care of her is unparalleled, and her good intentions of providing the town a sensory pleasure that they have never experienced before truly awakens the inner human spirit of the town. No longer do strict religious standards govern the lives of the sisters, but rather the sisters can truly experience life for the first time. It is almost like Babette's feast is the opposite of The Last Supper, for this is the first supper that many of the townsfolk have really enjoyed thoroughly.
Comfort Food
Comfort food. We all have one. Whether it is something simple like chicken noodle soup, or something as preparation intensive like baby back ribs, we each have a particular food that soothes us, brings us back to our childhood, or fills up not only our stomachs but our souls as well. These foods are always on our minds when we think of 'good' food, and we could never grow tired of eating them even if we tried. In this sense, we each have a comfort food. However, our comfort foods are not the same, and will probably never be. My comfort food is mine alone, because it fills up my soul. Your soul, or your embodiment, is much different than my soul, and thus different desires, emotions, and satisfactions are invoked. In a sense, our comfort foods are as unique as we are ourselves.
For me, nothing says comfort like naan and paneer. Whenever I go out to eat at Indian restaurants, it always has to be ordered no matter what. Mutter paneer, paneer tikka, paneer pakoras, simply anything with the word paneer in it, at least one type ends up being served to my family every time. It surrounds my soul with its warmth, and makes my taste buds dance with joy. Every bite is like winning the taste lottery, and makes me want to take that next bite that much quicker.
For me, nothing says comfort like naan and paneer. Whenever I go out to eat at Indian restaurants, it always has to be ordered no matter what. Mutter paneer, paneer tikka, paneer pakoras, simply anything with the word paneer in it, at least one type ends up being served to my family every time. It surrounds my soul with its warmth, and makes my taste buds dance with joy. Every bite is like winning the taste lottery, and makes me want to take that next bite that much quicker.
Spiced Cereal and Potato Crisps
Katri (Potato crisps) and vaghareli cereal (spiced cereal) have always been a core part of my family. Being from an indian family, snacks have become as essential as big meals themselves. And when there is anything Indian, there has to be spice in it.
Ingredients:
Spiced Cereal:
Coriander Seeds
Hing powder (I don't even know what this is, just put some in.)
Cereal (Assorted)
Red chili powder
Curry Leaves
Red peppers
Turmeric
Oil
Salt
Sugar
Potato Crisps:
Dried potato crisp
sugar
Red chili powder
Essentially, the spiced cereal is the leftover cereal in the house, spiced up to provide a savory flavor. However, this can be changed depending on the ingredients placed into it, and can end up sweet or spicy as well. The potato crisps aim to bring a balance between spicy and sweet in every bite. All in all, these snacks can be very addicting, and no matter what the occasion or day, as long as they are present, it is always a special day in the Patel household. But be sure to grab some quick, because in my house, if you're not there to eat them the day they are made, then chances are there probably won't be any left for you to eat at all!
Ingredients:
Spiced Cereal:
Coriander Seeds
Hing powder (I don't even know what this is, just put some in.)
Cereal (Assorted)
Red chili powder
Curry Leaves
Red peppers
Turmeric
Oil
Salt
Sugar
Potato Crisps:
Dried potato crisp
sugar
Red chili powder
Essentially, the spiced cereal is the leftover cereal in the house, spiced up to provide a savory flavor. However, this can be changed depending on the ingredients placed into it, and can end up sweet or spicy as well. The potato crisps aim to bring a balance between spicy and sweet in every bite. All in all, these snacks can be very addicting, and no matter what the occasion or day, as long as they are present, it is always a special day in the Patel household. But be sure to grab some quick, because in my house, if you're not there to eat them the day they are made, then chances are there probably won't be any left for you to eat at all!
The Patels of New Jersey
Typical Food Breakdown By Cost Per Week
Dairy: 15 %
Fruits, Vegetables, and Legumes: 50%
Grains: 10%
Spices: 5%
Premade Foods and Snacks: 15%
Drinks: 5%
Total: ~$100-150
My family is usually very busy. My father mostly comes home at 3, but sometime stays at work until 9. My mother, being a dentist, has to stretch her hours out until 6, but on Wednesdays and Thursdays her work lasts until 8:30. My brotheris a tae kwon do enthusiast, and often goes to practice after school between 5 and 7 on the weekdays. Thus, when it comes to eating meals, we often find ourselves eating at different intervals. Lunch is almost always eaten separately due to time constraints. Dinners are more or less the same, unless its the rare occasion when we eat out or order food in, in which case we do eat together.
However, that doesn't mean that our meals lack any of the love and enthusiasm that the meals of a closely knit family do. My mother, being the main cook of the family, often goes out of her way to make special 'get-together' foods, like 'katri' (potato stick snacks), that the entire family loves to eat. When one member of the family begins eating these 'get-together' foods, it's not long until all four of us are crowded in the kitchen munching on a delicious snack or satisfying meal.
Dairy: 15 %
Fruits, Vegetables, and Legumes: 50%
Grains: 10%
Spices: 5%
Premade Foods and Snacks: 15%
Drinks: 5%
Total: ~$100-150
My family is usually very busy. My father mostly comes home at 3, but sometime stays at work until 9. My mother, being a dentist, has to stretch her hours out until 6, but on Wednesdays and Thursdays her work lasts until 8:30. My brotheris a tae kwon do enthusiast, and often goes to practice after school between 5 and 7 on the weekdays. Thus, when it comes to eating meals, we often find ourselves eating at different intervals. Lunch is almost always eaten separately due to time constraints. Dinners are more or less the same, unless its the rare occasion when we eat out or order food in, in which case we do eat together.
.JPG) |
| The kitchen |
However, that doesn't mean that our meals lack any of the love and enthusiasm that the meals of a closely knit family do. My mother, being the main cook of the family, often goes out of her way to make special 'get-together' foods, like 'katri' (potato stick snacks), that the entire family loves to eat. When one member of the family begins eating these 'get-together' foods, it's not long until all four of us are crowded in the kitchen munching on a delicious snack or satisfying meal.
Snacking is big in my family, as it helps us keep up the amount of energy we need to exert in our daily lives. We often have little bits of food in between meals, such as a bag of Poptarts or a bowl of Doritos, but sometimes we can't resist the temptation of Indian snacks like mathia or paratha. My brother's personal favorite is 'vaghareli' cereal, which is basically 'cooked' cereal mixed in with spices and other flavors. This gives the cereal a unique taste that can prove to be very addicting.
Overall, our dinners mainly consist of some sort of grain (usually in the form of Indian bread), plenty of vegetables, rice, spices or spice condiments on the side, and a banana. My mother usually prepares this in the morning before she leaves, so all my brother and I have to do is heat it up at night and enjoy. While we all usually eat separately and have different favorite foods, the food of my family has always been a focal point in bringing everyone in the house together.
The Food & Culture of Ecuador
The Aymes family from Tingo, Ecuador, is a fairly large family; The household consists of the mother, Emelinda, and father, Orlando, and their six kids. Looking at the picture alone, the amount of food the family uses in a week is immense, ranging from an assortment of fruits, grains, and even dairy. However, the picture shows that although a lot of food is consumed in a week, the food the Aymes have is all very healthy. There are little to no processed ingredients or items visible in the picture, and very few sugary substances aside from the bag of brown sugar and milk.
After analyzing the foods the Aymes ate for a week according to a list that they provided, it was clear that many people of Ecuador were strong supporters of growing what they could in their own village. Normally, the Aymes have fresh supplies of potatoes, corn, wheat, milk, tea leaves, and even natural spring water available at their disposal, and have access to many other grains, fruits, and vegetables right in their local market. As such, their cost of food for a week is exceptionally low for a family of 8, standing at $31.55, or about $4 per person per week, compared to $50 per person per week here in the United States.
This low cost of food every week does not mean that the families are not receiving enough to eat either, as only 5% of Ecuador's population is undernourished. In fact, the Aymes get more for a dollar than people in other countries. The Aymes spent $11.25 on 47 lbs of fruits and vegetables, a feat that is almost impossible to accomplish elsewhere. This also keys off of the Ecuadorian culture of growing produce locally and selling it for cheaper, as opposed to industrialization and processing.
After analyzing the foods the Aymes ate for a week according to a list that they provided, it was clear that many people of Ecuador were strong supporters of growing what they could in their own village. Normally, the Aymes have fresh supplies of potatoes, corn, wheat, milk, tea leaves, and even natural spring water available at their disposal, and have access to many other grains, fruits, and vegetables right in their local market. As such, their cost of food for a week is exceptionally low for a family of 8, standing at $31.55, or about $4 per person per week, compared to $50 per person per week here in the United States.
This low cost of food every week does not mean that the families are not receiving enough to eat either, as only 5% of Ecuador's population is undernourished. In fact, the Aymes get more for a dollar than people in other countries. The Aymes spent $11.25 on 47 lbs of fruits and vegetables, a feat that is almost impossible to accomplish elsewhere. This also keys off of the Ecuadorian culture of growing produce locally and selling it for cheaper, as opposed to industrialization and processing.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)