A Cupful of History

by Samantha Darnell

Cancer fighter, emblem of tyranny, divination tool…anybody guess it? Tea, of course! This omnipresent beverage may be very familiar to you, but how much do you really know about it? I could easily list my top 15 favorite types of tea (I expect most of you readers could as well) but if someone asked me how that tea came to be steeping in my cup, I’d look a fool. With the hope of collective avoidance of foolishness, let’s learn about the magical world of tea.

Origin of Tea Leaves

According to legend, the Chinese Emperor Shan Nong ‘discovered’ tea in 2737 B.C. Into the Emperor’s customary cup of boiled water fell some leaves whilst he was strolling through a garden. The pleasing aroma convinced him to taste this concoction. He was so impressed with the energizing effects of the brew he immediately ordered tea bushes to be planted in his gardens. The trend spread and has been growing in popularity for the last 4500 or so years. That’s quite a legacy.

Let’s have a party, a tea party!

While tea has forever been heralded for its medicinal qualities, this interesting plant has also played some important historical roles throughout its time of cultivation. Tea facilitated trading relations between the East and West and was the impetus, in many respects, for navigation innovation in the U.K. needed to ensure a continuous supply of tea for British elites in the 17th century.

The party really started, however, in Boston (where else?) with the most accepted example of food waste in our history. By taking matters into their own hands and rerouting crates of British tea into the harbor, those patriots temporarily reclassified tea as a symbol of repression and an unfit monarch.

Enter Thomas Sullivan. This New York tea merchant began sampling his products in small, white silk bags. Intrigued customers convinced him to sell the idea and, suddenly, affordable tea became available for all social strata.

Money Grows on Bushes

The tea industry boasts more than $8 billion in annual sales, of which 281 million pounds of tea go to the United States alone. Considered a repression-proof product, tea has continued its impressive growth and doesn’t show any signs of slowing down anytime soon. The rising popularity of specialty teas and an expanding customer base concerned with healthy food and drink products are continuing to make this drink a timeless classic.

Some final pop culture thoughts:

Ron: (reading Harry’s tea leaves) Well, this shape means that there will be suffering, and this one is shaped like a moon and that means happiness. So I guess you’re gonna suffer… but you’re going to be happy about it…..(Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban)

So, how do you take your tea?

Photo credits: http://taiwanteatour.blogspot.com/2012/02/2011-tost-bagua-tea-garden-10202012.html; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:BTPlogo.jpg

Samantha is a senior Business Honors, Supply Chain Management, Spanish Literature major. 

Cuckoo for Coconuts?

Readers, I don’t know about you, but I often feel borderline bombarded by news of the latest miracle food. We seem to have new “it” foods almost every week. I hadn’t heard of chia seeds or flax seeds until Dr. Oz named them as must-eat foods, but  after I did a little research, figured they couldn’t hurt, and said, why not? The road isn’t so easy for all “new” discoveries, which brings me to this post’s topic: coconut oil.

Poor coconut oil. Nutritionists can’t seem to make up their mind about this delicious tropical oil, but I can’t blame them. It’s a complicated food made up of almost exclusively saturated fats, but also boasts a laundry list of potential health benefits. Let’s review both sides of the aisle.

               

                                  http://en.wikipedia.org            http://www.spectrumorganics.com

 More coconuts, please!

The pro- coconut faction of the nutrition world has divided into those who hail coconut oil as a nutrient powerhouse and those who aren’t completely convinced, but don’t condemn it for its fat content. This divide is well-summarized by Mary E. Enig, PhD, who presented about coconut oil at the AVOC Lauric Oils Symposium and believes “coconut oil is at worst neutral with respect to atherogenicity of fats and oils and, in fact, is likely to be a beneficial oil for prevention and treatment of some heart disease”. Below are some of the potential health benefits often cited by coconut oil proponents as summarized by Carrie Wiatt, M.S. of the Huffington Post:

• Causes weight loss
• Cures Alzheimer’s
• Reduces diabetes/regulate blood sugar
• Increases bone and dental health by improving calcium absorption
• Fights inflammation and free radicals with its ferulic and p-coumaric acid components
• Decreases risk of heart disease
• Fights infections due to the lauric acid content

In addition to these health benefits, coconut oil’s high smoke point “makes it resistant to oxidation and shelf stable”, attributes not shared by olive oil and other vegetable oils, which requires much more care when cooking to preserve beneficial nutrients. Lastly, coconut oil has mostly medium-chain fatty acids (as opposed to long-chain triglycerides) which mean the fats are more likely used as energy instead of being stored as fat.

 

http://benefitsofcoconutoil.info/

Hold the coconut, thank you

In the face of these purported claims, Dariush Mozaffarian, MD, DrPH, of Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health believes “the impact of coconut oil on cholesterol levels” is the only aspect of coconut oil that has studied thoroughly “and the findings are intriguing but we still don’t know if it is harmful or beneficial⁵”. By reviewing some coconut oil studies, we can see why the jury is still out. The oil’s saturated fat content is a component capable of raising both LDL and HDL cholesterol levels. Some studies have shown that although the ratio of good to bad cholesterol (HDL to LDL) is improved by consuming coconut oil, the levels of LDL still rise, which is a big no-no for heart health. This is reason enough for many doctors to be wary of this oil. Confusing, right?

It’s delicious

I did my first bit of research on coconuts when I was working for a coconut milk ice cream company. I had to field many questions regarding the cholesterol effect and saturated fat content of this plant, so I knew I needed to be up to speed on this research. While I came out the other side armed with information, I was still lacking conclusive evidence one way or the other. It is one doctor’s opinion against another’s right now, but that hasn’t stopped me from converting to coconut oil. I use it exclusively to cook and reserve other vegetable oils for garnish. This seems to work for me (and I at least have Dr. Oz behind me), but I want to hear what you think!

Do you use coconut oil regularly in your cooking? What have you heard about this interesting oil?

“Well, I used to be a vegetarian.”

Over the course of 4 years, my diet went through quite the series of transformations. Omnivore, pescaterian, lacto-ovo vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, and back to 100% omnivore. I thought I would never eat meat again, would never WANT to eat meat again. I also thought returning to meat eating would be very difficult, that the thought would weird me out and all normal digestive processes would go to hell. But, when I decided to study abroad in Chile for 5 months (Chile = meat-centric diet and culture), the time had come to return to my roots and embrace meat consumption. Strangely enough, as soon as I made the decision, I had my first meat craving in 4 years. I ate some chicken, it tasted just like I remembered (delicious, that is), and now I’m off and running.

 

http://www.thesuperest.com/archives/2010/01/14/k181_omnivore/

My friends chuckle or do a double-take now when I order a bison burger or chicken tacos but my case is not unique in any sense. According to a study done by Psychology Today, about 75% of once-vegetarians return to their omnivorous state. Even as an ex-vegetarian myself, this statistic surprised me. What are some of the reasons ex-vegetarians attributed to their decision? The verdict:

• 35% of the participants cited poor health as the reason for their return to their omnivorous lifestyle. (Quote of note: “I will take a dead cow over anemia any time”). But wait, isn’t vegetarianism supposed to be healthier? The complexity and contradictory nature of diet-related information available is a topic for another post but this question is relevant.
• About 25% didn’t want the “hassle” anymore.
• 20% reported an “irresistible urge” to eat meat again.
• For 15% of the respondents, their diet had taken a toll on their social life.

I find this report very interesting, especially since I have had personal experience with them all but none of them was actually my reason for changing. Any ex-vegetarians (or others) out there who want to participate in this dialogue?  My opinion is that every person has their own ‘diet journey’. People’s tastes, health needs, culture, and moral values evolve over time so it makes sense that their diet evolves accordingly. What do you think?

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/animals-and-us/201106/why-do-most-vegetarians-go-back-eating-meat

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0820/is_n209/ai_15982870/

An Imported Thanksgiving

Evidence of the (sometimes) illusive American food culture

Studying abroad in Santiago, Chile last semester and living with a Chilean family I assumed I wouldn’t participate in any Thanksgiving festivities. It wasn’t a big deal, I thought. I had done very well in the not-being-homesick department so that success would extend to a Thursday like any other Thursday, right?

Wrong. As the holiday approached, my need to be with family and eat turkey steadily increased. Luckily, a team of exchange students (largely American) came to the rescue. Not surprisingly, I wasn’t alone in my first Thanksgiving away from home state. We decided that if we couldn’t be with our families, at least we would be away from our families together. It was the next best thing; a day to forget we were thousands of miles south of the good ol’ USA and to pretend the stuffing tasted just like grandma’s.

Surprisingly, there was little need to pretend. Our potluck was impresionante, as the Chileans would say. A snapshot of the dinner by the numbers:

• 40 people (American, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, British, Australian, French)
• 1 turkey
• 4 types of mashed potatoes
• 1 green bean casserole
• 3 variations of sweet potatoes
• 1 Portuguese cake
• 3 Spanish tortillas
• 2 apple crisps
• 1 tv showing American football
• Barely any alcohol