A Mexican Gem in Austin

By Larissa Aimee Cruz

Over winter break, I caught an episode of “Eats Street” on t.v. that introduced me to an exquisite Mexican restaurant here in Austin. Beginning as a food truck, this restaurant has earned quite a reputation of serving authentic Mexican cuisine that is not easy to find. Not only is it genuine, superior Mexican food, but it is beautifully prepared and served; the experience of eating there captivates all the senses, not just taste buds. The restaurant itself is elegantly and modernly designed making “El Naranjo” the perfect upscale Mexican restaurant that is not too high class.

As an appetizer we ordered the “Queso Fundido” which is Melted Oaxacan Cheese and mushrooms. As soon as I took a bite, I knew it was real Oaxacan cheese. It took me back to when I first tried Oaxacan cheese on a road trip with my grandparents and ate nearly the whole thing. Oaxacan cheese is like string cheese in the fact that it can be pulled apart BUT it is no way even comparable to string cheese, as it would mercilessly put it to shame.

Queso Fundido

Since I just had surgery last week, I couldn’t order anything to spicy or difficult to chew so I ordered “Bacalao de Veracruz” (I can’t remember the exact name to be honest). I am not a big fan of fish, but this was definitely worth trying. It tasted just like any fish entree I may order at Veracruz, it felt as though they had brought it here from Mexico itself! The fish came with a side of rice and let me tell you, it was the best rice I think I have ever eaten. I didn’t think too much of it when I first saw it since it looked like plain white rice, but when I took a real bite, oh my goodness. The rice was the epitome of “fluffy & soft”. And although it was simple, it still maintained delectable flavors.

Bacalao Veracruzano

My dad ordered some mole, which is a extremely traditional dish in Mexico that is not easy to find here in the U.S. and only a select few gifted chefs can really pull it off. I am pleased to announce that according to dad (the expert on Mole), “El Naranjo” is more than competent in creating this famous dish. My mother ordered chilles rellenos and omg, what a dish! I had the fortunate opportunity to try a bite and hands down, was my favorite. It was bursting with flavor and was accompanied by an extraordinary sauce.

Mole

Chile Rellenos

Finally, for dessert we had a Xoconoztle tart with some homemade ice cream. For those that have never heard of this before, Xoconoztle is a fruit from the cactus. This was one of the most unique desserts I have tried and without a doubt, blows all other fruit tarts out of the water. I would have a million more if I couldn’t get fat! The tart crust was amazing and the creme was delectable. This combination with the fruit made this dessert beyond enticing. It was simply divine. Not mention the ice cream was quite the treat too.

Xoconoztle tart

Without a doubt I would come here again and again. And the fact that they are constantly updating their menus and have different menus for lunch and dinner makes it that much more exciting. So be on the lookout and head over to Rainey Street, because “El Naranjo” is definitely worth it!

How to get there!

Tomatoes and Slavery…. Wait what?

by Greer Gregory

It’s easy to get Taco Bell every day at the Union without realizing the shocking cost of your taco. As middle class, consumer Americans living in an economically booming, resource-wealthy city, we support multi-million dollar corporations without a second thought. We are not brought up to think about where each ingredient in that taco came from or the exploitation that occurs behind the scenes of the fast food industry—all in the name of keeping prices so low. One example of a form of exploitation is in the major tomato fields of Florida, where modern-day slavery still exists.

Most people are unaware of the widespread exploitation that migrant workers in Florida are subjected to in the nation’s chief tomato-producing areas. On the small-scale, farmers are being held against their will and in the most extreme cases even beaten to make them pick tomatoes. Because of their extreme poverty and lack of mobility they have to stay. In addition, due to the diminishing numbers of farm workers, they are being paid dramatically less than their labor is worth.

Similar to textile workers at the turn of the century, tomato farmers are paid by the piece. For every 32-lb bucket of tomatoes they pick, farmers receive 50 cents. At that rate, a worker would have to pick more than 2.25 tons of tomatoes to earn minimum wage in a regular 10-hour workday. This is almost double the amount a worker 30 years ago had to pick to receive minimum wage.

So, why is this happening? Well, on the other end of skyrocketing corporate profits, is the compromised livelihood of the laborers who offer the resources these companies could not succeed without. Within the last 20 years,

Roofs, Gardens, and Western Motivation

By Ethan Freeman

Source:
http://www.trentu.ca/eab/documents/Rooftop_Gardens-Zipple.pdf

In today’s Westernized world, profit is the bottom line; more and more land is turned into commercial hubs for economic growth, causing more people to move into cities. However, one question being asked by the movers of tomorrow is, “How will these urban people get healthy, fresh, local food if there isn’t a farm within an hour’s drive?” And the truth is, they don’t. Processed foods made convenient (aka the stuff that kills us) are the staple of most urban-dwellers’ diets, and one cannot necessarily blame them. What other options are there? Well, I would like to introduce, or rather re-introduce, an agricultural technique that is as old as civilization itself… Rooftop agriculture!Rooftop agriculture has been around for thousands of years. Ancient civilizations from all over the world used this concept to help support their society. Ancient Mesopotamians would plant trees and shrubs on terraces; archeological ruins in former Roman-Byzantine Caesarea show a rooftop garden next to a theatre; Medieval Egyptians built 14-story buildings topped with gardens, and used ox to transport water to the top for irrigation.

While we may not find a need for oxen-powered water transport, we can agree that there is a need for change in how we eat and consume. The potential benefits rooftop gardens have in terms of public health are greater than we’ve seen in a long time. Imagine eating well-grown, all natural, organic foods everyday, at a reasonable price (cheaper than current cafeteria prices at UT,

Oxfam: “BEHIND THE BRANDS”

by Ben Wollam

Downtown Austin Convention Center, March 8th 2013

Everyone prepare for doomsday, it seems like Malthus was right! We live in an era of undependable crop yields and their even more volatile market prices. With one out of every seven people going to bed starving every night, food security is a huge issue. Oxfam at the University of Texas acknowledges this issue but understands that it is due to a BROKEN FOOD SYSTEM, not a lack of food. There is more than enough food to feed everybody on this planet (sorry, Malthus) but on average 50 percent goes to waste and does not get into the hands of those who most need it. You can help FIX this broken system with us, while learning more about these issues by joining us at our meetings and at our rally this Friday (discussed below).

Oxfam is a humanitarian NGO dedicated to finding sustainable solutions to poverty and hunger. On campus, we use the leverage students have to pressure the university, corporations, and the government to eliminate unjust, extractive policies and adopt more inclusive, egalitarian standards. In the past Oxfam UT succeeded in getting the university to put Fair Trade coffee and chocolate in the dining halls and convinced the company we were receiving gold from for class rings to change their abusive policies toward their workers. We also worked closely with the UT Sweatshop Free Campaign

Educated Eater 02/20/2013- Is a vegetarian diet really healthier?

by Anjelica Rivas

In the Educated Eater last week, we talked about a plant-based diet and how it may be the optimal way to health. Regardless of if people were vegetarians/ vegans or not, there seemed to be a consensus that a plant-based diet is the healthiest way of life. I’d like to challenge this. What if I said I make it a point to try to eat meat or some animal based protein source at every meal because I think it is the HEALTHIEST thing to do?

Our bodies run on 3 main macro-nutrients:  fats, carbohydrates and protein.  Don’t get me wrong, fruits and vegetables are great, but animals are among the cleanest ways to get healthy fats and lots of protein. Now I agree, when animals aren’t raised humanely they are NOT the healthiest choice, the gruesomeness is horrific, and it’s not the most environmentally conscious process; however, I would not be too quick to categorize meat as less healthy.

So what is unhealthy about the typical American diet?

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. 

Is Our Legacy as Important as our Future?

by Hannah Babich

I recently read an article in The New York Times discussing a new exhibit entitled “Our Global Kitchen: Food, Nature, Culture” at the American Museum of Natural History (
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/24/arts/design/our-global-kitchen-at-american-museum-of-natural-history.html?pagewanted=1&_r=0&ref=food
). The article describes a fantastic display of food cultures around the world, from production to consumption. This grand new exhibit explores a myriad of food issues, including hunger and waste, as well as cooking lessons and growth techniques. Besides a budding desire to experience this exciting show of food, the article struck me in another way. As we are forced to examine the history of food and the ways in which we have altered and adapted our system over time, I can’t help but wonder what our food legacy will be.

While the food movement is no doubt gaining strength and momentum, there is still something missing from the equation. As Michael Pollan discussed in his interview at the Paramount earlier in November, the President has made it clear the he’s not willing to make food system reform a priority until he sees significant, undeniable demand. Additionally, in the November election, the much-anticipated California Proposition 37 that would have required the labeling of GMO products failed to pass. For those of us in the thick of the food movement, it’s hard to believe that anyone could deny the strength of the demand for a more wholesome system. But as these situations show, the demand isn’t as poignant as we’d hope.

So what’s missing? To answer this question,

Thanksgiving Carrot Pudding

by Lillie Leone

Recipe included below!

When Thanksgiving came around this year, I was upset that I couldn’t celebrate it with my close family; one of the hardest parts about being an international student is that you can’t shoot home for weekends or holidays to enjoy delicious home cooking. There’s something profoundly comforting about eating the food you grew up with, at the dinner table you and your siblings always fought at, with the people closest to you. This is especially true on Thanksgiving, a holiday defined by national eating traditions.

However, I learned this year that more important than the general customs are the personal, family traditions; of course everyone makes turkey and stuffing, but what makes Thanksgiving dinner special are the little choices each family makes to tweak and personalize these dishes. My family adds dried figs to our homemade stuffing because my dad and I love the salty-sweet combo, and we go light on the celery because my brother isn’t a fan; we leave the marshmallows off the sweat potatoes because no one really likes them and we add walnuts instead to add a bit of crunch; we fuse smooth pumpkin filling and a layer of pecan brittle on top to get the best of both pies in one.

So when I couldn’t spend Thanksgiving with my parents, brother and sister, I knew that the only thing I could do to make me feel better was to cook an entire feast, using the same recipes my family uses at home. I asked my mom for her carrot pudding recipe (see below!), and I could feel her smile through the phone, “I’m so glad you’re carrying the torch of our little Thanksgiving traditions!” Although they aren’t part of the usual Thanksgiving layout, my mom started making them when I was in elementary school and has made them every year since; I can’t remember celebrating Thanksgiving without them. She started making them when she found out she was gluten intolerant; a substitute for the bread rolls was a must. Turns out, they’re waaaaaay tastier than bread rolls. You take a bite;

Hispanic Women & Food

by Monica Diaz

In Hispanic culture, food is extremely important. Contrary to popular belief, food cannot only be used to make ourselves better; I have learned that, when it comes to Hispanic women, food brings the most comfort when it is used to feed others. From cooking tortillas for the men to eat when they come home, to making sure all visits are entertained with coffee, coke, sweet bread, etc., Hispanic women find comfort in feeding those around them. However, unlike other cultures we have no specifics when it comes to “comfort food”; for Hispanics all food can and will, in time of need, be comfort food.

As women in the Hispanic community, we tend to be nurturing and seek to comfort those around us, trying to make the best of every situation. I have found that many times stressful situations, such as fights, disease, or death usually end up with the women in the kitchen fixing something to eat to offer solace for the mourners or visitors. Recently, I have caught myself falling into such customs and have addressed this issue many times to the members of my family. I believe this tradition of feeding others to make ourselves feel better stems from the need to be in control of at least a small part of the situation. As in the case of deaths, people tend to feel out of control, and as humans, we try to regain some of it through food and cooking. Since we cannot control disease, accidents, or lives, we resort to the only thing we can control: we can make sure at least no one is hungry.

On the other hand, as my grandmother used to say “you can conquer all men through their stomach”. Men, unconsciously or consciously, tend to look for women to marry who can cook. They blame feminism for those women who prefer not to cook or find no fun in the activity. Furthermore, food and cooking become the main ingredients in most fights during marriage. A very dear friend of mine confessed that the one who cooks in her household is her husband. Although I did find this peculiar I did not think much of it; however, when she made the same confession to her mother and mother-in-law during an after-dinner discussion about the tastiness of the macaroni and cheese my friend’s son was eating, they were shocked. Apparently a woman who cannot or will not cook for her husband is an abomination in the eyes of the Hispanic community.

I know what some are thinking: it’s just food, why talk on and on about it—it’s not that important! But the point I am trying to get across is that food is extremely important, especially in the Hispanic community! Not only because we must eat it to survive, but because it is so controversial. Food can cause families to come together or it can even draw them apart if not used properly. Therefore, before rolling our eyes at the thought of yet another boring sermon about food, it is crucial to remember that there is more than meets the eye when talking about it. If you dig deep enough in these “trivial” moments—like this macaroni and cheese—you might find interesting and meaningful stories which say a lot about our particular cultures.

Monica is a senior at Sul Ross State University, majoring in English.

An Evening with Michael Pollan

by Genesis Valdes

Going to the grocery store can be quite a challenge. You have so many products to choose from and they all  have these claims of less fat, no GMOs, organic, etc. The real question is what should I eat? For food journalist, author, and activist, Michael Pollan, the answer is quite clear: eat real food. Yes, of course, that is exactly what we do, or at least that’s what we think. This past Thursday night at the Paramount Theatre, Michael Pollan explained the difference between real food and “edible food-like substances”, better known as processed foods. He said, “If it has more than five ingredients, it is not natural.” He also explained that if it comes with health claims, it is better not to buy it because the company selling it has the money to advertise, process, and mass produce, which means it is more likely that they’re selling “edible food-like substances” and not real food. Instead, it is the quiet packaging, where the producers have less money to advertise, where you will really find more natural products. We do live in a fast pace world, but he said investing more time in the food we consume can help improve the taste and the quality. He also emphasized how important it is to cook at home. When we are able to cook our meals at home, we can start to better understand the diversity of flavors and quality of ingredients. This is not something only moms or chefs should think about, but everyone, including our young ones.

 

 

Although Michael majored English and only took a few science classes in college, he is teaching people new ways to eat healthier food. That fact impressed me so much, because we think of food as just being an everyday thing that we don’t have to worry about, or as something that only nutritionists should take the time to scrutinize. But the truth is that food is part of our culture. It is a way to socialize and find pleasure. It can be easy to forget sometimes that it is not only about the nutrients. He highlighted the fact that there is no one diet that is going to lead to a healthy life. Instead, we just have to go back to eating real food. Michael Pollan is a great story-teller and an amazing advocate of sustainable foods. He has the experience of gardening and raising his own chickens. His effort to inform and educate people about the food industry had a huge impact on me last night and I am anxious to learn more as I start reading In Defense of Food. I encourage everyone to go out and learn where their food comes from and if possible, start your own garden to support better and healthier food.

Genesis is a junior majoring in nutrition.