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.

Investing in Our Children, Investing in Our Future

This summer, I had the awesome opportunity to travel to Israel and the Middle East. While there, I was able to observe many cultures and religions. I saw all their differences: family, food, entertainment, values, priorities, etc. However, in the midst of all these differences, I noticed one constant in the Human Spirit: Every people group has an innate love for children. This would make sense, of course, because it is biologically necessary for a species to survive. More so, who doesn’t love a snotty nosed child running around, giggling his little head off at absolutely nothing?  It’s hilarious and I am jealous of their ignorance. The biggest thing they care about is the fun they are having now.

However, we “adults” need to focus on their future for them, and what better way to do so, than to start with giving them the best bodies they can have. Our focus should be on equipping our children, our future, with the healthiest bodies they can possibly have. One can only be as good as their body will allow. The healthier the body, the healthier the person’s thoughts and actions.

America is a big melting pot of all the world’s different people groups, cultures, and religions. So, if we could get it right (or as close to right as possible) in America, then to me that says the world could do it as well (a little ambitious, but hey, it’s my blog). Sadly, we don’t have it anywhere near right. According to the American Heart Association, ”about one in three American kids and teens is either overweight or obese”. Not only does obesity give way to high blood pressure, Type-2 diabetes, high levels of cholesterol, and severely increased chances of obesity related problems at an older age, but it also hurts a person psychologically, causing low self-esteem, poor body image and depression. Yet, the scariest idea for me is that we are doing something way worse than killing our own children: we are putting them through Hell and then killing them. A lot of people would say that is a little extreme, but that is only because we don’t see the repercussions immediately after feeding them.

“Because of the increasing rates of obesity, unhealthy eating habits and physical inactivity, we may see the first generation that will be less healthy and have a shorter life expectancy than their parents.”

- Richard Carmona, former General Surgeon

Now, what can we do to alleviate this epidemic? It’s quite simple really: Think globally, Act locally. None of us (college students) have kids (at least more than likely), but we do have hungry stomachs at least three times a day. Since we have to eat, why not eat the tastiest food out there, which is of course the healthiest, most natural… naturally. Now, I am no expert on this yet, but I would guess that something along the lines of eating healthy for the sake of your own body, supporting locally grown foods and helping raise awareness in the community. When it comes time to have children, you will be healthy, thus your child will begin this world with a firm foundation atop a mighty springboard, and someday, with the right decisions and a little motivation, he too can do something great that will change a child’s world.

Meet the Local Food Leaders

The idea of “being a Food Leader” can be a bit abstract and confusing. It is definitely different from being a Food Entrepreneur, which is a leader who takes the initiative to create something that does not currently exist in their society. Being a Food Leader is more diverse, it is something everyone can be.

How to become one? Well… You don’t have to “startup” your own food project–even though that would be really awesome! Food leaders first focus on their relationship with food, make changes as they feel needed, then share and learn with others their experience. It requires is one understand why we eat the way we do and then have the motivation to make improved food decisions everyday. Every bite, every dollar, every hour has an impact on our food system.

Now don’t get me wrong, we need entrepreneurs and change makers greatly in society. Many of them begin the dialog, ask the initial question (Why doesn’t UT have an academic program to study food?!)… But not everyone can be an entrepreneur. Great teams are full of leaders with unique and individual skill sets.

Being a Food Leader doesn’t mean you have to make all of the decisions, but you will to have to understand how you play an important role in changing the food system. So begin to ask yourself, why do I eat the way I do? Am I ok with that? Why? Why not?

These were some of the questions UT Food Studies Alumni Alejandra and I decided to ask some of the Local Food Leaders at the 2012 Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance (FARFA) Conference. We wanted to understand what do “Food Leaders” do and more importantly why. So, we created a short video for you, the next generation of food leaders, to help inspire your food studies and projects. Share it with your friends, teachers, mentors, co-workers and everyone who loves food, because we can all become Food Leaders simply by beginning to use food as a lens to understand ourselves and the world around us.

Great thanks to all the Food Leaders that participated in the video and sharing their story.

Jerry Cunningham, Proprietor of Coyote Creek Organic Feed Mill
Alexandra Maria Landeros, Writer and Editor for Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance
Nick Latham, Founder of My Country Co-op
Brandi Clark, President of Austin EcoNetwork
Marla Camp, Publisher of Edible Austin
Ronda Rutledge, Executive Director of the Sustainable Food Center
Michael Olson, Author of Food Chain Radio and MetroFarm.com
Patty Lovera, Assistant Director of Food & Water Watch
Dustin Fedako, CEO of East Austin Compost Peddlers
Aurora Porter, Marketing & Communications for Vital Farms
Scott Price, Consultant for Slow Money Austin and SRP Consulting
Kathryn Hutchison, Marketing for Greenling.com & VP Austin Food Blogger Alliance
Judith McGeary, Executive Director of the Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance
Pamela Walker, Author of Growing Good Things to Eat-Texas A&M
Kelsey Coto, President of Food Studies at The University of Texas at Austin
Ellen, Blogger/Educator for The Homegrown Revival
Heather Frambach, Outreach Manager for HOPE Farmers Market
Evan Driscoll, Farm Hand at Green Gate Farms
Jessie Griffiths’, Chef/Owner of Dai Due Supper Club

Special thanks to Edible Austin, Slow Food Austin, Greenling, UT Food Studies and Alejandra Spector for sponsorship and support producing this video.

Video Produced by Daniel “Asiago” Heron

What is food?

It would probably be an understatement to say that food is a big part of my life. It’s a HUGE part of my life. In fact, if you’ve talked to me even once in the past 6 months, it’s pretty clear that that I’m thinking about food studies at almost every waking moment of the day.

One of the things I’ve enjoyed most while learning about food is hearing what everyone else has to say about it. It is in this way, after all, that I’ve learned so much about food and have come to appreciate it in the many ways that I do. This week in particular though, I really wanted to hear from people that haven’t yet had the chance to think about food in all the ways that I have. I wanted to challenge them to start thinking a little more about their food and what it means to them. I wanted to see what kinds of relationships they had with their food and learn a little more about the role food plays in their lives.

Oh You Know… Just Another Bomb Threat Friday

Thursday night proved the start to my unusual 3-day weekend. First off, I’d like to just say thank you to Apple for saving me from being stuck in the rain with thousands of confused, scared, or unusually happy students pushing and shoving their way past each other to West Campus. Since I was more concerned with pre-ordering the iPhone 5 than showing up to my Logic TA session on time, I was still in the comforts of my own kitchen when the sirens went off. In fact, all of my roommates and I were in the kitchen when we received the urgent (and thus completely ungrammatical) text at 9:48 a.m., “Evacuate all buildings get as far away from the buildings as possible. Further information to come”

Stuffed Mushroom Delight Q&A

Eating and buying locally has been a topic of discussion on our blog in the past. Should we buy locally? Is it really that worth it? Does it really taste that good? Here to give us a first hand perspective on eating and buying locally is Megan Convery, a fourth year nutrition major at the University of Texas. She recently conjured up some stuffed mushrooms made from mostly local ingredients, save for olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic, that were very popular at a potluck she attended. A quick Q&A with her revealed the following:

Why did you decide to buy local?
I decided to cook these mushrooms after being invited to a ”Locavore Potluck” party.

What does ‘local’ mean to you?
Local to me means within a 75 mile radius. I believe San Antonio is local to Austin. If food is grown there then sold in Austin, I would consider it to be way more fresh than food from other states.

Where did you get your ingredients? 
I got my ingredients from the Downtown Austin Farmers’ Market, off of Guadalupe and 4th.
*The Downtown Farmers’ Market is hosted by the Sustainable Food Center.
For more info click here.

Which ingredients did you buy locally? 
Specifically, the mushrooms came from Kitchen PrideMushrooms, located in Gonzales, Texas. The Italian Sausage came from the free range Berkshire pork at Peach Creek Farms, in Rosanky, Texas. The marcapone cheese that I needed for my recipe was substituted with local goat cheese from CKC Farms, in Blanco, Texas. I found local parsley and scallions from assorted local produce booths.

Modern-Day Scavanger

With social media driving our society nowadays, it is hard to overlook the convenience of utilizing the internet to find a place to “grab a bite to eat.” Gone are the days when a group of friends sit around and ask, “Are you hungry?”, and get the response: “Where do you feel like eating?” This nostalgic, slower paced method-of decision-making has been replaced by a ritual of whipping out the iPhone; pulling up Yelp, an online tool used to promote local businesses and choosing where to eat based on reviews, ratings, or popularity.

The owner kisses you on the head here!

This technology-driven culture goes further, tapping into our “stalk your prey” instincts. We are still programmed to hunt down something to satisfy our hunger need, but nowadays, we are following mobile food trailer locations to their destinations via Twitter or Facebook. Many foodies simply pursue a food truck simply for the thrill of tracking it down and feasting on its offerings. It still satisfies that “seeking your reward” fix.

Notice the expression of victory

I am not writing this as a criticism, but I just want to present some food for thought. I am somewhat of a minimalist when it comes to technology, but I am by no means exempt from this tech-driven culture. For me, Yelp presented itself as a convenient “journal.” I do not use it to build local food connections, to get free stuff, or even to get famous. I simply started a Yelp account to mark where I have been. So what thrill do I get out of Yelp?

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

In the Eyes of a Hunter

As a disclaimer, I would like to say that this post may offend some animal rights’ activists, so please read at your discretion. Also, the name of the hunting ranch has been changed, for confidentiality purposes. The following is a first-time hunter’s experience, through the eyes of a Nutrition student:

Having grown up in the typical suburb of Arlington, Texas, I never got to hunt when I was a child. In some ways, I wish I would have been a minimalist country boy. Life would have consisted of sitting around, eating hearty food, and shooting animals. Heck, I would love to be able to pee off of my back porch.

I recently went with two friends on a private hunting trip on Marietta Selleck Ranch (MSR) in Cotulla, Texas. The hunting trip was not exactly what you might imagine. The package we paid for included a whitetail buck, a doe, and unlimited hogs and whatever else they thought we could shoot. Along with that, we had all meals cooked for us, excellent lodging, and pretty much full range to do whatever we wanted on the 3000-acre property. Aside from the abundance of open, dry, South-Texas fields, the owner of MSR had built a large slaughtering barn, an apartment complex for paying hunters, a 4-person luxury lodge, and a personal farm-style house with an outrageous “trophy room” (more on this to come). The ranch has 500+ white tail deer, your typical Texas game (hogs, javelinas, etc.), and plenty of exotic animals for really big spenders. Aside from the delicious meat that I took home, I left the hunting trip with a lot of perspective on food systems, specifically in the meat sector.

The Main Attraction in the Trophy Room

Upon arrival, we walked into the “trophy room” and were absolutely blown away. The professional hunters travel to Africa quite often to hunt the types of animals you see in The Lion King. The mounted animals include antelope, lions, leopards, hippos, crocodiles, and pretty much every African animal you can dream up, mounted 3 stories high. They want to bring back a giraffe eventually. Even crazier, we got to watch the guys work with the fresh zebra skin. They purchased the zebra with the intent to have them around the house as pets. The zebras turned out to be wild and not too friendly. In effect, the wife said that she would prefer them to be turned into rugs! The week before my friends and I arrived, a group of nine hunters from Michigan shot about $300,000 worth of animals. MSR threw in two zebra kills as a bonus, but the ranch kept everything, of course.

Storing the zebra skin in a cooler

After some initial rifle practice, a hunting guide and I went into the deer blind, which is a closed-in stand on top of a tower from which you scout the area. I was thinking there would just be an abundance of deer surrounding the corn feeder after it went off, but that was not the case. A few does and bucks may walk by, but they do not flock to the deer feeder. You may sit for hours and only see a couple of deer, but there is something very calming about waiting for the perfect animal. I sat in the deer blind a few times over the weekend and just cleared my mind as I waited for my championship buck to make his appearance.  Just sit quietly as the wind bites at your face, and a sense of stalking your prey will overtake you. A few deer trickled in, here and there, but I think I only saw about 5 bucks total. As a first time hunter, I was obviously anxious to shoot the first potential buck.