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Recommended: Western eating habits
Three Weird Asian Foods for Your Cast-Iron Stomach
Different cultures, different tastes and different dishes on the table – that's what best describe Asians' insatiable appetite. Insatiable in the sense that what's not edible to Westerners is edible to certain populace across Asia, whose inhabitants, either due to culinary creativity or survival instincts, eat things that may look disgusting or weird to the eyes but tasty in the mouth – as not to make the usual fares boring or not to let the stomach go hungry. Think you got a cast-iron stomach? Wait till you sample some bizarre Asian foods.
If you are raring to go on a food adventure, best you should fly to Asia and test the toughness of your stomach. You think there are certain things that should never be eaten and food products be mixed into one dish, but to the people you will encounter, as long as the stomach can digest it, why worry? Here are a few strange Asian foods that you will need to sample:
Balut
Eggs you can eat when it's ready to be hard boiled or scrambled, but a half-fertilized one? Filipinos do not only like the...
Nutritionism and Today’s Diet Nutritionism is the ideology that the nutritional value of a food is the sum of all its individual nutrients, vitamins, and other components. In the book, “In Defense of Food” by Michael Pollan, he critiques scientists and government recommendations about their nutritional advice. Pollan presents a strong case pointing out the many flaws and problems that have risen over the years of following scientific studies and government related warnings on the proper amount of nutrients needed for a healthy diet. Pollan’s main point is introducing science into our food system has had more of a negative impact than a positive one, we should go back to eating more of a traditional diet. I believe food science has given us
Michael Pollan makes arguments concerning the eating habits of the average American. Pollan suggests, in spite of our cultural norms, we should simply “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly Plants.”
Meriam-Webster Dictionary defines food as “material taken into an organism and used for growth, repair, and vital processes as a source of energy” (Mish). Food is simple, yet humans have made it very complex. In the United States of America, food has become more of a hobby than a nutritional need. Every family gathering, holiday, and birthday celebration contains food of some sort. Types of food are customary at different times, like birthday cake at a birthday party, or stuffing at Thanksgiving. There is an entire holiday dedicated to dressing up and giving children candy (Halloween). One of the popular holiday foods is meat. An average of 10 million land animals (not including fish or other water dwelling organisms) are brutally slaughtered
Asians are one of the fastest growing groups in the United States and their culture is unique. A majority of the Asian culture is known for making big dinners to bring the family together to simply talk or celebrate together. There are three main categories of Asian dietary culture, which are the southwest, northwest and southeast. We will be focusing on the second largest dietary culture of Asia, which is in the northeast that contains China, Korea, and Japan. Food in this culture is not only a method of fueling ones body it is also used in certain types of medicines to heal ailments and also used in religious offerings.
I was born in one of the countries in Asia, and our staple food is rice. Rice is always at the center of the table, and the rest of the viand surrounds it. Here in the United States, my household still eat rice every day, accompanied by cooked vegetables and meat. My food choices are influenced by culture and family. Vegetables and fruits of my choice are abundant at the International Market and other Asian grocery stores. Vegetables are also available for a cheaper price at the farmers market. I myself buy these foods to ensure its freshness, prepare and cook them for my entire family. Inspired by Asian and American cuisine, our food is prepared with variety of cooking styles; such as dry like barbecues, baked and fried, with sauce
Geography plays an important role in a countries beliefs, values and activities. “Traditional Spanish cooking has popular roots. It is the people's cuisine. Most of it is down-to-earth, uncomplicated food, based on the ingredients available locally or the crops grown regionally. Mountains run through Spain in several directions, acting as natural barriers to communication and making transportation difficult until the last half of the 20th century. This is just one of the reasons why cooking differs so much from region to region” (Food).
America is a capitalist society. It should come to a surprise when we live like this daily. We work for profit. We’ll buy either for pleasure or to sell later for profit. It should come to no surprise that our food is made the same way because we are what we eat. We are capitalist that eat a capitalist meal. So we must question our politics. Is our government system to blame for accepting and encouraging monopolies?
Foods from Africa, which have impacted North American cuisine are numerous, and common in the everyday eating habits of Americans. In the 21st century, Americans take for granted the history of the food they eat, and the origins of the foods that are eaten today. In the early part of the history of the United States, people of European descent brought recipes from home and adapted their recipes to the ingredients which were available. The slave trade was directly responsible for what many Americans think of as American food, and those foods are traceable to Africa. Because slaves incorporated their own foods into the everyday lives of their masters, some of the unique foods from Africa and their history are not well known today. American
“Let food be thy medicine”, a relevant and timeless quote from Hippocrates almost two thousand years ago. Culture, is the entire way of life, of a group of people and acts as a lens, through which one views the world and is passed from one generation to the next. Food culture refers to the practices, attitudes, and beliefs as well as the networks and institutions surrounding the production, distribution, and consumption of food. With the evolution of food culture, from drive-ins, microwavable/canned meals, and fast food, Americans are eating worse and worse every day. Near the beginning of the twentieth century Americans consume around 120 pounds of meat annually, by 2007 that figure went up to no less than 222 pounds. American consumption
26). This dish was very simple and did not require too much time, but I was still able to gain an appreciation for the types of meals that are cooked by Moroccans. Many of the ingredients that were incorporated into this dish are also used in a vast variety of dishes within North Africa. The paprika, cumin garlic, parsley, and red pepper flakes gave this dish a unique flavor that is different from typical eggs and vegetables. There was a hint of spice that seasoned the eggs and vegetables perfectly. The eggs were soft and warm, while the vegetables added a slight unique crunchy and soft texture. Although this dish did not incorporate staple ingredients like lamb, bread, or fish, it did incorporate many of the spices and vegetables that are used in many dishes and on a daily basis. I was able to gain a great deal of appreciation for the types of meals that are prepared in a Moroccan
American culture is changing dramatically. In some areas it’s a good thing, but in other areas, like our food culture, it can have negative affects. It is almost as if our eating habits are devolving, from a moral and traditional point of view. The great America, the land of the free and brave. The land of great things and being successful, “living the good life.” These attributes highlight some irony, especially in our food culture. Is the American food culture successful? Does it coincide with “good living”? What about fast and processed foods? These industries are flourishing today, making record sales all over the globe. People keep going back for more, time after time. Why? The answer is interestingly simple. Time, or in other words, efficiency. As people are so caught up in their jobs, schooling, sports, or whatever it may be, the fast/processed food industries are rapidly taking over the American food culture, giving people the choice of hot
As the world has evolved through technological advancements, immigration, and international affairs, globalization has become a significant and inevitable part of life in the 21st century. According to Manfred Steger, globalization is “a set of social processes that are thought to transform our present social condition into one of globality...[it 's] about shifting forms of human contact”(Steger 8). Perhaps the most influential aspect of this globalization is the spreading and sharing of foods; which is something I’ve been able to see and experience firsthand. From the time of my upbringing in the West Indies during the late 90s to early 2000s and migration to the United States in 2004 to now, globalization
Trends have a way of shaping a culture. They tell people how to act and what is popular at the time. There are many trends some are clothing, music, movies, and excuse. One trend I think is the most fascinating is food trends. Food is a very important part of everyone’s life. The American diet has changed a lot since the 50ths. Back then people use to eat a very limited diet and they would eat the same foods day in and day out. Now a days people have a very wide diet. People now eat foods from different cultures. Food trends seem to be changing very often.
America has struggled balancing out what it’s considered to be healthy. Children look at skinny as the definition of healthy and do not realize that not every “fat” person is unhealthy and not every skinny person is healthy. It’s not to be skinny but to live a healthier lifestyle. Children consume food from their schools and homes almost every day, so what they eat is not in their control necessarily. Parents and schools lack knowledge on what they feed their children, and because they lack knowledge it causes children to become overweight or obese.
However, often times people raise questions in regard to the jeopardization of the culture in Asian food. Misrepresenting the culture, Western countries borrow and appropriate these main Asian cuisines. Nevertheless, with great differences in taste, none of Chinese, Japanese, and Korean food