Food Web Comic

Thanks Laura for sending the interesting and funny food web comic to our Taste of Culture! 

Web Comics

Hi everyone I know it's pretty off topic but here are the two web comics that I created for class.

1. Philosophy of Dogs

Here I went for a more cynical dry humor that has a simple philosophical edge. I like how the comic art turned out. Enjoy.

2. The Fairy Adventures-

I kinda just had fun with this one, I was struggling with idea's so I just played around with the comic generator for awhile and this was the result. Enjoy.

A Taste of India

India is nothing but diverse. The food represents this array of cultures since every state claims very different diets according to their local produce. Kerala boasts coconut as a staple, Punjab the vegetable dishes, Goa the seafood, Kashmiri the yogurts and the list goes on. Yet at the base of almost all Indian dishes are several key features;  Naan, jasmine Rice, and Masala (Curry). These three staples illustrate that inexpensiveness is essential to the poverty stricken country of India. Naan is a simple flatbread, jasmine rice is a basic mixing rice, while Masala is the term for an array of mixed spices that Indians use to make curries. Most classic Indian dishes are a collection of these three dishes along with a basic meat in a sauce (never beef for religious reasons) with a spicy curry and yogurt based sauce on the side along with vegetables. Now that you have an introduction to basic Indian cuisine I will discuss some cool travel ideas to do in this interesting country...

Three "Must-do" Travel Idea's in India...

• Taj Mahal: One does not simply go to India, and not see the Taj Mahal! Located in the isolated city of Agra this marvelous testament to human architecture will guarantee to blow you away with it's sheer magnificence. The Taj took around 30 years to complete with a workforce of some 20,000 men, I wouldn't mind having those statistics on my grave! The story goes that a Mughal Emperor mandated the Taj to be built after his favorite wife died. Agra is home to another magnificent fort and many hotels to accommodate tourists need. Located a couple hours outside of Delhi and a days train ride from Mumbai this location is certainly a must do for any tourist in India. 

• Backwaters of Kerala: The southern state of Kerala holds a collection of lakes, lagoons, and canals that stretch over 205km along the coast of the Arabian sea. This labyrinth of waterways brings unprecedented beauty of isolated Indian villages, exotic wildlife, local boats, and a very serene silence. The best way to explore these backwaters are by Kettuvallams, a beautifully crafted native houseboat that range from large party boats to a floating one bedroom paradise. The houseboats come equipped with a full crew that serve all your meals locally and know the backwaters like their backyard. From the cities of Thiruvallam to Kollam one can easily find a houseboat company and charter their very own experience with this beautiful untouched part of India. 

• Camel Treks: The Indian state of Rajasthan holds vast desertous regions that offer tourists the opportunity to undertake multi-day trips through the desert on Camels to hidden villages and old ruins. A one time chance to ride a Camel and experience the desert in it's most raw element is something I found hard to pass up. Accompanied by guides that spend every day in the desert one can get a very profound glimpse at Rajasthani culture. The best two places to find this chance is in either the City of Amritsar which also holds some very cool ruins or the small lakeside religious city of Pushkar. 
  • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 'SO SO SO SO so So So So So don't miss out on I hope this gave you a taste of all the crazy enlightening activities and sites India has to offer, so get on your camel, and book your flight and you'll be stuffing your face with Naan and Mango lassi in no time!

RECIPE 2: Pan-Seared Thick-Cut Strip Steaks

In 1837, Delmonico’s Restaurant opened in Manhattan. Self proclaimed as “America’s first fine dining restaurant,” one of its signature dishes was a cut from the short loin that was called a Delmonico steak. Due to its association with the city, it has since been referred to as a New York strip. 

In North America, Strip Steaks is also known as Club steak. So, today I am going to show to how to make Pan-Seared Thick-Cut Strip Steaks. 

INGREDIENTS 

2 boneless strip steaks (1 1/2 to 1 3/4 inches thick which is about 1 pound each)        

1 tablespoon Kosher salt and ground black pepper     

1 tablespoon vegetable oil  

At this point, Rib-eye or filet mignon of similar thickness can be substituted for strip steaks. If using filet mignon, buying a 2-pound center-cut tenderloin roast and portioning it into four 8-ounce steaks yourself will produce more consistent results. If using filet mignon, increase the oven time by about 5 minutes. When cooking lean strip steaks (without an external fat cap) or filet mignon, add an extra tablespoon of oil to the pan. If desired, serve with a pan sauce, relish, or butter; see related recipes.

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 275 degrees. Pat steaks dry with paper towel. Cut each steak in half vertically to create four 8-ounce steaks. Season entire surface of steaks liberally with salt and pepper; gently press sides of steaks until uniform 1 1/2 inches thick. Place steaks on wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet; transfer baking sheet to oven. Cook until instant-read thermometer inserted in center of steak registers 90 to 95 degrees for rare to medium-rare, 20 to 25 minutes, or 100 to 105 degrees for medium, 25 to 30 minutes. 

     

2. Heat oil in 12-inch heavy-bottomed skillet over high heat until smoking. Place steaks in skillet and sear steaks until well-browned and crusty, about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, lifting once halfway through to redistribute fat underneath each steak. (Reduce heat if fond begins to burn.) Using tongs, turn steaks and cook until well browned on second side, 2 to 2 1/2 minutes. Transfer all steaks to wire cooling rack and reduce heat under pan to medium. Use tongs to stand 2 steaks on their sides. Holding steaks together, return to skillet and sear on all sides until browned, about 1 1/2 minutes. Repeat with remaining 2 steaks.  

    

3. Transfer steaks to wire cooling rack and let rest, loosely tented with foil, for 10 minutes while preparing pan sauce. Arrange steaks on individual plates and spoon sauce over steaks; serve immediately.

3 Blogs to Checkout...

1. http://tasteontour.com/
"Taste, On Tour" is an awesome travel blog that is maintained and created by Joe Kwon, the cellist in the celebrated band, The Avett Brothers. The band documents food that they taste as they travel around on tour performing at various venues across the country. Kwon keeps the blog up to date on an almost a daily basis; reviewing restaurants, taking pictures and giving recipes. I personally love the blog because I am an avid fan of the Avett Brothers. If your interested in music, the band has reached new level's of success with their recent album "The Carpenter and definitely worth a check out. Anyways, the blog offers insight to the daily life of the band along with up to date pictures of shows that are enough to satiate the appetite of any music enthusiast. Kwon's past experience with food is very apparent through his continuous critique's and knowledge especially when it comes to asian cuisine. Cool pictures, unique recipes, and restaurants define this colorful page.  I would highly recommend this page to any Avett Brothers Fan, food enthusiast, or someone just looking to kill some time on a interesting blog.

2. http://nookandpantry.blogspot.com/
Nook & Pantry is a student based blog from Seattle devoted to giving us delectable home based recipes. A student named Amy established the blog in 2007 and since then it has become a cluttered archive of delicious recipes. Written in a very approachable, laid-back style almost every recipe is easy to follow. Personally, I was attracted to her baking section, one of my weaker points in cooking, where I found a French bread recipe that was not only superbly easy to follow but also didn't ask for a tons of exact measurements of only stuff I would never have available in my normal kitchen. So big thumbs up to the baking section for saving me bread money this week. Nook & Pantry serves almost any dinner recipe to your computer with quick and easy directions.. by far the most complete recipe blog I've encountered!

3. http://www.lonelyplanet.com/blog
As far as Travel goes Lonely Planet is the be all end all. No organization offers a more comprehensive guide to travel at an international level than Lonely Planet in my opinion. I backpacked through India, and Guatemala with the sole help of a LP book which is why I hold these books to a biblical standard of worship. Therefore, as far as travel blogs go my first inclination was to checkout what Lonely Planet online had to offer. Although the blog is full of interesting articles and pieces on foreign places that may spark a cool idea, I was a little let down by the blog as a whole because of it's broad spectrum. A travel blog should be something you can navigate due to your interest in a region, type of traveling you do, or even past places you've been yet LP's blog seems to lump these all in to a twitter-like forum so that it may take you a whole god-forsaken 15 minutes to find an article that really interests you. Admittedly, Lonely Planet's whole website is incredibly informative and easy to navigate therefore you can always look up what you want there. But as far as travel blogs go I would tend to steer clear of lonely planet's blog and checkout something more a specific that really incites your scope of travel.


Another side note (self-advertisement) on travel blogs. I used the blog medium TUMBLR to create one primarily for pictures of my trip to India. If you want to check it out to use the format yourself or maybe just see some interesting pictures the site is http://thesearchformywife.tumblr.com/  (The friend had a certain partiality towards Indian women hence the title)

RECIPE 1: Crepes with Sugar and Lemon

Hi everyone.
Today, we are going to learn, how to make Crepes with Sugar and Lemon. 

A crêpe is nothing but a thin pancake cooked quickly on each side and wrapped around a sweet or savory filling, but it has a reputation for being difficult. We wanted an easy method for crêpes that were thin and delicate yet rich and flavorfully browned in spots. Finding the perfect ratio of milk to flour and sugar gave us rich-tasting, lightly sweet pancakes. We were surprised to find that neither the type of flour nor the mixing method seemed to matter, and a plain old 12-inch nonstick skillet worked as well as a specialty crêpe pan. What does matter is heating the pan properly (over low heat for at least 10 minutes), using the right amount of batter (we settled on 1/4 cup), and flipping the crêpe at precisely the right moment, when the edges appear dry, matte, and lacy

INGREDIENTS

1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 cup (5 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon sugar, plus 8 teaspoons sugar for sprinkling
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1&1/2 cups whole milk
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 lemon, cut into wedges

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet and heat over low heat for at least 10 minutes.

2. While skillet is heating, whisk together flour, 1 teaspoon sugar, and salt in medium bowl. In separate bowl, whisk together milk and eggs. Add half of milk mixture to dry ingredients and whisk until smooth. Add butter and whisk until incorporated. Whisk in remaining milk mixture until smooth.

3. Using paper towel, wipe out skillet, leaving thin film of oil on bottom and sides. Increase heat to medium and let skillet heat for 1 minute. After 1 minute, test heat of skillet by placing 1 teaspoon batter in center and cook for 20 seconds. If mini crêpe is golden brown on bottom, skillet is properly heated; if it is too light or too dark, adjust heat accordingly and retest.

4. Pour ¼ cup batter into far side of pan and tilt and shake gently until batter evenly covers bottom of pan. Cook crêpe without moving it until top surface is dry and crêpe starts to brown at edges, loosening crêpe from side of pan with rubber spatula, about 25 seconds. Gently slide spatula underneath edge of crêpe, grasp edge with fingertips, and flip crêpe. Cook until second side is lightly spotted, about 20 seconds. Transfer cooked crêpe to wire rack, inverting so spotted side is facing up. Return pan to heat and heat for 10 seconds before repeating with remaining batter. As crêpes are done, stack on wire rack.

5. Transfer stack of crêpes to large microwave-safe plate and invert second plate over crêpes. Microwave on high power until crêpes are warm, 30 to 45 seconds (45 to 60 seconds if crêpes have cooled completely). Remove top plate and wipe dry with paper towel. Sprinkle upper half of top crêpe with 1 teaspoon sugar. Fold unsugared bottom half over sugared half, then fold into quarters. Transfer sugared crêpe to second plate. Continue with remaining crêpes. Serve immediately, passing lemon wedges separately.

TECHNIQUE

WHISK AWAY

Most recipes for traditional American pancakes caution against overmixing the batter; doing so activates the formation of gluten and will render the results tough and dense. In theory, the same logic would apply to crêpes, but our mixing tests showed that all that worry was for naught. Why? It all comes down to the liquid-to-flour ratio. The high proportion of liquid in crêpe batter makes it so dilute that gluten development—that is, the network of proteins that give baked goods their chew—is not actually a factor. This also means that you can use anything from low-protein cake flour to high-protein bread flour and get a similarly tender crêpe.


TROUBLE SHOOTING 

CRÊPES 

PROBLEM: Splotchy browning
SOLUTION: Preheat pan 10 minutes

PROBLEM: Batter spreads unevenly
SOLUTION: Tilt and shake

PROBLEM: Crêpe tears when flipped
SOLUTION: Wait, then try again

(Recipe from http://www.americastestkitchen.com/)

Our Home: Your Tourist Destination

Burlington...

This charming lake side city in Vermont is not only just a college town but also an extremely popular tourist destination. The green mountains, Lake Champlain, local farms, and renown nearby skiing attracts people from all over the world. One aspect of Burlington's attractiveness that often goes overlooked is the food, but everyone knows that a tourist's primary concern during his vacation is good food and plenty of beer.. Of the latter Burlington boasts some of the most notable breweries around through Magic Hat and many other local lagers. 

Foodwise the metropolitan area is home to an array of unique restaurants and types of food. For my interest I will focus on a couple of the more heavy influences. French food through the long lasting impact of French colonization in the Champlain valley region coupled with the steady influx of tourists form Quebec has allowed for a heavy population of French foods and Restaurants. Leunig's Bistro is a perfect example. This classy cuisine never serves to disappoint, a suitable restaurant for all times of the day the menu screams parisian delicacies. Another example can be seen by the creperie, Skinny Pancake, a staple of French culture. 

Personally, I am the biggest advocate of our Farmer's Market. With local produce, Vermont cheeses, and an array of cultural foods. Refugees and immigrants have graced us with many local foods, including my favorite, the Samosa. 

So next time you think of Burlington as a boring college town, think again this culturally rich area boasts some of the best foods around and therefore will always remain a popular tourist destination. 

The Food Corner

Hi, welcome to A Taste of Culture! My name is Sherry Zhao. I am originally from Shanghai, China, major in Film and Television studies in University of Vermont. My personal interests are baking, cooking, tasting and testing every recipe. As you know, Tristan, our another blogger is going to focus and talk more about traveling experiences with food. So, I will be the one at the food corner that shows you how to make these delicious foods around the world. Enjoy reading our blogs! Taste of Culture brings every recipe, every tasting, and every culture to you! 

Welcome to A World of Taste!

Welcome to our blog, A Taste of Culture, where we indulge in exciting foods in various places. My name is Tristan Hackett, I am from Ipswich, Massachusets, I am a Global Studies Major with Spanish and English minors. My passion is to travel. I have been to over twelve countries including exotic places like India, Guatemala, Norway and Turkey. In our blog, I will be the travel focused half. Looking into the culture of the people, interesting facts about the region and things to do in the focused city so that you will have a complete picture of where these foods come from. Soon we hope you will not only be able to decipher the ingredients and how to cook these foreign foods but you will also have a familiarity of the culture behind them. I hope you enjoy following our tastes as we take you around the globe!