Month: November 2020

In The Pagoda by Patricia Powell­­, Lowe angrily recalls all that he feels he has given the villagers as the shop burns. “…hadn’t he fed them? There wasn’t one funeral he had missed. He locked shop early and attended every wedding with a box of hard-dough bread and a carton of white rum underneath his arm” (13). Hard Dough bread, or simply “hardo,” is a Jamaican staple that some believe was first made in the 1920s by a Chinese migrant. Today, it’s made using a special tool called a “dough break machine,” which you’d be hard-pressed to find outside of Jamaica, Cuba, or Haiti. Hardo is sweet – it’s basted in sugar water, and has a shiny crust. It’s cheap and accessible, though some bakers today have elevated the simple bread with hands-on techniques and practiced skill. Hardo is commonly used during Easter and Christmas for the bread in Christian rituals (i.e. the bread as the body instead of a wafer). As Prof. Goffe explains in a Vice article, hard dough bread is starchy and calorific, which made it a good source of energy for the laborers and enslaved peoples working on plantations in the heat. Indian and Chinese people migrated to Jamaica on the promise of good jobs and housing but ended up in indentured servitude despite the abolishment of slavery in Jamaica in 1834.

Knowing hard dough bread is a cheap bread lends some credence to the grumblings that Cecil is cheap: “You know how much weevil me find in the cornmeal. And that bad rum him sell. Mix with water,” we hear an unknown stranger complain (15).

Reference:

Joseph, Chanté. Confronting the Colonial Past of Jamaica’s Hard Dough Bread. 2019, www.vice.com/en/article/a3xgdk/confronting-the-colonial-past-of-jamaicas-hard-dough-bread.

In Exit West, the first attempt at physical intercourse between Saeed and Nadia resulted in a rather interesting encounter, involving “barbequed chicken and lamb, and fresh-baked bread” (Hamid). While food before a courting is the historical way of the gentlemen, I find the mention of barbequed food interesting in such a situation where an attempt at intimacy was unsuccessful. Still, the couple was able to strengthen their connection in a non-physical way. Furthermore, the occasion also encompassed psychedelics, forming the perfect bridge between food, intimacy, and drugs and providing insight into what each partner desires from this interaction (and why drugs should be involved at all).

I want to focus on bread for this genealogy because of the significance of ‘breaking bread’ and its implications when dealing with the story of a relationship between two migrants. There is evidence of humans gathering wild grains from at least 100,000 years ago and the earliest evidence of humans grinding these grains dates to ~30,000 years ago in the form of starch residue on stones. Furthermore, the earliest proof we have of humans cooking bread is from 14,000 years ago somewhere in Jordan where scientists uncovered structures containing a large stone fireplace with the charred remains of breadcrumbs. Starting around 9500 B.C., some of the earliest crops grown in the ancient Eastern Mediterranean and Middle-East included wheat, barley and rye. This is also around the time where the modern idea of fireplaces or firepits originated. Since, bread has become a staple commodity worldwide.

 

 

The Spruce Eats

https://www.thespruceeats.com/bread-history-timeline-4783245#:~:text=%20A%20Definitive%20Timeline%20of%20Bread%20%201,it%20grow%20into%20food%20must%20have…%20More%20

 

Exit West

“It was into this room that Nadia moved when she separated from Saeed. The room smelled of potatoes and thyme and mint and the cot smelled a little of people, even though it was reasonably clean” (Hamid, 216-217).

Commonly associated with toothpaste, York patties, and Altoids, mint is an interesting herb because of its unique taste and many uses, from dessert to healthcare. Because of its strong and long-lasting flavor, it was used in items like Listerine and breath mints. It was believed that mint had healing and medicinal properties, especially concerning hygiene and digestion. One interesting myth regarding the creation of mint was that a nymph named Minthe flirted with Hades, angering Persephone who turned her into a plant that “people would step on” (“A Brief History of Mint”). Mint is now popularly used in cooking across the world, particularly in the Middle East which would be a familiar scent if one were to interpret the setting of the book there. While Nadia and Saeed have recently broken off from each other, signaling their ability to move freely into the world untethered, the scent of mint is enough to keep Nadia rooted to her past, while demonstrating the universality of what lies ahead for her.

“A Brief History of Mint, from Air Freshener to Breath Freshener.” Vox Creative, 4 Jan. 2016, www.eater.com/sponsored/10709952/a-brief-history-of-mint-from-air-freshener-to-breath-freshener.

Thuy Pham recently opened up Mama Dút (Đút in Vietnamese), a restaurant in Portland Oregon that serves vegan Vietnamese food. I was really interested when I saw this because I had previously had a conversation with the Vietnamese professor at Cornell about how difficult it can be to find vegetarian and especially vegan Vietnamese food, as so much of it is meat-heavy. As per so many of the class discussions we’ve had, there are always so many questions about “authenticity” and whether the vegan version of a dish can be called legitimate, but Pham has really managed to quell those dissenting opinions with her amazing food (which I’m so excited to try when I go home in a few weeks!) It’s so great to see more representation of what Vietnamese food is and can be. Pham is also very involved in the PDX community; during the BLM protests this spring/summer, she supported protesters by giving out free food from her pop-ups and she’s very involved with food insecurity activism.

https://pdx.eater.com/2020/11/6/21553177/mama-dut-restaurant-deli-morrison-vietnamese-vegan

“One night Nadia brought back some weed a coworker had given her. She did not know how Saeed would react and this fact struck her as she hiked. In a city of their birth they had smoked joints together with pleasure, but a year had passed since then, and he had changed since the, and perhaps she had too, and the distance that had opened between them was such that things once taken for granted could be taken for granted no longer.”

Weed, marijuana, pot, whatever you want to call it, it has a complex history alongside a complex perception. Similar to the steady rise of opium, marijuana had been used for medicinal purposes back in ancient China (). The use of such a plant was for rheutmatism, gout, malaria, and even absent mindedness (Ren). From there, the use of the plant spread across Asia, where India used the plant as a form of anxiety relief. By the mid 1500s, the Spanish brought the plant to the New World but not for enjoyment. The sturdiness of the hemp were ideal for clothing, ropes and other  practical material. At this time,  the transport of Africa slaves to Brazil was for the sole purpose of growing weed for smoking. The plant was soon brought tot he America from those fleeing Mexico where it became synonymous with the psychedelic properties of opium and cocaine.

This perception is one I wish to discuss.It speaks to American adoption of a plant that was initially seen as harmless and for even medical purposes but perhaps because it was brought by those who were perhaps considered less civilized, the use of the actual herb became an automatic association with those who came from it. Whatever aspect, whether cultural or not, inevitably led to the “white savior”  enforcement. Some examples are the 1910 ban of drugs and the Harrison Act in 1914 that outlawed the use of cannabis (Jaeger)

Finally in the fifties after a steady stream of users with the college hippies did the American view change. Whether we would like to admit it or not, it created a catalyst  that was leading to widespread acceptance of the drug. It’s interesting to see how perceptions have shifted as we see how commonly associated and even discussed the use of cannabis is in western culture. It also connects with the classic connection between Chinese restaurant syndrome and the need to “rebrand” to fit into a specific mold

History of Marijuana. “History of Marijuana.” Narconon International, www.narconon.org/drug-information/marijuana-history.html.

Hey guys,

Happy election day! Please take care of yourselves. Hours away from the chaos, I thought it might be helpful to pose a question that I think is so applicable (especially with our class) at this moment. Someone asked me, “What’s for dinner? Who’s making it? What joy will it bring you?”

More questions I’ve been pondering: What makes you feel connected right now? (to yourself, to others, to your community)…….Who are your people? When/how did you identify this person/these people as one of your people?

Food and my family are the answer to all of those questions for me and so much of what we’ve been sharing/exploring in this class, when my mom sent me this article I found so much of us in it—I had to share.

https://www.eater.com/21540284/chef-craig-wong-jamaican-chinese-cooking-patios-toronto

In the video, Master Chef Craig Wong shares with us the techniques, context, and inspiration behind his Jamaican-Chinese restaurant. The bells absolutely went off for me when he talked about his takes on fusion, him getting these recipes from his Chinese genealogy in Jamaica (I couldn’t help but think of his cooking as archival work) and paying homage (citing) to the indigenous flavors he borrows from both cultures. I don’t want to spoil anything but I pulled a quote from the article that really struck me…

“Jamaican-Chinese food was taught to me by my grandmother. We go back three generations to Jamaica. She was cooking Jamaican food with Chinese ingredients, and Chinese food with Jamaican ingredients,” Wong reminisces. “Fusion for the sake of it is definitely not something that I’m into, but with a mixed background the way that I have, it’s just a natural progression for me to experiment and play with both sides of the cultures and the cuisines.” (Ciccone)

I urge urge urge you guys to give it watch. It’s not just speaking to many of our themes, the food also looks so freaking delicious. It’s even been giving me inspiration for the cookbook!

And with that, tonight I will be having a handful of trail mix for dinner 🙂

KP

 

“In Vietnamese, the word for missing someone and remembering them is the same: nhớ. Sometimes, when you ask me over the phone, Có nhớ mẹ không? I flinch, thinking you meant, Do you remember me? I miss you more than I remember you.” – Ocean Vuong, On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous

In class today we talked about this quote in relation to “when we migrate, we murder from our lives those we leave behind” (Hamid 98). The latter quote from Exit West alludes to the idea that migration can be a solitary act and leaving someone behind can change one’s connection with them, even permanently. It emphasizes the often violent and dangerous nature of migration and being a refugee, as well as the loneliness and levels of separation that occur. Even not purposefully, migration can drastically change how we interact with others. Both of my parents are immigrants and it’s often apparent that they aren’t in regular (or even any kind of) communication with many of those who still live in Vietnam and Hong Kong, respectively. Even today with all of our technologies, it’s near impossible to continue the same relationship and often, our links with others start to fade away. There are memories, people, and places that are irreplaceable, which Saeed’s father understands well when he refuses to leave the city because his wife, though now deceased, still walks the streets with him. In the Vuong quote, the narrator speaks about his mother. She asks if he misses her and he feels gutted, as he misses the idea of her but can barely remember the person herself.

“Nadia spent her lunch hours racing home to stock up on supplies. She bought bags of flours and rice and nuts and dried fruits and bottles of oil, and cans of powdered milk and cured meat and fish in brine, all at exorbitant prices, her forearms aching from the strain of carrying them up to her apartment, one load after another.” (ONLINE, 1st page of Ch 4)

 

This week, we are starting the novel “Exit West” which follows Nadia and Saeed, a couple in an unknown city. Their contrasting personalities and backgrounds create a paradox in terms of how relationships are formed but the reason why I chose this passage was not just due to the “thriftiness” of Nadia but because I thought of my own obsession with food and realized that most dry goods are essential to that. Milk powder was an ingredient I had no experience with but upon experimentation, I found that it is one of the best ingredients to use for baked goods. It imparts a specific kind of fatty taste that is unmatched, it is economical and just generally such a fascinating product.

The association with powdered milk is one that is not positive. Whether we would like to admit it or not, the cheapness of the ingredient has led to stigmas relating towards when and how we should buy it. The process of creating powdered milk is fairly simple. Invented in 1872, milk is put into a kind of spray where it is used to concentrate the milk and evaporates 50% of the milk leaving you with solids. There is still some form of liquid remaining so the milk is then left to dry in a dehydrator creating our milk powder. (“How is Powdered Milk Made”).

All that being said, I chose to write about powdered milk because I believe it to be heavily misunderstood. Just like the debate between breast milk and powdered formula, there is so much information out there for us to understand. Powdered milk contains twenty one amino acids, proteins, vitamins and minerals which is already so similar to regular dairy milk. However, the heat of evaporation does inevitably “kill” a certain amount of proteins and minerals but its shelf life of more than a year can help those struggling financially.

I definitely had preconceived notions with powdered milk but it’s an accessible option which should be strongly considered and should weaken the stigma with minority groups such as Latino and Black Americans being the main purchasers of such a product (“What”).

 

“How Is Powdered Milk Made.” USA Emergency Supply, www.usaemergencysupply.com/information-center/all-about/all-about-dehydrated-dairy/how-is-powdered-milk-made.

“What Is the Difference Between Fresh Milk and Powdered Milk?” Liquidline, 7 Oct. 2020, www.liquidline.co.uk/news/what-is-the-difference-between-fresh-milk-and-powdered-milk/.

 

“But it opened onto a roof terrace that looked out over the market and was, when the electricity had not gone out, bathed in the soft and shimmying glow of a large, animated neon sign that towered nearby in the service of a zero-calorie carbonated beverage” (Hamid, 28).

I’ve always been curious and suspicious about zero-calorie sodas. How can anything be so sweet and still be zero calories? What kind of chemical lab concoction is so sugary and yet so slimming? Turns out, “diet” sodas are a myth, surprise surprise.

Coca Cola states aspartame, an artificial sweetner, as one of the ingredients in its diet sodas. But despite its low calorie count, it may backfire because “when our taste buds sense sweetness, the body expects a calorie load to accompany it. When that doesn’t happen, it may cause us to overeat because we crave the energy rush our body was expecting” (Haller). In fact, diet sodas aren’t helpful for diets at all. It actually “has no effect on glycemic response in adults with diabetes. Therefore, diet soda should not be used as a weight-loss strategy or means to control diabetes” (Laderer).

But to be fair, there are many more articles online spewing hatred about diet sodas than there are studies done about them. Diet soda haters claim that the artificial sweetners mess with your gut biome, but “the gut microbiome has become the conspiracy theory of nutrition: It’s where people go to prove something’s dangerous when there’s really no evidence that it is” (Haspel). Many of the bad things in diet sodas are also found in regular sodas, and artificial sweetners get so much hate, because they’re everything we shouldn’t be eating and makes us feel guilty. But is diet soda really that much worse than regular soda? Probably not. Is it still bad? For sure.

Haller, Madeline. “Science vs. Soda: What’s Really in Your Diet Coke?” Men’s Health, Men’s Health, 25 Feb. 2019, www.menshealth.com/nutrition/a19522511/science-vs-soda-whats-really-in-your-diet-coke/.

Laderer, Ashley. “All the Ways That Diet Soda Is Bad for You and What to Drink Instead.” Insider, Insider, 12 June 2020, www.insider.com/is-diet-soda-bad-for-you.