Eating The Other

I totally forgot that I wanted to post this on the My Year of Meats Week. Its another, albeit real, example of representation of foreign cultures through the creation of food. Snoop Dogg on Martha Stewart! I really can’t figure out what to make of it. Clearly Snoop just thinks that its hilarious to be able to say he went on Martha Stewart, but why does she want him on? I guess for a little splash of the exotic.

I just know that I now regularly say “what’s crackalackin’? Videos after the jump. Continue Reading »

It occurred to me that I never wrote a blog question so I would like to write one for My Year of Meats.  We talked in class about the idea of translation of a culture, but I think “My American Wife” went beyond translation to the point where they were constructing their own idea of American culture using small snapshots of families.  So is this the new result of Globalization?  Instead of actually trying to understand a culture is the new trend to use small bits of that culture to construct an image that conforms to our own preconceived notions of what that culture actually is?

This is mainly a reply to Caitlin’s post about salt, but I wanted to include a picture so here we go.  Several years ago I visited a salt mine in Poland.  The mine is still functional but a tourist attraction which the community is very proud to show off.  This was a very crazy experience as the mine, well below the surface of the earth, contained several underground (salty) lakes and large rooms full of statues that miners had carved out of salt over the years. The last supper, above, is made completely of salt. (More pictures below).

I was surprised to find out that salt has been one of Poland’s most important exports (and natural resources), which was a bit shocking to me as I never before thought about salt much at all, let alone as a consumer product I buy or as the source of many people’s livelihood. Continue Reading »

I’ve been meaning to post this for forever now, or at least in time for the holidays.  My boyfriend’s birthday was in late October, and since I knew we would be spending Thanksgiving together (making dinner for a bunch of post-Pomona stragglers in Los Angeles), I decided to get him the Best. Present. Ever.–  a cooking class we could do together at this place we always walk by near Westwood: “Chef’s Inc: Cooking Instruction for the Eager and Curious.”  I was definitely not eager to pay the steep price for a one-time lesson, but my curiosity got the best of me (plus, I reasoned, tickets to something in addition to dinner would be equally expensive– this was two in one).

I got us the “Romantic Thanksgiving Dinner for Two” class.  Corny?  Yes, but even more delicious.  We spent a couple hours making:

• Turkey and Sage Stuffing Roulades
• Oyesters Rockafeller
• Crispy Shallots & Brussels Sprouts
• some more main entree items I don’t remember
• and my favorite, Pumpkin Crème brûlée.

… And then eating it all!  Plus, I got to use a blow torch, which might have been the best part.  More pictures below.

Continue Reading »

After reading Tori’s post on fast food advertising campaigns below (and now will have to watch the “Burger Virgins” when it premiers in 2hrs 47 min), I thought I’d post this article that combines food, gender, and marketing issues for the now-depressed economy.

She’s In Charge

Apparently food (as long as it is “value” food, which could mean health but unfortunately usually ends up meaning packaged foods) campaigns do better in this kind of economy, since the female consumer force that represents 80% of all purchases is “reacting overwhelmingly” to the crisis.  Advertisers with accounts like Campbell’s and Kraft are rejoicing and praising the value of their brands, while GM (ex)advertisers are probably now forced to survive on steady diets of Campbell’s and Kraft.

Here’s an excerpt:

Kool-Aid is promising “More smiles to the gallon” and the milk industry has tapped financial expert Suze Orman to wear the famous milk mustache in an ad that tells consumers, “Even at today’s prices, a glass of milk only costs a quarter.”

Hey everyone, I’ve been keeping out of the posting lately and just reading along with pleasure. But I wanted to say to you all that I am just blown away by your thoughtfulness and creativity. You really all just make it such a pleasure to teach and think about these ideas, texts and issues. I am just so greatful to be able to think along with you.

I wanted to propose something to you all; is anyone interested in continuing this conversation with me next semester? In particular, I wonder how many of you would like to enroll in a half-credit reading course in which we would turn the material of the course and the blog into a publishable article about teaching and pedagogy and in particular teaching and learning about food.

Let’s talk about it in class….

Thinking back to our conversation last night, I found this brief article that was published in the San Francisco Chronicle about ten years ago.  It summarizes various different historical uses of salt and provides some random salt facts, superstitions involving salt, etc.  It’s not by any means comprehensive, but there are definitely some uses of salt that I wasn’t familiar with before this!

A historical legend worth its salt

Burger King has launched a new marketing campaign about “Burger Virgins”.  That’s actually what they call it. They went to remote corners of the world and had people who “don’t even have a word for burger” to do the most pure taste test ever, Big Mac vs. Whopper.  This is absurdly insensitive, I can’t believe it exists.   But here’s the website.  Its for real.

http://www.whoppervirgins.com/

And here are some teaser clips from the “documentary”.

http://aht.seriouseats.com/archives/2008/12/burger-kings-whopper-virgins-documentary-campaign-criticism.html

Gross.

Last class, Professor Tompkins said “we’ve talked a lot about talking” and explained that our next text, The Book of Salt by Monique Truong is very much about silence. I began the text with this in mind, and the issues surrounding verbal language (French and Vietamese) and Bính’s methods of communication in France and with his Mesdames sparked a lot of questions. The idea that to other people in his environment, including GertrudeStein and Alice Toklas, that Bính is just a “little Indochinese, who can’t even speak proper French” (pg.15) seems impossible to comprehend when, as readers, we are exposed to the intricacies and insight of his true voice. However, does it seem to you that Bính feels trapped by his inability to speak French with the same fluency he is able to cook French food? Is Truong writing a story of how food and food labor has allowed a queer, Vietnamese man in France the opportunity to be expressive to others in a truthful way without, essentially, having to rely on a common language?

In his efforts to make a living in France and French society and culture, does Bính use food as a mastered tool or as a crutch?

Do you agree that Bính has had an opportunity to find agency through kitchen labor in a way that his employers and “French Superiors” do not realize or that, ultimately, servant labor in the kitchen always maintains a hegemonic model of power? f so, what does the fact that a queer, Vietnamese man works for a queer, American female couple in France say about power-structure and hegemony in the kitchen? GertrudeStein and Miss Toklas are certainly not the archetypal representations of socially/culturally normative and dominant figures…

These are a lot of huge questions, but there is so much in this novel! I will try to have some more specific ones that touch on different topics later this evening.

Hey guys! Hope you’re having a good break.

I got this really cute email that’s a recipe exchange. I thought I’d share it with you because I have to send it on to several people for it to really work and I thought I’d offer to make you those people because it’s fun to get recipes! I really don’t do chain emails like this usually but this one is productive and at least I’m inquiring to see if I can find willing participants, right? I’m thinking you can maybe email me if you want to participate, mup02006@mymail.pomona.edu. Or, if you’re comfortable you can respond to this post with your email address. Here’s how it works:

You've been invited to be a part of a recipe exchange!

Please send a recipe to the person whose name is listed in the number
1 position below (even if you don't know the person). The recipe
should be something quick, easy and without rare ingredients.
Actually, the best one is one you know in your head and can type out
and send right now.
Then copy this letter into a new e-mail, move my name to the number 1
position and put your name in the number 2 position below. Send to 15
friends (or whoever you want). You should receive a bunch of recipes.
Its fun to see where they come from!! (If you cc me too, I'll get
twice as many!!!!)

Seldom does anyone drop out because we can all use new recipes. The
turnaround is fast because only 2 names are on the list!

1)
2) 

Thanks!