My Thanksgiving Meal

Posted on November 30, 2015 by Olivia Silvestri

Growing up in an Italian/American household my mother cooks each holidays traditional food with the addition of Italian dishes. My family’s tradition is to wake up at 9am to marinate and stuff the turkey and put it in the oven as we watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. After the turkey is in the oven my mother with the help from me and my sister start making the side dishes to go with the turkey.

We make mash and sweet potatoes, homemade gravy, stuffing, cream spinach, corn, Brussels sprouts which is traditional Thanksgiving food. But of course we can not forget about our italian traditions. My mother puts out an antipasto spread before everyone comes over so when they get to my house they have something to pick on. Then the homemade lasagna and mushroom risotto is served for everyone to eat at the table.

After we take a break from eating for a bit the main course is served which is the turkey with all the traditional sides plus my families additives. My uncle that is Puerto Rican brings over his home made rice and beans with pastilles. Then my mother makes stuffed artichokes, broccoli rabe, pasta salad, and a cauliflower salad. All of these dishes that are placed at the table make up a part of my family and heritage that ties my family together.

The Devastating Paris Attacks

Posted on November 22, 2015 by Olivia Silvestri

During our History class with Dr. Smith we spoke about the Paris attacks and the impact it would have on us. Many of my classmates did say that these attacks on Paris did effect their decisions on going on trains or into Manhattan. This was an obvious anwser to me because we are all young adults who are witnessing horrible acts from people who are threatening NYC.These terrorist are threatening our home and many are worried they are going to hit NYC next.

I am definatly concered about ISIS and their next attack but it is not going to stop me from living my life and going to NYC. I believe that ISIS wants people to live in fear because its a sign that they are succeeding. I do have to say my parents are nervous about me going to the city and going on the train but they also realize that you cannot be scared and stop your life because the fear of being attacked. NYC is beloved by many and should not stop being enjoyed by all who come.

I think New Yorkers should be aware of their surroundings and precautious. In all reality we don’t know if NYC is going to be attacked but I belived that everyone should just becareful and enjoy what NYC has to offer.

Dumpster Diving in NYC ?

Posted on November 22, 2015 by Olivia Silvestri

When I hear the word Dumpster I automatically think of a huge container that is filled with piles of grarbage spanning from food/drinks, to furniture and maybe even clothes. During one of our RFT-LC 13 class meetings my class and I watched a film on people called Dumpster divivers. At first I was a bit grossed out thinking that people who dont really need to be rumaging through the trash was, in order to attain perfectly fine items in the dumpster. But the more I watched the video I was actually very intreged and suprised how much good food was being thrown out for no reason.

In the video when the guy was outside on the streets and there were huge bags filled with freshly made bread it made me think of how wasteful many people are. When I saw that bag filled with loafs of bread I thought to myself, why wouldn’t these places donate their extra food to a homeless shelter or soup kitcken? I think that is these loafs of bread that are going in the garbage can be used to benefit many starving Americans.

I believe that these resturants and supermarkets should donated their extra food to charities that could use these products to support people in need. I feel instead of filing up garbage bags of food to be discarded owners of these places should drop of the excess food to places who would put these foods to good use.

NYC Menus Then and Now

Posted on November 11, 2015 by Olivia Silvestri

Last week during history class I learned about the importance of menus in the 19th century in NYC. The menus that I viewed were very long and had many standards for serving each course. Compared to menus today they were very detailed and long and dinner was a very complicated thing. Now a days menus for a dinner party are short and have few options for guest to choose from. Theres no directions to certain ways to serve the food.

Menus in the 19th century could have up to 12 courses with strict regulations. The menu my class received was 12 courses and each course had to be served a certain way with specific drinks in-between them. There was a first course, soup course, fish course, entrees which were served in-between any of the courses, vegetable course, game or salad course, and a few different types of desert courses. This was a very in-depth menu with multiple choices. This shows how complicated the menus in the 19th century was and how these menus show the way the wealth lived. The wealthy had many servants and accessibility to many different foods. The types of foods on the menu shows the money they had and the foods they could afford.

Present day restaurant menus are less explanatory and are made to be more appealing to the costumer. Menus today at a restaurant explain the way the food is cooked with a short detailed synapses on what is in the dish. Still till this day the quality of the menu, the prices of the food, and the types of foods offered displays the status of the restaurant.

Trip to Sunset Park

Posted on November 2, 2015 by Olivia Silvestri

Last week my group and I went to visit sunset park for our grand proposal. On our way to Sunset park, Brooklyn we tried to see where we were going to start first. We ended up starting at the furthest place and worked our way through sunset park to our destinations. Our first destination was Greenwood cemetery, this is a historical spot in sunset park that has been there for years. Then we decided to go to the Brooklyn army terminal which is now converted into buildings that contain many stores and companies.

As we were making our way through Sunset park and the avenues changed so did the people. First, we started on 4th and 5th avenue and between 30th and 65th st and it was inhabited by Spanish and Dominicans. As we went up toward 7th and 8th avenue we ended up in whats known as Brooklyn’s “China Towns”. Every store was written in Chinese and as we walked around we saw the variety of different fresh fruits, vegetables and fish they sold.

Before going to Sunset park Dr. Nolan had emailed my group a news article talking about some dumpling spots that are popular in sunset park. My group and I ventured out and went to one of greatly reviewed dumpling spots. As we approached Kai Feng Fu Dumpling House we were hesitant at first because it was a small place on a side block but we went in and the dumplings were delicious!! I really enjoyed venturing out to Sunset park because I was able to see and experience a different neighborhood other than mine.

German-Jewish Immigrant Traditions still Present Today

Posted on November 1, 2015 by Olivia Silvestri

The presentation that was assigned to my class and I in History and LC was to read about a specific immigrant family that lived in one of the tenement houses on 97 Orchard Street in New York City. The family that my group received was the Gumpertz family. During my reading about this family I learned that they came from Prussia in order to start a better life for themselves. They faced many hardships coming to America but over came them and assimilated into the American culture. German-Jews in Prussia had very strict rules about the food they ate but once many immigrated came to New York these traditions changed a bit due to the availability of foods in NYC.

Gefilte fish is one dish in particular the German-Jews brought from Prussia. No one really knows exactly who came up with this dish but it is now commonly associated with the Jews. Gefilte fish is a dish of stewed or baked fish boiled in a fish or vegetable broth that is served cold.

A few days ago I was walking through the supermarket with my mom and I came across a jar of Gefilte fish. I was surprised to see it in jars in a supermarket and not in the fresh fish section. The Gefilte fish was in the a section of the aisle with all of the other Jewish products. Seeing the Gefilte fish in the aisle of the supermarket made me automatically think of the project I did in my class the other day . It made me realize that some dishes in many cultures have stayed the same and haven’t changed no matter how much time has passed. Even though some traditions may assimilate with other cultures they still manage to preserve some traditional ways. Just like the Gefilte fish in Jewish culture.

Food Cues

Posted on October 26, 2015 by Olivia Silvestri

Food Cues: Are they real or is it really because we are hungry?

During this weekend I ventured into the city with my friend for brunch. I couldn’t wait to go for brunch because it is my favorite. I love that breakfast food is offered until 4 pm with a few lunch options. When I got to the restaurant I ordered everything I thought would seem delicious. Pancakes, eggs, and French toast were shared among the 2 of us. When we were finished we couldn’t even think of eating more that’s how full we were.

Finally, after deciding to leave the restaurant my friend and I were walking to the train. On our way to the train we were complaining about how much food we consumed. With only about 2 more blocks until we hit the train station we saw a 16 handles (frozen yogurt store). We immediately looked at each other and couldn’t resist. Before we knew it we had filled our cups with 3 different types of frozen yogurt with 5 different toppings.

In my opinion, this is a true example of a food cue. My friend and I were so full walking to the train but once we saw that 16 handle we suddenly felt like we were able to eat it and went right inside we no hesitation. Food cues do impact the reasons we eat no matter if we are full or hungry.

Port Richmond High School Experience

Posted on October 18, 2015 by Olivia Silvestri

My visit at Port Richmond High school was very pleasurable. Being a private school student my whole life, walking into public school and getting to know what it has to offer was very knowledgable. I was in shock when I saw the culinary class they offered because my school never had such a class. I assumed the students just learned easy food dishes inside a regular class room but I was wrong. The culinary room had stoves and many utensils for the students to use. I was also intrigued when I saw the garden the culinary program and Wagner nursing program had started because it allows the students to grow their own food and use it in their cooking class.

Before walking into the class room I was some what nervous because I didn’t know what I would talk about with my mentee. I knew I was in their positions just 2/3 years ago which allowed me to feel connected to them in a way. But once I assigned myself to a group I was able to jump right into talking. I enjoyed all of the students because they were very welcoming and opened to meeting up during the week..

I think this partnership with Port Richmond High school is a great thing because we are able to help these high school students get an idea of what college life is about and assist them in finding a career path they are interested in. I also like the idea of being there for them during a time when the college process very difficult and they are able to ask us questions in order to help them. I am really looking forward in meeting up with my men-tee and being involved in this partnership.

The Definition of Beauty

Posted on October 12, 2015 by Olivia Silvestri

In the video “Women’s Ideal Body Types Throughout History,” it shows the ideal body type of women throughout history. It shows that different countries valued different body types. For example, in ancient Italy the women had full heavier set bodies and light skin. While in China petite, tiny waist women were seen as beautiful.

Today, women are obsessed with trying to get the ideal body no matter what the risks are. I think women try their hardest to look like models and famous people. I personally think society harshly judges the way people physically look. Women try their hardest to achieve a goal that might not be good for their body type. I think women should be proud in their skin and not worry about what clothing size they are. As long as you are healthy and eat nutritious food you should not worry about how much you weigh compared to others.

Many women are concerned about the number on the scale rather than if they are at a healthy weight. I think people should worry about their health before the size of their clothing. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have studied the connection of weight and life expectance. The studies have shown that there is no connection. In fact the research has shown that “over weight and mildly obese people live longer” (Rutter 2015). This shows that people shouldn’t look down upon people who are high in weight because even if someone looks thicker than the societal norm they might be perfectly healthy.Being skinny and over weight does not mean your healthy, but the food you intake and exercise you do defiantly helps . No matter if you are skinny or over weight , I think the most important thing is your health. This is why people should stop judging people for their physical appearance and start worrying about whats important, your health.

Food Deserts

Posted on September 21, 2015 by Olivia Silvestri

After visiting Port Richmond and watching the film “A Place at the Table”, I have realized that food deserts are present through out the nation and the inhabitants that live there face many issues. It is devastating that people do not have enough money in order to purchase food for their families and when they do they must travel long distances to super markets. Many low income communities only have bodegas and little grocery stores that do not offer many selections.

In the film “A Place at the Table,” it was not shocking that obesity and hunger are closely related because when one does not have a lot of money to spend on food it minimizes their choices to food that is cheap. Normally the cheap options for food are processed foods like chips, cookies , canned and boxed food. It is hard for a person on a budget to buy fruits,vegetables and meats because they are expensive and do not last long. This is the reason why people begin to eat high calorie foods because it might suppress their hunger longer.

While walking through Port Richmond I noticed there was no super market. I soon found out the one there had burned down and was never replaced. This is surprising because all of the people in this community have been either buying their food at local stores or traveling to other communities. The one local store we walked into did have a variety of fruits and vegetables and also a smaller selection of meat. But as we walked forward I noticed it was one of the only stores that sold such a variety because the strip in Port Richmond was only a few blocks long.

I feel that I have learned that food should be more valued by people in the United States because there are many people that are starving throughout our nation and need our help.

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