Thanksgiving

Two weeks ago, my family and I celebrated Thanksgiving with each other. Every year my family all heads over to my aunt’s house in Brooklyn to enjoy our Thanksgiving meal. Each year my family plays football at the local high school across the street from where my aunt lives. This year, my team won (just as we have done the previous two years), but I was not the most valuable player and instead my cousin received that accolade. After the game, my family all went back to my aunts house to get cleaned up. Later, while the men where downstairs, my aunt and mother would were in the kitchen preparing the Thanksgiving feast that my whole family was about to enjoy. When dinner was ready, my whole family gathered in the living room upstairs and we were all told where we would sit. Even though I am 18 years old, I still had to sit at the folding table otherwise known as the dreaded “kiddie table”. That night my aunt and mother prepared all types of food including turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, and corn bread. This year I decided to join my cousin and grab a turkey leg that was almost the size of my head. I did not show any table manners that night and I ate that turkey leg with my hands the way people during the Medieval Period would have. After eating, I went downstairs with the rest of the men in my family and we watched football together. We were all slouched on the couch and we were so tired after eating all of that delicious food. My family later went upstairs for dessert, which included a birthday cake for my cousin, as well as a strawberry cheesecake. The only part of that night that I did not enjoy was that I had to go to work later that night and I didn’t even get out of work until 3 o’clock in the morning. I am definitely looking forward to next years Thanksgiving feast with my family and hopefully I am not working that night as I did this year.

 

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This was my dish on Thanksgiving

Eating at home vs. Eating at College

Over thanksgiving break I noticed how different my eating habits were away at school compared to the way I eat at home. This immediately triggered my mind back to the beginning of the semester of psychology class where we talked about food cues. The main reason, I believe, that I constantly eat when I am away at college opposed to at home, is because I have a pre-purchased meal plan. I feel that I have to use my meal swipe because I am paying for it. Furthermore, our meal swipes at Wagner have a specific time which they must be used. For example, the lunch swipe runs from 11:01am-4:29pm. Even if I am not hungry I have to eat during this time period because that is when the swipe runs. At home I am able to eat whenever I want, therefore I do not have to eat even when I am not hungry.

Carrots, Are They As Good As They Seem?

“Eat the carrots, they’re good for you, especially for your eyesight!” That phrase was most likely often mentioned in every household. Many of the claimed health benefits include an increase in cardiovascular health, avoidance of specific cancers, enhancement of the immune system, decreasing signs of premature aging, lowered levels of cholesterol, improved digestion, and enhanced vision. In addition, carrots are noted to contain a variety of necessary vitamins, antioxidants, and minerals such as, vitamin C, vitamin K, Vitamin B8, pantothenic acid, potassium, folate, copper, iron, manganese and vitamin A. Vitamin A, in carrots, helps people see in dim lighting because it converts the light into a signal that is sent to the brain. If the body does not receive a sufficient amount of Vitamin A, the cornea can just vanish from the eye, and can eventually lead to blindness. Due to these claims stating that carrots improve vision, many people eat copious amounts thinking their eyesight will be impeccable. However, contrary to popular belief, in order to preserve good vision, only a little amount needs to be consumed. High doses may have a negative impact on people who smoke, causing lung cancer and excessive consumption of vitamin A may be toxic to humans. United States Department of Agriculture came up with an advised portion size – a medium cup or half of a cup of chopped carrots is a serving size. Evidently, it is shown that carrots do not in fact improve vision unless the subject has a vitamin A deficiency or some other vision impairment. Due to this people can now be at ease and not be worried about consuming a certain amount of carrots a day!

Russian Hanukkah Dinner

Every year we start off Hanukkah with a big family dinner that includes an abundance of Russian infused Jewish foods. I love celebrating all of the Jewish Holidays because at every dinner we incorporate Russian dishes into the meal. This past Hanukkah we had a number of Russian dishes at the table. First, we had a soup called Borscht, which is a beet soup that is served with sour cream on top. In addition, we had Gifelte fish, which is a stuffed fish, filled with a mixture of chopped fish, eggs, onions, matzo meal or crumbs, and spices. Nowadays, it usually refers to poached fish cakes or a fish loaf, sometimes made with matzo meal. We had Knish, a kind of turnover, filled with one or more of the following: mashed potato, ground meat, sauerkraut, onions, kasha (buckwheat groats) or cheese, and baked or deep fried. Latkes were also prepared which are fried potato pancakes, usually eaten at Hanukkah with sour cream or apple sauce. Last but not least before the dessert entered the table we had Vorschmack which is also known as gehakte herring or chopped herring. It is strong tasting creamy herring spread, served on crackers or bread, very commonly used as a spread. For dessert, we had Blintz which are thin egg pancake wrapped around a sweet mixture of farmer’s cheese, potato, or fruit pie filling, similar to a crepe, but with the ends tucked in and fried again in butter; often served with sour cream. In addition, we had Hamantashen which is a triangular pastry filled with poppy seed or prune paste, or fruit jams, eaten during Purim. Last but not least we had Kichel which is a cookie commonly made with egg and sugar rolled out flat and cut into large diamond shapes; they are typically eaten with a savoury dip or topping. I am very thankful of my Russian background and the different types of dishes it brings to my dinners.

A Farmer

On December 1 my class went to a presentation with a speaker named Annie Novak. She works for the New York Botanical Garden that is located in the Bronx, New York.  She came in to talk to us about what she does and how it pertains to our class in different ways. Basically what she does is teach the children part of the garden and teach them how to plant and what the right foods are to eat. This presentation did inspire me and I found it really interesting and intruiging. We talked about all the different vegetables and fruits she grows. With that we tallked about how organic food right off the tree is much better for you.

Talking about the fruits and vegetables made me want to eat better and not just buy whatever i see first. It taught me to actually look into what i am eating and not just put anything into my body. I love to cook and to help my dad cook so talking about food that is good for you really inspired how I cook. When I go home for winter break I plan on changing my diet and trying to eat more organically. I am looking into shops near me that sell more farm fresh foods and where i can access these foods locally. Also seeing all the pictures of the garden made me want to go to the garden itself and see what it’s like.

This is a video of Annie and one of the rooftop gardens. All should watch!

Oxfam Hunger Banquet

Yesterday, my LC and I attended the Oxfam Hunger Banquet. Attending this Banquet I did not know what to expect really. When we first entered, we were handed a card and were seated randomly. The people that were told to sit on the floor were the low-income families, and the middle class and the upper class were seated at tables. This banquet was held to raise awareness of world hunger and bring it to perspective.

I liked how this banquet was almost a week after Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is a day to be thankful for everything we have because on an everyday basis we are too busy to even stop and think for a moment. Yesterday, attending this banquet really brought world hunger to perspective for me. During the discussion, the speakers told us how every 11 seconds a child dies in the world because of malnourishment is heartbreaking. I am grateful to be born in a middle-class family where I am not deprived of food, but there are children out there that are fortunate enough. We do not choose what class we are born into, unfortunately.

Towards the end of this banquet the low incomce families were asked to stand and get food, their food was rice and beans. This is what a low-income family was able to afford to eat. The middle class family was then asked to stand, and they were served plain pasta with a piece of bread. The upper-class family was then served chicken. This is what these family’s ate on a daily basis. It is extremely sad, and it is amazing how this Oxfam banquet tries to raise awareness.

Thanksgiving

One holiday my whole family likes is Thanksgiving. Every year we go to my grandmas house where my mom, two aunts, and my grandma cook everything starting from the preparation from the night before. My grandma’s favorite thing to make on Thanksgiving is the turkey; she loves turkey so every year she buys and cooks the biggest turkey she can find. This year she cooked a 30-pound turkey and by the end of the day more than half of it was gone. My favorite dish that she makes is lasagna; her lasagna is the best! Most of my family members can not wait to eat her lasagna on holidays she even makes an extra tray for everyone to take home. When she makes her lasagna she uses the tomato sauce we made over the summer and her homemade mozzarella.

IMG_1263My family does not only just make lasagna and turkey on Thanksgiving it is much more than that. There are four courses that my family prepares for just about every holiday. The first course my grandma calls the antipasto that is peppers, hard boiled eggs, different kinds of cheeses, different types of dry sausage and my favorite little pieces of pizza that she made and cut up tiny. The second course is the lasagna, but everyone has to be careful with this dish because if they eat too much they will not be able to eat anything else. The third course is the turkey, but along with the turkey is sweet and regular potatoes, broccoli rabe, corn, mashed potatoes, and stuffing. Finally last but not least dessert, which is everyone’s favorite part of the day. My grandma makes butter cookies, some filled with jelly and some covered n walnuts and what I love the most that she made this year was her homemade seven layer cookies. This year one of my aunts made brownies, my other aunt made cream puffs, and my mom made a homemade vanilla cake from scratch that is to die for!

Thanksgiving Dinner

In last week’s history and RFT class, we discussed Thanksgiving and how differently foods are prepared. I never spent the time to think about Thanksgiving and how my family prepares for this Holiday. Every year my family alternates on who is going to cook for Thanksgiving. Last year, Thanksgiving was at my house so this year my aunt decided to celebrate it at her house. We are a big family and every year we there is always a new addition. Our immediate family is over thirty people not including all our close family members in Greece.

Each family member cooks and brings something homemade. My mom made pecan pie and her famous tiramisu, my grandmother made the stuffing, etc. We always make the typical Thanksgiving dinner, turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberries, corn, and gravy, but we always add a Greek twist to it. We always make our signature spinach and cheese pies that everyone loves. My family, especially the guys, can eat lamb every day. So on Thanksgiving in addition to the turkey we also make lamb. I am not a big fan of turkey, so I get incredibly happy that we incorporate some Greek foods.

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays because it is a day I sit back, look around, and take a moment to be thankful for everything I have and how fortunate my siblings and I are. We never know what we are going to wake up to so we should appreciate and be thankful every day.

My Thanksgiving Meal

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.

Thanksgiving: My Food Voice

In my food voice paper I wrote about my mom’s lasagna. While home for Thanksgiving she made it like always. When she was making it Thursday morning, I was able to get a picture of her laying down the layers. She gave me a disapproving look as I got in her way, but she let me take the picture. Snapchat-8497507258627261225

Like always my paternal side of the family loved it. They commented again about how the German makes the best lasagna at an Italian Thanksgiving. In fact, they almost ate the whole tray of it, and my dad’s side of the family is pretty small.

As for me, my mom made gluten free baked ziti which was amazing. As I talked about in my last pots, I really missed good home cooked meals. So when I got my plate of ziti I downed it in a matter of minutes. My grandma looked so proud.