Category Archives: Cuisine

Hot Dog Carts in New York City

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Two weeks ago, I did research on hot dog carts in New York City. Hot dog carts can be traced all the way back to the late 19th century and early 20th century. I discovered that in the 1870s, a man by the name of Charles Feltman opened up his Ocean pavilion beer garden located in Coney Island. Later on, a young employee of Charles named Nathan Handwerker opened up his own hot dog stand, and he sold his hot dogs at a cheaper price of 5 cents a hot dog. Nathan’s hot dog stand grew into a multimillion dollar business and his hot dog stand located in Coney Island continues to sell more than a million hot dogs a year. When I visit New York City, I always get a hot dog from these food carts. These boiled hot dogs are the most delicious hot dogs that I have ever eaten. Now, hot dog vendors have started to change;  these vendors now sell new types of hot dogs and foods such as halal. The new type of hot dog that people in New York City are now raving about are grilled ones. Many people in New York are looking for healthier food options for themselves and their kids. This is why hot dog carts around the city are offering these new food items besides unhealthy pretzels and boiled hot dogs. The hot dog stand is a well suited symbol to represent the cuisine of New York City. The hot dog stand business has changed dramatically over the past twenty years and who knows how it will evolve and change in the near future.

 

Thanksgiving

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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

Carrots, Are They As Good As They Seem?

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“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

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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.

Oxfam Hunger Banquet

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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.

Oxfam Hunger Banquet

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Last night, I joined my classmates by participating in the Oxfam Hunger Banquet. I had an idea of what it was since I had looked up information about it before the banquet, however I was interested to learn more about it. We were each given a card that gave us a backstory of who we were and informed us of our income level.  I had been given a backstory of someone who was considered to be low-income. The income level determined where we sat and what we ate for the night. Since I was considered to be low income, I was directed to sit on the floor instead of the chairs like those who pic
ked out a card in a medium or high income level. For dinner, my group had been given rice and beans to eat in a paper cup with a spoon, while the group who received the medium income had plain pasta, water, a bread roll, plates and silverware. The few people in the high income group had better silverware and glassware along with better nutritious meal options such as salads, bread rolls, and chicken.

IMG_8598During this banquet, I realized that there was no control over who received what card. It’s the same in real life. You can’t help what you are born into. Those in the lower class had no choice in anything due to circumstances out of their control. This banquet made me realize the amount of difficulty there is simply to acquire food and even then, sometimes it isn’t enough. It made me realize my comfort and the fact that I never had to deal with poverty. Not everyone has that comfort and it has made me appreciate this banquet by bringing to light an issue many of us don’t consider an issue, simply because we aren’t dealing with it ourselves.

Thanksgiving

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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!

Oxfam America Hunger Banquet

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Tonight, I had the privilege to experience the Oxfam America Hunger Banquet. This interactive event demonstrates the poverty and hunger occuring in the world today. Their mission is to open participant’s eyes to the unequal distribution of food in the world. Participants are drawn a card that shows their economic stratus. The low income people of the world represent the majority of the world. While the upper class represents 20% the the world’s total population, consisting of mostly Americans.

I was given a card that placed me in the low income group during the banquet. I represented a woman named Adis from Ethiopia. I was placed in her shoes and was asked to sit on the floor with my fellow colleagues and eat a small meal consisting of bland rice and beans in a cup. I, Adis, struggle to provide my seven children with adequate meals and  go to sleep with an empty stomach. I have nothing left to sell to buy food and have no IMG_8603money. As I look to my right,  the middle class were seated at a table and given pasta and water. To the far end of the room, the upper class were given a nutritious meal consisting of chicken and salad. My meal portrayed the difficult access to food and water in poor areas of the country.

The Oxfam America Hunger Banquet brought forward the reality of hunger in our world. I am fortunate to live in a home where I do not have to struggle to feed myself and have everything that I desire. This experience opened my eyes and made me realize that I am lucky because, most of the world does not have the life I have and I was able to have a small perspective of the struggles most of the world faces today.

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Thanksgiving Dinner

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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

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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.