Jiro Dreams of Sushi

Posted on November 4, 2015 by Shannon Bailey

One of the most interesting things I’ve seen lately was the documentary, “Jiro Dreams of Sushi”. It is about the life and work of a sushi chef in Japan. Jiro Ono is the owner and head chef of Sukiyabashi Jiro, one of the highest rated restaurants in the world.

Jiro Ono in front of his restaurant, Sukiyabashi Jiro.

The Michelin Guide awarded the restaurant 3 starts. What makes Jiro’s restaurant so unique is that it a very small place, but it sticks to the discipline that it needs to in order to provide the best product to their customers.The dedication to detail and to upholding their standards is inspirational. These sushi chefs spend years of their life and many early mornings working hard to please their teacher, Jiro. Before they create some of the best sushi in the world, they must learn from the man who does it best. The first few months of their apprenticeship is spent cleaning the kitchen and doing everything possible to stay in Jiro’s good graces.

Daisuke Nakazawa

At four months, you may be allowed to handle fish, or take care of preparation in the kitchen. After about five years, the apprentice moves up to working behind the sushi bar, assisting the other chefs, assuming they have proven their ability. For Daisuke Nakazawa, this process seemed as if it was taking forever. He was set with the task of mastering the preparation of tamagoyaki or, “grilled egg” which is a type of Japanese omelette made by rolling several layers of cooked egg. Occasionally they include shrimp puree or grated yam. Nancy Leson of the The Seattle Times reports that, “under the stern eye of Jiro Ono: months of failure, 200 rejections and, finally, approval.”

Below is a small clip from the documentary that I couldn’t figure out how to embed on to this post.

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFP5xD2l3ro

In the documentary we also see Jiro’s oldest son, Yoshikazu, travel to the fish market. This is a process that takes place every day in order to make sure that the ingredients are fresh. When watching this documentary you learn all about the Japanese fish market, as well as the way in which they find the best fish. As they go though the market, they talk to each of their vendors. These are individuals which Jiro has deemed masters in their field. The most impressive thing to me was that the process of buying tuna is set up as an auction. Although I couldn’t understand what they were saying some of the time, it was interesting to hear the men who were in charge call out numbers and write down names as if they were trying to auction off an antique lamp.With the best fish their vendors could find, Jiro makes the night’s menu based off of what was available that morning.

I recommend this documentary because it is interesting to see how one of the best restaurants operates. It is available on Netflix and the running time is 1hr 23min. Do you have what it takes to work for Jiro Ono? I sure don’t.

Shannon Bailey

Trip to Astoria

Posted on November 3, 2015 by Ilana Levich

This past weekend my group and I visited Astoria, Queens. We didn’t really know what to expect driving into the neighborhood because we have heard and researched so many mixed reviews about it. However, we were definitely taken back while exploring all the different cuisines, beer gardens, and amenities that Astoria had to offer.

Before coming to Astoria we had researched that there was a scarcity of garbage disposals and trash cans in the neighborhood. While driving down 24th Ave, we noticed that between 31st and 26th street there were less than about 5 trash cans spreading across those 5 blocks. We were appalled by that how such a lively neighborhood and street can have such little waste disposal. Due to this, it contributed to the littering that took over the streets. But what struck me most wasn’t the power plant, or the littering, or the projects that we saw, but the vast variety of cuisine that was offered in the neighborhood. In just one block we saw a French and Italian bakery, a Greek restaurant, and much more. During our visit, we decided to stop by a little greek restaurant called BZ Grill. We read reviews about it which stated that this is the most authentic and delicious greek food in the whole neighborhood – and it definitely lived up to its word.

This is what BZ Grill looks like.

Its a very small place that has about 4 tables inside. The kitchen is right outside for all the customers to see and the meat is fresh and cooked right in front of you.

It was crazy to see that this lamb was cooked and roasted on the skewers right in front of all the customers. My group and I decided to order gyros along with Greek fries that had feta cheese on them. To say that the meal was delicious would be an understatement. It’s safe to say that it was probably the most authentic Greek food I have ever indulged in.

“Best Gyro In New York City” ?

Posted on November 2, 2015 by Kathleen Leavey

This weekend while touring Astoria, Queens, my group and were immersed by many different cultures and cuisines. Since most of the population of Astoria is predominantly Greek, we felt it was imperative to visit a Greek Restaurant. We have never been to Astoria, so we were unsure of where to stop; however since there was such an abundance of restaurants, we stopped at the closest one. One that claimed they had the “Best Gyro In New York.”

I have always been a fan of Green food so I was very excited to try it. When we walked into the BZ Grill, it was a very small place, but smelled delicious. The first thing we noticed were large pieces of meat on a stick in which the chef was shaving meat off of. When we sat down my friends and I all ordered different types of gyros: chicken, kebab, and pork. We saw a plate of french fries also pass our table so of course, we were prompted to order an order of those as well.

Greek french fries

When I first tried my gyro I thought it was really delicious. I have not had too many gyros in my life but it was definitely comparable to ones I have eaten and enjoyed in the past. The one I had contained pork, tzatziki sauce, and vegetables. The french fries we ordered were a non traditional type: Greek french fries. These fries had feta cheese and oregano on top of them, which was very delicious.

Gyro from BZ Grill in Astoria, Queens

Although this small restaurant claimed to have the “Best Gyro In New York,” I would definitely have to say that even after trying this, my favorite Greek restaurant is in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn called Spartan Souvlaki. I have been going to this restaurant ever since I was a child with my family and we always order the same exact thing every time we go: a gyro meat platter with extra tzatziki sauce and pita bread on the side.

Mentoring

Posted on November 1, 2015 by Genesis Rivas

On Friday, October 23 I visited my mentee named Rebecca at Port Richmond High School. When the class bell rang, the students got straight to work. It was so interesting to see all of them grabbing pots, pans, ingredients, kitchen tools and getting down to business. I asked my mentee what they have done during the past week and what they have made. She told me that earlier in the week they had prepared fried rice and that today they were making chicken stir fry. I paid close attention to the ingredients used and how they made the chicken stir fry. The main components of the meal were chicken, bell peppers, and bok choy. They then added things like garlic, ginger, vegetable and sesame oil to cook the stir fry in. I am not much of a cook myself so to see these high school students handle and maneuver the kitchen in such a professional and knowledgeable manner was really inspiring. After they finished cooking, they started serving the fried rice and chicken stir fry. The room smelled delicious. I got handed a plate and after one bite I was so impressed. It tasted really good. This time around at Port Richmond High School, I learned from Rebecca and her peers more so than she learned from me. I was inspired by these students and their obvious passion for cooking. I suppose the great part of this mentorship project is that I never know what I am going to get. Sometimes I will leave feeling like I learned something new ( as I did that Friday) and other times I hope to inspire my mentee which will leave her feeling as I did after my visit. I can’t wait to see what other dishes, lessons, and advice I will encounter during this mentor partnership with Port Richmond High School. 🙂

Port Richmond Mentee Visit

Posted on October 26, 2015 by Ipek Miminoska

On Friday, I met up with my mentee for the first time since we had first been introduced to one another. We decided to go as a group and meet with out mentees, in order to avoid any awkward pauses and make everyone feel comfortable with one another. While we started off having discussions as a group, we all soon ended up having one on one conversations with our mentees. My mentee and I had a lot to talk about. We discussed everything possible under the time restraint that we had. From where we both lived, to family to different classes we’re both taking and which ones we like or dislike. We even spent a good amount of time even discussing pastries (my mentee wants to become a pastry chef) and which ones were our favorite. She told me how she had taken on the role of making pastries which she would do with her grandmother. We ended up talking about cupcakes and trading ideas on new ways to decorate them now that the holiday season is coming up. This week, the kids were cooking chicken stir fry. I still cannot get over how easy they’re able to make cooking seem, since I’m not much of a cook. Since it was Friday, we were able to taste what the kids ended up making and it was delicious. Now that my mentee and I are comfortable around one another and enjoying each other’s company I can’t wait to go back!

Indecisive Diners

Posted on October 25, 2015 by Ilana Levich

When going out to eat, we never really realize how much other people have an impact on what we decide to eat and order at the restaurant. We often don’t even notice ourselves looking around and gazing at other peoples plates trying to see if what they’re eating will influence our decision.

This past weekend, I visited Boston with one of my closest friends. During our visit, we decided to go to a restaurant called Cafeteria. As soon as we sat down my friend started to stare at other peoples tables while simultaneously trying to read the menu. We sat there for approximately 15 minutes rereading the menu trying to come to a conclusion on what to order. After about the third time the waiter came over and asked if we were ready, we figured it was time to make a decision. However, our conclusion was in fact based on the table sitting next to us. We saw them order a spinach artichoke dip that looked delicious so we ended up ordering the same thing. I wouldn’t say that coming into the restaurant we thought to ourselves “lets order the spinach artichoke,” however seeing the table next to us indulge in such a deliciously looking meal made us crave it more than we thought we did.

This just shows that as much as we don’t acknowledge the fact that other peoples choices influence ours, they really do and to a high extent – even at places such as grocery stores. When we walk down the aisle and see someone pick up a box of cereal, we automatically start to look and walk in that direction. We may not pick up the same box as they did, however we are more inclined to look into that category of foods because we saw someone else do it. This sort of behavior may be considered a good and bad thing depending on how you look at it. If you are influenced by someone who makes nutritional food choices then that would be beneficial for you; however, if you follow someone who usually picks up high carb, high sugar, and high fat foods then you should try and change that behavior. It really is peculiar why other peoples choices have such a huge influence on our own.

Friendly Food Cue

Posted on September 28, 2015 by Lauren Fay

Food cues are all around us at all times and they usually make us want to eat more. I thought I would post about one of my favorite dishes to make as well as examine the food cues associated with this dish in my life since I always make it when my whole group of friends get together. This dish would be my brownies!

My Brownies are made from scratch; no Betty Crocker boxes are allowed here! They are extremely time consuming and are a lot of hard work, but they are definitely worth it. Having to melt the chocolate just right and even deciding what kind of chocolate I want to use can take up a lot of time. I’m not going to post my whole recipe because I did make it myself, but I will always make them upon request.

This brings me to the food cue portion of this post. Am I the food cue? Are my friends the food cues? Are we all the food cues? When they come back from school, I want to do something for them to make them happy. A lot of them are having trouble adjusting to school and a nice treat always lifts everyone’s spirits! So perhaps they are a food cue for me to make and eat this dish. I had already planned on making the brownies for them since I always do when our whole group gathers (there are about 20 of us, so it’s rare when we can all come together). This would mean that they are a food cue for me. However, some of them asked me to make them as well. So not only are they food cues for me, but I’m also a food cue for some of them. The fact that the thought of hanging out with me makes them think of brownies means I am a definite food cue to them.

Another element of these brownies is commensality. The brownies aren’t just delicious treats and evidence of food cues, they are a method of sharing between my group of friends. The brownies will be on the table and around them will be all of us talking, sharing stories, and reliving memories. Perhaps these brownies will even be the reason we recall some memories, like the time I made them for the cast party after a lot of us were in our school’s drama production of Our Town. Not only are we being brought together with the brownies, but we are being brought together because of brownies. I guess you could say food does a lot more than satisfy hunger.

(The link in the beginning is a short explanation of food cues and how you can try to avoid some of the more common ones!)

Article On Spices

Posted on September 28, 2015 by Shannon Bailey

I found this article while browsing the internet and thought I would share with the group. Since we’ve been talking about the importance of spices and their impact on European society, I found it to be extremely relevant. It addresses the turning point that occurred with the popularity of spices within high society. Why did they suddenly lose interest in the the very culinary accessories which had made their cuisine so elite in the past? Did they simply not like them anymore? It discusses how the colonization of India and the Americas supplied an abundance of spices and how that lead to a decline in popularity. I found it interesting because the article is saying that something so influential at the time was slowly washed away by the inclusion of the lower classes. This is a testament to the influence societal trends have within the world of food, and consequently, history. I hope you enjoy it as I did.

Port Richmond Tour

Posted on September 22, 2015 by Kimberly Fetto

On Thursday, our class went on a tour of Port Richmond. We got to walk around the neighborhood and go into all different types of grocery stores and restaurants. Culture has a huge impact on this neighborhood and it is very different then my own culture so I was very intrigued by it. Port Richmond is filled with a variety of restuarants including Mexican, Chinese and even Peruvian. At the begining of the tour, our tour guide asked the class to count all the restaurants we saw. I couldn’t even keep count because there was just so many and I was too busy trying to learn about all of them. At the end of the tour we were able to stay and eat guac and chips inside a small Mexican restaurant with the class. The guac was made right then and there, it was so refreshing after all the walking we did outside in the sun. People in this town take there culture very seriously and it made me realize how diverse all cultures really are.

During the tour, we entered a local market filled with fruits and vegetables and other foods I had never seen before. The store provided all sorts of foods, one being a mexican cactus plant called Nopal. Nopal is a common ingredient in numerous Mexican cuisine dishes.This was a very important ingredient in New Mexican cuisine. As I looked around the store, I was overwhelmed with all the different fruits and vegetables I had never seen before, but I was so curious to find out what they were. I really enjoyed this tour and I am happy I got to see what this town provided. Wagner College is only a short distance from Port Richmond and I feel it was important that my class go to experience this and see how diverse culture really is.

Homemade Raviolis

Posted on September 21, 2015 by Ariana Gargano

My grandma came from Italy when she was only 12 yeas old in 1959. She came with her mom, dad, five sisters and two brothers. In Italy, they made almost everything they ate homemade nothing was store bought except 11892358_1071945729483444_744013092827412635_o for some ingredients. My grandma also grew up on a farm that had nearly every fruit and vegetable her and her family would need. When my grandma came to America, her and her family brought a lot of their traditions of cooking with them. The one thing that she loves to make all the time is raviolis.

It takes a lot of work and time to prepare and make raviolis. The first thing is to make the filling, my grandma makes her ricotta most of the time or she does something different like she did this time, and she made what she calls basket cheese that is pretty much ricotta just cooked and settled a little differently. She makes the cheese by boiling water and adding junket tablets to the boiling whole milk with lemon juice and little pieces of cheese start to float to the top and are spooned out and put into the basket mold to settle. The next thing she does is make the dough; she uses special dough flour that you can only buy in certain stores. She mixes the flour with eggs, water, and baking soda. She then rolls the dough into flat pieces and uses a ravioli mold to shape the dough into raviolis. First one pieces of dough is put 1920031_764282193583134_537343406_n on one side of the mold, then the holes that are made are filled with the basket cheese that was made then another flat piece of dough is put on top of it and pressed down by another side of the ravioli press. The press then cuts and seals all the raviolis into individual pieces.

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