My Food Voice

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An important tradition in my Greek household that has been passed down from my grandfather is the preparation of the lamb. My parents immigrated to the United States years ago and brought this tradition from my small village in Greece all the way to my suburban home in Brooklyn. Before my parents left their homeland, their parents made sure to teach them all of the significant history and culture that was passed on from our ancestors to preserve our heritage. Lamb meat is widely used in the preparation of Greek foods but most importantly on Easter.

IMG_4425The night before Easter, my father with the help of his brother begin the preparation of the lamb. They season it with a mixture of olive oil, salt, pepper, and oregano that is called “ladolemono”. The next day after morning liturgy they place the lamb on a large spit. The lamb takes approximately four hours to cook completely.

This day is very symbolic for my family and I because it’s the one day, since I was a little girl, that all my family members gather together to celebrate Easter. Even though many years have gone by this tradition is still alive in my family. The memories I have made, are memories that I would want to pass down to my future family to be able to carry on this tradition.

Food Deserts

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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.

Food Deserts in America

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This past week in my Citizen’s Appetite RFT, my class watched a movie titled A Place at the Table (2012). This movie made me realize how many food deserts exist in the United States even though this country produces more food than it possibly needs. The standard definition for a food desert according to Oxford Dictionaries is an area where it is hard to have access to and buy affordable or good-quality fresh food. A disturbing fact that I learned is that 1/6 Americans are reportedly hungry; this results in 50 million Americans being hungry today. Every president has claimed that they would combat hunger and that we are growing as a society but, the total number of Americans reportedly hungry has risen each year. The United States sadly ranks the worst among the IMF Advanced Economy of food insecurity.

Food deserts affect many low income areas throughout the United States and many people living in these areas are either having a hard time feeding there families or they are becoming obese. This is because food deserts consist mostly of Ma and Pa shops, which rarely sell any fruits and vegetables, and fast food restaurants. These places mainly sell cheap processed food’s made from corn; this leads to higher obesity rates. Americans buy these food items because it is cheaper and also because fruit and vegetable prices have risen. Many people have to either walk very far or spend a lot of money to go to a supermarket that is out of town. These barriers lead people to buy more processed foods and their health is affected as a result of this. Research shows that not getting nutrition your first three years of your life can lead to neurological problems and many other lifelong risks such as diabetes. One last disturbing fact is that 1/3 three children born in the United States from the year 2000 will develop type 2 diabetes.

The movie A Place at the Table (2012)  has made me realize that not many people have access to the nutritious food that I eat every single day.  Hunger and failure to ingest proper nutrition has lead to many health issues in a country that has more than enough food to feed its entire population. As Americans in this great country we need to figure out a way reduce the number of hungry people in the United States and we find out way to reduce the amount of food deserts.

 

Port Richmond Tour

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On Thursday, our class visited Port Richmond. Even though, I have lived in New York all my life, I’ve never visited Port Richmond and actually walked around the neighborhood. This class visit introduced me to a neighborhood intertwined with its culture. One of the “challenges” we had received at the start of the tour was to keep track of the number of restaurants we would pass by throughout the avenue. I had officially lost count of the amount once we had20150917_121633-1 completed the tour. It wasn’t until I had physically noticed the number of different restaurants that I realized how rich in food culture this neighborhood really was. It also made me realize how truly diverse it was. There were multiple Peruvian, Mexican, and Chinese restaurants. There was even an Irish pub and a gourmet shop (that had just opened) we first passed through.

One particular store that stood out for me was the local market. It reminded me of the movie we had watched and what we had discussed in our class regarding food deserts. Many neighborhoods across the United States don’t have shops that offer a variety of fruits, vegetables, and other nutritious types of food. It showed me how important food choices really are. I had noticed that this shop was pretty much overflowing with fresh fruits and vegetables. The shop also served different types of fruits that I had never even tried before. Another thing I had noticed was the décor. It represented the culture and gave a welcoming atmosphere. At one point, our guide spoke about the neighborhoods presence and the scents of South America. Although I have not been to South America, it seems welcoming to know that people found something familiar and that it reminded them of home.

 

Discovering Port Richmond

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I’ve lived in Staten Island my whole life. I’ve been to almost every part of the island in my 18 years here, including Port Richmond. However, there is so much I didn’t know about this historic place that’s only 10 minutes away from where I live. Between my basketball games and my brother’s I have been to the Port Richmond area countless times and yet I didn’t know anything about it. As I walked through Port Richmond through the guided tour set up by Wagner College, I learned about the history, the food, and the challenges of the area. Historically, one of the highlights was the Dutch church and graveyard that was one of the first built on Staten Island. A second highlight was the large arrow that pointed to water, that in faded writing read the word “Ferry.”

The image2food side of Port Richmond was also very interesting. Almost 20 restaurants line the streets of Port Richmond Avenue. Among these restaurants there were many Spanish and Chinese cuisine restaurants. There was even an Irish Pub. One of the restaurants was something quite uncommon, a bakery that also serves many different types of dinner dishes. In the shop there is not only cake, ice cream, but also chicken entrees and pizza pies! Although this may seem unconventional, it is quite interesting.

Another one of the restaurants we stopped into was a newly image3opened one, which specialized in tamales, it’s decorations actually made me want to eat there more. It’s amazing how many different elements can go into a “where should we eat” decision. The idea that a restaurant being nicely or culturally decorated can make a person want to eat there is very interesting to me.

A lack of restaurants is definitely not a problem for the area. Along the way we stopped into two markets that provided fresh fruits and vegetables. Seeing these places made me very happy because I know that these fresh foods are available to people that live so close to an area that lacks fresh food, Arlington. Arlington has not yet been declared an official food desert, but it is on the road to becoming one, something that the community and those in charge can hopefully change.

In these markets I also saw a lot of spices hanging on the walls. These made me think of how spices have impacted history and the age of exploration. Some of the spices hanging up I had never even heard of, I guess I need to expand my spice knowledge! image1Even though Port Richmond did have these markets with fresh foods, they did recently lose one. A fire took away one of the supermarkets and I don’t believe there are plans to have it replaced. Another problem with the area would be the arsenic and lead within the soil at Veterans Park. Even though this issue is under control, there are still other problems facing the area, such as the garbage littering the streets, but the community is working hard to change that. Port Richmond is a rich community with a lot of history and day by day it will grow stronger and better.

Exploring Port Richmond

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This historic building was renovated yet the historical character remains.

This building was renovated yet the historical character remains.

Taking a tour of Port Richmond opened up my eyes to the food cultures that live in this community. Port Richmond is one of the oldest neighborhoods on Staten Island. Situated near the water of Kill Van Kull, Port Richmond embraces various ethnicities that can be seen through the family owned restaurants and markets. Taking a walk through the streets, I was able to see about twenty eateries in a span of one mile. On every corner, there are Mexican, Chinese, Peruvian, African and many more cultures being presented. Many claim that when they walk through the streets of Port Richmond they “smell” South America. This neighborhood is filled with culture and delicious food!

One of the shops that remains in my memory is a food market. Situated in the middle of a street, this Mexican food market sold a multitude a fresh fruits and vegetables. This shop was pretty small compared to the commercialized grocery stores I buy my food from on Staten Island. However, this market contained so many different fruits that I never seen before. The decorations and food in this market submersed me in the Mexican culture as I walked through the aisles.

Inside of the food market

Inside the food market

As our learning community passed this market, one restaurant that really caught my attention was a Chinese restaurant that also served Mexican food. This family owned business decided to broaden the types of food being sold and appeal to another major ethnic group found in Port Richmond. I found this restaurant to be particularly interesting because these to cultures are extremely different, yet someone believed it was possible to diffuse these cultures together. This restaurant defines Port Richmond’s food culture. In this neighborhood, there are many ethnicities and these ethnicities have merged together to create a multicultural community. This is clearly seen through the food being made by store owners and purchased by customers.

This Mexican Restaurant catered Mexican and Chinese food.

This Chinese Restaurant also catered Mexican food.

Surrounded by Food

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Since the beginning of this semester, constantly discussing food in my learning community classes, I have been made aware of the huge affect food has on one’s life. No matter where you turn, you are reminded of food either through advertisements and signs, seeing someone eating food, or simply being hungry and thinking about eating. I’ve realized in particular that my everyday life basically revolves around food. Being on such a busy schedule, I always have to plan out time to squeeze in when I am going to eat. Furthermore, as a waitress, I am literally surrounded by food every where I turn when I am at work.

I am a waitress at a panini and espresso bar by my house in Dyker Heights, called Panino Rustico. So about four days a week, I spend hours serving food to hungry customers. I have realized that much of what we have been talking about in class, relates to my everyday life at work. For one, I always automatically feel hungry when I get to work just by seeing all the delicious food I serve and I crave it. I know that at work, whenever it isn’t busy I am allowed to order food and eat while there isn’t much to do. So whenever there is no customers, it is like a cue, how we discussed in class, I am automatically hungry. In the same way, whenever the bell rings from the kitchen, that is my cue to go get food that is ready. This is like we spoke about in class known as the Pavlovian association, that whenever an animal is fed after hearing the bell it will automatically respond when the bell rings.

I also became aware at how fortunate I am to be living and working in an area that has an abundance of food available that provides nutrition, specifically fruits and veggies. After watching, “A Place at the Table”, I realized other peoples struggles living in a food desert and how much people around me in my neighborhood, including myself take for granted all the healthy choices we have to choose from. Our class discussions have really impacted the way I view aspects of food in my everyday life.

 

Tortillas Y Mucho Mas

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Yesterday my class and I ventured out into Port Richmond in Staten Island. We took a tour and I was intrigued by the number of restaurants down Port Richmond Ave. There were tons of restaurants serving a variety of foods ranging from Chinese, Mexican, Peruvian, Dominican, and even Italian. Coming from a Hispanic descent, when I saw all the Latin food restaurants I immediately thought of the food I eat at home. I am Salvadorian however, traditional Spanish food is all very similar. We all enjoy foods like rice, beans, plantains and tortillas-especially tortillas. While walking down the parade of restaurants, we passed by a a restaurant that made fresh tortillas. It reminded me of home because my mother makes homemade tortillas from time to time. It shocked me that they were using a machine to make the tortillas because my mother usually makes them by hand and then yells at me to learn how to make them. Yet, I find it very difficult to make tortillas. I can never get the shape of a perfect circle and if I do I can never get it to stay intact and not break apart. There’s a hidden talent to making handmade tortillas that I have yet to discover. Fresh made tortillas that are still warm from the pan are so good. My parents can eat them with almost everything yet, I only like them with particular food like this soup my mother makes called Sopa de Res. Sopa de Res is a soup filled with all kinds of vegetables and beef. My mother does not always make handmade tortillas because they are a lot of work. Whenever there aren’t any fresh made tortillas we just buy corn tortillas from the store because my family simply cannot go without it. Whether it be breakfast, lunch, or dinner we always have a side of tortillas for our meals. Our class trip to Port Richmond was a trip that I particularly enjoyed because it hit really close to home. I can’t wait to go back and try all of the different kinds of food they have to offer.

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The man is running the dough through this machine I suppose to flatten it out before forming the circular tortilla shape.

Port Richmond Cuisine

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My first encounter in Port Richmond with my class today was quite fascinating. There were a number of things that struck me as “different” than what I am used to back home in New Jersey. The first thing was how many bus stops there were in a single neighborhood. Everywhere I turned, another blue bus sign stood tall. What really stuck out to me though was the amount of food places there were. Once we walked onto Port Richmond Avenue, it turned into restaurants galore. Everything from Chinese take-out to pizza places and everything else in between were all crammed together on one road. One odd thing I noticed was that there were two Mexican places right across from each other. They both served the same food so I’m not sure as to why two Mexican places are needed in such close proximity. I was getting hungry just looking at everything! The different scents of food that I could smell while walking down the street were delicious too. I could smell grilled chicken and different kinds of hispanic spices. As we walked passed the restaurants with their doors open, the fresh food aroma wafted towards us. At this point I could not wait to dig into something delicious.

When we finally settled down to eat food, we ended up in a Mexican restaurant called Los Potrillos. We were served with chips and guacamole. I’m normally not a fan of guacamole but this particular kind was freshly made and contained diced tomatoes in it. I could not stop eating it. I took a look at their menu and saw so many great choices to choose from but unfortunately we were cut short on time so I left empty handed. I have no doubt that I will be back to Port Richmond in the near future to experiment with all the different food places. I definitely want to try pizza from the famous Denino’s to see if it really lives up to its expectations. I look forward to trying out the countless amount of different cuisines that are located in not only Port Richmond, but also in the rest of Staten Island.

My Food Voice

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A tradition that is upheld in my family is Sunday sauce. This is a time in which all of my family members set aside their busy schedules, as well as their phones, to talk with one20150531_142919 another about their week, recount old memories and create new ones. This tradition originated in Calabria, Italy with my great-grandmother and her extended family. Early Sunday morning, she would start to make the sauce from scratch, preforming the tedious process of removing the seeds from tomatoes and peeling them. While I have never tried to actually make sauce from fresh tomatoes, my mom and grandma have groomed me to make the sauce just as my great-grandmother did.

Although some substitutions have been made to the recipe, including the replacement of fresh garden tomatoes with canned crushed tomatoes and fresh 20150531_163516herbs with dried ones, Sunday sauce remains quite familiar. To keep with the tradition of Sunday sauce, I let the meatballs and sausage soak in the sauce to give it the same robust flavor as my great-grandmother did. The tradition of this dish continues to keep the memory of my great-grandmother alive.