To symbolize a melting pot of different cultures and ethnicities is hard to do. Personally, I find it difficult because there is so much to take in and put into one thing. Unless, I find something that is a multitude of pieces, but I have yet to find anything of that sort. Instead, I will deny having one community. Rather….
Je suis un vagabond.. Wǒ shì liúlàng hàn. Na neun bang lang ja da. Ich bin ein Wanderer. Watashi-wa inja-desu. I am a wanderer.
If possible, I would have liked this to be translated to the thousands of living languages around the world. As for now, I am satisfied with these pieces. From that phrase I will explain what I mean.
I am a Wanderer. I am a person. A being. A thing. I am part of a whole, yet I am myself. Everywhere has become my home. It is through food that I have learned about… everything. From Dan Dan noodles to Soondooboo to Pinakbit to Sperkuloos to Schnitzel to Dolmades to Stinky tofu (don’t let the name fool you xD it’s rather delicious) to many others. I surf through the internet, ride the trains, move with buses, traverse the streets, and soar the skies in search of new food and new places to eat food.
Through eating different types of food, I learn more about the other culture and become immersed in it. Sometimes I hear conversations about the history of food or, rather, a person’s take on it. Here’s an example: A rather stubborn classmate of mine believed that sushi was food for the poor people because he believed that rice was abundant and fish was cheap. Then my friend argued that, because the geography of Japan (the majority of it) isn’t made for farming he concluded that the poor people wouldn’t be able to afford to eat so much rice. Who do you believe? Well, you do the research. I can’t spoon-feed you, can I?
In addition, the preparation of the food is essential. There are different ways of making dukkbokki, foie gras, tiramisu – basically, every dish. This is because each person has their own take on what the dish contains and how it’s cooked. Each person takes pride in what they make when cooking. I know I do. And by trying out different restaurants and bakeries, I can see the plates and what they put on it and try to see if I can do something similar to it. Take, for example, cupcakes from Chikalicious that use egg whites for all their frosting. By using egg whites with flavoring, they are able to achieve a frosting that is very light, fluffy, and not overpowering in flavor. For their red velvet, the frosting did not go well because the flavor of the cake itself overpowered it. Magnolia Bakery, for their red velvet cupcakes, use a whipped vanilla frosting. This is an interesting use of vanilla frosting, but it works well with the red velvet, although it is a bit sweet. On the other hand, Cafe M, for their red velvet cupcakes had a buttercream-type cream cheese frosting that actually tasted like cream cheese and did not have a butter-like texture (some bakeries put too much butter in the mixture, thus, leaving the eater with a mouth filled with butter frosting). The texture of the frosting complimented the moist, yet crumbly texture of the cake. I could go on about red velvet cupcakes and then move on to chocolate, german, strawberry, and the rest. (As you can see, all my money goes to trying out foods D:) Food is pride.
Not only do I eat at restaurants, I also enjoy homemade foods. Whenever my landlord made dolmades, rice pudding, soups, and other such good food he would give a small portion to my family to have and enjoy. I dearly regret not helping him cook and enjoy making food with him before he passed away. On another note, my mom and aunt are nurses and they receive homemade food as gifts. My aunt had a Polish patient whose grandmother made sausages from scratch. Those were one of the best sausages I have had in my life and I didn’t have to worry what was used to make them. There are so many memories stored in food. There is so much knowledge when it comes to making food that I feel that it’s a lost art. The food of the past holds so much information of people’s cultures. It can show us what they used to make it, how they made them, when they made those food, and much more. Food isn’t only for consuming. Food is thought.
Food is also versatile. The myriad of flavors that are created and have been made is incredible. I am in awe of how chefs can combine different flavors and harmonize everything. The cacophony of flavors that work together to achieve a distinct flavor. I remember watching on TV years ago about a chef in Europe who was using science to combine different flavors together like “Chicken Liver Parfait, Oak Moss and Truffle Toast.” Food is science.
Essentially, I travel, eat, learn, and immerse myself in food and culture. So if I had to choose an “artwork,” it would have to be food, the culture(s) associated with it, and it’s history. Because, for me, artwork is something you take pride in creating. Each dish is a new creation, a new story. No two are ever alike, just like everything else. Nothing ever stays the same, just like the world. So would anyone like to join me in this quest?
http://www.yourdiscovery.com/science/kitchen_chemistry/fat_duck/index.shtml
http://www.thefatduck.co.uk/
http://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/career_development/previous_issues/articles/2007_11_02/caredit_a0700157
