I'm not going to sit here and try to argue that America doesn't sit atop the fast-food throne. The very idea of fast food was born and bread in the States, and it's influence is apparent. HOWEVER, I strongly disagree with what was said in the main course blog, that fast food is only relegated to road stops and other inconvenient locations in more developed countries. That's simply not true; in Australia at least, fast food is just as widely consumed and in-your face as in America.
First and foremost, it should be noted that Australia is, per-capita, currently the most obese nation on the planet. Walk down a busy street in Sydney and you'll see why: along with the usual name brand suspects (McDonalds, which they warmly refer to as "Mackers," KFC and Hungry Jack's, which is the same restaurant as Burger King), you'll find street venders and local stores peddling all sorts of deliciously heart clogging food. Any food you purchase is gonna be fried, breaded and/or greasy. They really don't have a lot of healthy alternatives in that country, aside from Subway.
Part of the reason we consider America to be so fast food oriented is the media. We're simply portrayed to be this country of burger loving people; that might be true, but we certainly aren't alone in this respect. Australia consumes a lot of fast food as well, and I'm sure there are other countries whose names we can throw into the discussion. Point is: America isn't alone in this rather unhealthy habit.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Monday, January 17, 2011
Fried Rice
So my Dad's girlfriend bought me a cookbook for Christmas; can't remember the name of it, but the theme of the book is recipes that only require five ingredients. There are a lot of cool options in the book, but I actually used it for the first time over the weekend. I made fried rice, and it, surprisingly, turned out pretty well.
More surprising than the result, though, is how quickly everything came together. I started off by preparing two cups of white rice; this was easily the longest part of the entire process, as anybody who's ever made rice can attest to. It took, like, twenty minutes, which is the norm for cooking rice.
Once the rice was prepared, I set it aside and started to make scrambled eggs, which the recipe called for. I used a thai red chili paste (1.5 teaspoons) and a little bit of butter to grease the bottom of the pan, and fried the scrambled eggs (there were three of them) up. The recipe called for a specific method for the eggs, but I just made them the way I always do: keep the heat at a medium level and use a spatula to keep them constantly moving to avoid getting burnt. Once they were a solid consistancy, I took them off the skillet.
I added a bit more chilli paste (1 teaspoon, even though the recipe called for .5... I like spicy food, so I added a bit extra) and a bit of canola oil to the same skillet that I used to scramble the eggs, and let everything heat up for a moment. Then I added probably a half pound to a pound of chicken, chopped into little pieces, and cooked it up in the pan. Once the chicken was thoroughly cooked, I added the rice that I made in the beginning to the skillet, and started to stir (I wish I had a wok at hand, but I don't have one in my apartment). Once the rice took on the color of the chili paste (red), I let it sit for about five minutes. Finally, I added the egg (sliced into thin pieces), one sliced avocado and some diced cilantro to season it, and stirred everything together. The cilantro and avocado made it quite good.
The final product was solid, but it wasn't exactly "fried" rice. There was definitely a layer at the bottom of the dish that was fried by sitting directly on the skillet top, but the dish as a whole didn't totally take on this consistency. I'm not really sure how I'd be able to get the rice to fry through totally; I suppose if I kept stirring it might take the form I want, but that would take a lot more time.
All in all though, it was incredibly tasty; all of my friends liked it, as did I. Easy, tasty, fun to make - but most importantly, different than what I usually make. I'm glad I tried it, and will definitely try it again.
More surprising than the result, though, is how quickly everything came together. I started off by preparing two cups of white rice; this was easily the longest part of the entire process, as anybody who's ever made rice can attest to. It took, like, twenty minutes, which is the norm for cooking rice.
Once the rice was prepared, I set it aside and started to make scrambled eggs, which the recipe called for. I used a thai red chili paste (1.5 teaspoons) and a little bit of butter to grease the bottom of the pan, and fried the scrambled eggs (there were three of them) up. The recipe called for a specific method for the eggs, but I just made them the way I always do: keep the heat at a medium level and use a spatula to keep them constantly moving to avoid getting burnt. Once they were a solid consistancy, I took them off the skillet.
I added a bit more chilli paste (1 teaspoon, even though the recipe called for .5... I like spicy food, so I added a bit extra) and a bit of canola oil to the same skillet that I used to scramble the eggs, and let everything heat up for a moment. Then I added probably a half pound to a pound of chicken, chopped into little pieces, and cooked it up in the pan. Once the chicken was thoroughly cooked, I added the rice that I made in the beginning to the skillet, and started to stir (I wish I had a wok at hand, but I don't have one in my apartment). Once the rice took on the color of the chili paste (red), I let it sit for about five minutes. Finally, I added the egg (sliced into thin pieces), one sliced avocado and some diced cilantro to season it, and stirred everything together. The cilantro and avocado made it quite good.
The final product was solid, but it wasn't exactly "fried" rice. There was definitely a layer at the bottom of the dish that was fried by sitting directly on the skillet top, but the dish as a whole didn't totally take on this consistency. I'm not really sure how I'd be able to get the rice to fry through totally; I suppose if I kept stirring it might take the form I want, but that would take a lot more time.
All in all though, it was incredibly tasty; all of my friends liked it, as did I. Easy, tasty, fun to make - but most importantly, different than what I usually make. I'm glad I tried it, and will definitely try it again.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Best Drunk Food In Athens?
In all honesty, the vast majority of my friends (myself included) have one legitimate goal when we go out to parties or bars on the weekend: sex, or something close to it. That's just the reality of the situation; I'm not saying that this rule applies to everyone, but it applies to most.
Unfortunately, the ultimate "party goal" isn't met as often as we'd like to admit. Failure is much more common than success, so we often settle on a consolation prize: food. While I won't sit here and tell you that I'd rather be cradling a Big Momma's Burrito at 2 in the morning than a beautiful girl, those burritos are pretty damn good, and they are definitely an acceptable way to cap a night of drinking. Eating is one of the most satisfying acts that I can think of, and being drunk elevates food to a level unattainable while sober.
In short, drunk food is the best. And, Athens being what it is, there's never a shortage of options. As I previously alluded to, I love Big Mamma's. I'm clearly not alone, as the fist-clinchingly long lines can attest to. I've waited in lines to satisfy a late night burrito craving that an ordinary man would wince at, and it's almost always worth it. The blend of warm rice with chicken and bacon is mouthwatering... and that sauce. Damn. They have some good sauce there.
Big Momma's gets my vote for best late-night food stop in Athens, but there are definitely others that deserve attention. Good Fella's Pizza is pretty great; it's affordable, and the service is generally awesome. Pita Pit is okay; it gets points for being healthy, I guess... it never leaves me truly satisfied with my choice, though. It just isn't that filling. Or tasty. And it's too expensive. Other than that, it's perfectly fine.
I should also say something about the food carts, and I haven't even brought up the goodness that is D.P. Dough. I think I'll save that for another blog, though.
Unfortunately, the ultimate "party goal" isn't met as often as we'd like to admit. Failure is much more common than success, so we often settle on a consolation prize: food. While I won't sit here and tell you that I'd rather be cradling a Big Momma's Burrito at 2 in the morning than a beautiful girl, those burritos are pretty damn good, and they are definitely an acceptable way to cap a night of drinking. Eating is one of the most satisfying acts that I can think of, and being drunk elevates food to a level unattainable while sober.
In short, drunk food is the best. And, Athens being what it is, there's never a shortage of options. As I previously alluded to, I love Big Mamma's. I'm clearly not alone, as the fist-clinchingly long lines can attest to. I've waited in lines to satisfy a late night burrito craving that an ordinary man would wince at, and it's almost always worth it. The blend of warm rice with chicken and bacon is mouthwatering... and that sauce. Damn. They have some good sauce there.
Big Momma's gets my vote for best late-night food stop in Athens, but there are definitely others that deserve attention. Good Fella's Pizza is pretty great; it's affordable, and the service is generally awesome. Pita Pit is okay; it gets points for being healthy, I guess... it never leaves me truly satisfied with my choice, though. It just isn't that filling. Or tasty. And it's too expensive. Other than that, it's perfectly fine.
I should also say something about the food carts, and I haven't even brought up the goodness that is D.P. Dough. I think I'll save that for another blog, though.
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