Interview

Jessica Naredo interview

How would you define National Identity?

-Nation or culture you feel more comfortable with or you associate with

What food do you think relates to your sense of identity?

-Typical food of Puerto rico holiday meal of rice pigeon beans and pork

Which holiday does it relate to?

-Christmas

What is it called?

-Lechón con arroz con gandules

What is the cultural significance of it?

-Something everyone eats at Christmas can be related to turkey

-Always associated with Christmas

How is it made and who usually makes it?

-Grandma used to make it

-Usually we buy it or get a caterer

Why does it remind you of Puerto Rico?

-Homey dish, reminds you of Puerto rico it’s the most Puerto rican dish

-Mix of cultures-spanish, African, indigenous cultures

-Pork is Spanish

-Rice and pigeon beans-african and plaintains

Have you ever made it?

-You can make it but it’s not the same unless you get your grandma to make it or you buy it

-Need freshest ingredients and usually you go to the mountains to buy

-Shops and stuff in the mountains they serve very authentic food

Is it associated with any behavior or traditions?

-Christmas dinner, tradition to sit outside with the roasting pig drinking and talking and taking pieces of the pork skin

Most of the time people get a chef or caterer to make it for them

Can be super casual or served in a very formal setting

Trying New Food

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fo59LlkTDe4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omiSppfmGVM

                   I wasn’t really surprised by the reactions of the people in this video towards the food they were eating. Realistically, fast food is never going to compare to the quality of homemade authentic food. I was a little surprised that they liked some of the foods from Panda Express considering Panda Express doesn’t compare to the authenticity of the foods they make. Some meals from Panda Express weren’t even an authentic Chinese dish. It was interesting to see how Chinese foods contrasted to the quality of Chinese food of Panda Express. I was surprised that some of the people responded well to the hot and sour soup but it was also very negatively received by other people so their perception of authentic Chinese food varies amongst the people. I think I can relate in the sense that when I eat at non-Arabic restaurants and they serve falafel or shawarma most of the time I am disappointed by the outcome. Most of the time I feel like restaurants that try to serve Arabic food aren’t properly seasoning their foods or not properly marinating it to the extent that my mom or aunts would. I suppose to people who haven’t eaten authentic Arabic food would probably consider it as good Arabic cuisine. Overall, I really enjoyed the video and felt it really showcased how American consumerism has capitalized on different cultures but don’t actually reflect the true authenticity and originality of classical food. Although, it can be argued that these franchises are trying to spread these cultures and create a community of diversity however in most cases this isn’t true. The second video I found really entertaining, it was different from the first video in the sense that the people weren't trying foods that were trying to replicate their own cultural snacks. They were simply trying snacks we eat in America and comparing it to what they eat in India. I enjoyed seeing their reactions especially to the Turkey Jerky. It's also interesting to see the comparison of how much processed and unhealthy food we eat in America compared to other countries, somasas may not necessarily be the healthiest snack option but they are definitely better than a bag of Doritos.

Cox Hall

            Cox Hall is one of the main dining halls at Emory University. Contrary to the Dobbs University Center, it doesn’t accept dining swipes, you can only use Dooley dollars or eagle dollars. If you go any time during the week between 12 and 3 you’ll see a bustling center with people lined up behind stands of Twisted Taco or Freshens. Cox Hall seemingly aims to cater to any and all cravings a typical college student may have that might not necessarily be found on the Dobbs University Center (DUC) menu. The hall is also filled with medical school students and doctors as well as visiting families and parents. Cox Hall is obviously the more attractive option to people off the dining plan as well. They have options ranging from sushi to burgers to coffee.  Freshman Jessica Naredo has described Cox Hall as one of the better dining halls on campus. Despite only visiting once over the summer, she was enthusiastic to say the least that Cox Hall had by far the better food selection and quality of food but at a higher price. The question on whether it’s worth it to spend money at Cox Hall for an arguably better meal or eat at the DUC for free has come into play. Most freshmen would say they would choose Cox over the DUC any day. However, not all students feel the same way.

 To some, the expense of Cox Hall doesn’t equate to the benefit of eating better tasting food. Freshman, Madi Seaver described it as, “I would only go to Cox if I was really getting tired of DUC food. It’s not worth it to spend the money on a meal when I have unlimited swipes”. Most freshman are on a dining plan where they have unlimited swipes but only 150 Dooley Dollars so the decision on whether to go to Cox or the DUC varies between the grades. “I come to Cox a couple times a week since I have more Dooley dollars but I also go to the Woodrec a lot since it’s so convenient. You have to be more conscious of how much your spending since there are a lot of different options here”, said an anonymous sophomore. Most students that aren’t freshmen are allotted 100 DUC swipes and 650 Dooley Dollars, essentially going to the DUC becomes less and less financially appealing the older you are. However, with more Dooley dollars comes a greater responsibility to be financially aware. “It’s really easy to spend a lot of money at Cox Hall, the cost of meals can really rack up if you aren’t careful”, said an anonymous freshman. 

Breakfast Party

            Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, no questions asked. For those of you interested in hosting a breakfast party for your friends I have all the tips and recipes you need to pull it off without a hitch. For this extravagant meal I recommend 3 dishes; avocado toast, fruit and yogurt parfait, and an acai bowl.

The ingredients are as follows, everything can be found at your local Whole Foods or Earth Fare.

Time: 30 minutes to cook, 2 hours to prep

8 avocados - $8

16 eggs - $2.50

16 pieces of Dave’s Killer Bread - $12

32 oz of vanilla greek yogurt - $5.69

8 cups of granola - $5.84

4 lbs of strawberries - $9.34

4 lbs of rasberries - $8.36

16 packets of acai – $29.56

16 tbsps of Almond butter - $14.02

16 tbsps coconut flakes - $3.87

16 tbsps flax seed - $2.62

16 tbsps chia seed - $6.45

8 mangoes - $8

16 kiwis - $14.24

You will also need a blender, a pan, a spatula and utensils and dinnerware.

First, text your friends to come to breakfast on Saturday morning in the Longstreet Means lobby. Then begin cooking in the Longstreet Means kitchen.

To make the parfait place 2 oz of vanilla greek yogurt in 16 small bowls. Dice 2 lbs of strawberries and evenly distribute amongst the bowls. Top with ¼ cup of granola. Set in fridge until ready to serve.

To make the acai bowl, first dice up all remaining fruit. Then blend each acai packet and place it in a medium sized bowl for each guest. Have all ingredients for the acai bowl laid out (all fruit and seeds, coconut flakes and almond butter).  Place all ingredients in the fridge to store until you’re ready to serve.

To make the avocado toast, begin toasting the bread. Then spread 1/2 of the avocado on each slice of toast.  Individually crack an egg into a pan with oil on medium high heat. Ha

If I had more time, I would talk about the length of how long it took to make. What I would do if I had a bigger budget/better kitchen. I would also talk about a theme for my meal and why I would shop at Earthfare.