Garlic....a red flag to food

[shroomgirl]

A few weeks ago I taught an inner city school class cooking ....they did not recognize ginger...that was OK....they did not recognize fresh garlic! I was in shock....um ok....so the following week I was asked to speak to a Wash U food writing class....I brought up the garlic tale. 50% of the class was over 40 years old...the other 50% was typical college age. The college age kids said they don't use garlic. The over 40 said it was a staple in their kitchens. AGAIN I ruminated about this all the way home. What I came up with is that these people are not making French, Italian, Mexican, Mediterranean, Asian....THEY ARE NOT COOKING! unreal. You hear it, but it is something else to have it front and center in your sights. What do you think? Am I off on this one?

[Pete]

That is truly unbelievable!! How can you cook without garlic!? What, is everyone that is watching Food TV not taking the lessons to heart? Heck, I'm speechless, really. I have no more to say on this (yes, that is a surprise I know ) But things like that just make me shake my head at the human race. Once again, my signature says it all!!!

[shroomgirl]

What gets me is this was a FOOD Journalism course...can you say future food writers that don't use a basic ingrediant?Not even tech school but a major National University I think it places 7th in the US.so bright fairly affluant people that don't use garlic.
I'm on a mission....

[RitaFajita]

You could try saying something like, "ya know- like garlic powder only more botanically correct."

At the risk of disparaging my main audience at work, I have to say this is a frustrating market at times. They don't seem to like much besides boneless chicken breast and cheddar cheese

Is it genetic or environmental? hmmmm...

RF

[kokopuffs]

Rita, you omitted their preference for fast food, too!

[shroomgirl]

This is the second generation of fast food eaters....schools are serving fast food in the cafeterias...the level of fresh food knowledge is disapating fast. If it did not hit home so much I would be laughing at the economics of the whole fast food scene.
Hmmmm a 99 cent burger....that translates to higher health coverage if eaten regularly. Poor environmental practices....huge numbers of cows in one space creating polution, not to mention the NEED for juicing them up on mega antibiotics to off set the large numbers in small places (again look to higher health care for humans) Rural small farms disappearing at an alarming rate because people are not buying raw products and certainly Fast food is not buying from small farms.Rural families are going on welfare the incidences of early teen pregnancy and drug use as well as the drop out rate in rural Mo is up significantly. Families are running different directions and eating in the car....disconnect in the urban homes. Wow that 99 cent burger just cost tax payers a whole lot more. Which does not really address the quality of our communities. One of my favorite promotions is when Coke gives public schools pedometers to measure movement in children so that exercise will increase....Coke machines remain in the schools (cus don't you know it is OK for children to consume it) The Happy Prize to adults....so ludicrus.

[chrose]

WOW!!! Shroom! Well said. Not much to add to that, this is a statement that needs to be seen by a lot of people. Send it to Ahnold and Hillary and George W.

[kokopuffs]

Wouldn't it be wonderful if a link between ADD and Coke/Pepsi were found?!?!?

[holydiver]

Well Shroom drive by any chain restaurant joint any night of the week and it is packed to the rafters(by people who think Olive Garden is really fancy) and there is your sad answer.

[kokopuffs]

In some ways I resented my parents because my father, being a sailor, was always out to sea; and, my late mother, she worked. At a very tender young age, however, I learned to cook for myself which has now transformed into quite an asset. Kids today show less motivation to learning than those of a generation or two ago.

[Frizbee]

Well I am not sure how old you are KoKoPuffs, but I am in my 30's and my mother worked doubles frequently coming home very late (nursing). My father and she had gotten a divorce by this time and so my sister and I were left with Budget Gourmet dinners. It was a simple solution for my mother's absence as well to our resistance to her odd interpretations on Lebanese food. We are part Lebanese and Italian and instead of making us Italian food she would make stuffed grape leaves and kibbe. Yuck we said in unison and she was simply tired of fighting us.
I have a small child now, he is 6 and I long for the days when we had a meal together. Well maybe I am longing for the meals other families had together...lol but the whole act of being together for dinner is important...however what is a working single mother to do in this industry? I try but there are days when I cannot be there (I am speaking of past terms since I am not there at all now, b/c I am away in culinary school)...but I get the point of the post. Too much has broken down family value wise, and it is high time we get back to what is important, which is why I am in school. So that I don’t have to get the sh&T end of the stick when it comes to the crappiest hours for work.
The link between ADD and soda? I would agree. It is amazing to me when people come to my tables with their children, being a mother I offer milk, juice or water. No the kid has a coke, and he is like 2. My son even now, only gets soda with a meal on occasion. I am losing the battle though; as he gets older he is consuming more soda products. But I can only take him so far.
Anyway was in a writing and sharing mood. Btw thanks for all the feedback on the braise...I have cleared up the inconsistencies, and can't wait to prepare my first classic braise, minus the homemade demi...of course.
Happy creating to you all!
Frizbee

[phoebe]

Holy Bolognese, shroomgirl! Who ARE these people?
OK, first things first: was this just a single session in food journalism within a semester journalism class, or was the title of the class "food journalism"? If it was the latter, we're all in a lot of trouble and the end of the world is near.
If you're friends with the professor, could you ask him/her to take a poll? How often did they cook? What did they cook? What are their plans for food journalism? My fear is that some of the ones who never used garlic want to become restaurant critics. They figure that liking to eat and/or liking to go to fancy places where people who like to eat eat is enough of a qualification.

And I have a slightly off-topic question: can anyone ever become a professional chef and not like garlic?

[shroomgirl]

Holydiver, I have not been too active on the site for a while but about 4 years ago I went into this depth on the food world. this is not the answer....I chose a while ago to make changes in the world I live in.Pretty much everything I do revolves around teaching people how to cook locally seasonally...by running a growers only market awith weekly ches cooking food from the market on the market every week. By having an omelet booth run by a nutrition dept from STL University that uses eggs and produce/meats from the market...by having gardeners into talk about organic pratices.By running farmer dinners and events where the food comes from local small farms. I am consulting on a Food and Wine Event and running the stage...every chef I line up uses local ingrediants and IF I have my way the headliner will also promote local foods. the summer camp for middle schoolers revolves around cooking from the senses. the inner city after school class is just a let's get cooking and using fresh fruits and vegetables agin. I have run classes with farmers and chefs in schools with field trips to farms....My next huge project is a mid week market and collaborating on a grant to increase local foo chfoprog.
I DO NOT ACCETTHA FSFODIEWAY IT HAS T E>>frankly I am justonry egoma cgim twrd
Phoebe, Food Journalism Class...it is in tjolbuti s.I alreadylin tecwhi therestarvieerr pa w wine shotdoe tstnoffancy arisinlo.

[kuan]

Originally posted by shroomgirl
.My next huge project is a mid week market and collaborating on a grant to increase local foo chfoprog.
I DO NOT ACCETTHA FSFODIEWAY IT HAS T E>>frankly I am justonry egoma cgim twrd
Phoebe, Food Journalism Class...it is in tjolbuti s.I alreadylin tecwhi therestarvieerr pa w wine shotdoe tstnoffancy arisinlo.

Uh what?!?

[shroomgirl]

OOOPS....I went ot edit and my machine decided to not behave in the manner I wanted....a work call came in and SO this is the jist of the final paragraph...
I am ornery! I do not acept that the way "it is" is the way that it has to be. I am so focused on my goal that everything I produce reflects what I believe. And that is to have a viable local food system you have to support small farmers buy ing for m them and educating them on what you want to use. Then teaching the community in which you live how to cook again...using local food. There is alot of money available from Tyson or Monsanto I refuse to use it. I will have nothing to do with a grant that does. You can make changes in your world if you chose to...anything helps. As to being a single mother with three boys and the last having autism I can relate to the demands on being a sole parent....again you chose how to live and if something is important enough you do it.
Phoebe it was a food journalism class in the school of joun\alism...it was a semister on writing about food. I lined them up wiht a fancy food store that sells artisinal products that does tasting and will work with the class to develop palates. The latest info I got taoday was that the paper does not have a test kitchen or budget to try recipes....I think that would be a huge benefit to our community , having local recipes available for our paper. HMMMMM....I feel another project coming on.