Firstly, we would like to apologize for any weird formatting issues with this post. The Oaxacan wi-fi we are using is being a little sassy at the moment. Now, the long awaited, though we suspect nobody actually new it was coming, New Year's post:
A year has passed and to celebrate many Americans take trips. Trips to the mall to purchase
nothing worth purchasing, trips to a friend’s house to consume levels of alcohol no one can handle, and most importantly, trips to the couch to watch giant fruits descend from heaven.
For the dudes, a New Year is a chance to settle down, overeat, and speculate on how we will improve this almost funny and quasi intellectual blog for our reader(s). So, after much
self evaluation, here you have it:
A year has passed and to celebrate many Americans take trips. Trips to the mall to purchase
nothing worth purchasing, trips to a friend’s house to consume levels of alcohol no one can handle, and most importantly, trips to the couch to watch giant fruits descend from heaven.
For the dudes, a New Year is a chance to settle down, overeat, and speculate on how we will improve this almost funny and quasi intellectual blog for our reader(s). So, after much
self evaluation, here you have it:
Food Rumors for 2012
1. TheDudes of F ood will be moving to a new interface this upcoming year. Soon we will be posting on the impressive http://www.dudesoffood.com/.
2. The University of Georgia, known as UGA to locals and football fans, and anyone who
can abbrev well (see what we did there), will get its very own dude of food. With his crew of masterful tasters, the dawggiest of dudes will snoop around Athens for some new FSFWs.
3. Atlanta land of the buy 5 get 1 free bahn mi, home of the Braves, will be bringing sexy
back with a new, but equally almost funny, set of dudes.
can abbrev well (see what we did there), will get its very own dude of food. With his crew of masterful tasters, the dawggiest of dudes will snoop around Athens for some new FSFWs.
3. Atlanta land of the buy 5 get 1 free bahn mi, home of the Braves, will be bringing sexy
back with a new, but equally almost funny, set of dudes.
Some dudes decided to descend to dry Oaxaca for a Mexican new year. Oaxaca is a state in southwest Mexico known for its strong indigenous influence and downright delicious flavors. It is often called the “food capital” of Mexico.
Typical Oaxacan dishes are mole, a chocolate based sauce that lathers itself upon chicken; nopales, cactus leaves cut up and served in many a form; tlayudas, the product of the sensual lovemaking between a pizza and a tortilla; and chapulines, known to us northern neighbors as
grasshoppers. After a week of gastronomic adventures, here are some of the highlights:
A breakfast of champions
Grandma makes tacos on the street
A new movement promoting food education. Look up Slow Food on the world wide web for more info
A fried plantain fritter with fresh cheese and cream
The grasshoppers everyone was waiting to see!
As the quasi intellectuals we rarely claim to be, we know that maize, or corn, is one base of Mexico’s agricultural reputation. Chocolate is another relevant part of Mexico’s
history and development, as well as its modern gastronomic identity. Yet, surveys reveal that chocolate is most commonly associated with Switzerland, Belgium, Spain, and other European
oppressors.
Instead of filling your mind with our rarely
humorous logorrhea, we are giving you a chance to think for yourselves this New Year.
Who does chocolate belong to?
The cacao tree originates in the tropical regions of the Americas which now encompass countries such as Brazil and Mexico. The three largest producers of cocoa are currently Ghana, the Ivory Coast, and Indonesia. Belgium, Spain, and Switzerland are best known globally for their chocolates.
Did the Europeans steal chocolate from the Americas? Is it possible to steal a food, as a product
or concept?
In a sense, every dish is based on another dish, so can food plagiarism exist? Should we say no to European chocolate because it is originally an American product, or should we embrace the sharing of ideas that makes the world an interesting place to eat in?
Globalization is a complex issue, and we are not certain where food falls into the mix. Every
post brings us closer to answering these types of questions. Understanding food is pretty complicated once we dissect the pieces of each puzzle that we call a meal.
What is crucial, however, is that you stay educated as an eater. Next time someone asks for
their favorite Swiss hot chocolate, remind them that Indonesia doesn’t do it too badly.
Remember, as one of the dudes’ greatest role models - GI Joe - once said, “Knowledge is power.” With a New Year to be filled with love, good health, and occasional shenanigans, think about your food resolutions. To the college student, it might be getting out of the cafeteria once a month for a restaurant meal, or even trying the garbanzo beans that always stare you down at the salad
bar. To an older dude, this resolution may be cutting down on fast food or learning where the food you eat comes from. Whatever the case, the blog lives on another year, and with it is our hope of eating our way to understanding the world.
In questioning everything around us, we cannot forget to question ourselves. Thus the Dudes of Food ask the big new year's question: Is this blog really about food?
To all of our loyal readers and to those who are checking us out for the first time, we wish you
the happiest of New Year's.
"For humans, eating is a necessity, knowing to eat is an art"
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment