tithenai:

To suspend flowers in the cubes, work in layers: Fill an ice tray (one that makes large cubes so the ice will last longer) a quarter of the way with water, add flowers facing down, and freeze. Add more water to fill halfway, and freeze. Fill to the top, and freeze again. 

For ice that’s especially clear, use distilled water that has been boiled and then cooled. This limits impurities and air bubbles, which make ice cloudy. 

Use only edible flowers, such as orchids, nasturtiums, pansies, and snapdragons, that have been grown to be eaten (to ensure they haven’t been treated with chemicals). (via)

This is so gorgeous. Steph! Summer drink project! Just, let’s make sure not to use bluebells.

Also I’d love to do this with spices — star anise, or cloves, or cardamom. I like the idea of an iced tea slowly becoming laced with a different flavour.

newmodelminority:

daughtersofdilla:

Wendell Pierce to Open a Grocery Store in New Orleans

Healthy Foods in non-rich neighborhoods:

“The store will offer a free shuttle to anyone who spends $50 or more, so they need not walk or take the bus with heavy bags. Each month, the store plans a cookout (which in New Orleans usually means a crayfish boil) to raise money for the community.”

Read more: NYTimes.com

I think this man sees the future. Will it have a garden next to it?

echeveria:

Simple vegan chocolate cake

MUST TRY. This recipe had me at:

It’s always super comforting when we can turn what’s in our pantry into a warm, moist, flavorful chocolate treat without softening butter, cracking eggs, or running to the store.

torayot:

kavitiya:

anonymous asked:

is a white person eating Chinese/Indian/Thai food cultural appropriation? Serious question.

i think there are a lot of problems with the way food from non-white places / cultures is described in these all-encompassing generalized terms, when it’s often a lot more complicated. i think that all-encompassing terms (“chinese food,” “indian food,” “mexican food,” etc..) are not necessarily absolutely problematic, but they very often can be. because there are a lot of different kinds of food in our cultures and they’re not necessarily so separable (or sometimes, they’re a lot more separated within what you describe as a generalized whole, or something…) and it sucks that you only rely on stereotypes and generalizations to understand our food and customs. i am trying to work on describing certain kinds of foods instead of labels and trying to learn more about the names for foods in cultures that are marginalized

it gets me very irritated when people generalize and say for example “i like indian food” as if it’s this one thing or this one clearly discernible whole. i think south asians have the right to say this and similar things though, because we tend to be aware of the complexities of it more, though this also can get complicated but i will not discuss that in this context. also often i find that we say these things in the west and among white people, because that is the only way white / western people will understand us (not a complete truth, obviously, things vary). but yeah, it gets very annoying…

and it’s like, oh, so i’m supposed to know all the names of and the intricacies of and absolutely LOVE things like (depending on the area in the west, the western / white heritages, etc) scones (as it happens i do love scones a lot, but i digress), various western desserts, white typical thanksgiving and christmas dinners (not talking about POC variations and adaptations here), salads, names of fancy cheeses, various pasta combinations … i mean yeah the privilege of these knowledges varies depending on the hierarchy of ethnicities and cultures and heritages considered white, but, they’re still all above POC cultures and heritages. and it’s like …

oh, so i’m completely ridiculous for not knowing all the western english names for various foods, but you have not even the slightest clue about the many kinds of dal, or what lichees are, or what rasmalai is, or what paneer is, etc, etc …. and that’s totally understandable because you’re white and we’re just exotic natives to you, anyway… and you’re like “i have no idea what this is, but it’s so tasty!!!” or “oh my gosh you eat with your HANDS???!!! so disgusting… we don’t do that here” or “well we call our food a generalized ‘american food’ too” or “ewwww you eat THAT???!!!” not recognizing that the very word America is a white, western generalization for two whole continents, comprised of many many marginalized POC cultures also, both within and outside of the US (yeah, because “american food” is just various kinds of white, western food, right? because POC never count, right? /bitter sarcasm)

also it’s like… so, what kind of indian food do you like? and you do realize that countries in south asia that were mostly brutally divided during partition and through processes of western colonialism and imperialism and continue to have nation-state problems because of this … share a lot in common and so acting like “indian food” is this one thing because certain conceptualizations of india as a nation-state (excluding kashmir, excluding a lot of communities and places and minoritized religions really) can get more privileged recognition in global affairs (this is complicated and also related to hindutva nationalism) …. that this is really messed up in a lot of ways, right? because it really really is.

also, so, what does “indian food” even mean to you? does it mean food that’s more common in certain parts of south india (dosa, idli, sambhar, uttapam … or more hyderabadi food, like biryani?) or east india or west india or northern india (muttar paneer, lots of tandoori stuff, makki ki roti aur sarson ka saag…) (and all of these regions are also overgeneralizations!!!) or is it “all the same” to you and “that exotic spicy stuff”? or what? i mean seriously… [and this is an issue with a LOT of marginalized cultural food politics….]

i don’t think it is always cultural appropriation, but i think it can be and often is. the manner it is done in and the context matter a lot.

Yes.  It is not just the eating to consider, but also how you talk about the experience of ordering or cooking the food. That’s important whether you’re someone who eats, or someone who eats and is a well known food blogger or TV chef.

There’s a lot of fluff about the idea of “authenticity”, which I think can verge into sort of kitchen-tourism-imperialism at times. If you look at how the food products in stores and restaurants and marketed, it’s nearly always ike, ‘Oh i can cook this/enter this restaurant and be transported to the misty mountains of Asia because it is just so authentic! how quaint all this is! this is how teh exotic brown people eat!’ - there’s always Othering. It’s not just, ‘This is awesome food from a different place,’ it’s always got to be different in a particularly way.

These food products are marketed specifically in a pseudo-authentic manner, immersing the consumer in a world which ticks all the exotic, homogenising boxes. In South London, I noticed that an ostensibly Northern Thai restaurant, which was specifically furnished with Northern Thai art to evoke specific regions customs of hospitality, did not actually serve a single Northern Thai dish. It was all central or southern Thai. Furthermore, they didn’t have names like ‘Green Curry with Chicken’ but instead used images such as ‘Jade Dragon Pearl Slivers’ - for all the talk of authenticity, this type of thing is never seen in restaurants serving Thai food in Thailand. And it’s actually very likely this restaurant is managed by Thai people. You can try to point the finger at Asians contributing to their own oppression, but you generally do not get very far if you hugely depart from the mysterious Orient stereotype when trying to sell yourself. The expectation is there.

Context is everything. If you want to try different cuisines because they look delicious, go for it. But if you want to try to get an “understanding of our people” and “experience our culture” through eating food then please kindly go away.

jhameia:

soliloquize:

Health inspectors are putting the kibosh on kimchi, the fermented cabbage dish that’s a staple of Korean cuisine, because they “don’t understand what it is,” say many Korean restaurant owners.

The gist of the issue is that kimchi is usually left at room temperature, meaning it’s above the DOH’s 41-degree temperature requirement for cold foods. Inspectors have been violating and fining Korean restaurants across the city, which owners say is unfair, because kimchi has an acidity level below 4.6, meaning it’s not hazardous. One health commissioner said he’s willing to let kimchi slide if restaurant owners can prove it’s acidity is below 4.6, but owners say they don’t have the time or means to test every batch.

“Traditionally-prepared kimchi has been a staple of Korean food for thousands of years and has proven to have many health benefits. By fining restaurants for the way kimchi—and other fermented foods—are prepared, the Health Department is essentially forcing us to dissolve an ancient practice that is at the core of Korean cuisine,” said Ja-Boon Kwak, owner of Kang Suh restaurant in Koreatown. Chinese restaurants with hanging ducks and pizza parlors with slice displays have been subject to similar fines from the DOH, who might be a little too obsessed with the “danger zone.”

…. But… but…. but… kimchi’s not a cold food? Is it? o.o

gastrogirl:

delicious vegan tacos.

avry:

I just found the greatest food blog ever.

“Vegan Happy Hour: Vegan recipes inspired by happy hour menus”

Pictured: FRIED GUACAMOLE. WHAT.

• 3-4 avocados – pitted and mashed
• 3-4 tbsp your favorite salsa (or to taste)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 cup cold water
• 1 tsp hot sauce (I used Trader Joe’s Jalapeno Hot Sauce)
• 1 cup plus 1 tbsp flour
• 1 tbsp ground flax seeds combined with 3 tbsp water microwaved for 45-60 seconds (mimics an egg) (optional but suggested)
• vegetable oil for frying

A few hours before you are going to make these (or the day before), make the guacamole using the avocados, salsa and then salt and pepper to taste.  Put the guacamole into a rectangle-shaped, covered dish and put in the freezer.  My guacamole was about an inch thick in the dish.  Once the guacamole is frozen, it’s on.

Heat the vegetable oil to 350 degrees.

In a small dish combine the 1 cup cold water, 1 tbsp flour, 1 tsp hot sauce, and ground flax mix.  In a separate shallow dish combine the 1 cup of flour, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper.

Get the guacamole out of the dish it was frozen in.  I ran hot water on the back of the dish until it SLIGHTLY softened enough to slide out.  Then cut the guacamole into small blocks about 1 inch by 1 inch.  Dip guacamole blocks into the liquid and let the excess run off then dredge in the flour mixture and let dry for about 3 minutes.  Dip the guacamole blocks again into the liquid and dredge again in the flour and let dry.

Fry the guacamole blocks in the vegetable oil until golden brown.  Move to a paper towel covered plate and let sit for a minute or two before eating.

i can’t decide if i must have this immediately or never

I’m going to Canberra for a week! Does anyone have any advice for a vegan in Our Nation’s Fair Capital, aside from Au Lac? 

wildunicornherd:

A small cardboard robot reaches wistfully for the cup of bubble tea it will never, ever be able to drink.

thank you for turning this photo into the saddest thing ever.