Christmas 2011-3
Originally uploaded by Inkyhack
Chocolate Mouse, instead of chocolate mousse. Get it!
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Christmas 2011-7
Christmas 2011-7
Originally uploaded by Inkyhack
Some of the exceptionally fattening foods at my mother's house on Christmas Day.
Sunday, November 27, 2011
San Francisco Nov 26 2011-165
San Francisco Nov 26 2011-165
Originally uploaded by Inkyhack
Fruit and vegetable stand on Haight Street
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Maker Faire 2011-12
Maker Faire 2011-12
Originally uploaded by Inkyhack
Besides selling the "World's Largest Waffle Cone," they also wanted you to know that they are Christian and therefore better than everyone else.
Maker Faire 2011-19
Maker Faire 2011-19
Originally uploaded by Inkyhack
Not sure it was the "World's Largest Waffle Cone" but I do like how the size is a selling point.
Maker Faire 2011-20
Maker Faire 2011-20
Originally uploaded by Inkyhack
My daughter got a foot-long sausage from this stand and said it was actually very good, despite the name.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Almost Home-Cooked Food
04-26-2011-6
Originally uploaded by Inkyhack
These are Hawaiian meatballs prepared by "Dinner My Way," a chain business that specializes in "Take and Bake" foods. It's a lot like Papa Murphys, but instead of pizza, they offer a changing menu each month. Besides the meatballs, this month's menu also includes chicken and artichoke calzones and Chicken Picatta.
The idea behind the business is simple - they chop all the vegatables and meats, mix the sauces for you with all the ingredients, and even package it so you can freeze the meals and cook them later. When you want to make them, they offer simple directions, allowing you to cook it at home. All the ingredients are fresh, so it gives the illusion that you are eating "healthy, home-cooked" food. They even provide calorie and nutrition information for each dish. You also have the choice of choosing all the ingredients yourself. They hand you a recipe and point you to stations with the ingredients for that recipe just waiting. There, you can modify the recipe depending on your tastes (for example, you can leave out onions if you don't like them or put in more tomatoes).
Their target audience is homes where both adults are working and they have children. This is an excuse to not buy burgers and pizza all the time, thus helping give "well-balanced" meals.
I've seen other variations of this lately. My local grocery store now offers full take-and-bake meals. Walk in and get stuffed chicken with potatoes, mixed vegetables and gravy on the side - enough for four people.
I suspect we will see this idea grow. I'm not entirely sold on whether it really is a "healthy alternative" to fast food. It still seems there are some fast-food qualities there, but it does have to be better than McD's any day, right?
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Ken Albala Cooking Demonstration-57
Ken Albala Cooking Demonstration-57
Originally uploaded by Inkyhack
Food historian Ken Albala, University of the Pacific in Stockton, California, demonstrated how to make pasta from raw wheat (including how to grind it into flour) as well as how to make pasta sauce using only tomatoes, olive oil and locally-grown spices. This was part of Sustainability month. The food was delicious and certainly reminded everyone in the audience on how plastic most of our "pre-prepared food" tastes these days.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
03-17-2011-13
University of the Pacific's food truck. They served German bratwurst smothered in German-style cabbage that was dyed bright green for St. Patrick's Day. This is actually more appropriate than most realize. St. Patrick's Day didn't become a huge national holiday until the Irish immigrants came to America, taking over mostly German neighborhoods in New York and Chicago. There, they adopted lots of German food, including corned beef and cabbage, and folded it into their religious holidays. Hence why corned beef and cabbage - a purely German dish - is often attributed to the Irish on St. Patrick's Day.
03-17-2011-13
Originally uploaded by Inkyhack
03-17-2011-13
Originally uploaded by Inkyhack
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Monday, October 04, 2010
Turkey
Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2010-27
Originally uploaded by Inkyhack
In all seriousness: if you want to learn about an amazing chapter in American food history, research the role that turkey has placed in American cuisine. Up until the 1950s, turkey was a rarity. It was only served as an elite item during the Thanksgiving holiday.
Then a few things happened - the frozen food industry was discovered (TV dinners) and they found that turkey was the easiest meat to freeze for long-term storage; and the turkey industry moved West to California, where the climate was perfect for turkey breeding year-round. That meant that turkey could be supplied to store shelves any time of the year, not just during that one time of the year when the turkeys fattened up.
The turkey industry also unified and started a national campaign to get turkey in our diet. Turkey sandwiches and turkey lunch meats started to appear. In fact, the campaign was so pervasive, that the remake of "A Christmas Carol" made in the late '50s (the great version staring Alison Sims), the ending was changed. Scrooge no longer asked for the biggest "goose" in the window, as the original book states, but instead asks for the biggest "turkey." Turkey, of course, was completely foreign to English folks at the time of the novel (1843), but the mention in the film in the 1950s went largely unnoticed, thanks to the great turkey marketing campaign. This would, of course, help further propagate (in a very Orwellian manner imho) that turkey not only was a "traditional" meal for Christmas, but "always was a traditional meal" for Christmas.
Then, when American started to become health concious in the early 90's, more was done. Turkey was sold as the "healthy meat" due to its naturally low-fat content. Turkey hot dogs and turkey pepperoni appeared, along with other turkey substitutes.
Today, it's not unusual for us to have turkey bacon, turkey sausage, and even turkey chili all in the same day without thinking twice about it. And this food stand - found at the 2010 Hardley Strictly Bluegrass Festival - further demonstrates how far the turkey industry has gone in the past 60 years.
But seriously, there's a lot more to the story. I urge all food-o-philes and marketing students to do the research.
Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2010-25
Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2010-25
Originally uploaded by Inkyhack
Sorry, but I can't help it: isn't that a sex move that's illegal in Arkansas?
San Francisco Commercial Mix
San Francisco Commercial Mix
Originally uploaded by Inkyhack
Just a random shot in San Francisco. I like the SE Asian Noodle House being just two doors down from a traditional Italian pizza place. No big revelations here, except that I love the choices available, thanks to multiculturalism.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Cheese on a Stick
Stanislaus County Fair 2010-24
Originally uploaded by Inkyhack
I didn't try it. I was afraid it had been deep-fried in butter-flavored lard.
Chocolate Dipped Cheesecake on a Stick
Stanislaus County Fair 2010-77
Originally uploaded by Inkyhack
Ah, Chocolate Dipped Cheesecake on a Stick. I'll have a coronary bypass with that, please.
Saturday, January 09, 2010
Pho
Jan 8 2010
Originally uploaded by Inkyhack
Here's the great thing about the multicultural aspect of the American culture - you can discover all these wonderful foods. Pho is one of my latest obsessions. It was introduced to me by the Hmong administrative assistant at my job.
Pho, for those who don't know (it's pronounced "fa," not "foe" though most Asians will forgive the mispronunciation), is a Vietnamese rice-noodle soup that has a bunch of vegetables, a mix of seafood, chicken and beef and often is served very spicy.
It's also very popular in California. There are Pho restaurants popping up in just about every city in the state, as the soup has been adopted as the official soup of the "hipster," the official youth movement of California.
This photo was taken from inside a Pho Restaurant in San Francisco that was recommended by a friend of mine.
Ho's Restaurant
Jan 8 2010-7
Originally uploaded by Inkyhack
Here's one of the small problems with multiculturalism - a word that might be perfectly acceptable in one culture takes on a completely different meaning somewhere else. Take this restaurant - Ho's. Thanks to the mass-marketed shallow rap culture that is shoved down our throats by the mega media entertainment corporations, the word Ho has taken on a whole new meaning in modern American culture.
I wonder if anyone has explained this to the restaurant's owners?
Sushi Bar next to Italian Restaurant
Jan 8 2010-4
Originally uploaded by Inkyhack
Another great example of the multi-culturalism of San Francisco - an Italian Restaurant next door to a Sushi Bar.
Wednesday, January 06, 2010
New York Donuts
Jan 5 2010-10
Originally uploaded by Inkyhack
Can someone please explain to me how a New York Donut is different from any other donut?
Soul Food and Barbecue
Jan 5 2010
Originally uploaded by Inkyhack
This is one of two "soul food" restaurants I have come across lately. I'm not a food expert, but it's my understanding that "soul food" is actually a modification of the "slave food" that used to be served to African-Americans - lots of fried foods, pork, collard greens, beans and rice. I know there have been a number of African-American activists who have recently protested the glorification of Soul Food, claiming it's terribly unhealthy for folks, including an entire episode of "The Boondocks" where grandpa opens a "Soul Food" restaurant and most of his customers develop extreme obesity and heart problems.
What strikes me is this place is a combination of "soul food" and "BBQ," which traditionally is seen as southern white folks food, the very folks who forced this unhealthy food on the slaves in the first place.
It's just a notion that passed by when I first discovered this place.
By the way, the locals say the food at this restaurant is very good.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Another noodle house
San Jose Dec 28 2009-59
Originally uploaded by Inkyhack
I also found this place in San Jose. My sister said it's pretty decent.
What fascinated me is the other restaurants in the immediate vicinity - there's is an American Sub sandwich place (not a chain, but an actual family-owned business) in front of it in this strip mall and a taqueria right next door.
Now that's my idea of culinary heaven - mexican, asian and sandwiches all within one block. Only in America.
Pho Lan Noodle House
San Jose Dec 28 2009-54
Originally uploaded by Inkyhack
I found this place in downtown San Jose. Not sure if the Pho is any good as I didn't get a chance to try it, but what struck me was the "Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner" sign on the window.
Pho for breakfast? Is that like having pizza for breakfast? I'm not knocking it, just curious.
For those who don't know, Pho is a Vietnamese soup with rice noodles that tends to be very spicy. I love it and have a friend who makes it from scratch for me on my birthday.
But for breakfast?
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
I haven't forgotten about this blog
Sorry for the lack of updates. I'm working full-time, working on a master's in the evening, and keeping busy with the jazz. But I haven't abandoned this blog yet. In fact, I recently discovered a Soul Food restaurant near my new house. I've been meaning to get photos of it and write a post on it.
So stay tuned, and thanks for sticking with me.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Ambassador Corps 2009-6
Ambassador Corps 2009-6
Originally uploaded by Inkyhack
This was taken at a reception for college students who did volunteer work in other countries last year. At the reception, they served a hodge-podge of foods from those countries. This is deep-fried bannanas from South America (Brazil, I do believe).
Sunday, July 05, 2009
American Comfort Food
San Francisco July 4 2009-11
Originally uploaded by Inkyhack
Yup, a restaurant with a little honesty - American Comfort Food - Breakfast All Day. Woohoo! Gimme a half pound of bacon on top of my Captain Crunch please!
Argentinian Taco Truck
San Francisco July 4 2009-12
Originally uploaded by Inkyhack
Taco Truck in San Franisco that advertises Argentinian food.
Monday, June 01, 2009
Maker Faire 2009-107
Maker Faire 2009-107
Originally uploaded by Inkyhack
Maker Faire 2009, San Mateo California. Only in California.
Maker Faire 2009-116
Maker Faire 2009-116
Originally uploaded by Inkyhack
Maker Faire 2009, San Mateo California. Only in California.
Maker Faire 2009-117
Maker Faire 2009-117
Originally uploaded by Inkyhack
Maker Faire 2009, San Mateo California. Only in California.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
April 26 2009-15
April 26 2009-15
Originally uploaded by Inkyhack
Cinnamon Almonds. There are many flavors of almonds, obviously. But why aren't their flavored walnuts or pecans?
April 26 2009-14
April 26 2009-14
Originally uploaded by Inkyhack
Chicken Teriyaki sandwich, "Super" chicken kabob, Peking "chicken wrap," and the "House of Fries." Do the gastronomic wonders never cease to end.
April 26 2009-10
April 26 2009-10
Originally uploaded by Inkyhack
Teriyaki Barbecue chicken, Greek Gyros and Salvadorean Corn, all at the same booth. And next door to two different types of calamari and barbecued oysters.
April 26 2009-9
April 26 2009-9
Originally uploaded by Inkyhack
The Super Burrito, because a regular burrito just isn't big enough. Plus, a mango on a stick.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Trails Charcoal Broiler Lunch Dinner
Trails Charcoal Broil Lunch Dinner
Originally uploaded by Inkyhack
Restaurant in Sacramento, California.
Pancake Circus 2
Pancake Circus 2
Originally uploaded by Inkyhack
Sacramento, California. The restaurant is open from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. every day.
Pancake Circus
Pancake Circus
Originally uploaded by Inkyhack
Sacramento, California. I wonder if they have steak-flavored pancakes?
All Sushi Roll One-Half Off_
All Sushi Roll One-Half Off_
Originally uploaded by Inkyhack
Japanese/Chinese/American cuisine in Sacramento, California
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