humanity
Humanity topics include pieces on the real lives of chefs, professionals, amateurs, inspiring youth, influencers, and general feel good human stories in the Feast food sphere.
Baking the stress away
Everyone has hobbies, something they love to do to relieve stress or pass the time. Sometimes those hobbies pay off by becoming a lucrative business, sometimes they do not. Either way having a hobby is good especially if you are having fun and being creative. My sister is very creative and has all kinds of things that she dabbles in; she can paint, sculpt, draw, sew and crochet. My best friend makes jewelry out of flowers and resin and is also a professional photography. Even my child is crafty by drawing, painting and making things out of paper. Most crafting hobbies have something in common, scissors! Scissors help to cut and shape things when crafting. Some don’t know or realize it but my hobby includes scissors too.
By Rebecca Hackney5 years ago in Feast
Mise En Place - Everything In Its Place
I am a woman. I grew up in India. And when you put both these words in the context of Indian culture, the equation is Woman + Indian = Cooking. As a girl, society expects you to learn cooking by the time you are of age so that when the time comes to find a groom, this qualification is complete. Cooking is a must-have criterion for marriage eligibility. Indian moms feel they have done right if their daughter can cook a full Indian dinner by the time she is sixteen. To quantify this, let me present you the number of rotis (the equivalent of naan) that my mom made in her life for my family. Ten rotis every day for four people for 40 years on average comes to 584,000 - and this is a conservative estimate.
By Anu Sundaram5 years ago in Feast
Steak dinner for two
My wife has been working very hard on getting her insurance license the past couple weeks, and is approaching her exams. She is taking her courses in the evenings after working a full time 40-50 hour per week factory job. We were grocery shopping last night and my wife kept checking out the steaks. While she wasn’t looking I picked up two of the biggest ones in the meat cooler and slid them into the shopping cart. As we continued shopping I slid a few more things in under the radar; asparagus, sweet potatoes and a box of red lobster biscuit mix (my wife’s favorite). The surprise unfortunately only lasted until the check out line, but oh well.
By Paul whiddon 5 years ago in Feast
Save the Milk for the Kids
Save the Milk for the Kids We all know where milk comes from. Human and animal communities around the world have used this rich and nutritious beverage for thousands of years. This mother’s gift has nourished many cultures in countless ways. In the Middle East, camel’s milk sustains nomads on desert voyages for as long as a month. Sheep milk turned to Feta cheese in Greece is used in the delicious dish known as Spanakopita, or Spinach Pie. In India, milk is boiled down to a fresh cheese, Paneer, which absorbs the many numerous flavors added to innumerable curries.
By Sarah Ann Mellstrom5 years ago in Feast
Where Everybody Knows Your Name (and Soft Drink Preference)
Before the advent of the internet, I remember the days of travelling with my parents and the Mobile Travel Guide. My Mom would peruse the latest volume, circling the motels and restaurants with the most stars for our stop-overs and vacation destinations. There were symbols indicating the price range and wheelchair accessibility. As life went on, I found myself working for over 20 years in a day program for adults with intellectual and physical disabilities. At the same time, my mother became increasingly physically disabled and needed my help with daily activities and leaving the house. Taking her out in her wheelchair was a major endeavor as I packed her pill boxes, flexible straws, Lifesavers for her chronic dry mouth, tissues, plastic bags in case her catheter bag leaked...even a hammer in the event that her footrest fell apart! We recalled those Mobile Travel Guides and joked about making money compiling reviews of accessible businesses and restrooms. We would give gold stars to “good” bathrooms and “handicap friendly” environments.
By Julia Schulz5 years ago in Feast
Young, Black, and Full of Flavor!
Someone once said food and story are inseparable. Allow me to add my own story to the pot. In 2014, 2015 maybe, my husband, our oldest child, and myself went to downtown New Orleans 25 miles from our Slidell home to enjoy each other’s company for the weekend. I was easily just shy of 2 months pregnant with our second child and I needed a bathroom and a bite to eat in that order. My husband mentioned that a friend of ours had linked him with an artist friend, a talented emcee who just so happened to be Conscious and a vegan chef. That’s all I needed to hear. My husband and I were entering our 6th year of marriage and we had been vegan for at least that long. “ A vegan spot in New Orleans?” I mustered up all the surprise I could. At my first meeting and sup with the in-laws, it had clearly been impressed upon me that this was the Big Easy, partially because everyone was recovering from the Itis. You know, that's what we say in African Diasporan culture hits people when they eat a heavily laden meal with meat at its center. Yes N.O. with all its panache and charm isn’t short of its soul or soul food. Ettouffe, gumbo, jambalaya originated from the humid pots of the Creole, African, Spanish, and French mamas that inhabited the area. And because part of their charm in New Orleans is making everyone feel at home, naturally a vegan restaurant would find its way there. Enter Seed. We make our way to an inconspicuous corner table to catch all the comings and goings on the floor and to spot our Artist in Residence. “You wanna try the nuggets?” my husband asks as he passes me a menu. My mind travels through time. As a young girl, my Nana would appease our wrathful appetites with homemade chicken nuggets and a mustard dip she’d make by mixing equal parts of honey, yellow mustard, and mayo. Not quite fine dining, but satisfying nonetheless. But the plate laid in front of me that day was a nod to those days. And yet it was extremely unexpected in a space I just knew would be pretentious, what with the decorum and the posh look on the hostess’s face. We finished our meal and my husband motioned for one of the waiters. “We’re looking for one of your staff, a Chef Ra” “Yes, I voice in my head. I’m rummaging around in my head, in between licks of the honey mustard heaven. I’d like to plant a big, and strictly platonic, kiss right on the cook. “Who?” asks one of the plaid clad waiters. He twists his mouth and furrows his brow, motions for another then whispers. My husband replies, “Ra Yoseph, he wears locs, he’s a rapper, he cooks here?” The waiter consults with another who goes to the kitchen which is slightly out of view before returning and saying, “Does he look like Bob Marley?” Stop, hold the press. Not every loc sporting brown skin having brotha looks like Bob Marley. And how could a major contributor to the menu be invisible? Someone eventually digs up Chef Ra who we dap up and make plans to connect with at a later date. But the whole ride home I’m plagued by the question. I couldn’t help but feel that the waiter, the hostess, were interlopers in Chef Ra’s world.
By Meri Netert Skhrrennut Benu5 years ago in Feast
Jersey Mike's
Growing up in Central Pennsylvania, we rarely ate out at restaurants. Our mother was an excellent cook and an accomplished baker, making homemade bread, cinnamon rolls, pies, cookies, and cakes. Often, my dad would admit that mom didn't like to eat out at restaurants because she had proclaimed that she could make it better and cheaper at home. As a fact, she did make it better at home. By all means, no one ever challenged her on that point.
By Babs Iverson5 years ago in Feast
