HAPPINESS IN A BOWL: Why Austin Loves Soup! pg. 3
WHY ARE WE SO FAT? Japan vs. America pg. 13
WELCOME TO CULTURE: All the Way From #Venezuela pg. 7
MYSTERY MEAT IS OUT. What Do We Eat Now? pg.14
World on a Plate: Austin Edition
TOP SANDWICH? Find out which sandwich beats the rest! pg. 8
Spring 2017 Issue $8.00
What’s for Lunch?
Table of Conten
Food related obesity in Japan and the United States
World Eats / 2
Cover Page.........................................
Food on The Move
What’s Cookin’ in the Kitchen? 2
1
2
2 16
8
Soup’s Soul in Austin
Contributor’s page..................................
Letter from the editor............................
What’s in Your Sandwich?
6 4
38 30
World Eats / 3
Letter From the Editor
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hen I was a child, I would get in to trouble for dipping my finger into the raw cake batter, or eating the cookie dough in the freezer, but the worst crime I could commit was eating chips straight from the familysize bag. I would laugh when caught, then proceed to slugishly grab a plate and dump a heaping pile of chips onto it. I’m sure my eating habits, and my favorite foodsmint chocolate chip cookies, cheese pizza, fruit snacks, and the allmighty godsent fried avocado tacos-say a lot about me. But what do the foods we eat say about the people who cooked them, and the cultures that created them? This issue explores the hidden side of the soups we slurp (only when we know our parents aren’t watching), queso we fill up on (before we even get our meal), those sandwhiches we hope taste good (especially after adding all of those extra toppings), and the stories behind them. As I forked through the feature articles included, the stories of each person came to life, and took me back to their roots (none of which included popping mini chocolates into their mouth while stufffing Easter Eggs like mine did). So, from child versions of “food designers” everywhere, I present to you, The World on a Plate.
-Jaedin Sosa World Eats / 5
Contributors
Bella is freshman at LASA High School. She has a dog named Annie and identical twin brothers whom only she can tell apart. She enjoys doing acting in theatre and film, baking extravagant desserts she finds online, and writing in her free time. Her favorite season is winter, her favorite color is blue, she hopes to move to London when she is older, and she is very glad that there is only one month of school left.
Jackson Evans is a robust freshman at the Liberal Arts and Science Academy in Austin known for his oddity. Evans keeps it creative no matter if it’s on the field, in the classroom, or in the kitchen. Evans has spent his sundays for the past semester crafting a wide variety of pastries. Evans hopes to keep this as a hobby, but would be ecstatic to cook professionally.
Jaedin Sosa dreams of the day she is no longer a freshman at LASA High School. She is a hardworking athlete who likes to spend her free time reading memoirs written by her favorite celebrities and sipping hot tea like someone who lives in a New York loft. She also enjoys listening to music and taking power naps in between her various activities. Jaedin enjoys World Eats / 7 dining out in the city, and absolutely despises those disgusting protein snacks.
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Talia Fierro is a 9th grader at LASA High School. She enjoys listening to music and sleeping in her free time, she loves to bake and is always making up new recipes. Just like her taste in music and TV shows, her hair color is always changing. Her life goals and aspirations are to visit Rome (simply to be able to use the phrases “when in Rome” and “Rome wasn’t built in a day”) and to ride in a hot air balloon. Talia is a vegetarian but otherwise enjoys all foods, especially macaroni and cheese. She often eats sandwiches, her favorite being a PB&J.
Veronica Ruth, a 15-year-old freshman at LASA High School, is an enthusiastic and unique world traveller. Her best friend is her brother; they have a very close relationship and frequently make up new languages together. Veronica has been to over 12 countries, including Iceland, New Zealand, Spain, and Morocco, one of the best parts of which always being trying the food from each location. From a young age, her parents introduced high quality cuisine as an important part of daily life. Now, she is never afraid to try something new.
7
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Food on the Move
Fathers wrap up necessities in pieces of cloth and gather blankets. The mothers wake the children and grab snacks for the long journey ahead. Trying to escape, people in South and Central America leave behind their homes, and only bring their culture with them to the U.S.A. Many immigrants from South and Central America move to the United States to escape poverty, war, and corruption. One example of these families that were forced to leave their homes is Julio-Cesar Florez, the owner of Austin food truck Llama’s “I am from Lima, Peru. My family and I came to the United States in 1993. I was brought as a child. Peru had just gotten out of a very corrupt government and a period of domestic terrorism. We had family in Houston already so my parents decided to move to start over again” says Florez. Aleyda Sosa, a grandmother of three, moved to the U.S. from El Salvador when she was 20 to escape the civil war that had just begun. “My family was being attacked, and so many of the had moved to L.A., so I did too” stated Sosa.
Llama’s Food Truck Owner Julio-Cesar Florez poses with his Peuvian style food.
Entering a new life, immigrants have to leave everything but the necessities behind. They Sosa had a child a few months often have very little family around them, and earlier, and another one on the way. they have to adapt to the American way of living. Since she had applied for a visa, she Many immigrants are excited, to be starting a new did not have to attempt to cross the life, as Florez states, “I had never been to the US border illegally, but the 52 hour drive and in the 80s and early 90s everyone wanted to was still difficult. Luckily, Florez arrived be here. I thought I’m going to see and experience in the U.S. by a much easier mode of amazing things and I’m going to learn how to transportation. “We took a flight that took [nine hours] to Florida, and another speak English”. Sosa was also very enthusiastic about moving to the U.S., and said “I couldn’t wait one to Houston.” says Florez. Though to get here. Everyone loved it here, and it sounded Sosa and Florez had a slightly more like a dream life”. Immigrants’ first impressions of convenient way of arriving in America, America range from experiencing discrimination to many other families have to cross through multiple surrounding countries trying a hot dog for the first time, but nonetheless, each experience marks the beginning of a new by foot or by train.
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life. “[When I first arrived], I saw a modified car for the first time on our way home from the airport,” says Florez, “I remember asking someone ‘What time is it?’ in English, them answering, and me not understanding what they had said”. Sosa knew more English than Florez, but she still had trouble understanding what was being said when she got hired for her first job, a maid. Small decorations such as figurines, and handmade crosses are typically found in the houses of immigrants. These novelties are kept to make them feel more comfortable and remind them of their home country. Another way immigrants keep their old life close to them is by making traditional food from their home country even after they learn how to make simpler American dishes. Since food is such a huge part of culture in Central and South America, very few immigrants give up their methods of cooking. Some countries often use very traditional ways of cooking such as Sosa’s family, “My Auntie [didn’t] like to use mechanical stuff. She love[d] to use just
A meal from Llama’s
“It is very important to us that our ingredients be of their highest quality and their peak of ripeness in order to provide us with great flavor” the regular stuff, like the rock.[We would grind up our ingredients on a rock]. So usually, that’s what we use[d]”. Other countries don’t have any special preparation techniques, but instead use special ingredients. The flavor of the food varies from region to region, and makes the food unique to each culture and country. Vegetables and spices often grown in Peru will add drastically different flavors than those grown in El Salvador. Sosa describes the spices often used in Salvadoran cuisine as flavorful, but not spicy. “We use different spices, but not hot spices. We use flavor spices, but not burn spices. [Not like] something that burn[s] your tongue” says Sosa. Peruvian cuisine focuses on how ready the ingredients are, “It is very important to us that our ingredients be of their highest quality and their peak of ripeness in order to provide us with great flavor” states Florez. The readiness of the ingredient can affect the flavor it has, which affects the entire dish. Florez believes that Peruvian food gets its flavor from the regionally grown peppers, Aji Peppers. “Peruvian food is very flavorful, with either a slight kick or very spicy due to the aji peppers.” states Florez.
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V
Food is also a part of the history of the country, as Florez states, “It is also a varied cuisine thanks to the influences from cultures brought by immigrants from Spain, Italy, Africa, China and Japan. Their cooking techniques and ingredients mixed with the indigenous ones to create what we know now as Peruvian cuisine”. Food is carried on from through generations, each one adding something new. Although some cultures can blend, recipes stay the same. The goal of culture is to spread and help connect people, or make someone feel as if they belong to something bigger. Florez believes cooking for others is the best way to share your culture; “Cooking at a restaurant is the best way to reach out to the general public. When your goal is to promote a cuisine then you want to reach as many people as possible. Yes I believe my culture shows through. Food is history and culture.” Although Sosa has not decided to make a career out of food, it is still very important to her, because it connects her to her family. “I know that [my family enjoyed] my food and thats what [made] us closer. I really miss them and that closeness” states Sosa.
Visit Llama’s at.... 11 Trinity St, Austin, TX 78701
Aleyda Sosa in El Salvador, elementary school.
World Eats / 11
Tres Leches....
A
side
For the cake batter, stir together.....
1 1/2 Cups of Flour
1/2 Cup of Unsalted Butter (Beat until fluffy)
I Teaspoon of Baking Powder
1 Cup of granulated Sugar
1/2 Teaspoon of Table Salt
5 Eggs
For the milk syrup, combine....
12 ounces Evaporated Milk
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1 Cup Half and Half
14 ounces Condensed Milk
It’s as easy as ABC!!
B
ake
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and let bake for 20-25 minutes. Let cool
Using a fork, poke holes in the cake, then pour the milk syrup over. Frost with Whip Cream
C
ake!
Enjoy!!!!
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What Type of Bread are You? o Ind
What’s the most important meal of the day?
Dinner
Dawn or Dusk?
Indoors or Outdoors?
Dawn
us k
h nc Lu
D
Breakfast
Do you prefer summertime or the winter?
Winter
Movies or TV shows?
hows TV S
Mo vies
Su m
me rt
Coffee or Tea?
im e
Skydiving or scuba diving?
S cu bad
ivin g
Tea
e ffe Co
World Eats / 14
ng
You are a croissantyou enjoy keeping things classy, and trying new things!
ors
You’re toast! You’re an excellent problem solver and like to stick to the basics. Many people look up to you, or rely on you as a leader.
Sk y di vi
w
You are a pretzel! You’re a real risk taker, and everyone has fun being around you!
Group projectsyay or nay?
Yay!
I prefer t o work a
You’re a baguette- a people person and a helper! People love you for how inclusive and caring you are!
lone
You’re a crouton! Your influencial personality traits draw respect from other people. And what better than using persuasive you are to your advantage?
Rain or Sun? rs Outdoo
Ra in
n Su
Sleeping in, or waking up early? Wa ke
You are a sconeyou’re quite intelligent and like to look at things in a different, unique
way.
Sleep
up ear ly
Sportspass or play?
Play
Roadtrips or just take the plane? Ro
Plane
You are wheat breadYou prefer to go with the flow and often avoid taking risks.
ad tri ps
Pa ss
You are banna breadyour complex views can make things alot more interesting. Other people tend to flock to you for your refreshing personality.
You are melonpan! This popular sweet bun goes well with your exciting personality! You’re often more adventerous and spontanious than others.
You are bread sticks! You tend to be more laid back and relaxed, making it easy for people to hang around you.
Food Related Obesity in the United States and Japan By Veronica Ruth
s of 2010, over 75% of Americans were identified as overweight or obese by BMI. These statistics are a common occurrence in countries with large economies. However, industrialized Japan has the lowest percentage of overweight people in the world: 3.2%. Although many factors besides food intake play into people’s health, control over one’s food consumption is a key part of mastering their weight, and hence, their wellbeing. The content and amount of what someone eats can reveal much about their personality or background, and it reflects strongly on who they are.
A
Time and time again, Americans hear complaints about their fast food chains, which are often pinpointed as the culprit of the weight problems in the country. Although they conveniently provide many families with the opportunity to consume food quickly, much of it is processed and low quality. But these businesses only reveal part of the issues in American diets. In fact, most developed countries have easy access to
World Eats / 16
fast food chains, but the people there manage to stay in comparatively much better health. According to Takahiro Asazu, the owner of a Japanese restaurant called Komé in Austin, Texas, people have actually become increasingly adventurous in their food tastes over time. He came to the United States in 1993 in search of a job in a restaurant, and now he runs an established business after living here for over 20 years. “Twenty years ago, most American customers eat more California Roll, and tuna, and salmon... but now... I can tell... more American
people eat like they’ve never eaten before.” People in the past were often not keen on their consumption of things like octopus and eel, but in an expanding and eclectic city such as Austin, many find themselves looking for an “authentic experience”. With an increased interest in fitness and trying unusual food, it may seem like many Americans are completely changing their habits for the better. But, the problems can be found in the day-to-day habits of Americans at home. The United States is the largest economic powerhouse in the world, producing around 24.5% of the world’s gross domestic product. Because of this, the citizens have access to a multitude of trade products and new materials year-round. As for food, the same thing applies. “Here in the United States... we can get anything we want all the time. Compared to other countries, like if you were in Italy, they eat very seasonally. They only eat what’s fresh,” says pediatrician Mara Taché.
Families often seem to encourage bad eating habits as well, even if it is accidentally. With working parents, the constant shortage of time causes many kids to be fed prepackaged meals. Dr. Taché continues, “It’s less likely for kids to have made from scratch meals… on a regular basis.” Parents also may have a hard time with misconceptions they have been fed about their kids’ nutrition, such as the myth that children should be drinking juice all the time. Many “feel that juice will give [the children] their nutrients like their vitamins”, but this is untrue. In fact, fruit juice contains little to none of the fiber that would be received from just eating the fruit, and is loaded with sugar.
Across the Pacific Ocean, a completely different food story is taking place. Japan, which is also well-endowed with access (being ranked third economically in the world) to multitudes of products, is full of people with control and awareness of their diets. The country is physically very small in size and food produced there comes from a variety of environments. Mr. Asazu calls the Japanese diet “very specific and seasonal”. The environment on the island produces a large variety of foods based on the physical region and time of year, determining much of what people consume. Eating seasonally helps to reduce the amount of processed food while encouraging freshness and quality, often times adding more meaning to each meal. For Mr. Asazu, food culture is important. “In Japan, we eat... Japanese authentic food for... years, [going back hundreds, thousands of] years ago.” Traditions with specific meals have been passed down through generations in Japanese culture, so whenever a ceremony is held, the people are tied back to their roots. No matter what food may mean to a specific group of people, everyone will always depend on it and it is up to each person to decide how they want to form a relationship with their health. But with education, it may become easier for people with complicated lifestyles to realize what could be improved in their diets. Making changes little by little by eating more seasonally, reducing processed foods, and giving more meaning to what they eat would go a long way. Both the United States and Japan have much to learn from each other, and change starts with individuals making a decision to focus on a healthy diet.
How To Give Your Toast a
orld Eats / 18
Glow-Up
Avocado Toast
Add: • Sour Cream • Fresh Avacado • Scrambled eggs
Sprinkle chile powder and garnish with cilantro and raddish slice.
Greek Toast
Add: • Cottage Cheese • Tomatoes • Pickles • Spinach
Eggs on Toast
Add: • Fried eggs (sunny-side up) Sprinkle with pepper.
Veggie Toast
Add: • Yougurt • Cucumber • Raddish
Garnish with cilantro.
Canapes Toast
Add: • Whipped Butter • Salmon
Garnish with cilantro.
World Eats /20
Japan
Veronica Ruth
Average Food Schedules
United States
6:00 am
Wake up- 6:30 am
Wake up- 6:45 am
Breakfast- 7:00
Breakfast- 7:10
Cold cereal, bagel, orange juice
White rice (with raw egg and natto), tea, miso soup, pickled daikon
Calories: 469
Calories: 607
Lunch- 12:30
12:00 pm
Bento box with shumai dumplings, white rice, sashimi, and vegetables
Lunch- 12:30 Sandwich (white bread, lettuce, tomato, ham, and mustard), potato chips, soda Calories: 527
Calories: 506
Happy hour- 5:30 Beer, sliders, fries
Dinner- 7:30 Steamed white rice, miso soup, pickles, grilled pork, seaweed salad
6:00 pm
Calories: 461
Dinner- 7:30 Chicken breast, macaroni and cheese, salad with ranch dressing, wine
Calories: 603
Nighttime snack- 9:00
Calories: 902 Beer, ramen Calories: 345
12:00 am
Go to sleep- 11:45 pm Nighttime snack- 1:15
Go to sleep- 12:40 am
Ice cream Calories: 267
2:00 am Total calorie count: 2,061
Total calorie count: 2,626
World Eats /21
What’s For Lun
by Bella Samman
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World Eats/22
b and
with vegetables,, , pork roll, eans pl
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W
ithout looking at the labels on the pictures of meals from around the world, could you guess which originated from the United States?
Of course you could. The picture directly above is obviously from the U.S. America is known for their fried meat, artificial flavorings, and giant portions. So, why wouldn’t these things appear in their school lunches? “If I could make school lunches better, I would make them taste better. And make them healthier,” says Brady Samman, a third-grader at Doss Elementary Both students and professionals behind U.S cafeteria walls agree that there is much work to be done surrounding the preparation of American school lunches. “Our school lunches are still heavily processed. They have the fruits and vegetables, but they still have those hot-dogs and chicken nuggets,” said Erin Kolecki, who works for the non-profit, TMF Foundation, an organization devoted to improving the health of children and their families by sending volunteers to schools
When asked if this was accurate, she responded, “I don’t know. At least there’s something green on this plate. But, this isn’t unusual for the U.S. and … add a chocolate milk.” To explain the strange lapse in quality of the American meal, Anneliese Tanner, director of food services for AISD said, “Agricultural laws, nutrition and funding are different in other countries and affect the way meals are prepared. Because the framework and chi, stir-fried veg funding aren’t the e, kim etab , ric les u f same it’s not o t , p u really a fair comparison.” o
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ruit, veggies, and Br
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When shown images representing international school lunches, Kolecki didn’t look surprised to see the popcorn chicken nuggets, dollop of mashed potatoes, canned fruit, sprinkling of green peas, and giant chocolate chip cookie on the U.S. plate.
So, maybe, the lack of quality in American school lunches has nothing to do with budget or school systems, and everything to do with us.
icken, orzo, dolmas, sal ad, y ed ch k a og B
urt ,
“They’re a lot of children who don’t have healthy habits and they aren’t eating fruits and vegetables and basically, their cells are starving,” says Kolecki. World Eats/23
Americans commonly consume more fats, oils and refined sweeteners than the rest of the world, and it has remained this way for decades. But, there is another side to this country that should be represented in our lunches, as well. Thousands of cultures are represented in this country, with millions of different diets. So why wouldn’t this cultural diversity be reflected in American lunches when Brazilian or South Korean cultural and dietary diversity is fully apparent in their school lunches? A Brazilian lunch includes foods like plantains, s, beet soup, cabb potatoe age age, s u , sa e p e Cr
, baguette fruit
ast a,
beans and rice, and pork; all foods likely to be found in most Brazilian everyday diets.
u la .p
What food on the American lunch plate can be ar found in any everyday modern on h fis l a American diet when it seems like Loc today, couscous or kale are more of staples than chicken nuggets? ug
Milk, for instance, is preferred by Americans because it is an easy source of calcium. It is part of our culture to drink the milk of another animal, so we continue to do it. Although Kolecki says that it is not necessarily good for your health and, “you can actually get more calcium from eating spinach and broccoli. And we’re not requiring students to eat those …”
Kolecki stated that the diversity of the Austin Independent School District (AISD) student body is hardly represented by the food choices provided every day. When asked if cultural food options are available to students every day, she shook her head. “I do see things like tacos … and that’s good …. but, no. Not really.” Tanner is aware of this gap in diversity, but is confident that she can change this. “We view the cafeteria as a classroom where we can introduce students to new foods, exposing them to new flavors and help build healthy habits. Outside of the cafeteria, many students would not have the opportunity to try curry or hummus, but by offering these dishes in a familiar setting, they are more willing to give them a try.” She later told me that most of the kids are welcoing these new menus and the vegan lentil chili Frito pie and chicken potstickers have even become favorites amongst all grade levels. After all, the students were one of the main reasons for increasing diversity in the first place, because, “after reviewing student surveys conducted last school year, there was a request for more cultural cuisine.” In order to
But, there is reluctance to embrace the change in American culture through lunches. “I’ve actually heard parents complain that the lunches are too healthy. Their kids won’t eat the food they need to bring back the fried food,” says Kolecki.
oll Gr s, r ill uit e d shrim p, fr p on rice, tomato sou
respond to this, Tanner says, “This school year we have incorporated more authentic Mexican flavors, as well as Asian and Middle Eastern dishes.”
A
ry vo sa etables, whea t ro up, veg e, so ll ca k pan
e atured at som verse meals fe di d d, an de ad ge ly an or cent Taco with an Some of the re Top: Breakfast s; ol ho sc ita Bread P ’s D h it of AIS Salad w co Ta n ea n ra : Mediter milk, Bottom
But, professionals like Tanner and believe influing children positively in school environments will leave a lasting impact on them and their everyday diets. Tanner says, “The patterns in foods that we offer across the entire district involve scratch-cooked recipes, global flavors, fresh fruits and vegetables. Through these changes, we are truly reinventing school cafeteria cuisine and the student dining experience.” Hopefully, in the near future, these changes will help the U.S. embrace the cultural diversity of its people and food and change the way American students around the country eat. World Eats/25
World Eats/27
What’s inYour Sandwich?
Talia Fierro March 1, 2017
Talia Fierro March 1, 2017
World On A Plate 4
Is it the versatility of the structure and ingredients? Perhaps the array of flavors immediately presented to your mouth upon the first bite? Why are sandwiches so popular all over America, and the world? “I think people really enjoy sandwiches because they’re very structured. It’s a very basic idea, but one that you very easily elaborate on,” Mele Perry, local food enthusiast, postulates. Every day, the American population consumes over 300 million sandwiches. With almost half of the adult population having at least one sandwich a day, sandwiches are one of the more prominent foods in the American diet. But how does this compare to the rest of the world?
It’s not often that we look at a sandwich and wonder, “what’s the cultural significance and cause behind the popularity of this sandwich in the world’s ever growing food industry?” But that’s exactly what we’re about to find out. Dive into the world of sandwiches in the unique and diverse food culture of Austin, Texas, and explore the different kinds of sandwiches not only in America, but around the world. Sandwiches are well-known in many people’s everyday diets. It’s important to recognize just how the sandwich came to be one of the most universally-loved foods today.
to start with the taste of home, visiting Austin Daily Press (ADP) co-owner Dustin Knef and executive chef Reed Faitak to speak about the popularity and unique varieties of Austin sandwiches. ADP is a local sandwich shop located in North Austin that’s popular because of their constancy in bringing new combinations of tastes and flavors to the plate every month. “Because we do everything from scratch, we definitely have a focus on food first and we’re always open to helping people out, helping get people fed, making people happy,” Faitak comments.
Faitak, joined forces with Knef Where to start first in the epic about a year and a half after Knef quest for the hidden significance started the food trailers with a few of the “sandwich?” Perhaps it’s best of his friends. Together the two
Seating area at Austin Daily Press
came up with a casual, yet flavorful, menu unique to any others. “I think we literally at one point were just like what are your favorite types of sandwiches,” Knef recalls, explaining the variety of options and flavor combinations behind ADP’s menu. Austin Daily Press offers an array of sandwiches; some local to Austin — some originating in places as far away as the Middle East. Austin is well known for its idiosyncratic feel to the restaurants and foods around town, but a large population of the locals in Austin have more limited diets, some vegetarian, or gluten free. Faitak has been vegetarian for 10 years, yet he doesn’t mind making sandwiches with contents that he doesn’t prefer to eat, “I like working with meat and all that, I just don’t eat it. So I’m always more than happy to come up with lots of different veggie options, and vegan options too, it’s fun playing with flavors.” Faitak explains, “Austin’s a very casual food town,” Perhaps it’s just that, that has the people in Austin so enthralled with the food selection. “Venezuela, is common to eat
arepa any time of the day, for breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner,” the owner of Four Brothers, a food trailer ‘specializing in Venezuelan cuisine’ says. The arepa is a sandwich with Venezuelan origins from hundreds of years ago! But arepas are more than just a sandwich to Four Brothers owner, “according the definition of the word ‘sandwich’ by Oxford Dictionaries, it could be considered
a sandwich, due the structure of the food. However, personally I call them arepas, and we are looking to introduce the term arepas in Austin culture,” they explain. When asked just how the creation of arepas differed from typical sandwiches in America, the owner at Four Brothers explained, “The process to make the arepas is very simple, you mix a specific amount of water with the cornmeal and
salt, some people add butter or cheese, or whatever they want to the mix,” he added, “the arepa is round, is gluten free and the price still low.” Four Brothers makes an effort to bring the flavors valued in Venezuela, to the sandwiches they sell in Austin, “cheese is very popular in Venezuela,” he says, “so here in U.S. we get the cheese from Venezuelan providers.” When Four Brothers was asked why Arepas are one of the more popular sandwiches in Venezuela, they responded not with telling me it was the flavors offered in the sandwich, but with saying, “because the integration of so many factors, such as the recommendation from the staff, quality of ingredients, the different or innovation of the food.” So perhaps Venezuela and Austin aren’t so different in that they value the basic presentation of the sandwich, more than the taste. What is a Cuban sandwich? Wikipedia says “A Cuban sandwich is a variation of a ham and cheese sandwich that originated in cafes catering to Cuban workers.” But the search for depth and cultural Image Source FourBrothersATX
© CUBA512
significance, lead to Iskander Gener, owner of CUBA512, for more detail behind the bland Wikipedia explanation. CUBA512 is a restaurant offering a selection of traditional Cuban sandwiches. Gener claims that it’s the preparation of bread and pork that makes Cuban sandwiches so unique to their culture, “our bread has special Cuban recipe which makes our sandwich taste different.” Gener also described how in Cuba, the flavors of different citrus combinations make foods even more appetizing, stating that “the combination of garlic and citrus is finger-licking good!” But, as in many other cultures, it’s also the atmosphere of where the sandwiches are being served that
plays a big role in pulling in the customers. Gener said, “We tried to have a cozy small place, which has a Cuban atmosphere one side you can pretend you are seating outside of a Cuban street.” He added, “CUBA512 succeeds in creating a portal to Cuba where dark wooded furnishings and iconic images provide an old-town Havana feel. The simple but effective decor compliments the cuisine and is a pleasant departure from the contemporary cute design so common in new Austin restaurants.” So, sandwiches in Cuba are popular because of their distinctive flavors, but the decor of the shop plays a big role in it too! After investigating the different sandwich shops around town, it
was obvious that the flavors and tastes found in sandwiches vary greatly in different cultures around the world. But despite the wide array of ingredients and ways to create them, the basic structure of the sandwich remains the same. The cultural significance lies not in the contents that vary between the two pieces of bread, but within the audience that comes to enjoy the sandwich. As Faitak said, “There may be a lot of words up there, but what it comes down to is fresh-baked bread, all scratch made sauces, and vegetables and everything like whole roast meats. Like I’ve said, it’s really just big, filling sandwiches and who doesn’t like that?”
S A N D W I C H W A R S
In the rough and tough battle for the best sandwich, not many can stand out in such a vast amount of sandwich varities. In a poll of 90 people, these seven sandwiches proved themselves to be crowd favorites.
26% An astounding 23 people voiced their love for grilled cheese, one of the more simple, yet delishous sandwiches. Although commonly overlooked, no sandwich seemed to come close to grilled cheese in the war for top sandwich.
T a l i a F i e r r o , 7 A p r i l , 2 0 1 7
World Eats / 36
10% Not a close second, but the BLT pulled through as a popular sandwhich amongst the masses.
9% Who doesn’t love a sandwich with variety? The classic club sandwich consisting of chicken, bacon, lettuce, tomato, and mayo came in third place.
7% What better to complete the list of crowd favorites than with a three way tie? Pupular in many school lunches, the classic PB+J still finds it’s way into our hearts and lunches .
A simple turkey sandwich didn’t slip people’s minds when considering their favorite sandwich.
6% 6%
Sources: Austin Independent School District
Ham and cheese, fairly simple and easy to make- and who doesn’t enjoy the taste?
6%
Salami, pepperoni, and ham? It’s no suprise the Italian BMT made it’s way onto our list of sandwich favorites. World Eats / 37
Soup’s Soul in Austin World Eats / 38
eople flood into Austin, Texas by the day with promises of famous barbecue, Tex-Mex, and various burgers. Whether it be the mouth-watering brisket from Franklin’s Barbecue, or a taco from Valentina’s, or any of the multitudinous burgers from Hopdoddy’s Austin has all sorts of gourmet eateries for any foodie out there. Even though these restaurants and their industries are praised in Austin, many often leave out one of Austin’s most promising and intriguing foods — soup. Although you can probably find
P
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by Jackson Evans
The sweet subculture surrounding the savory soup in the local, Austin scene.
soup at just about any restaurant in town, Austin’s soup culture really kicked off back in 2002, with the start of The Soup Peddler. The Soup Peddler started off when owner and founder David Ansel began delivering homemade soup in attempt to make enough of a living to stay in Austin. Despite the fact that Austin is a town full of food culture, many restaurants find themselves struggling to make it in such a competitive scene. When asked about his company’s unique start, Ansel said, “It was a miracle that I was able to make this happen, without partners or
investors, without family money, right from the ground up.” Due to competition within Austin, many local business’ aren’t able to provide their services for too long before being run under. With large companies and condominiums slowly taking over the space of smaller restaurants, it can be difficult to find authentic Austin cuisine. As Ansel put it, “It is hard to find handmade, healthy, convenient food.” While it might be rough to find footing for restaurants in Austin, the people here love what they can get. One such Austinite is Jordon Leeman, a selfproclaimed soup fanatic. When asked about his
“[T]he expertise has come on-thejob”
experience with soup Leeman said, “‘Kay, soup is the best.” The odd weather in Austin also plays a role in soup’s survival so far. As homegrown chef Jesus Salinas puts it, “During central Texas winters you never know if your day is going to be cold, hot, warm or sometimes a little bit of every temperature. With that being said, you may plan on having or making soup on a cold day and it turns out to be hot. Sometimes it works out though. Example being, recently, on a chilly day I [had] some chicken soup that was quite comforting to warm me up.” It wasn’t just the people in town who had taken notice of Austin’s peculiar weather. Many food trailers have to close for at least some portion of the year, whether it’s too cold for snow cones or time to move your trailer to a festival. When asked about The Soup Peddler’s expansion in menu beyond soup, Ansel attributed it to, “The climate. Soup is a very seasonal product. Even soup shops in New York City would close for the summer, my early research showed. When it was just me, it was fine to take summers off. But when having employees, rents, that was no
longer possible.” Albeit Ansel made his decision so people could enjoy his food year — round, some people did not agree with his menu change. One such person is Jordon Leeman, who when asked about the inclusion of sandwiches with the soups said, “People say it goes great with grilled cheese, but these people, are wrong. Tomato soup is very bad …” Even though Austinites like Leeman might feel disheartened by the shifts in menu demographics, the business still does rather well for itself. Now, many readers might raise the question as to why they might consider eating soup in the first place. When asked this
“[A]nd that art piece was soup”
same question, Ansel responded by saying, “It is hard to find handmade, healthy, convenient food. Particularly soups… it’s a very boring and uninnovated and highly-mechanized category in the food world.” This may seem rather biased coming from a chef whose primary business is selling soup, so when asked, Leeman responded by saying, “Is living safe really really living at all? You know it’s like… I know first hand that they’re going to love it, I mean first off soup is a food, but it’s also an experience — it’s more so an experience. And I feel like if they just dipped their toes in the water gradually than they’ll come into the water and I feel like if more people in Austin start doing this then Austin will all just cannonball in. And we’ll be soup eaters again, which is what the goal really is.” So soup here in Austin might not be the most acclaimed stop on your list, but give it a shot and you’ll see what you’ve missed. As Dr. Seuss wrote, “If you never did you should. These things are fun, and fun is good.”
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photo by Fairdale bikes
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Ever wanted to make a fine yet simple delicacy from home, but never knew how? Dive right in and learn the quick workings of the creation of soup.
by Jackson Evans
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