The Daily Spread
Around the World in 8 Pastas That’s Pretty Gouda 3 Ingredient Recipes
Everyone is a Critic
The Green Life
A glimpse into the food industry
Meet the Authors AYLA CLEM
ZACK DISLER
DYLAN LEVY
CY STRAIN - SEYMOUR
BELLA WYSOCKI
The foodies introduce you to theirFallmagazine! 2018/ The Daily Spread / 3
Table of Contents 4 / Fall 2018/ The Daily Spread/
Intro Page:
Table of Contents:
Everyones a Critic & more:
3
4-5
6-11
The Green Life & more:
That’s Pretty Gouda & more:
12-17
18-23
Around the World in 8 Pastas & more:
3 Ingredient Recipes & more:
Letters From The Editors:
Outro Page:
36-37
38
30-35
Inside back cover and pattern:
24-29
Back Cover:
39
39 Fall 2018/ The Daily Spread / 5
Restaurant Reviewing By: Ayla Clem
Image by Ablimit Ablet
6 / Fall 2018/ The Daily Spread/
W
hen someone walks into a restau rant like Forthright they expect the restaurant to be clean, to have great service, and great foods with lots of options. No one wakes up one day thinking that they want to eat some really bad food or dine at a place littered with rats. We all avoid food we dislike and try to avoid restaurants we don’t like. Even though you may dislike the food at a restaurant, it does not mean it’s bad. There is a difference between a bad restaurant and just disliking the flavors presented by the food that we should acknowledge when we run into these places. There are also so many factors that go into what makes a great restaurant or a bad one. How will a customer know what makes a restaurant a good one? By learning about the factors! Food comes in all kinds of different shapes and sizes and comes from all kinds of different places. Just because someone might think a food is good does not mean the restaurant is. With the proper sources, one can learn how to distinguish the key factors that go into great restaurants. It should be said that just because a restaurant doesn’t fit these requirements doesn’t mean it is not a good restaurant or that it should not be open, nor that it means the customer has bad taste. What makes the restaurants so great is that they put in the extra work to make their restaurants great places that a lot of people can enjoy. Becky Schmader also agrees saying, “I think creating an environment/ culture that is completely unique to a space is what separates great restaurants. Being able to have an experience that is completely unique to that restaurant and nowhere else makes the restaurant more desirable and stand out.
“Being able to have an experience that is completely unique ... makes the restaurant ... stand out.”
willing to go the extra mile and making the restaurant a great place. Over time, restaurants can go through many changes, often changing the way they run it. This allows restaurants to grow and discover new ways to entice customers there. Some of the biggest factors that affect a restaurant’s quality are “attention to detail, consistency, and quality,” owner and head chef of Forthright Cafe, Ashley Reeves said.
“Attention to detail, consistency, and quality,” —Ashley Reeves
—Becky Schmader
This allows the consumers to know the restaurant staff is Image by kisspng.com
Fall 2018/ The Daily Spread / 7
ness, which furthers benefits it’s quality all together. Becky Schmader, production assistant manager at Amy’s Ice Creams, said Amy’s Ice Creams found ways to adapt to their community. “We’ve grown to get to different neighborhoods throughout the city. We’ve adapted in that we’ve branched out and tried new flavors that are more savory sometimes or more sweet to stay on trend of what ice creams doing.” Being able to adapt to the different neighborhoods allows the restaurant to further expand and drum up more business. It also shows the restaurant is interested in what is going on in the community and with the consumers. “It definitely affects the type of food we do because some things we just don’t do because it’s a different type of community.” Making sure everything looks appetizing can be something that makes or breaks a restaurant. Consistency can be shown in the restaurant’s skill in remaking certain dishes from previous consumers, as well as creating the same experience for everyone. At Forthright, the customers are attracted to the uniformity of the food. “Whenever I come back from my vacations, I tend to do the food that I’ve just been eating there,” Reeves said. Because Forthright and other restaurants choice to incorporate foods from other cultures that are popular, they are able to appeal to a wider variety of people and let everyone get a taste of what they like. It also allows the restaurant to get more busi-
“It definitely affects the type of food we do, some things we just don’t do because it’s a different type of community.” —Ashely Reeves
If a restaurant easily adapts to what the community is used to and familiar
A fruit sauce is being made (Photo by Ayla Clem.
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A raindbow made of foods. Photo by unsplah.com
with. For example, a lot of Austin’s restaurants tend to lean towards Tex-Mex or just Mexican foods. Forthright chef’s acknowledge Austin’s tendency by experimenting with foods like Tex-Mex and spanish foods. Reeves continues to further prove this point by saying, “We’ve definitely tried to branch out more into some sort of more Mexican food, you know like Spanish food, a little bit lately.”
“So it’s making sure we satisfy those customers”
— Becky Schmader
Schmader went on to explain how restaurants similar to Amy’s focus on what the customer’s want and their opinions on current options. “We have a lot of regulars so they’ll request flavors. So it’s making sure we satisfy those customers and also reading up on stuff on the internet and on Instagram to see what people are talking about and what’s on trend. We take that and see how we can adapt that to make it Amy’s.” This allows Amy’s Ice Creams to be able to take things from the community
and make it better with the restaurant’s own twist on it.
“We take that and see how we can adapt that to make it Amy’s.” — Becky Schmader
Fresh produce is shown in a grocery store (Photo by Fikri Rasyid).
Not only do they make sure to create what the customers want to see, but they also allow their employees to experiment with the ingredients and flavors to create something that is truly Amy’s. “When you become an ice cream maker, you basically have the freedom to use any of the ingredients we have in house or even at H.E.B to make whatever flavors you want,” Schmader said. By working with another business they are able to use many flavors and ingredients that might otherwise be unavailable. Using these points will help one discover if a restaurant is good, bad, or even great and what restaurants have to put in to make their restaurants great. They will allow one to know how much thought goes into whatever restaurant they are eating or working and what they as a consumer or producer of their goods can do to influence their decisions.
She is putting the toppings on each cracker by hand (Photo by Ayla Clem).
Fall 2018/ The Daily Spread / 9
Where Is It?
Here are the best restaurants in Austin voted by the students of LASA and what makes them so great! By: Ayla Clem The Restaurants: Amy’s Ice Creams is a local ice cream store that offers a wide variety of flavors Chuy’s is an Austin founded Tex-Mex restaurant staple to the Austin community While Sonic isn’t an Austin founded restaurant, it’s still a well known place to grab a slushie and some fries IHOP is an multination restaurant that doesn’t just serve pancakes despite its name. Eastside Pies is an Austin founded local restaurant, that serves thin, large pizza, that anyone can recognize. Subway is a sandwich shop that is known all over. Forthright is a fairly new cafe founded in Austin that serves a variety of European foods. 10 / Fall 2018/ The Daily Spread/
What makes a good restaraunt? From the management style to the quality of food a lot of consideration goes into making a great restaurant. The factors that influence how great a restaurant is are the quality of its food, the service (whether it’s fast and servers are friendly of slow service LASA Student Survey and rude staff ), and the way the restaurant is run. Ashely Reeves Becky Schmader
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The Green Life By Bella Wysocki he things one eats, their diet, food choices and daily meals, can define them as a person. One of the biggest changes a person can make to their diet is transitioning to a vegetarian or vegan one. The choice between being a vegan or a non vegan is a choice that has an extreme effect on the wellness of the planet. People shame others for not being vegan, while some shame others for being vegan. What you eat is completely your choice, but what matters is the reason behind your choice. Many people choose to go vegetarian or vegan, but it is definitely not a required diet change. “Everybody is very bioindividual, and not every diet is right for every person,” vegan chef Amber Antonelli said. It is very important to remember that you don’t have to be put into a category due to your diet. “It’s not realistic for the whole world to go vegan, so really I think it’s about getting people more excited and inspired to eat more plant-based choices more often, for the masses. From the standpoint of our business, it’s not realistic for the masses to advocate for everybody to go vegan, what we like to do is educate people on the ‘whys’ and the ‘hows’ so they can make wiser more plant based choices,” Antonelli said. Not everyone is expected to be, or become vegan, and forcing others to eat a certain way is not a good way to express your opinions. Forcing someone to be vegan is not ideal, they need to have their own reasons behind their specific diet. The reason behind one’s way of eating is very important, and their ethical views give them a reason to stay vegan or vegetarian. As vegan chef Cristina Carolan said, “I think for most people you’re probably going to need an ethical reason to stay vegan or vegetarian for the long term.” People have many different reasons for going vegan, such as standing up for animal rights or wanting to conserve the Earth. Changing your diet is not an easy thing to do, especially if you are being strongly encouraged to. If someone has been eating a certain way their whole life, it’s hard to cut out a lot of things from their daily meals. Instantly switching to being vegan or vegetarian is a pretty difficult thing to do, but there are no rules. One can go at any pace they want, cutting out whatever they want. So don’t think that one has to be vegan a certain way; one can approach their diet however they would like. Vegan chef Craig Vanis said, “I think people should at least try it, I think you have nothing to lose from trying it. And I think a lot of people try it for different
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A bowl of assorted fruits and nuts (courtesy of Pexels.)
Fall 2018/ The Daily Spread / 13 FALL 2018 / The Daily Spread / 3
reasons, but I don’t see how becoming vegetarian or vegan could be detrimental to anybody.” If someone is thinking about going vegan or vegetarian, for ethical reasons, or just for the fun of it, trying it never hurts. One does not have to dive into the deep end, they can play it safe and wade in slowly. Carolan suggested, “I would say if you are going to switch to do it gradually, and try to find foods that you enjoy and that you like that are already vegetarian or vegan and I would say just try to make it as easy as possible by veganizing meals that you already enjoy.” The important thing to remember is that someone’s diet as a vegan doesn’t have to be exactly the same as everyone else’s. Carolan said, first becoming vegan doesn’t have to be a struggle, there are no standards to live up to, there is no such thing as a perfect vegan. Antonelli agreed with Carolan, “Go slowly, don’t give yourself very strict restrictions, very strict guidelines, I would say, maybe going plant-based 75 percent of the time, or start with 50 percent of the time, and then taper off from there.” Many people think that going vegan is difficult, that it is just vegetables. But that’s not the case. There are so many food options if someone is vegan. Cameron Alexander, co-owner of vegetarian and vegan restaurant Mother’s Cafe, says “It’s not just salads, the world of vegetarian eating is broad as one’s imagination. There are worlds of choices out there.”
“It’s not just salads, the world of vegetarian eating is broad as one’s imagination. There are worlds of choices Fruit and vegetable board (courtesy of Pexels.)
out there.” — Cameron Alexander
Being vegetarian or vegan can be made easier by
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Messy kitchen while baking (courtesy of Pexels.)
simply exploring options and being creative with meals. Being vegetarian or vegan does not mean just eating fruits and vegetables; there are so many things someone can eat while still remaining vegan. “I mean, definitely making a vegetarian main dish can be a little bit more time consuming than grilling a piece of chicken, but “There is a lot of really simple vegetarian or vegan meals out there.”
“There is a lot of really simple vegetarian or vegan meals out there.” — Amber Antonelli
I mean something as really basic as throwing a bunch
of vegetables in a Crock-Pot and adding some vegetable broth and coconut milk and ending up with a curry, and it’s a lot easier than people think,” Antonelli said. Vegan meals don’t have to be time-consuming and complicated; it’s so easy to make a delicious dish out of a few vegan ingredients. “Having some basic cooking knowledge makes it that much easier” to become and remain vegan, Antonelli said. Being vegan or vegetarian is a big life changing decision that people should put some thought behind if they are considering the switch. They should have a good reasons behind their choice of diet, and a good reason will help them stick with their chosen way of eating. Someone can have ethical, political, or economical reasons for becoming vegan, but staying vegan is the tricky part. So many myths are put into the diet that many people don’t even think about trying it. Your diet can impact your life, and becoming vegan or vegetarian has been observed to have provided many benefits not only to you and your health, but also to the planet.
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Pizza Preferences Pizza is one of the most favored foods across the globe. Pizza can be personalized so easily; what kind of pizza do LASA students like most? By : Bella Wysocki
Crust: Thick crust — 39% Stuffed crust — 25.4% Thin crust — 25.4% Other — 10.2% Sauce: Marinara — 72.9% Barbecue — 8.5% White Sauce — 1.7% Buffalo Sauce — 1.7% Other — 15.3% First Topping: Pepperoni — 27.1% Mozzarella — 18.6% Chicken — 6.8% Olives — 6.8% Pineapple — 6.8% Canadian Bacon — 6.8% Mushroom — 5.1% Sausage — 5.1% Peppers — 1.7% None — 6.8% Other — 8.5%
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25.4% 39%
10.2%
25.4%
8.5%
1.7% 1.7%
15.3%
72.9%
18.6%
27.1%
Second Topping: Pepperoni — 15.3% Sausage — 11.9% Olives — 10.2% Pineapple — 10.2% Onion — 6.8% Mozzarella — 6.8% Chicken — 5.1% Mushroom — 5.1% Canadian Bacon — 5.1% None — 8.5% Other — 13.6% Favorite Pizza Place: Via 313 — 20.3% Dominos — 13.6% East Side Pies — 10.2% Papa Johns — 8.5% Home Slice — 6.8% MOD Pizza — 6.8% Pinthouse Pizza — 3.4% Pizza Hut — 1.7% Bufalina — 1.7% Little Caesars — 1.7% Other — 22.1%
10.2%
8.5%
15.3%
11.8%
10.2%
20.3%
8.5% 13.6%
Final Pizza:
Sources: LASA Student Survey, conducted Sept, 27-28, 2018 https://ww.thrillist.com/eat/austin/best-pizza-in-austin# https://www.thespruceeats.com/all-about-pizza-2018146
Fall 2018/ The Daily Spread / 17
Wheel of cheese, cut. (Courtesy of Pixabay.)
That’s Pretty Gouda By Zack Disler
You’re walking down the aisles of the supermarket. You make your way down to the dairy section to pick up some milk and on your way, you see cheese. Lots of cheese; the amount of cheese could stun you. They have Gouda, parmesan, blue cheese, goat cheese, aged cheese, mozzarellas, Brie, fromage blanc. Then you may just walk right by them, knowing they’re not on your grocery list, or maybe you’ll pick up some Kraft singles for sandwiches during the week; they’re just so cheap and familiar, costing less than all the other available slices.
In a post about the subject on the Department of Dairy Science website, user Tjhalbach said, “Daily infusions with a chemical commonly associated with feelings of happiness were
“Ch e It h ese as is li an bac ving d m ter . e n But maybe, just maybe, you’ll slow down and take a i o zym ld a second to look through all the fancy cheeses, readc s ult , es ing the labels that advertise how their milk is from u are pasture-raised cows, aged in a natural cavern for 10 res and years, infused with herbs or spices. That may seem bre aliv tha like a lot of fancy stuff, but it doesn’t end there. It may shown seem like a simple thing at first, but cheese is a whole en athe e. Th t v to inlot more complicated than people make it out to be. the iron in th ey crease calcium The world of cheese has many parts to it, from the ch men eir e making to it arriving at someone’s house, it exlevels in it t t e . s A changes many hands. The very beginning of the the blood of fla ake e a s process is the milk. A cheesemaker would find Holstein cows v or s on ges the freshest milk they can, usually from a local and the milk dairy farm, and use that for their cheese. The of and the , of Jersey cows the maker then transforms the milk through a that had just given aro M complicated process to produce the spebirth.” arc cav ma cows thatBecause cific cheese that they want, with minor are treatvariations throughout the process producing ed better are happier, Ku e.” different cheeses. Once the cheese has been made, they produce better eh l it’s ready to sell. milk. This is why artisan Cu
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However, not every cheesemaker has the time or ability to go to every store or customer and tell them about their cheese. That is where the cheesemonger comes in. A cheesemonger is a person who is the expert on cheese. They learn the history of the cheese, the story behind the people who make the cheese, the process used to make it and everything they need to tell a story about the cheese. They use that story to connect the cheese to a buyer, whether it be a chain store that wants to stock its shelves with the cheese or a customer at the cheesemonger’s shop. It’s through this entire process that a cheese is able to make its way through the maker, the monger and finally to you, the customer. The beginning of the process starts with milk. The higher the quality the milk is, the higher quality the cheese will be. This is because it has been shown that there is a connection between the cow’s happiness and the quality of their milk.
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milk from raised because more nutritious milk.
cheese makers seek out cows that are pasture they produce fresher and
A local cheese making company, Brazos Valley Cheese, has talked about where they get their cheese from and why. Cheesemaker for Brazos Valley Cheese Marc Kuehl said, “So we get milk from a local dairy, it’s about 11 miles from us.” Kuehl also said that the cheese you buy at stores probably comes from cows that were kept in confinement and ate feed such as corn instead of grass. “The different seasons and temperatures and weather, as well as the different feed, is available throughout the year to supplement the grass. That all plays into account as far as the finished product and what it’s going to taste like” Kuehl said. The quality of the milk heavily affects the quality of the cheese, so it’s important to make sure to get the highest quality milk
Fall 2018/ The Daily Spread / 19
Cheese aging in rack. (Courtesy of Brazos Valley Cheese.)
when making cheese. Now that you have the milk, you need to turn it into cheese. Alex Palomo, cheesemonger at Antonelli’s Cheese Shop, said, “When you’re making cheese, you start off with fresh milk and, at that point, you add enzymes to it and the enzymes acidify the milk, so they start moving all the ingredients around. Then you have to turn that liquid into a solid, so you add another enzyme in there and that coagulates the milk and turns it into a solid.” This is what the base of the cheese forming process is, what you do after this affects the texture of the cheese. Palomo said that after cheese turns solid, the cheesemaker literally takes knives and cuts the curd, that’s what that solid mass is called, the curd. When you cut the curds you’re removing moisture, when you’re making cheese you don’t want a lot of moisture. Then they shake up the curds and dump those curds up into the basket with holes in it and the holes allow the cheese to drain. Once the curds are kind of formed together into one big mass the cheesemaker can actually pick the wheel out, which is now formed. This is the process that cheesemakers use to transform their milk into a wheel of cheese.
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After the wheel is formed, it’s time to flavor it. This can be done in many different ways, “The new wheel kind of like the base of the cheese and from there you can do different things to it to add flavor, add texture and give it more personality,” Palomo said. Something that a lot of cheese makers do to flavor their cheese is age it. Kuehl said “The cheese sits in the cheese cave for over two months and that’s where it develops its flavor and its texture. Cheese is living. It has bacteria and molds, enzymes and cultures that are alive. They breathe in their environment, As the cheese ages, it takes on the flavor and aroma of the cave.” This is why many cheese flavors can’t be made in different places, because their flavor comes from the special environment that the cheesemaker ages them in. Other options to flavor a cheese are by putting different flavors on or in the cheese itself. “Yeah, so they can definitely add flavor to cheese; you can put rosemary in the cheese, you can have black peppercorns in the cheese, you can even put those flavors on the outside of the cheese; once the wheel is formed, you can rub it in; you can be the cheesemaker to rub coffee grounds and black pepper. It’s really up to the cheesemaker at this point,” Palomo said. By adding different ingredients to the cheese, the cheesemaker can add flavors to the cheese. After the cheese has been made, it’s time for it to be sold. This is the job of the cheesemonger. “A cheesemonger represents the cheesemaker. They represent the cheesemaker behind the cheese chain. They talk to the consumer about the cheeses about edu-
cation you’re talking about the flavor of the cheese you’re telling stories about the cheese, stories about the producer who’s making it, the family, the one person and the co-op is many people. It’s up to the cheesemaker to tell that story and we link the consumer to the producer, we’re the middleman between the maker and the buyer,” Palomo said. The cheesemonger has a large job to do, connecting the buyer and seller as well as telling the story of the cheese. This requires a lot of work. Juliana Wimberley, the Deli/Cheese Manager at Central Market, who became a certified cheesemonger, detailed the process, saying, “I became a certified cheesemonger which is really cool. So I worked in the area for four years, which is required by the American cheese Society. I studied for about a year and a half to take a test up in Wisconsin back in 2013. It’s a 300 question test had three hours to take it. That was five years ago and I passed I got it and I recertify every three years. It’s a lot of work, but it was worth it. I’m happy to have it.” After the cheesemonger, such as Wimberley, has connected the cheese to the buyer, it’s there for you to enjoy. But it’s not always so easy. Wimberly works to sell these cheeses, and it can be challenging. She said, “Education is a struggle, customers want; they have a buzzword and they stick on the buzzword and I try to educate, I don’t want to embarrass them, or I don’t want to give them
information they just don’t want, so it’s a very delicate balance how to educate without turning them off or steering them in a direction they don’t want to go.” It’s important to be open when buying cheese. There are things that may seem unfamiliar when you’re buying cheese, but just in case you’re still hesitant, Wimberly said, “If you want to try something new, you can taste anything in the store before you buy it.’’ Cheese may look simple enough, but that’s far from the truth. It travels from the dairy to the maker, from the maker to the cheesemonger, and from the cheesemonger to you. Cheese goes on a long journey throughout its life, with almost each and every stage rubbing off on it, giving it new flavors, textures and taste. At each stage, the cheese becomes more complex and mature, gaining a history that can give the eater a greater appreciation for the cheese.
Slice of Cheese. (Courtesy of Pixabay)
Entrance to cheese aging cave. (Courtesy of Brazos Valley Cheese.)
Zacks Taco Truck
Welcome to my taco truck! Take a look at our menu (borrowed from Torchy’s Tacos) and see what other people like. Or you could build your own, take a look at the ingredients and their popularity and decide which you like! Have fun!
Build Your Owen!
Taco Menu TrailePark Don't Know Democrat Fried Avacado Beef Fajita Independent Breakfast Taco Tipsy Chick Chicken Fajita Baja Shrimp Migas The Wrangler Crossroads Secret Menu Green Chile Pork Ranch Hand Mr.Orange Lil Nookies
Build your own taco! Choose an ingredient on eack board. Well your at it you can take a look at what other people like. (Percentages out of 130 people)
15.5% 18.6% 4.7% 12.4% 7.8% 9.4% 7% 2.3% 8.5% 6.2% 1.6% 1.6% 3.1% 2.3% .8% .8% .8% .8%
 Â?Â?Â? Â?Â?Â? Â? Â?Â?  Â?ÂÂ?Â
Protien Bacon JALAPEĂ‘O SAUSAGE Fried Fresh Avocado Beef Barbacoa FRIED PORTOBELLO MUSHROOM Fried Shrimp Chicken Fajita Beans Pork Carnitas Eggs Smoked Beef Brisket Beef Fajita GUAJILLO SEARED AHI TUNA Fried Chicken Chorizo GRILLED CHICKEN BREAST Catfish Jamaican Jerk Chicken Blackened Salmon Tofu
€ Â?‚ ƒ„ ƒ„ ƒ Â… Â? Â?Â?  Â?ÂÂ? † ‡ † Â? Â?ˆ ‚‰ Š…€‹ˆ‹  Â?ÂŒ ŽŠ Â?‘ ’ ÂŒ “”•‡Â? Â? ÂŽ Â? – — – Â’ ˜™ — ˜ Â’ ˜ € Â? Â?Â?  Â?ÂÂ?Â
3.9% 2.3% 9.3% 7.8% 4.7% 4.7% 13.2% 3.1% 7% 7.8% 3.9% 13.2% 1.6% 6.2% 3.9% 3.1% .8% .8% .8% .8%
History Of The Taco
The history is a hotly debated topic. The generally accepted origin is suggested by a professor at the Smithsonian, Jeffery M. Pilcher, claims that the taco has its origins in the silver mines where Mexican miners worked. They would roll gunpowder up in a little paper package that they would use to break the rock. They named the tacos after this because they would “explode� in your mouth. Whatever the origin story , they remain a fundamentally Mexican cuisine.
Tortilla Corn Flower
28.1% 71.9%
Toppings Guacamole None Pico de Gallo Sour Cream Cilantro Lime Wedge queso Jalapenos Salsa
31% 11.6% 19.4% 17.1% 10.1% 6.2% 1.6% .8% 2.4%
Vegtable Green Chiles Potato Grilled Corn Fresh Avacado Bean Grilled Onions None Onions Spinach Lettuce Grilled Jalapeno Pickled Onions Escabeche Carrots Cabbage Slaw
5.4% 10.9% 6.2% 18.6% 16.3% 14% 5.4% 2.3% 1.6% 11.6% 3.9% 2.3% .8% .8%
Cheese Don't Know 13.2% Cheddar Jack Cheese 34.1% Cheddar Cheese 32.9% Cotija Cheese 14% All .8% Mexican Blend .8%
Eating and Breaking Pasta Traditions By Cy Strain-Seymour
The main ingredients of any pasta: flour, eggs, and salt. Water is also used for it (Photo by Cy Strain-Seymour).
A
four-thousand-year-old noodle was discovered in 2002 in northwestern China, at the Lajia archaeological site. It was preserved within an overturned bowl sealed to the ground by sediment. Why is this important? Well, not only does it violate the five-second rule, but it also sheds light on a debate regarding which culture invented a wonderful food enjoyed around the world: pasta. Pasta, defined generally, involves mixing unleavened dough made from processed grain with eggs and water. Different kinds of pasta are made all over the world, from fideuĂ in Spain, to orzo in Greece, to noo-
24 / Fall 2018/ The Daily Spread/ 2 / The Daily Spread / Fall 2018
dle soups in China and Southeast Asia, and, of course, to pastas in Italy. Dumplings, a pasta variant, consist of dough wrapped around filling, such as with ravioli, tortellini or gyoza. So why is pasta found is so many different places? Two competing theories have arisen: it was invented by one culture but spread to others, or pasta developed independently in multiple cuisines across the world. If pasta did indeed spread between cultures, one historical figure potentially responsible for the dispersal of this culinary concept was Marco Polo. He may have brought pasta back to Italy after his famous journey to China along the Silk Road. Despite the inherent logic of similar recipes, similar places of origin,
An example of Italian pasta, which is probably the most widely known variety (Photo by Cy Strain-Seymour.)
the Marco Polo theory is most likely untrue, in light of evidence of pastas dating back to Roman times. The Muslim geographer al-Idrisi writing during the twelfth century, a hundred years before Marco Polo’s famed journey, describes pasta in Sicily. Considering another theory that the Arabs brought pasta to Sicily even earlier, we may find tracing pasta’s origin as tangled as a plate of vermicelli. The other theory is that pasta developed independently in different locales, due to convenience and common ingredients. Pasta and noodles can be made from semolina or millet, like the noodles found at Laija. These ingredients, often left over from other uses of harvested grain, are otherwise inedible. Thus, noodles utilized more of the grain to avoid waste. Another advantage is pasta’s ability to be dried — what the Italians call pasta secca — and then stored for longer periods of time than possible with other grain prod-
ucts, like bread. Additionally, pasta’s ingredients are simple and readily available in many places: flour, and water, and usually eggs. For pastoral nomads, theorized to be inventors of some pastas such as manti, dumplings and noodles were very convenient. Just put them in a pack, pack up your yurt, and ride off on your horse. Regardless of origin, pasta recipes around the world have passed from generation to generation, with stories and traditions accumulating around them. Embedded in such stories is an insistence on tradition in a way that is revealing about the culture from which the recipe comes. An apt example involves a little-known type of dumpling: khinkali. Khinkali hails from the country of Georgia in the Caucasus bordering Russia and
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Armenia. Like other pasta dishes from around the world, khinkali is steeped in tradition. Large groups, even entire villages, would gather to make khinkali. The dumpling is eaten with your bare hands. Using utensils is considered rude, or at least a sure sign that you are a tourist. A fact to remember while eating khinkali is that the dumpling is boiled in flavorful broth, which gets trapped inside. With the first bite, you must suck out this juice or risk a cascade of liquid flavor dripping down your chin. You then eat the rest of the dumpling except the top, which is tougher than the rest. This dumpling stem is discarded on the plate, to keep an accurate count of how many dumplings have been consumed. Another dumpling from that part of the world is manti, which has existed for thousands of years in pastoral nomadic societies and continues to be enjoyed in Turkey and Central Asia. Aslihan Mutlu, who runs a cooking school in Turkey, describes the dish’s ingredients and cultural traditions: She says it is a “very simple dough that is made with flour, egg, salt and
“Manti is one of the most appreciated meals by everyone” —Aslihan Mutlu water filled with minced meat.” It comes in different shapes including triangles, half-spheres and tortellini shapes. The shape often depends on the cook’s region of origin. Manti preparation is laborious, so an extended family makes it together, typically directed by the household’s grandmother. Mutlu says that manti is reserved for festive meals since it is time-consuming but it is still one of the meals most appreciated
Fideua, a Spanish pasta. You can see the sea food and noodles inside (Photo by Cy Strain-Seymour).
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by everyone. In some areas, a bride is expected to prepare manti for her soon-to-be mother-in-law, who judges her cooking skill. The bride’s dumplings should be so small that 40 manti will fit on a spoon! One dish from Valencia in Spain, fideuà, resembles paella but replaces rice with noodles. A story about its origin suggests that, once upon a time, a paella-adoring ship captain would eat first, never leaving enough paella to satisfy his crew. The ship’s cook
“We don’t use a lot of beef in the restaurant partly because it’s a drain on the environment” —Adam Orman made paella with noodles instead in hopes that the captain would eat less. Sadly for the crew, the captain liked it even more. And so, fideuà was born, or so the story goes. Another noodle dish, cacio e pepe, has historically been made in Rome and parts of northern Italy. The noodles, typically spaghetti or another thin noodle made from semolina, are fairly conventional. As the “pepe” in the dish’s name suggests, the noodles are sprinkled with black pepper. What makes the dish distinctive is that it is served inside a wheel of cheese. The noodles are stirred inside the wheel coating them with melted cheese. The recipe cut out the inconve-
Cacio e pepe inside a bowl of cheese. The pasta is inside and has black pepper on top (Photo by Cy Strain-Seymour).
nience of a serving bowl, with the cheese wheel used repeatedly until no cheese remained. And the recipe worked with what was available. With few cows found in the hills of Italy, it was made with goat cheese. While chefs and diners enjoy sharing the rich cultural traditions associated with these recipes, other chefs strive to break from tradition. One example is the Austin, Texas restaurant L’Oca d’Oro. Adam Orman, L’Oca d’Oro co-owner, provides examples of traditional dishes reimagined. For example. rigatoni alla genovese is traditionally made with red wine, tomato, and a tremendous amount of onions that are cooked down for a really long time, and beef. They don’t use a lot of beef in the restaurant partly because it’s a drain on the environment. He said that instead, they use pork from a local producer “who raises these really beau-
The sign for Pasta and Co. hangs outside the local Austin pasta shop. Pasta and Co. tries to use local ingredients and sometimes changes traditional recipes (Photo by Cy Strain-Seymour).
tiful heirloom pigs that have a tremendous amount of really good fat.”
breaking with tradition is Pasta & Co. Many of Pasta & Co.’s sauces and flavored pastas utilize techniques and ingredients that go back hundreds of years, such as the use of roasted butternut squash in ravioli. But other Pasta & Co. originals are adapted to local Texas flavors and ingredients, or just modern tastes, such as a truffle vegan flavor or cheddar and leaks, which they make just for the taste, according to co-owner Sheryl Simpson. So while the jury may still be out on who invented pasta and whether chefs should delight in tradition or break from it, diners from around the world seem to agree that pasta — dumplings and noodles alike — are worth raising one’s fork (or chopsticks) to.
Another machine used for making noodles. The dough goes in through the top and out through different “filters” with different shaped holes that shape the dough to make different kinds of noodles (Photo by Cy Strain-Seymour).
Another Austin business demonstrating the benefit of
A machine for making noodles inside Pasta and Co.’s kitchen. It is used to make long, flat sheets of pasta that are later cut to make noodles (Photo by Cy Strain-Seymour).
Several different common types of dried pasta (Photo by Cy Strain-Seymour).
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Around the World in eight Pastas Cy Strain-Seymour
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3 Ingredient Recipes
by Dylan Levy imple and easy recipes are necessary components for the busy lifestyles of Austinites. When three ingredient recipes became popular, the country was shocked, due to the simplicity and taste, especially for the people who aren’t the best cooks or chefs. Three ingredient recipes have changed the lifestyles for many people by including simpleness with the oftentimes “scary seeming” cooking. Many parents don’t look forward to cooking meals for their children throughout their eventful lives, and due to this, three ingredient recipes have changed the face of breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert for a lot of the country. After interviewing a few chefs who work in different categories, it was shown that those who are professionals, or have more knowledge about cooking and baking, know less about the popular, simpler, three ingredient recipes. “If three ingredients are approachable enough to get started, I’m all for it!” Kerstin Bellah, Pastry Chef at Uchiko states when talking about three ingredients recipes. Bellah said these recipes can be stepping stones for those who are interested in learning more about cooking and baking.
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Avocado toast on display (Courtesy of Pexabay)
Shawn Cirkiel, Head Chef and owner of many Austin restaurants, has a similar opinion to Bellah in that three ingredient recipes are a source for beginning cooking or baking, “We do all sorts of fun and easy things in the restaurants and at home and I think that any time you can get anyone involved in doing a process, even if it’s simplified, they learn something, right? You learn something like learning how to cook a little bit or learning how to bake or learning how to grow and I think it really helps you and gets you perspective that’s maybe not as difficult as other things and that’s okay too!” According to Ex-Executive Pastry Chef at Contigo, Kendall Melton, “There’s a phase for everything. Sure, it’s easy, but the joys of cooking can be found in a bit more intricacy, I have made something from one of these types of recipes once or twice with friends for a casual evening of games, but it’s been less intentional than direct recipe following usually”. Melton says she has experimented with three ingredient recipes, differing from the other chefs, but the experimentation she attempted was never very official. She has never looked up a recipe and followed every direction given, Melton was more testing things out and seeing how they went. In the kitchen, these qualified chefs enjoy using fewer ingredients. “I prefer to cook with fewer ingredients. I think that you try to find a good expression of whatever you’re trying to do by using simple ingredients,” Cirkiel says. But, many times, limiting a chefs ingredients can lead to more trouble than recipes with a lot more ingredients do. Chefs do, of course, cook for their families, “At home, I tend to do
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very simple kind of things,” Cirkiel says. Professional cooks or chefs often time have two different personalities, one for when cooking or baking at home for themselves, friends and family, versus cooking or baking in their restaurants. Because these chefs cook or bake differently for different audiences, the source of the ingredients they use differs as well. Where the ingredients being used in the meals one may eat in restaurants come from play a large role in the meals created, and the meals served. Also, ingredients play a huge role in three ingredient recipes because one has to use so few.
fresher, the simpler, and the fewer ingredients a recipe contains, the better tasting the result is, and the healthier the food is. Another great part of three ingredient recipes is that when fewer ingredients are used for a meal, the more healthy and real that meal is. For instance, prepackaged things from the grocery store have a the list of ingredients that goes on and on. When a homemade recipe is made, all of the ingredients used are known by the cook. Also, for most three ingredient savory recipes, the list of ingredients consists of a protein, vegetable, and a spice or sauce. There is no way to be unhealthy when using such minimalistic ingredients. As Melton says, “Something simple with beautiful ingredients and unique produce is always more satisfying.” Chef Kendall sums up three ingredient recipes by sharing this valid and important message.
“Something simple with beautiful ingredients and unique produce is always more satisfying.“ --Kendall Melton-Cinnamon crumble cake with a dollop of whipped cream.
If only three ingredients used, it is probably best Photo by are Kendall Melton. that one chooses each of those ingredients very carefully. The origin of ingredients really influences the final product. According to Melton, “The food industry is a gigantic for profit business. Finding the items that come from smaller, local farms; flours from local millers; cheeses from local dairies — all of these are more conscious purchases for me, and always better quality.” Melton is saying that good ingredients can come both from local businesses in and around Austin so she prefers to buy and use ingredients from those places. Especially for three ingredient recipes, the quality of the ingredients will have a huge effect on the final product because of the small number of ingredients and the large quantity in which they are used. The
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Waffle-pressed mozzarella topped with a muligrain rice cracker and other garnishes. Photo by Kerstin Bellah.
Through taking a bigger step into the opinions and knowledge of these chefs, it was learned that the more complex a recipe is, doesn’t necessarily make that meal more delicious. What really matters is the origin of the ingredients, the quality of the ingredients, and the overall usage of the ingredients. Three ingredient recipes can be used in many situations, if it be in a home kitchen, or the restaurant kitchen, they are very versatile and don’t need to be restricted to minimal usage. Chefs and bakers many times cook with very minimal ingredients, oblivious to three ingredient recipes, more so out of creativity and simplicity. Three ingredient recipes are great for every scenario life might throw at one, a busy work day and no time to cook for kids, or even the most elegant dinner at the nicest restaurant in town.
“If three
ingredients are approachable enough to get started, I’m all for it!” --Kerstin Bellah--
Freshly baked apple pastry tossed in cinnamon sugar. Photo by Kerstin Bellah.
Pasta and other ingredients. (Courtesy of Pexebay)
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The Best of the Best Austin’s two most distinguishing factors put together as one at Austin City Limits By Dylan Levy
42.3%
57.7%
Key YES NO
This graph shows the opinions of LASA students who have been to ACL on whether or not the food offered at ACL inuences the overall ACL experience
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Offerings at ACL this year vs. Top 10 Food Trucks in Austin Bananarchy Chi’lantro BBQ East Side King Micklethewait Torchy’s Tacos Mighty Cone Peached Tortilla Juiceland Blenders & Bowls
Mighty Cone Bananarchy Gourdough’s East Side King Micklethewait Chi’lantro BBQ Hey Cupcake Torchy’s Tacos Holla Mode
As seen in the graphic above, many of Austin’s favorite food trucks made an appearance at ACL this year.
Austin
[aw-stuh n]
1.) Live music capital of the world 2.) FOOD TRUCKS!!! 3.) Capital of Texas
+
=
SOURCES: Austin City Limits Music Festival, 2017, ACL Music Festival, aclfestival.com Food Trucks and Live Music, 2018, Google Forms, google.com 10 Food Trucks You Need to Visist in Austin, TX, 2014, Oath Inc., huffingtonpost.com
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Letters From the Editors Cy Strain-Seymour was born in Atlanta, Georgia but lives in Austin Texas. Cy likes to be eating fairly regularly and he thoroughly enjoys it, so he has decided to do a magazine on food. Some of his two favorite foods are cheese and pasta but Zack Disler had already taken cheese but it’s okay because pasta’s fun and tastes good and is easy to do too, so he has chosen to make a feature article on pasta. He also likes pasta and it tastes good. He has had pasta before and he has had several kinds of it and he likes to be eating pasta.
Dylan Levy, a born and raised Austinite, is the only of her group members who was born in Texas, and more specifically, Austin. Food has made a big impact on Dylan’s whole life since she has grown up in a town that whose culture is partially defined by the food that is locally served. Dylan wanted to be in a group that could dive deeper into the background of a big part of Austin, so she chose to work with those who wished the same. Furthermore, foods with few ingredients catch her attention, and that is why she chose her feature article to be about three ingredient recipes.
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Ayla Clem has lived and visited many places in the U.S. such as Chicago, St. Louis, and Orlando. Ayla was born originally in Fort Smith, Arkansas, but was raised in Austin, Texas. She moved to Carbondale, Illinois for a year with her mom and twin sister. After spending her life in these places, Ayla has experienced many different types of restaurants. She has always wondered about why these restaurants are run in different ways and why some are more popular and successful than others because of this. When Ayla’s group decided to make a cooking magazine, Ayla jumped at the opportunity to right about just that.
Bella Wysocki was born in Seattle, Washington, but grew up in Austin, Texas. When Bella moved to Austin, she noticed how food was an important part of Austin’s culture. Bella has been interested in food ever since, and wanted to be in a group that also wanted to create a culinary themed magazine. She decided to write her feature article on vegan/vegetarian diets. Her sister is vegetarian, and this has always intrigued her, so she decided to look further into the diets. Her article goes into depth about the two diets, and gives quotations from vegan or vegetarian chefs.
Zack Disler was born in Bethesda, Maryland, but lived most of his early life in Colorado Springs with his sister and two mothers. He moved to Austin, TX when he was 6 years old; there he was immersed in the vibrant culture of good food and live music. He’s spent 8 years learning and sampling the divers spread of food that austin offers, so when his magazine group decided on a food magazine he felt more than prepared. He was inspired by the story of a family friends son, who had become a professional cheesemonger, to write an article about cheese. Fall 2018/The Daily Spread/3 Fall 2018/ The Daily Spread / 37
Thank you so much for reading our magazine! We hope you enjoyed reading this magazine, we had so much fun creating it. Each one of us learned so much throughout the process. With love, Dylan, Bella, Zack, Cy, and Ayla