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By: William Bocholis,
on 9/30/2016
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An emerging field in the area of nutrition and cancer is the role of whole grains in cancer prevention. In a world where carbohydrates, particularly refined sources, are increasingly viewed as the culprit for obesity and associated chronic disease, are whole grains the safest carbohydrate to recommend for cancer prevention? Currently, consuming a plant-based diet containing whole grain foods is part of the American Cancer Society
The post Whole grains for cancer prevention? Take the evidence with a grain… of salt appeared first on OUPblog.
By: Connie Ngo,
on 11/26/2014
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What started as a simple festival celebrating the year’s bountiful harvest has turned into an archetypal American holiday, with grand dinners featuring savory and sweet dishes alike. Thanksgiving foods have changed over the years, but there are still some iconic favorites that have withstood time. Hover over each food below in this interactive image and find out more about their role in this day of feasting:
What are your favorite Thanksgiving dishes? Let us know in the comments below!
The post A look at Thanksgiving favorites appeared first on OUPblog.
THE FRENCH BREAD
by Eleanor Tylbor
SCENE:
SUPERMARKET BAKERYAT RISE:
A FEMALE SHOPPER ARRIVES IN THE BAKERY AREA. LOOKS OVER THE ALMOST-EMPTY BREAD DISPLAYFEMALE SHOPPER
(quietly to herself while squeezing all the breads)
This is like...so pathetic. Bread is at least two days old and this one is broken in three places. Who would buy it
(another shopper arrives)SHOPPER 1
No bread, yet?
FEMALE SHOPPER
A couple of left over 2-day old breads. They should remove them
SHOPPER 1
(bending over to look)
That happens as a result of shoppers squeezing the breads to see if they're fresh. Too many fingers pushing in one spot and the breads break in half Look - you can see the finger indentations.
FEMALE SHOPPER
Um...yeah...I see...but how else can you tell if the bread is fresh?
SHOPPER 1
Problem is that everyone squeezes the bread in the same place and this is the end result. Some shoppers have no respect for others. A squeeze here and a squeeze there...
FEMALE SHOPPERS
(uncomfortable)
Of course you're right... Looks like there's fresh bread baking in the oven. I love the smell of fresh baking bread. Don't you?
SHOPPER 1
...they'll end up having to throw out the bread of course. Disgusting with all the starving people in the world!
FEMALE SHOPPER
(looking even more uncomfortable)
Beautiful weather we're having. It's about time what with all that rain
SHOPPER 1
It's those same people that open up the strawberry boxes and exchange berries to make sure they have the best one's.
FEMALE SHOPPER
Disgusting! Some people...! Did you happen to notice if the strawberries on sale, perchance?
(another shopper arrives)SHOPPER 2
Bread not ready?
FEMALE SHOPPER
Nope. Guess the bakers aren't rising to the occasion (laughs)
(the other two shoppers stare at her)
(cont'd) A little humor while we wait...obviously very little...
SHOPPER 1
We were just discussing how people over-squeeze the French bread to death causing it to break in half
FEMALE SHOPPER
Oh look! Here comes the baker. 'I'll take two white baguettes,
sil vous plait' BAKER
Attendez - c'est trop chaud
SHOPPER 1
What he say?
FEMALE SHOPPER
Haven't the slightest idea. I memorized my sentence from a French phrase book when I planned a trip to France
SHOPPER 1
Two whole wheat breads, please
FEMALE SHOPPER
Sil vous plait
SHOPPER 1
What?
FEMALE SHOPPER
That's French for 'please'
SHOPPER 2
Same for me
BAKER
Too hot. You must wait ten minutes for cool
FEMALE SHOPPER
How about you hand it over and we'll blow on it?
BAKER
Par-don? I know understand
FEMALE SHOPPER
A joke. You know...ha-ha-? Any-way, how about those over there on the trays? They look cool
BAKER
They are freeze. They must bake in oven
FEMALE SHOPPER
Look baked to me. Do they look baked to you, ladies?
SHOPPER 1
If he says they're not cooked... Why would he lie?
FEMALE SHOPPER
I dunno. Maybe he's saving them for friends. Look...sir. I'll take my chances with the hot bread. I promise you I'll be very careful. Really. I respect your French bread and won't abuse it. In fact, if you just put it in bags and hand it over, I'll put it in a safe place in my shopping cart where it can cool off, while I shop. I'm sure the other shoppers will also respect your bread. Right ladies?
SHOPPER 1
I can wait.
SHOPPER 2
Me too.
(SHOPPER 1 AND SHOPPER 2 walk away)
FEMALE SHOPPER
If you would give me my breads?
(he hands over the breads. She grabs them from the middle and they bend in half)(cont'd) Oh no! A catastrophe has occurred!
(she replaces the broken breads in the empty bread display)BAKER
Madam - your breads!
FEMALE SHOPPER
(pushing her shopping cart away
Neh! Changed my mind. You bakers take your breads so seriously
Food, like water, is life, but how many eat simply to stay alive? Food does more for us than simply sustain life, and in fantasy fiction it can do the same.
When my coauthor and I set out to write
The Duchess of the Shallows, we knew instantly that Duchess' past life as a baker was important. She is a baker by trade, because bread is food that is enjoyed by both commoners and high born, even if the food itself isn't any different. The "presence" of that food gave Duchess an air of being in two worlds at once, which factored heavily into the outcome of both that novel and the series in general. As bread is a food eaten throughout the real world we know, so it is eaten throughout the fantasy, fog-bound city of Rodaas. The selling of that bread took Duchess all along its winding streets and alleys, setting up a potential network of allies and contacts she would need to help her with the heist she planned. Finally, but how better to help readers connect with the hero than to have her triumph by the small knowledge of flour and yeast?
An unwritten rule of fantasy is that the details of the world-building must be "realistic", which among other things means that the food the characters eat must be something you'd expect to find in medieval Europe. I have never quite understood why it's "realistic" for a medieval-style world to contain dragons but not, say, coffee. Yes, yes, I know that particular beverage didn't make its way to Europe until the 16th century at the earliest, but dragons never got there at all and no one complains about that. So I ignore that rule because why not.
In my second novel,
The Fall of Ventaris, two characters who are anything but wealthy buy and share an orange. Although one could argue that such a fruit was an unaffordable treat in their world, I liked the idea of two people walking through a crowded marketplace, tearing wedges from an orange they passed back and forth. There was a certain camaradarie inherent in that image, one that trumped any sense of "realism."
Food is an experience we all share, and there is something comforting about both the way food is prepared and the way it is served. Duchess uses bread-making to calm her nerves and clear her mind before braving the dangers of the estate of Baron Eusbius. Later in the series, a feast is a welcome interlude before the climactic events in the imperial palace, events Duchess herself has secretly engineered. Some of the food she eats there – ripe pears and spicy sausage – is familiar, and the some – like the exotic bataya – is beyond her experience, but all of it helps ground her before the dangers to come. She eats this meal with persons of power, and yet the ritual of eating together makes her feel a part of a group that, under normal circumstances, would not deign to be in the same room with something they think so ignobly born.
Fiction, to me, is as necessary to life as food, and food is as much of an adventure as fiction. The two together – well, for me they make something truly fantastic.
Thanks for stopping by to share your food for thought, Neil!
You can find Neil and his books here:
Flavouring Fantasy
by Chantal Boudreau
Food isn’t necessarily the first thing that you think of when you think of fantasy... or the second thing... or the third or fourth thing. In fact, superseded by monsters and magic, warriors and weapons, it may be ignored altogether in the typical fantasy novel.
Understandably, food isn’t likely to play an integral role in the usual fantasy plot, which is why there is little focus placed on what and how things are eaten in many fantasy stories. But considering world-building is the cornerstone of fantasy fiction, and food is often a factor of ceremony, culture and social interactions, it makes sense that the concept of who tends to eat what and when be addressed as part of the backdrop of the tale. Fantasy writers often describe religions, political systems, architecture and flora and fauna. Food is just another way of flavouring the fiction.
This can be an especially useful tool if the fantasy in question is based on existing myths or cultures, as a means of highlighting this connection. For example, if the fantasy touches on the Middle East, one might expect to see figs, goat cheese and falafel, or if it is a northern tale, the writer might have characters feasting on seal or caribou meat (or the fantasy equivalent.) In my novel Magic University, which finds its basis in medieval Europe as is common to many fantasy novels, the typical fare is ale, bread, smoked meats and cheese, and fruits or vegetables one could expect to see growing in the average European garden.
Researching this component of a story is not that difficult in today’s day and age. You can even find books that specifically discuss what might be eaten in a fantasy setting, such as What Kings Ate and Wizards Drank by Krista D. Ball. There are also cookbooks available that are based on existing fantasy series, such as Leaves from the Inn of the Last Home (Otik’s spicy fried potatoes is a favourite of mine) based on the Dragonlance series or Nanny Ogg’s Cookbookbased on the Discworld series, just to give you a few ideas.
It also makes sense to include examples of food and drink as part of both plot and character development, giving the writer another means to an end. For example, in the opening scene of Magic University (the first book in my Masters and Renegades fantasy series), there is a small skirmish between Reid Blake’s imp, Stiggle and the dwarven competitor, Shetland, which is instigated by food. The function of the scene is two-fold. It creates a tension between Stiggle and Shetland that persists throughout the novel, allowing for later scenes of discord that exist mostly for comic relief. It also introduces Shetland’s obsession with food and drink, part of his character development which shows itself again several times in the story.
Food can be used to distinguish one setting from another, as well. A grubby pub for commoners will have very different items on the menu than an upscale tavern intended for higher-class patrons. Along with a description of decor and existing customers, a description of the food and drink being offered and served can help set the tone of the establishment. In Magic University, each competition Way Station is being hosted by a different wizard, who provides refreshments that match their personality. The variety of food and drink found at each Way Station not only tells readers something about the Way Station attendant, but also adds to the particular ambiance of the Way Station.
Along with general plot and character development, food can also provide an opportunity to flush out the more unusual plot elements and distinct characters. A fantasy novel may contain characters with very particular feeding needs, something that adds to the novelty and fantastical nature of that character. One of my characters in Magic University, Ebon, is a person who exists trapped between two dimensions due to an accident that occurred when he was apprenticed to a Renegade wizard. Rather than feeding the way most people do, he draws his sustenance from magical energies, draining power from magical spells or items in the process. As he puts it: “I still appreciate a good meal, on a purely aesthetical level. It is just something that is unnecessary. I draw my energy from other sources.” I even include one scene where his feeding needs interfere with his goals.
As you can see, there are many reasons a fantasy writer would want to incorporate food into a story. If you’ve never really contemplated the role food can and does play in well-written fantasy, you may want to give it a go. Consider it food for thought.Thanks for stopping by to share your food for thought, Chantal!
Chantal Boudreau is an accountant/author/illustrator who lives in Nova Scotia, Canada with her husband and two children. A member of the Horror Writers Association, she writes and illustrates horror, dark fantasy and fantasy and has had several of her stories published in a variety of horror anthologies and magazines. Fervor, her debut dystopian novel, was released in March of 2011 by May December Publications, followed by Elevation, Transcendence, and Providence. Magic University, the first in her fantasy series, Masters & Renegades, made its appearance in September 2011 followed by Casualties of War and Prisoners of Fate.You can find Chantal and her books here:
In my last post I related my bread baking past and told you about Peter Reinhart’s amazing book The Bread Baker’s Apprentice (see “Give us this day, our daily bread”). In today’s post, I thought I would share with you some of the things I learnt from this book.
Mixing and kneading is not the first step. I had always throught that it was. You get your ingredients, mix ‘em together and start kneading. No! According to Reinhart, the flavour of a bread will be greatly improved with an earlier step called a pre-ferment. There are a number of different pre-fermenting options, ranging in complexity. In the most basic version you mix together your yeast, some of your flour and some of your water. Then you leave it to ferment for an hour or so, until you start to see a little bubbling. This releases the flavours locked in the complex wheat molecules within the flour. After you’ve done this, you can add the rest of your ingredients and continue with mixing and kneading.
The pre-ferment.
Reinhart reckons that any loaf of bread, no matter the recipe, can be improved by adding this step. And you know what? He’s right! I’ve now taken several of my favourite bread recipes and added this step and the difference is definitely there. Much tastier bread!
The finished product.
I never realised that shaping was important… but it is. There is a section in The Bread Baker’s Apprentice about shaping, taking you through the steps for various different types of loaves and rolls. It’s all about surface tension. This is so important, not just to the look of a loaf or roll, but to the texture of the crust.
French bread. It is so distinctive, with its crusty crust and the uneven holes in the crumb (that’s the technical term for the inside part of the bread). The crusty crust is created with steam. In a commercial kitchen this is achieved by pressing a button on the oven, which releases jets of steam. Of course, domestic ovens don’t come with this option. But Reinhart tells you how to achieve the same effect with a tray of water and a spray bottle. Yes, it’s a little fiddly… but so worth the effort. Take a look at this…
Mind you, although my crust was absolute perfection, my crumb was far from ideal. It had the small even holes of a sandwich loaf instead of the large variable holes of traditional French bread. I know what I did wrong… too much degassing. I will be more careful the next time.
In addition to the techniques I’ve mentions, this book also has lots of practical little hints. For example, as much as I like corn bread, I’ve always been a little disappointed with the too-firm texture the corn meal (polenta) gives the bread. Reinhart’s solution — soak the corn meal overnight before making the bread. Simple! Genius! Why hadn’t I thought of that?
Here are a few more of my breads…
Whether you’re wanting to learn about the bread making process or simply looking for some great recipes, this is the book for you. And it doesn’t matter what stage you’re at with your baking. There is a lot in there for the beginner as well as the accomplished home baker.
As my bread baking experience increases and my loaves improve, I feel that I may actually be approaching the status of Bread Baker’s Apprentice.
Catch ya later, George
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By:
Claudette Young,
on 5/11/2012
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Courtesy of BJ Jones Photography
SAD is in full-swing this month. That’s my MNINB group’s May challenge: Submit a piece A Day. So far I’m batting a thousand.
I’d just finished sending off a piece of Flash Fiction to Ether Books this morning when I became time conscious. What’s that? It means I got a closer look at the time and realized I still had zucchini bread to make before going into anything further.
You knew about the cookbook I’m writing, didn’t you? I’m just now getting around to putting together the recipes I’m responsible for in the book. We need to have all of the modified and personally designed recipes finished in a couple of weeks so that I can get them plugged into the manuscript. Anyone who thinks writing a cookbook is easy should watch Julie and Julia. It has nightmare potential.
I’m fortunate. I only have responsibility for a few of the recipes, aside from doing the editing. My two partners have borne the brunt of the cooking endeavors, and one of those—sister of mine—is doing all the photos. Can’t beat that with a stick, to quote grandpa.
I was using a newly developed recipe for my Zucchini-Oatmeal Nut Bread and it turned out beautifully. The whole-ground wheat flour kept it a deep golden brown as it rose in the oven. The apple sauce replacing the oil in our healthy version sent its aroma wafting across the kitchen seeking nostrils for appreciation. That nuttiness of crushed walnuts lent its own aspect to the bread’s prospective deliciousness.
Back to the point: the bread was doing its thing in the oven along with a tray of tiny Bundt pans of bread batter. While they baked, I rode the recumbent bike, listened to the radio playing in the background, and thought about those items still on my editorial calendar for the day.
Karaoke thoughts entered the picture when the radio came on. We don’t have such a machine. We do it the old-fashioned way, personal memory and raw voice. We choose not to use a microphone. No one in his right mind would want to hear us sing anyway.
Which brings me back to the bike. I try to do three plus miles a day on the bike. When I’m pedaling, I use the time to plan out stories, read writer’s magazines, or plot schedules. Getting organized will bring about such aberrations of thought.
And what I was considering today was how much like cooking writing really is. A recipe is nothing more than a plot, with a beginning, middle, and ending.
The ingredients list represents all of those necessary characters, each with dimensional measurements and traits. The setting and plot twists appear in the directions for combining all of those ingredients. Bowls are involved. Mixers take precedence over the future of the ingredients, all the while a specific order of action must be followed, so that the plot is satisfied, and t
By:
Paula Becker,
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Just for the heck of it, I took pics of one of today’s snacks and lunch.
Snack: Crunchy home-made cashew butter on a slice of honey, raisin & hazelnut bread next to a fruit medley consisting of apple, orange and banana segments, topped with blackberries and wild blueberries.
Lunch: Lasagna with a side of seasoned and steamed [...]
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Okay, I am driving along and I see a bumpersticker that says, "Make Bread, Not War." I thought that was clever. I think Robert Fulghum has the right idea too. What follows almost sounds like a prose poem. I love the imagery too...Yes, this sould be the next secret weapon of choice... "Maybe we should develop a Crayola bomb as our next secret weapon. A happiness weapon. A beauty bomb. And every time a crisis developed, we would launch one. It would explode high in the air - explode softly - and send thousands, millions, of little parachutes into the air. Floating down to earth - boxes of Crayolas. And we wouldn't go cheap, either - not little boxes of eight. Boxes of sixty-four, with the sharpener built right in. With silver and gold and copper, magenta and peach and lime, amber and umber and all the rest. And people would smile and get a little funny look on their faces and cover the world with imagination."
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The world itself has become hectic and life a fast-forward motion picture. Wherever one goes, everything must be done speedily. This is because nowadays, almost in all families, both parents go to work, departing early and arriving late. The indoors work is thus kept pending. Beforehand, the speed of life was not so emphasized upon. Only the husband was the bread-winner and so the housewife had all the time to cook, clean and complete the household chores. Today, the parents, after a hard day’s work, must speed up and prepare something to eat for their children. People, therefore, have to follow the new trend and adjust to a new lifestyle.
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The on-the-move lifestyle includes the eating of fast food among others. But even if “fast food” as we call it, people do not have time to eat a rounder properly; they either gulp it behind the driving wheel or eat it watching the television at the same time. To speed themselves up and save time, people make use of sophisticated machines such as microwaves to cook food quickly, portable computers to complete office work…. After a speedy week, to supposedly relax themselves, people listen to music now – quick, hasty music. It is the hard rock and technos. This music is a great contrast to the old ones that were the real relaxing music.
These small factors contribute to big inventions, speeding the transport rate. Long ago, there were ox carts and slow trains as means of transport. With the evolution of science and technology and due to the speed revolution, buses, cars, motorcycles, aeroplanes as well as super-jet trains travelling at two hundred kilometres per hour were introduced. Their need of fast transport then was satisfied. As their burden of work grew heavier, the need of a quick means of communication was also felt.
Scientists and inventors put their heads together. To support the level of speed of life and promote development, they abolished the hand-over of letters on horse-backs and established the links between one place and the whole world. Speed developed the fax, email methods. Through speed, the distance between the countries of the world is now lessened and so this helps the economic development of countries.
Speed may prove to be dangerous also. The speed of a car, an aeroplane, a ship can endanger the lives of many people, if not properly controlled. Cases of accidents where people had died are numerous. For instance, the well-known ship “Titanic” sank as a result of sailing at full speed and thus inevitably crash into an iceberg. How rightly has one stated that “haste makes waste”.
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