Category: Whatcha Eatin’?
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Whatcha Eatin’? Honeycomb
Besides sugar, honey is perhaps the most familiar sweetener we know and love. And most of us also probably know that honeycomb (and the honey that comes with it) is produced by bees. But what are the details of the process, and how is UTD involved? To answer these questions, my friend and fellow editor…
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Whatcha Eatin’? Menudo
I’ve eaten a lot of pretty weird things in my life — cow feet, goat brains and jelly fish, just to name a few. As weird as they may sound, they’re commonplace for me now that I’ve eaten them many times. This time, I had the opportunity to add cow’s stomach to my list. This…
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Whatcha Eatin’? American Classics
Some of the most beloved foods in American cuisine are simple but interesting and unique. A combination of fruit puree and peanut paste between slices of bread makes a delicious staple in millions of kids’ lunchboxes. Breaded pieces of chicken soaked in hot oil are essentials at family picnics and cookouts. A sinfully tangy but…
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Whatcha Eatin’? Kimchi
Call me crazy, but I adore all things fermented, such as miso, kombucha or sauerkraut. Beyond the fact that eating fermented food offers a number of health benefits, fermented food just tastes more robust and interesting. The only dish I hadn’t tried was kimchi, a popular South Korean fermented vegetable dish. Kimchi originated in the…
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Whatcha Eatin’? Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year is an extremely important holiday for Chinese people and is celebrated worldwide. It’s based on the Chinese lunar calendar, which existed since 14th century B.C., and lasts about 15 days, from the end of January to the end of February. Each year is represented by one of 12 animals which rotate every…
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Whatcha Eatin’? Middle Eastern Food
I’ve grown up eating Middle Eastern food at restaurants and parties because it’s my family’s favorite cuisine apart from our own Pakistani food. I was very familiar with the usual dishes such as gyros, kabobs, hummus and pita. This episode, I was introduced to three Middle Eastern foods I’d somehow never had before — tabbouleh,…
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Whatcha Eatin’? Cameroonian Food
Although African cuisine in general has been significantly influenced by centuries of colonialism, it still remains fairly unique compared to other cuisines in neighboring continents and countries. This episode, I had the opportunity to make a traditional Cameroonian dish, eru, with fellow Mercury staffer Cindy Folefack. Contrary to what I believed, eru is actually pronounced…
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Whatcha Eatin’? Brazilian Food
My knowledge of South American cuisine is, unfortunately, quite limited and mostly consists of what I’ve seen in pop culture and other forms of media. However, when I was approached by former Mercury staff member and friend Madeleine Keith about trying Brazilian food, I found I had much more to learn than I thought. As…
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Pakora: Deep-fried vegetables
This weekend, we traveled down to the campus dorms to whip up a little something for ourselves to try — pakoras and chai. Pakoras are a deep-fried vegetable snack and chai is a South Asian tea made with milk and brown sugar. Together, these foods form a delightful pair and making them was an enjoyable…
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Military food: Meals ready to eat
Two weeks ago, I thought military food was bland, tasteless and solely there to provide ample calories and nutrients for soldiers at war. While military food does serve the last purpose, it’s not actually as awful as I expected it to be. Military food comes in the form of “meals ready to eat,” more commonly…