#64. Eat at new ethnic restaurants (Korean, Vietnamese, Filipino, Jamaican)

Growing up in Northern Kentucky did not provide a lot of chances for experiencing cultural diversity. The town I grew up in was about 98% Caucasian and for 16 years I went to Catholic schools that had about the same demographic. Thus, I spent the first 22 years of my life living in some sort of bubble where everyone looked the same, thought the same, worshiped the same, and ate the same. I ate steak, fried chicken, hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken tenders, fried fish, French fries, ice cream, and Snicker bars. I pounded Big Macs and the now defunct Arch Deluxe. I thought Red Lobster was the best seafood restaurant in the world and that the perfect Italian meal could be had at the Olive Garden.

Then I went to graduate school.

Within our program we had students from: India, Malaysia, China, Russia, Spain, Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, Japan, and the United Kingdom. We had Muslims, Jews, Mormons, Hindus, Buddhists, Evangelicals, Protestants, Catholics, Agnostics, and Atheists. We had Vegans, Vegetarians, Kosher, Fish on Fridays, and Fasters. It was thanks to this diverse group of people that I began to see there was more to the world than what I had experienced in the NKY.

Early on in my first year, the graduate students had a cultural evening where everyone brought a dish from their country/region (I brought a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken). And wow… I was amazed. There was so much tasty food that I had never even heard of let alone tasted. The next thing you know I was sitting at Amar India eating Lamb Curry. I was having a gyro at the Greek Isle Deli. I was eating Sushi with chopsticks and I was loving the eye watering spice at Thai Nine (once I gave it two or three tries). I realized that I loved international cuisine and every time I wanted to eat out I found myself heading to Jeet India or the Japanese Hibatchi or well you get it. This also showed me how great local restaurants are compared to chains and led me to discover great local American fare as well.

When I moved to Knoxville I decided to continue exploring different cuisines. I tried Cuban and Korean. Since the last update I’ve had some great shrimp spring rolls from T Ho. Vietnamese, some excellent shrimp noodles at the Philippine Connection (along with a drink that had coconut milk, tropical fruit, and sweet beans that was reminiscent of a drink I had in Hawaii), and falafel, fried zucchini, baklava, and Turkish Delights from Ali Baba’s. (all three of which are located in Knoxville).

So I’ve definitely fulfilled my quota of three new ethnic cuisines (although I have yet to try Ethiopian). However, the fun didn’t stop there! Today for lunch I had paprika schnitzel at Anna’s German Quick Stop (with some great sauerkraut and an excellent salad that had cucumbers and green beans). Then I went to the Jamaican Cuisine for dinner. The Jerk Chicken was fabulous. I’ve had “Jamaican Jerk Chicken” before but this stuff was the real deal. The rice and “peas” was terrific and I’ve decided that I absolutely love cabbage.

So thank you my fellow graduate students for opening my mind and my stomach to wonderful new worlds.

Book Review (9/34)The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan

I had an interesting IM conversation with a friend a few weeks ago. She had decided to try and limit the amount of processed foods she ate after reading this book. I have often made fun of people who only eat organic and books and movie about the horror of the food industry tend to have the opposite effect on me. Upton Sinclair's The Jungle made me want a hot dog and after seeing Super Size Me I really wanted a Big Mac.

However, as my friend continued to present the argument Pollan makes I decided that I at least ought to give the book a shot, especially considering the deal was that if I read the book she'd consider taking up running (convincing people to join me on my quest for healthy living through exercise seems to be a new hobby of mine). So I requested the book from the library and dove in when it arrived a few weeks later.

Pollan's book is an attempt to answer the question, "What should we have for dinner?". As he points out, this is an easy question for a koala bear, who only dines on eucalyptus leaves. However, for a human who can eat just about anything, the question proves more daunting, especially considering how far we are removed from the process of creating food these days. Pollan sets out on a journey to create and eat four meals, one produced by the Industrial food industry, one produced by Big Organic, one produced by Little Organic, and one that he hunted and gathered himself.

His section on the industrial food industry was eye opening. Basically, it appears that the majority of stuff we buy at Krogers (or whatever grocery chain you subscribe to) is made of corn. Scratch that. It's made of petroleum. See, the way it works is we feed cows corn (which makes the cows sick since they aren't made to eat corn, which makes us pump them full of antibiotics, which leads to strains of virii who are resistant to antibiotics....) that is made by using a shit load of chemical pesticides and fertilizers (made from petroleum). Which if you think about it makes ethanol hilarious. We use oil to grow corn then make ethanol from that corn for a net loss of oil. The more you look at it you see that the food industry has taken what was once a solar driven cycle and turned it into a fossil fuel cycle. Everything comes from corn. Chickens, pigs, cows, hell even salmon are being fed corn. That's why wild salmon is better for you than farmed salmon. Farmed salmon is basically... corn.

Of course the Big Organic industry turns out not much better. As Organic food gained popularity the demand made organic growers adopt the practices and methods of the industrial food industry. Thus, Big Organic is also based on the same bedrock of fossil fuels.

One of the most fascinating parts of the book is the description of the small farm (Little Organic) called Polyface in Virginia. Polyface is a small organic farm that only sells its products locally. The owner raises turkey, chickens, rabbits, cows, and pigs in a manner that is pretty close to the natural order of things. As a result, the products of the farm are healthier and tastier than their industrial counterparts as well as better for the environment. I really want to try eating this way and will check out Eatwild.com to find a local farm like Polyface.

The last section of the book has Pollan hunting and gathering for his meal and contains a nice discussion on the ethics of eating animals. I don't think the discussion made me a vegetarian (or Pollan one either), but I do think I need to discover more about what I'm eating, specifically where it comes from. I think eating meat from a place like Polyface would be a lot better than eating it from Krogers after reading this book.

So if you are looking to have your eyes opened about what exactly you are putting into your body when you pound a Big Mac, I highly recommend this book.

42. Complete an Oly Tri

What is it?

A 1500 meter swim, a 40K (~25 miles) bike, and a 10K (6.2 miles) run.

Why is it on the list?

Well it's a small step on the road to becoming an Ironman. Why do I wanna do that? Stay tuned sports fans!

The Process

The link to my full race report is on My Space along with lots of pictures from the event. Suffice to say I finished in 2:58:44 and felt great. I'm looking forward to the next big step which is the Marathon in September!