Fresco Tortillas Plaza/Mr. Lo Kitchen

I love these bifurcated restaurants featuring pretty typical Chinese restaurant menus coupled with Chinese restaurant style Tex-Mex menus. You know the kind: hundreds of items broken down into various subcategories, low prices, great combo options.

I love huge menus that I can peruse until I make my dining companions compare the experience with wandering through the desert in search of a single cactus. There's something fantastic about lots of choices, especially when one can become a regular of a joint with a huge menu and slowly make ones way through the menu. What a feeling of accomplishment!

Fresco Tortillas Plaza/Mr. Lo Kitchen is such a place. Quick service, great food, low prices, and a HUGE menu.

And I will take the time to mention that the food is considerably better than the prices and location would indicate. My first time there, I didn't expect much other than a cheap meal but was pleasantly surprised by the fresh, homemade tortillas that boast the right amount of greasiness and chewiness. It is a fine balance to strike.

Other than the food, which I will get back to in a moment, there are two other fundamental benefits to this place. Tex-Mex and Asian all in one order. There's something for everyone. In fact, it is right next to a Golden Krust and has varieties of beef patties on the menu for those who feel like mixing some Caribbean in with their Tex-Mex and Asian. (I keep saying Asian because there is a section for Udon noodles, thus breaking the borders of China)

The second fundamental benefit is that this is Tex-Mex food right on the border of Long Island, a place I thought was devoid of good Tex-Mex. Every place I have been to have either been chains (Baja Fresh, Chipotle) or serving menus of cheese globs with guacamole (every place that isn't a chain). So here's a place with some seemingly authentic Tex-Mex items and for that I am glad.

The food. Here's what I've eaten so far:

Pinto Bean and Cheese Tortilla ($1.19)

Monteray Jack Cheese and Jalapeno Quesadilla ($2.79)

Mexican Pizza ($4.49)

Mixed Vegetable Quesadilla ($3.89)

Grilled Chicken and Pickle Combo Plate ($5.29) *

Shrimp and Pickle Combo Plate ($5.29) *

Broccoli with Garlic Sauce Combo Plate ($5.85) **

Roast Pork Egg Foo Young Combo Plate ($5.75) **



*Tortilla combo plates come with mexican rice, black or pinto beans, lettuce, tomatoes, 2 fresh tortillas, salsa, sour cream, and a soda of your choice. Swank deal.

**Mr. Lo combo plates come with pork fried rice and an egg roll.

Asian Approach to a Healthy Diet

I have always had a fascination with food but it rarely extended beyond eating it and cooking it. For years, though, I was slightly overweight. When I started to rectify that fact I found myself in a world of nutrition, diet, and the science behind food. That can be a huge, and fascinating, topic of its own but my particular interest in culture and food has, quite obviously, led me down the path of food science in different cultures

America is a comparatively young culture when pitted against the various cultures of the Asian world. Asia has honed its food culture for centuries which is both a blessing and a curse for food historians.

There is a vast food history with clearly defined traditions and a long period through which to track these traditions. It is a food history that has evolved with the political, cultural, and social evolution of Asia. Thus, it is also easier to draw ties between food and culture as distinct trends have had time to form.

That being said, food history in Asia can often be muddy because of the long period it spans. It is hard to see why people do something today when the reasoning for it was developed thousands of years ago. Add in the fact that Asian food culture has existed in a time before the written word and said history gets even murkier.

Despite these potential problems, there are some well-defined traditions of science and food in Asia. Ayurveda, as I had mentioned in an earlier blog, originated in India. Similarly, the holistic sciences and doctrine of balance in life is very strongly affiliated with East Asia. I happened upon a cookbook called ‘A Spoonful of Ginger’ that explores the ‘health-giving’ recipes from Asian kitchens.

So many of the trends circulating in the western world today can find their origins in the everyday food science that has been used for millennia in Asia.

Holistic philosophy can be traced back to the Chinese Emperor Shen Nong in 3000 BC. He is considered by most to the the father of agriculture and, thus, studied the properties of plants extensively. As time went on, other Chinese legends (like Lao Zi, the father of Taoism) furthered Shen Nong’s Yin and Yang philosophy Chinese Taoist monks began practicing herbal medicine.

The founding principle of Asian life has always been balance. Most of us are familiar with this concept through the ubiquitous Yin and Yang. Food is particularly linked to this balance principle. There are foods that are classified as being either Yin or Yang foods.

Yin foods tend to be cooling while Yang foods tend to be warming. A balance of the two will yield optimal conditions for the human body to thrive in, according to Asian tradition.

Yin Foods (cold):

· Fruits

· Vegetables

· Many types of seafood

Yang Foods (hot):

· Beef

· Lamb

· Eggs

There is also the added neutral foods category that, obviously, neutralize. This is particularly apropos of vegetables:

Cooling	Neutral	Hot/Warming
Asparagus Broccoli Bamboo shoots Celery Chinese cabbage Cucumber Lettuce Mushrooms Water chestnuts Spinach Summer squash Zucchini	Green cabbage Carrots Cauliflower Long beans Beets Pea shoots Snow peas Corn Sweet potatoes yams	Leeks Onions Garlic Pumpkin Fennel Galic chives Scallions Shallots Hot peppers Cilantro Dill Winter squash

Each human being can also be classified as being either Yin or Yang, though this is often in flux. Because of this, it is necessary to balance foods to the condition of a particular person’s body at a particular time. For example, if one has a Yang proclivity, Yin foods will balance this out, and vice-versa. Yang foods are thought to stimulate a Yin body and Yin foods are thought to mellow out a Yang body.

Yin Body Types:

· Listless/lacking energy

· Thin

· Pale-faced

· Vulnerable to infectious diseases

· Relaxed/easygoing

· Quiet

· Sensitive to cold

Yang Body Types:

· Superactive, hyper, full of energy

· Heavyset/overweight

· Flush faced/ruddy complexion

· Restless/impatient

· Easily constipated

· Not sensitive to cold

Beyond the Yin and Yang philosophy, the Chinese further categorize food and these categories correspond with specific body parts. If a particular body part is ailing, holistic medicine would prescribe a food from the category that corresponds with that body part. These categories are also linked with seasonality.

Season	Flavor Characteristic	Corresponding Body Organ(s)
Spring	Sour (wood)	Liver and gallbladder
Summer	Bitter (fire)	Heart and small intestines
Late Summer	Sweet (earth	Spleen and stomach
Autumn	Pungent (metal)	Lungs and large intestines
Winter	Salty (water)	Kidney and bladder

[1]

Seasonality is a concept that is embraced in the western world as well. It is pretty self-explanatory that cool salads or fresh fruits and vegetables are best enjoyed in the summer to counteract the heat. Similarly, hearty stews and earthy vegetables make up for the extra energy we expend in the winter months while also providing warmth against the cold weather.

Spring- defined by rebirth, renewal, and cleansing

· Grains- wheat, barley, oats, rye

· Beans- lentils, kidney beans, green peas

· Vegetables- bean sprouts, carrots, celery, salad greens, broccoli, green peppers, shiitake mushrooms, sweet potatoes, green beans

· Fruits- citrus, apricots

· Proteins- Chicken, pork, duck, beef

Summer – defined by high energy/Yang therefore a need for Yin foods

· Grains- corn, millet

· Beans- mung beans, red and green lentils

· Vegetables- chilies, cucumbers, cauliflower, cabbage, green peppers, kale, bitter greens- endive, escarole, watercress, bitter gourd, scallions- tomatoes

· Fruits- strawberries, raspberries, apricots, grapes, peaches

· Seafood- shrimp, oysters, clams

· Pungent seasonings- curry, pepper, fennel, garlic, ginger

Late Summer- defined by dampness

· Grains- millet, barley, chickpeas, sesame seeds

· Proteins- eggs, chicken, game

· Seafood- tuna and swordfish

· Vegetables- squash varieties, sweet potato, taro, eggplant

· Fruits- apples, watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew

· Herbs- basil, cilantro, mint

Autumn- defined by harvest

· Grains- rice, wild rice, barley, wheat

· Beans- soybeans, tofu, tempeh, soybean products

· Vegetables- cabbage, bamboo shoots, cauliflower, celery, cucumbers, eggplants, lettuce, leafy green vegetables, pumpkin, winter squash, spinach, water chestnuts

· Fruits- apples, bananas, kumquats, mangoes, litchees, pears, strawberries

· Seafood- flounder, cod, salmon

· Proteins- turkey, chicken

Winter- defined by Yin

· Grains- brown rice, wheat, barley, millet, oats

· Beans- kidney, adzuki, black, pinto

· Vegetables- carrots, onions, potatoes, seaweed, lettuce, bitter vegetables- endive, escarole

· Fruits- cranberries

· Seafood- halibut, bluefish, salmon, swordfish, clams, crab

· Proteins- chicken, beef, lamb

· Spices- garlic, ginger, pepper, pungent spices

More to come…

---

[1]Simonds, Nina. A Spoonful of Ginger. Pg. 10

Roots, continued

If you can remember to two weeks ago, my last blog talked about the roots of a cuisine. I had briefly talked about various roots from geography to climate to politics. So here are the final three roots, in my estimation at least:

4) Economic status- obviously the food culture of America, land of abundance, is different from the food culture of India, land of famine and dearth. But, more interesting than this obvious statement, is the idea of economic status within a country affecting what people choose to eat and how that has led to the molding of a cuisine. For example, why is there such a proliferation of fast food in America. Who eats it and why? Obviously economic status has something to do with the intake of food that is more and more debased in nutritional value but is incredibly cheap.

Fast food packs a whammy:
1) it is ecologically unsound, supposedly
2) it is not only nutritionally unsound but, most would argue, nutritionally detrimental
3) it goes against the centuries old tradition that surrounds culinary culture.

Cuisine is not only about the food but also about the tradition surrounding food: the pomp and circumstance of a meal, the notion of eating with family, etc. The slow food movement is making an, albeit slow, movement into the hearts of Americans. It is a culinary trait embraced by most of the rest of the world, even by people who can barely afford a balanced meal. And, yet, in America people are eating fast food by the truckload (or maybe by the cornfield). I would venture to guess that the nutritional, ecological, and cultural benefits are not the reasons why. Price, speed, and convenience might have something to do with it though.

In India, economic status has an impact on people's diets though it is to a much less extent. There isn't such a dichotomous gap between what the wealthy eat versus what the poor eat. Basically, farm fresh produce is what reigns supreme in India. Everybody shops at street markets, with the exception of a few people who may shop at the supermarkets that are no cropping up (heh) in bigger cities. Thus, produce prices stay relatively reasonable and comparable. What changes is whether meat is eaten, though this is also very entangled with religion. I will touch on that only to say that there is an incredible correlation between how religious one is and economic status in India. This comes back to tie into food and eating meat.

5) Population demographics- this one is multifaceted though none of the facets are particularly complex. The most important question is whether a country can sustain its population.

Also, what is the population breakdown of an area? This can be a breakdown by age, religion, socioeconomic status, or any number of other things. Actually, all of these factors are integral to determining a particular region's culinary culture.

6) Religious influences- I'll just touch on this very briefly because it is too convoluted to touch without a lot of time and words. Basically, religion has food edicts. Some of these are written in religious texts, some of these are faux-edicts that are mandated by religious figures with ulterior motives, and some of these are more cultural norms that have somehow morphed into religious say-so's. All of these are incredibly fascinating though!

So those are the roots that I have come up with thus far. I have found, though, that the more I read and research and eat, the more I come across. There is no set-in-stone involved here and the constant flux is the very definition of culture.

Roots

“That afternoon…Nacha swept up the residue the tears had left on the red stone floor. There was enough salt to fill a ten pound sack—it was used for cooking and lasted a long time.”

-Laura Esquivel, Like Water for Chocolate

Thousands of years of history can be read in a single recipe: the people who farmed the food, the people who made the food, why particular crops were used and what that says about the socioeconomic status of the people who farmed and made the food, the people who passed on the recipe, the circumstances in which the recipe was passed on, etc.

It’s actually pretty cool how recipes can have so much depth but also be simply utilitarian if you choose to use them as such. For me, though, I try to make food that appeals to the people I’m cooking for, works within my budget, and will work, logistically, in my lifestyle (ie: what food is available in my fridge already, stuff that I can turn into another dish for lunch, etc). As I understand it, these have been driving forces behind cooking since the beginning of time.

Hunters and gatherers had a diet comprised of local animals or agriculture cooked in a way that was sustainable for long periods of time. Even regions within single countries have varied cuisines, mostly reflective of geographic differences. But many have greater spiritual and emotional significance.

“The staple food of each locality still ties people to their land and their community today. Indians from Bangladesh to Tamil Nadu believe that the local qualities of the soil and the water are absorbed into the grain crop. When the grain is consumed it imparts these qualities to the population, giving them their strength. In Bangladesh, when going on a journey a traveler is required to eat large amounts of village-grown rice, to fill him with the essences of home.” (Collingham 4)

Villagers within India are often observed to experience stomach pains while traveling due, in most part, to the changes in staple grains that they encounter.

This is certainly not the land of the McDiet.

That being said, the history of food in India varies greatly from region to region within a state and from state to state within the country as a whole.

The foundations for a cuisine:

1) History

a. Colonizing country: the Portuguese colonizing influence is far reaching in Goa, seen particularly clearly through the naturally occurring ‘fusion’ cuisine)

b. Political ideology: Gujarat’s Gandhian influence has led to it being a dry state.

2) Climate

a. Staple grain

b. Naturally occurring produce: this is of particular importance in India where the fresh food movement is an inherent part of life. There is little money to import fruits and vegetables among states or globally so subsisting on naturally occurring produce is a part of daily life in India. The vastness of the Indian subcontinent makes for diverse climates and, thus, and equally vast selection of naturally occurring produce from region to region.

3) Geography

a. Bordering states: the influence of bordering states is profound on the Indian culinary sphere. States that border Pakistan tend to have a greater Muslim influence in their cuisines. The biggest influence of this can be seen on the meats used in these regions.

b. There are mountains, coastlines, deserts, and various miscellaneous geographic characteristics to India. Coastlines rely on fish diets, obviously, though they are also ideal locations for rice paddies. Therefore, the South Indian diet revolves loyally around rice and fish. Not so for Rajasthan, a flat, arid land.

Still to come:

4) Economic status

5) Population demographics

6) Religious influences

Food History- General Ideas

The history of French cuisine is regaled as being the foundation and basis of “classical” cooking today. But even before French cuisine came into existence as we now know it, there was a wealth of gastronomic culture outside of France. Much of the culture and history of Europe came back on boats and camels from the Middle East and Asia, along with spices and cooking methods.

In its early stages, French cuisine wasn’t the high class affair of 14-point service that we are used to. In fact, the French cuisine of the Medieval Times was served in a style called ‘service en confusion.’ Basically, everything was served at once, a mass chaos of delicious food mounded into pies of hedonistic pleasure. This food was eaten by hand, much in the style of the ancient gastronomic traditions of the eastern nations.

In the mid-1500’s, French cuisine was hit by a wave of Italian tradition via Catherine de Medici, the future bride of King Henri II. With her, she brought ingredients, table couture, and the fanfare associated with the Italian eating tradition. France was introduced to mushrooms, truffles, garlic, and various other ingredients that would soon become inextricably part of French cuisine. Venetian glassware, porcelain, and other visual feasts adorned the French tables and food was no longer eaten by hand.

Beyond the raw ingredients, though, Catherine de Medici brought along the lust for food and the notion that food was an event, the very basis for enjoyment. She introduced the idea that food was to be enjoyed in and of itself but was also a reason to dress fashionably and interact with others. It was the very foundation of society, the hearth around which humans gathered, discoursed, and found enjoyment.

The rustic pleasures of eating without utensils, thusly, gave way to the extremes of extravagant gastronomy that is behind the beurre blancs and pomp of modern French cuisine.

It is easy to see that the roots of all cuisines, even the ubiquitous French cuisine that has become synonymous with the word gastronomy, can be found in the cuisines and cultures of past societies.

Where did France get its cuisine? Italy’s decadent first lady, Ms. Medici.

Where did Italy get its cuisine? Asia’s spice trails, via Marco Polo.

And where did Asia’s culinary identity come from? Its thousands of years old history, fraught with wars, myths, economic plagues, agriculture, and more.

Each cuisine has its own history, mingled with the history of other cuisines and other social conditions. And it is these factors that diversify a cuisine.

The Immigrant Experience

Generation Gap + Culture Clash = Disaster

Only a Long Islander would make the mistake of classifying Long Island as a microcosm of the world. That being said, I grew up on Long Island and am defined by my experiences here.

There are lots of Indians on Long Island. Most of my peers were the children of first generation immigrants. The immigrant experience is quite unfathomable by non-immigrants. Even I, the daughter of first generation immigrants, have trouble grasping the difficulty of my parents’ journey through American Society.

Here’s a little background: I moved here when I was two. My parents had been married for three years and I was their first child. They were 29 (mom) and 32 (dad). We moved into a house with my aunt (kaki), uncle (kaka), 4 year old cousin (Ach), and grandparents (dada and ba).

For the first five years of my life in America, we lived as a family of 8, renting basements in run-down areas of New Jersey. We had it good though. My parents and kaka and kaki were well-educated in India. My mom had already finished dental school and my aunt had finished pharmaceutical school. While it was a struggle to get a job knowing little to no English, the qualifications were certainly beneficial, and unique to other immigrant stories.

During the first couple years, my dad and uncle worked at Sears. They picked up trash in the park lots and were promoted to hauling kitchen appliances from the loading docks to people’s cars. Basically, jobs that didn’t require any knowledge of the English language. Back then, there weren’t as many Indian people floating around. Today, we complain that there are too many Indian stores and too many Punjabi wearing women pushing ahead in line at Costco. I’m sure my parents would have appreciated all the haggling and pushing back then.

My parents and aunt and uncle worked ALL THE TIME. It was hard being a kid and never seeing your parents. My cousin and I were closer than most brothers and sisters, mainly because we were all each other had. We didn’t speak the language well so kids ridiculed us. We were siblings and best friends.

It really screws a kid up to have so little attention from parents while also being ostracized at school and not really understanding any of the reasoning behind it. Beyond that, first generation immigrants have a hard life. They work too hard, barely see their families, have tons of pressure to create brighter futures for their children, and still barely make ends meet. These strains are often difficult to handle leading to lots of emotional, and sometimes physical, abuse as a form of stress release.

The importance of family is what seems to define the immigrant experience, not just Indian. The support system, the companionship, the understanding of how difficult things are- it is underrated in American societies because the need is not very high. But immigrants rely on extended family to take care of their kids while they work 70 hour weeks. They depend on the family gatherings to get what they are desperately missing from their homeland. They need allies to support them and understand them in a culture so different from their own, in which they do not fit.

Family has always been what has defined my life. Family means my aunt with whom I have lived many years and to whom I feel more affection and closeness than I do to my own mother. Family means my grandmother who moved from India to New Jersey with us and then from New Jersey to Long Island. Family means my cousin who taught me long division when I was in kindergarten and who made Batcaves with me when our parents weren’t home.

For immigrants, though, family extends even beyond the extended family. When my grandmother plans my wedding for me, there are at least 400 people that we MUST invite because they are close family and would be offended if they didn’t get invited.

Sometimes it is a blessing. Sometimes it is a curse. But whichever way you look at it, with family comes food:

5 o’clock tea time,

Overbearing aunts forcing food on you while tactlessly reminding you to not get fat unless you don’t want to get married,

Buffet spreads from Usha food

Food is like a gut reaction for the extended Indian family. It is a cure-all for when you are sad, happy, angry, whatever. It is the topic of conversation for most Indian ‘aunties’ who share recipes with a vigor unseen in any other aspects of their lives. It is a memory of home and the people who were left behind. It is the glue that holds together this precariously balanced, emotionally charged immigrant experience.

Home, Home on the Range (haha...pun intended!)

The crux of growing up Indian is family. Celebrations, religious days, Thursdays: the one thing they all have in common is family. The food, though mostly awesome, changes depending on the circumstances. The rituals definitely change to reflect the holiday. But the family theme is constant

There is always someone around, which makes for an incredibly unique, and difficult to understand, way of growing up. It is a mixed blessing defined. While there is always someone there to share your joy or help you through your pain but there is always someone there to interfere in things you want to keep private (as though any Indian even knows the meaning of that word). There are hundreds of people ready to chastise you for every small error you make, and they will know because with hundreds of people around, someone is always watching.

It has made me who I am, slowly but surely. It shaped me so totally that I didn't even recognize that it was doing so until now.

I cannot imagine growing up without cooking with my grandmother and learning stories of her life and India during the 1930's and 40's. I mean, who else could I learn about what it was like to live throughout the rise of the Gandhian movement and the actual creation of a country from. Think about it: the CREATION of an entire COUNTRY. That is huge. Even America, a fairly young country in the grand scope of the human race, cannot give us someone who was alive at its inception. It is mindblowing to hear about the feelings of the era and the logistical changes that occurred due to independence.

It is certainly a cliched statement but, somehow, food brings out stories. There's something about the familiarity of the actions, the comfort of being with someone who loves doing what you love doing, and the warmth of the kitchen (almost hearthlike in feeling) that makes conversations easy.


I cannot imagine being as close to my mother as I am without the comfort of food and cooking. A normally volatile relationship is somehow assuaged by the salve of food, something for which we both share an intense love. My mother and I rarely agree on anything, perhaps because we are so alike that we see the thinks we don't like about ourselves reflected in each other, but food is something that we can agree on. We might not enjoy all the same dishes but we agree on food ideology. Trying new and interesting foods, experimenting in the kitchen, nurturing others through food, health and food...we place the same amount of importance on the same issues. We can talk for hours on end about food, nutrition, recipes, etc. Two minutes talking about a blank piece of paper will invariably end in a yelling match but food can yield hours of conversation.

My dad would eat the same food every day of his life and be happier. He approaches food the exact way my mom and I don't. He wants the simplest Indian meals he grew up eating. Our little tradition is that we make the most basic of meals for him for his birthday. It is the same meal year after year and he is happy.
That is my favorite meal of all time. It is the meal I request my mom make me whenever I come home from school and the first meal on my menu for KHA.
I am sure that that is due, in large part, to my love for my dad. But the other reason is because traditional Indian food is just so damn good! And it is amplified in flavor and feeling because of the people you eat it with.

I cannot imagine growing up without the hundreds of people coming in and out of our house, either carrying food or ready to cook with us without even asking if we need help. They just walk in and start cutting or barking out orders to the younger generation before they even get their jacket off.

My aunt and uncle's house is one of my favorite places on earth because of this. It is the warmest house in the world, having nothing to do with temperature. It is always filled with people asking intrusive questions, telling you that you need to eat more, and generally just caring about you with unfaltering abandon. It is welcoming of anyone off the street, even the first boy I brought home with me, who just happened to be a few shades lighter than us. They put him to work eating food, enjoying his hugeness (at least compared to them) and the amount he could put away in one seating.


I have spent my whole life around a kitchen table, yelling conversations and cross-conversations with distant relatives, friends who have become family, and virtual strangers. All the while making this fantastically delicious, unfathomably complex but simple, cuisine that represents an entire culture.

I can't imagine growing up without all these people and their stories. And, frankly, I can't imagine wanting to.