tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33797550526119188762024-03-13T17:44:54.872-04:00Around the World in 194 MealsRead as my family and I eventually eat a meal from every nation-state recognized by the UN, with the occasional modifications for dietary and budgetary needs.Joshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08745371857793767548noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379755052611918876.post-23166708703964906122012-09-16T11:13:00.000-04:002012-09-16T11:18:40.303-04:00Nicaragua: Gallo Pinto and Ensalada de Repollo<span style="color: #444444;">Welcome back! It's been a while since our previous meal (check August in the blog post organizer to the left), mostly because of school and such. But now we're back!</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">For our second meal we visited the wonderful land of Nicaragua for some <i>gallo pinto y ensalada de repollo</i>, which were delicious.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;"><i>Gallo pinto </i>means
"painted (or spotted) rooster" in Spanish, and is actually rice and
beans. It is aesthetically pleasing (to me at least, a troglodyte), and
has the color palette of a rooster.<i> </i></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OEtGCVQ-8EA/UFXivFJJ9NI/AAAAAAAAAII/i2J7ACmcoIY/s1600/0915122109.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OEtGCVQ-8EA/UFXivFJJ9NI/AAAAAAAAAII/i2J7ACmcoIY/s320/0915122109.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444;"><i>Gallo pinto</i> up-close and personal</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;"><i>Ensalada de repollo</i> means "salad of cabbage" (though it actually means "cabbage salad").</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Fxz1lmDfNh4/UFXiv-tUQHI/AAAAAAAAAIQ/A8A9S70nnng/s1600/0915122109a.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Fxz1lmDfNh4/UFXiv-tUQHI/AAAAAAAAAIQ/A8A9S70nnng/s320/0915122109a.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444;">Too close to my cabbage salad</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">I
thought it was delicious. My skeptical brother - who claims I'm trying
to poison him when I cook tofu - went back for seconds. The <i>gallo pinto </i>was a big hit: it was delicious, healthy, hearty, easy to make, inexpensive to procure, and made leftovers (see below). The <i>ensalada de repollo</i> was incredibly limey, though it gave a "light" taste to the meal.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;"><i>Gallo pinto</i> is actually the national dish of Nicaragua, and is oftentimes a breakfast food.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">As for the recipes, we used this <i><a href="http://www.whats4eats.com/grains/gallo-pinto-recipe">gallo pinto</a></i> recipe and this <i><a href="http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/ensalada-de-repollo-cabbage-salad-10000001023882/">ensalada de repollo</a></i> recipe.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">With some important distinctions:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #444444;">We ended up doubling the <i>gallo pinto</i>, which has resulted in plentiful leftovers</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #444444;">Also for this dish, it says to have cilantro on it in the notes; follow their instructions, it turns out to be good </span></li>
<li><span style="color: #444444;">We halved the <i>ensalada de repollo</i> vegetables - <i>i.e.</i>, the cabbage, tomatoes, <i>etc.</i> - but left the dressing proportion as-is</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="color: #444444;"> The salad was fairly
easy: just chop many vegetables and put them in a bowl. Then mix
together some lime, olive oil, salt, and pepper together, and drizzle
that over the salad. Let it sit for at least 30 minutes. It may have
ended up too limey because we used reconstituted lime juice, which is
stronger than lime juice straight from a lime. Or it turned out just
right, who knows? In any event, it ended up looking like this in our
bowl, with a spoon for size comparison:</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XA5B2fqrXTM/UFXiqCpS_JI/AAAAAAAAAHg/QQ129bVBTVM/s1600/0915122012.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XA5B2fqrXTM/UFXiqCpS_JI/AAAAAAAAAHg/QQ129bVBTVM/s320/0915122012.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444;">So sour!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">It was good.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">The rice and beans were more fun to make because we misread the recipe. It called for three cups of hot <i>cooked </i>rice. cooking three cups of <i>uncooked</i> rice ends up making, well, this much rice:</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yp1NpOJXGwA/UFXirEYIlhI/AAAAAAAAAHo/UQzw4kfzEIg/s1600/0915122043.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yp1NpOJXGwA/UFXirEYIlhI/AAAAAAAAAHo/UQzw4kfzEIg/s320/0915122043.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444;">My bad</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">Which
was a lot. We estimated it to be about 6 cups of rice, and just doubled
the recipe. Luckily, we had all the ingredients to double it.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">You
start off chopping some peppers, onions, and garlic, and frying them in
some oil - after cooking the correct amount of rice, hopefully.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lmPcoJUgW6Q/UFXisGlp0VI/AAAAAAAAAHw/mi-SxleCeq4/s1600/0915122046.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lmPcoJUgW6Q/UFXisGlp0VI/AAAAAAAAAHw/mi-SxleCeq4/s320/0915122046.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444;">Onions then peppers then garlic</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">Then,
you drain the beans - keeping their liquid - then put the beans and a
little of their liquid in the pan and cookin' them up.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-l4XsmAMfEHA/UFXitO_E5vI/AAAAAAAAAH4/4iowzOnFCNw/s1600/0915122056.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-l4XsmAMfEHA/UFXitO_E5vI/AAAAAAAAAH4/4iowzOnFCNw/s320/0915122056.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444;">That's four cans of beans</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">After
that's done, just put all of it in the huge rice pot and cook for a
little longer. I recommend adding most, if not all, of the bean liquid
into the rice to loosen it up. It also tastes pretty good.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EQXffhQAgBw/UFXiuNZTqCI/AAAAAAAAAIA/ePB4O3mHHYY/s1600/0915122101.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EQXffhQAgBw/UFXiuNZTqCI/AAAAAAAAAIA/ePB4O3mHHYY/s320/0915122101.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444;">So much food...</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">That just results in a huge pot of deliciousness. And about 3 meals for 3 people. It was hearty and filling.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">As
for Nicaragua itself (officially the Republic of Nicaragua), it is
located in Central America, spanning the entire isthmus from the Pacific
to the Caribbean at one point.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bb/LocationNicaragua.svg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="160" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bb/LocationNicaragua.svg" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444;">It's in red, as far as we know</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">And this is its flag:</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/19/Flag_of_Nicaragua.svg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/19/Flag_of_Nicaragua.svg" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444;">Complete with triangle</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">Nicaragua
has, unfortunately, been beset by poverty following a brutal civil war
between the Sandanistas and the Contras (short for <i>contrarevolucionarios</i>, or counterrevolutionaries). It is on the rebound though, with huge agricultural export and tourism industries.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">As
for why Nicaraguan food is Nicaraguan, most of Central American food is
similar to other Central American foods. Most of Central America shares
a common pre-Columbian history and much of Spanish colonization has
furthered cultural - including culinary - integration.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">Foods
also make sense for the region, which can be seen in the use of cabbage
rather than lettuce. Cabbage stays good for much longer than lettuce
without refrigeration, and also has more nutrients.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">And that concludes our culinary visit to Nicaragua. Please post a comment of use the "Contact Us" page, hope you've enjoyed it. </span>Joshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08745371857793767548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379755052611918876.post-15597534804067242322012-08-17T11:02:00.001-04:002012-08-17T11:02:13.679-04:00Vacation/Hiatus<div style="color: black;">
Hello, everybody! I, the author, am going to go on vacation - it's in a cabin in the woods: hiatus? - for the next week or so, so this blog will be quasi-dormant.</div>
<div style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: black;">
Everybody can still post comments, read the blog, and even send emails, but I can't get back to you for some time.</div>
<div style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: black;">
When I'm back, we're going to do another meal, though!</div>
<div style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: black;">
As a side note, each meal amounts to about 0.5% of the total meals we'll be doing. After our next meal we'll be 1% done.</div>
Joshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08745371857793767548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379755052611918876.post-16719192033346220302012-08-11T23:01:00.001-04:002012-08-11T23:01:56.739-04:00Ethiopia: Vegetable Alecha, Injera, and Iab<div style="color: black;">
Welcome to our first meal!</div>
<div style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: black;">
<i>The structure of our blog is as such: a description of the meal itself; recipes, and cultural information regarding the country in question. Scroll down if you're only seeking one of the latter two items.</i> </div>
<div style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: black;">
For our first meal, we ate a semi-traditional Ethiopian dish, which featured <i>alecha</i>, <i>injera</i>, and <i>iab</i>. <i>Alecha</i> is a vegetable dish which is similar to a stew. <i>Injera</i> is a spongy flatbread, typically made from <i>tef</i> flour, which was unavailable. Finally, we had <i>iab </i>(or something that approximated it) which is a cheese similar to feta. It is spiced and acidic.</div>
<div style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="color: black; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mTPYq8nxhuU/UCcBS6Y-xJI/AAAAAAAAAG4/PUeHr6JEdQI/s1600/0811121946.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mTPYq8nxhuU/UCcBS6Y-xJI/AAAAAAAAAG4/PUeHr6JEdQI/s320/0811121946.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The meal on our big tray</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="color: black;">
The meal itself was pretty tasty. I was surprised by the variety of flavors. While I was not blown away, I thought that it was a delicious and hearty meal. "I'm tasting not just spiciness, but a sweetness to it. It's really delicious," said my mother upon eating the <i>alecha</i>. "The lemon and parsley of the - what is it? - the <i>iab </i>gives it a refreshing, palette-cleansing [taste]," she added.</div>
<div style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: black;">
<i>Injera</i>, arguably the center of the meal, is a spongy yeast-leavened flatbread. It is actually similar to pancakes in their preparation and texture.</div>
<div style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="color: black; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-skT98R3YVwk/UCcBNbHvLoI/AAAAAAAAAGQ/xtqUNDBOrFE/s1600/0811121821.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-skT98R3YVwk/UCcBNbHvLoI/AAAAAAAAAGQ/xtqUNDBOrFE/s320/0811121821.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first finished <i>injera</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="color: black;">
<i>Injera</i> had a yeasty flavor, tasting almost sour. It's thicker than <i>crêpes</i>, which surprised my mother. I was mostly surprised by their stickiness.</div>
<div style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: black;">
The vegetable <i>alecha</i>, on the other hand, was stew-like.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="color: black; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6A99fAhyYD0/UCcBRkpjJGI/AAAAAAAAAGw/yjX-con9Z7Q/s1600/0811121943a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6A99fAhyYD0/UCcBRkpjJGI/AAAAAAAAAGw/yjX-con9Z7Q/s320/0811121943a.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So flavorful-looking, eh?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: black;">
It had spices, yet was more flavorful than spicy. There were large chunks of potatoes, which we probably should have chopped smaller. Moreover, we under-cooked it. (My guess is that, because we used a wok, it needed more time than originally prescribed.)</div>
<div style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: black;">
Finally, the <i>iab</i> - or in this case, an approximation thereof - is a cheese-like dish that had lemon and parsley in it.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="color: black; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4p_bOrTgfuA/UCcBQiy7prI/AAAAAAAAAGo/YtthbZNbSF4/s1600/0811121943.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4p_bOrTgfuA/UCcBQiy7prI/AAAAAAAAAGo/YtthbZNbSF4/s320/0811121943.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /><i>Iab</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: black;">
It was the sweetest dish, and was almost dessert-like. It was also my favorite on the <i>injera</i>.</div>
<div style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: black;">
To eat Ethiopian food, you're supposed to take many <i>injera</i>, lay them on a tray, and plop <i>wat</i> (meat stew of some sort), <i>alecha</i>, and/or <i>iab</i> in front of every person. Then, you rip some <i>injera</i> off with your hands, roll the food like this..</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9SoP2WfR9t8/UCcBT-m1C_I/AAAAAAAAAHA/hjqrSg53jQk/s1600/0811121953.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9SoP2WfR9t8/UCcBT-m1C_I/AAAAAAAAAHA/hjqrSg53jQk/s320/0811121953.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: black;">
...or this...</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Iudn6z8Ljgc/UCcBU_4ALeI/AAAAAAAAAHI/dOwpLP08CN4/s1600/0811121958.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Iudn6z8Ljgc/UCcBU_4ALeI/AAAAAAAAAHI/dOwpLP08CN4/s320/0811121958.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: black;">
...and attempt to eat it. Evidently, it is difficult. That second one barely made it to my mouth intact. In addition, a <i>goorsha</i> may be done, which is when you give your food-thing to a friend. A <i>goorsha </i>is an act of friendship.</div>
<div style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: black;">
We used this <i><a href="http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Ethiopian-Flatbread">injera</a></i> recipe, this <a href="http://allrecipes.com/recipe/ethiopian-vegetable-bowl/detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Title&e11=ethiopian&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Home%20Page">vegetable <i>alecha</i></a> recipe, and, finally, this <i><a href="http://www.africa.upenn.edu/Cookbook/Ethiopia.html#IAB">iab</a></i> recipe.</div>
<div style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: black;">
We did make a few changes, however:</div>
<ul style="color: black;">
<li>We doubled all of the spices in the <i>alecha</i> recipe. This was a good choice.</li>
<li>We didn't have any fenugreek seeds for the <i>alecha</i>, but we read that you can substitute mustard for them (like the condiment), so we did.</li>
</ul>
<div style="color: black;">
Other than that we basically followed the recipes.</div>
<div style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: black;">
Here are the stages of creating <i>injera</i>:</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="color: black; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-39Y0hbUBwF8/UCcBGGeSrVI/AAAAAAAAAFQ/6PTdkVueIgA/s1600/0811121411.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-39Y0hbUBwF8/UCcBGGeSrVI/AAAAAAAAAFQ/6PTdkVueIgA/s320/0811121411.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The batter, before fermentation</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="color: black; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9hS0X4GO7So/UCcBLUoYHaI/AAAAAAAAAGA/Lr7eVEckapg/s1600/0811121813.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9hS0X4GO7So/UCcBLUoYHaI/AAAAAAAAAGA/Lr7eVEckapg/s320/0811121813.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's fermenting!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="color: black; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-b2v6f2BHaEU/UCcBMUAEoOI/AAAAAAAAAGI/PUrPAAziPYY/s1600/0811121817.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-b2v6f2BHaEU/UCcBMUAEoOI/AAAAAAAAAGI/PUrPAAziPYY/s320/0811121817.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cooking it like pancakes (without flipping)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="color: black; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-skT98R3YVwk/UCcBNbHvLoI/AAAAAAAAAGQ/xtqUNDBOrFE/s1600/0811121821.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-skT98R3YVwk/UCcBNbHvLoI/AAAAAAAAAGQ/xtqUNDBOrFE/s320/0811121821.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The finished product</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: black;">
And here's us cooking the <i>alecha</i>:</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="color: black; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hM13oJK-W2I/UCcBHCWmaMI/AAAAAAAAAFY/E4qxPeF1RqI/s1600/0811121744.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hM13oJK-W2I/UCcBHCWmaMI/AAAAAAAAAFY/E4qxPeF1RqI/s320/0811121744.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chopped veggies</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="color: black; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ALBODZ_rywg/UCcBILT1lfI/AAAAAAAAAFg/QmU13IgydF8/s1600/0811121745.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ALBODZ_rywg/UCcBILT1lfI/AAAAAAAAAFg/QmU13IgydF8/s320/0811121745.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chopping the potato</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="color: black; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jEkkdJhb0rw/UCcBJcSaiHI/AAAAAAAAAFw/tKkghJ2NajI/s1600/0811121750.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jEkkdJhb0rw/UCcBJcSaiHI/AAAAAAAAAFw/tKkghJ2NajI/s320/0811121750.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I was the one that peeled that onion...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="color: black; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9AeKj6isnoA/UCcBKanM1SI/AAAAAAAAAF4/6YzvptmfhSE/s1600/0811121802.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9AeKj6isnoA/UCcBKanM1SI/AAAAAAAAAF4/6YzvptmfhSE/s320/0811121802.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spice mixture</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="color: black; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-e2TLqD0Up5s/UCcBOgVdgiI/AAAAAAAAAGY/Ry3UZ8vyPbI/s1600/0811121827.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-e2TLqD0Up5s/UCcBOgVdgiI/AAAAAAAAAGY/Ry3UZ8vyPbI/s320/0811121827.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sautéed onions in the spices</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="color: black; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_RU6mATRWAY/UCcBPvbQQ3I/AAAAAAAAAGg/FeQNs29iBUE/s1600/0811121840.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_RU6mATRWAY/UCcBPvbQQ3I/AAAAAAAAAGg/FeQNs29iBUE/s320/0811121840.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Too much food, too little wok</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: black;">
We have only the end picture for the <i>iab</i>, which we've already shown you.</div>
<div style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: black;">
Overall, our first dish was a success.</div>
<div style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: black;">
If you want some brief cultural information regarding Ethiopia, you're free to read on. If else, leave a comment, spread the word, and try out the food!</div>
<div style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: black;">
The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country in North-Eastern Africa, close to the Middle East.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="color: black; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c4/Ethiopia_in_its_region.svg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c4/Ethiopia_in_its_region.svg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From TUBS on the Wikimedia Commons</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="color: black;">
Its most well-known leader, Haile Selassie I, fought Fascist Italy's imperialistic aims in Ethiopia unsuccessfully. After World War II, he returned to Ethiopia. Interestingly, he is regarded as the return of the messiah by Rastafarians, some of whom don't believe that he died.</div>
<div style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: black;">
Halie Selassie I was deposed in a Soviet-backed coup, and after the USSR collapsed Ethiopia had its first multiparty elections.</div>
<div style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: black;">
Ethiopia's national language is Amharic, a Semitic language (<i>i.e.</i>, related to Hebrew and Arabic), written in the Ethiopic or Ge'ez script. That said, languages are recognized regionally among different ethnic identities.</div>
<div style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: black;">
Ethiopia is a multi-ethnic state, with over 80 ethnic identities. Furthermore, Ethiopia has multiple religions, primarily the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, with large Muslim minorities.</div>
<div style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: black;">
Well, I hope you've liked our first post. If you have any comments or suggestions, feel free to post a comment or send an email. Thanks for reading.</div>
<div style="color: black;">
<br /></div>Joshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08745371857793767548noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379755052611918876.post-12266942192776705572012-08-10T12:55:00.004-04:002012-08-10T12:55:46.911-04:00A Note about the Advertisements<div style="color: black;">
As you can see, I've added ads for this blog. I'm going to refrain from talking about them too much, lest I accidentally break a rule regarding their usage.</div>
<div style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: black;">
Basically, the ads are here to help support the site; yet I also want them to be relatively unobstrusive.</div>
<div style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: black;">
As such, if there are any ads that seriously offend you, please leave a comment or email me (check "Contact Us"). I've already blocked some ad content types which I feel violate the spirit of this blog (<i>e.g.</i>, are politically-driven), but I'm sure there are other ads that detract from this experience.</div>
<div style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: black;">
That said, I also hope the ads can be tailored to your needs and actually be useful to you. I saw one for a vegetarian cookbook earlier.</div>
<div style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: black;">
More importantly and on-message, we've started to collect ingredients for our next meal. I shan't say its source, though I will say that it is particularly delicious. Also, from my research, it appears to be fairly traditional in its style. We'll have pictures.</div>
<div style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: black;">
Remember, I've said that the meal will be from an African country ending in "a." If you can guess it (in the comments), you're pretty awesome.</div>
<div style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: black;">
Finally, there's a search box now, right below the translator. Pretty good if you're looking for a particular country/region/meal, especially when this thing grows.</div>Joshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08745371857793767548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379755052611918876.post-50526258645790790102012-08-08T22:20:00.002-04:002012-08-08T22:20:27.828-04:00Website Launch<div style="color: black;">
Well, hello, all newcomers (because at this point, you're all newcomers). This is the official launch of <i>Around the World in 194 Meals</i>! Isn't it exciting?</div>
<div style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: black;">
The website is basically finalized, so I'd like to introduce you, dear reader, to the format thereof.</div>
<div style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: black;">
Up at the top, you'll see pages, starting with "Home" and ending with "Contact Us." These pages are largely static; I won't/can't post posts on them. They contain some basic geopolitical, geographical, and historical information about each continent/region. More importantly, they contain the Sacred <strike>Texts</strike> Lists<sup>TM<sup>Not really</sup></sup> which contain every nation-state with which we are concerned. When we eat a meal from a particular country, we will put that meal with that country on that list. If I'm feeling fancy I may even hyperlink it to the post in question.</div>
<div style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: black;">
Other pages include the one with (auto)biographies - guess which! I'll put information there regarding myself and my fellow travelers.</div>
<div style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: black;">
Of note, there's a translator at the side. It's pretty spiffy. Given my limited knowledge of Spanish, it appears to work fine (for Spanish, at any rate).</div>
<div style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: black;">
For those of you wondering why I alternate between the first person singular and the first person plural pronouns (<i>i.e.</i> - "I" <i>v.</i> "we"), it's because this blog is a joint effort. When I say "I," I likely mean only myself, Josh. (It's 'cause I author/curate this blog exclusively so far.) When I say "we," I likely mean all of us, or a combination thereof.</div>
<div style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: black;">
Or, and this is the most likely, it's a typographical error. At least it's likely inconsequential.</div>
<div style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: black;">
Regardless, we (and I do mean "we") do our first meal sometime this weekend. Or Monday. Which means before Wednesday you'll likely get an update with some food in it. Catchphrase!</div>Joshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08745371857793767548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379755052611918876.post-15681334212648551632012-08-08T12:12:00.001-04:002012-08-08T22:05:20.186-04:00Website Update<div style="color: black;">
For those of you wondering what's going on with the website construction, I've been updating the pages on the different continents/regions.</div>
<div style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: black;">
These pages will simply be static reference material for some basic geographical and historical lessons regarding these regions. Details will be provided in each country's post, which will be posted on this main page when we get there.</div>
<div style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: black;">
Once these reference material pages are finished, I may add a "Contact Us" page or maybe a(n) (auto)biographical page for the chefs. There may even be pictures.</div>
<div style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: black;">
As for the post style of each country, I will also be including the history thereof, with some random facts of interest.</div>
<div style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: black;">
In order to help sustain the blog, I will be adding advertising once I've finished the skeleton of the blog, so to speak. They will be helping to fund our culinary adventures, and we thank them in advance for it.</div>
<div style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: black;">
Finally, a teaser for our first official meal: it's from Africa - as the poll suggested; one vote <i>can </i>make a difference! - and it ends in an "a." I'm excited for it.</div>
<div style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: black;">
P.S. - While I am not on Facebook, most of you are. Feel free to tweet or Facebook away about this blog! Apparently "Facebook" is a verb.</div>Joshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08745371857793767548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379755052611918876.post-80307495337508736142012-08-07T13:56:00.002-04:002012-08-10T12:57:50.466-04:00Introduction<div style="color: black;">
Welcome to my blog, <i>Around the World in 194 Meals</i>!</div>
<div style="color: black;">
<br />
Use the tabs at the top of the page to navigate the regions. </div>
<div style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: black;">
This idea came to me after eating some homemade tofu pad Thai: <i>what if I could cook, then eat, a meal from every country in the world?</i></div>
<div style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: black;">
Then my girlfriend, over a different meal of homemade Thai food, had an amazing idea: <i>why not write a blog about the aforementioned culinary journey?</i></div>
<div style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: black;">
And so, we've created a blog to post about our different meals and experiences in the kitchen.</div>
<div style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: black;">
The goal is to have a meal <i>at least</i> every other week. Hopefully we can do more, yet life does exist outside of the kitchen, and it is telling us we need more funding.</div>
<div style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: black;">
The meal will be cooked in-house, by myself and maybe a combination of my mother, brother, and/or girlfriend, all of whom are great at cooking. (Or better than I am, anyway.)</div>
<div style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: black;">
There are a few restrictions, however:</div>
<div style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<ol style="color: black;">
<li>Budgets: Some ingredients (looking at you, rice noodles) are more expensive than wheat-gluten noodles, for example. We may not be able to be as "authentic" as we would like - or cook as often - as a result of this. Though we will try to cook with healthy, fresh ingredients from local sources when possible.</li>
<li>Diet: I am a pescatarian, which is basically vegetarian plus fish. I won't eat beef, pork, chicken, or any animal flesh that didn't swim. I do, however, eat animal products, <i>e.g.</i>, milk and eggs. I can elucidate on this later. The other participants on the journey are fairly omnivorous.</li>
<li>Taste: While this journey is, to an extent, about trying new things, certain things won't be attempted. For example, we won't fry insects, which is done in North-Eastern Thailand. Instead, we'd try a different Thai dish. (Not that we would fry insects regardless, as they are animals, and I wouldn't eat them. Maybe as a side dish for the others though.)</li>
</ol>
<div style="color: black;">
After cooking the meal, we'll tell about the experience. Furthermore, we'll give information about the culture, nation, region, etc., of the country in question. </div>
<div style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: black;">
I encourage anyone with suggestions to post comments on the website sharing any experiences, recipes, or their heritage. Also, the poll at the side has options for all the regions we will use.<br />
<br /></div>Joshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08745371857793767548noreply@blogger.com0