Don't worry I won't spill the beans...

This class is called food for thought. In this class we analyzed Michel Pollen's writings and learned about ayurveda. This unit was called birth! Our job was to prepare a homemade meal and compare it to a restaurant meal. We are to describe the 6 tastes and figure out if it is organic, processed,GMO, or even refined. I am here making and comparing rice and beans. I am unable to smell a lot so I will not be describing that sense a lot.

Making the rice and beans:

When I am washing the rice the water is slightly cold and I can see the cloudy water appear. I can feel all the grains of rice as I shake them around in a bowl. I continue to dump the murky water and rinse the rice until I can see the grains of rice.This is what the water looks like the first time I rinsed it. 

As I am rinsing this I am noticing it sounds like gravel or small rocks.

When the water looks about this clear I know I can stop rinsing. The white chunks would be the coconut oil. 

When I put the beans in the pot I am sure to get all the beans out with a spoon. I turn on the stove and leave it at a medium heat. Just a heads up I cannot smell very well so I will not be describing my sense of smell that much. Since I am unable to smell well I will try to describe my other senses the best I can.

My homemade meal has a thick texture. They are black beans and it makes things warm and condensed. I can taste the garlic in there with little amounts of salt. The garlic tastes strong and tangy. The garlic is still very subtle. The coconut oil makes the rice hefty in weight which makes it more filling. I really enjoy my homemade meal. This faintly smells like salt and garlic. I also barely smell onions. When I stir this meal around it sounds creamish. This looks and feels more chunky. I can taste the coconut oil in it. The coconut oil is in the rice which gives it a smoother texture

The restaurant dish is slightly tough with the rice. I can taste the corn here as well. 

The beans from the restaurant dish are dripping with slight oils from the refried beans. Nothing here is dry. The beans are very ripe from the restaurant. The rice here is very rich in flavor. You can taste small amounts of spice and sour flavors. You can feel the slight acid taste on your tongue which somehow makes it better.The beans are very sweet yet salty. This helps put the rice and beans together. They are soft and juicy. I notice they are mostly plain with a hint of salt. It smells faintly like cilantro. If I stir my meal it sounds similar to macaroni and cheese although it is not as creamy. It sounds sticky. When I touch this I can feel the beans are mushy. I can also feel the grains of rice between my fingers. The beans are very paste-like.

This is the bean label. I know that these ingredients have pungent tastes along with a salty taste. On this can you can see the amount of calories and the proteins.  

Comparisons to both meals:

I notice that my rice is softer than the restaurant rice. The restaurant's rice is more grain-like than white fluffy rice. I also notice how the restaurant dish has more oily textures than mine. My dish compared to the restaurant dish is unseasoned. I notice my beans are juicier than the ones at L’Patron. I think it is because they were canned. Mine tastes heavily of coconut while Patrons rice tastes of corn. I personally prefer my homemade meal since it is what I am most familiar with. I would definitely recommend to others the L’Patron rice and beans. The biggest difference in these two dishes is definitely the flavor. 

In food for thought one we learned about ayurveda. This is a system that balances 6 different tastes: sour, salty, sweet, pungent, bitter, and astringent. When you balance these 6 tastes you are supposed to feel at peace. A good example would be Indian food. Indian food has lots of flavors that compliment each other.I think the L’Patron rice and beans are closer to ayurvedic practices. My homemade meal is very plain compared to L'Patron rice and beans. Michel Pollan wrote about industrialized foods. In our class we learned a lot about him including that processed foods are less nutritious. Both meals are good examples to relate back to Michel pollen’s point of refined foods. I am aware that my homemade rice is processed/refined. I know this because of the brand and the fact it does not say “organic” or “NON GMO”.  At L’Patron their food is fresh as it says on their website. In the video that is there explaining how it is their mom’s homemade cooking that started this business. I’m sure if they had their own farm they would put it on their website. There is nothing saying that it is organic or non-GMO. This leaves me to the conclusion that L’Patron has refined food.