Eater's Digest | Can You Drink this Cup?

Can You Drink this Cup?
By Tomoko

Have you ever heard of Kopi Luwak? It's the latest buzz amongst the most discriminating of coffee connoisseurs. I've yet to try it but the manner in which this “special” blend is prepared is what is fascinating. A Civet, described as a small, lithe-bodied, mostly nocturnal mammal native to tropical Asia and Africa eats coffee cherries and the seeds which is what is used as the actual coffee bean. The matter is half digested and excreted. Farmers then pick up the excrement, find the beans, clean them then roast them to what is transformed into one of the most expensive coffees in the world. According to Kopi Luwak lovers, the digestion process is what gives it a very sweet and mild taste.

Port Rico a coffee shop in the West Village neighborhood of NYC stocks the coffee for $250 - $340 per pound. For those on a budget, smaller quantities such as 1/8 lbs. are available as well.

If this did not pique your sense of adventure when it comes to matters caffeine, there is another exotic coffee blend, "Black Ivory" masterfully produced by the Thai Elephant. The cost is approximately $1000 for 2.2lbs. Allegedly, the enzymes in the elephant’s digestive system helps break down the protein of the coffee which is what is believed to be responsible for bitterness. The elephants must consume 33 kilos (66 lbs) of coffee berries to produce 1 kilo (2.2lbs) of product. From as best as I can gather, "Black Ivory" isn't available in the United States yet, but is offered at select luxury hotels in Thailand, Maldives and Abu Dhabi.

For those who cannot afford the hefty price tag of a trip to the Maldives, perhaps a stroll through the Bronx Zoo to collect elephant dung when no one is looking is a practical solution.

Eater's Digest | If You Want Fresh Foods, Just Look Up

If You Want Fresh Foods, Just Look Up

By: Tomoko

Do you know that there are many rooftop farms sprouting up all over New York City and surrounding boroughs?

 

 

 

Brooklyn Grange, one of the forerunners, had its first rooftop farm in Long Island City in Queens. Now, has a second farm in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The grange covers a total 2.5 acres on two buildings, and they grow more than 50,000 pounds of organic food annually. In addition,  they also have chicken coops and more than 30 beehives on their rooftops. Brooklyn Grange developed its first farm in 2010 with a $200K start up of (personal loans, equity investments, fundraising, and Kickstarter.com), lo and behold, they profited that same year.
 

inhabitat.com

 

Brooklyn Grange
Ángel Franco/The New York Times

 

Enjoying the harvest and wine at Brooklyn Grange
onegirltwowineglasses.com

 

 

While Brooklyn Grange operates during the summer time. There is another rooftop farm called Gotham Green in Green Point, Brooklyn. They have hydroponic greenhouse, making them productive 365 days, and they grow bok choy, basil and oak leaf lettuce, and sell to retailers like Whole Foods and FreshDirect. Many quality conscious restaurants and health/environmentally conscious supermarkets choose to buy their products because of availability of fresh products throughout the year, and also their ability to deliver the products no matter what – since they are in NYC!. When the East Coast was hit by the last hurricane, those city farmers were the only ones who could deliver the goods to the restaurants as soon as the weather cleared. If you look at where your fresh foods come from (avocado from California, grapes from Chile, garlics from China, etc), you wonder how much of the food cost is actually the transportation cost. But for the city farmers, including those 2 farms mentioned above, all they had to do is to cross the bridge by bicycle. Talking about fuel efficiency and environmental friendliness, this is the future of the city farming. And they are financially sound for they are expanding rapidly.

 

 

 

 Gotham Green in Green Point, Brooklyn

Not only does the rooftop agriculture benefit the local food scene, it provides education and employment opportunities, it also benefits their landlord. By putting soil on top of the building and having greens grown on the rooftop, it reduces the temperature of the building significantly in the summertime, and reduces the AC bills drastically. Plus, the landlord also makes money from renting out the rooftop, often time 5-10 year lease, from which they never thought they would make money off of decades ago.

A city-owned food dis­tri­b­u­tion hub in Hunt’s Point, Bronx is also being planned to develop its 200,000-square-foot rooftop. When the project is complete, the location will become the largest rooftop farm, not only in the United States, but in the world. Not only Queens and Brooklyn, the Bronx has many box type buildings and rooftop farm candidates. As of 2012, the Bronx already had 13 rooftop farms and there are many being developed as we speak.

So when you need a respite in some green in the city, if you lift your eyes up, you may not be so far from one of those city oasis and some fresh tomatoes.

Eater's Digest | On Food Allergy

On Food Allergy
By Tomoko

Many lay claim to suffering from food allergies.  I question if every case is an actual food allergy or if some cases are psychosomatic.  My brother-in-law cannot eat certain types of fish. When he ingested some by accident, he almost ended up in the emergency room because his respiratory system became inflamed and he could not breathe.  While we might blame pollution, pesticides, herbicides, GMOs, and many other toxins which come in contact with our food, I am led to believe that some cases of food allergy are psychological.

I remember reading an article written by a mother with a small child who experienced a devastating earthquake in the 90s, in Kobe, Japan.  Due to the state of emergency, the city was shut down.  Residents in that region had no other option but to rely on emergency food and water supplied by the rescue mission.  The mother had a choice to make.  Her son allegedly had a severe food allergy.  She used to prepare special meals for him meticulously eliminating certain ingredients that were believed to trigger his allergies.  In the midst of catastrophe, she had to decide whether to risk his experiencing food allergies caused by the emergency food provided by the rescue mission or starve him to death.  She chose to feed him. He showed no signs of an allergic reaction to any of the food he ate.  She wondered whether her son’s allergic reaction was psychological, whether she planted a seed of fear in him and whether or not his body was simply obeying what his mind was led to believe.

People in war-torn countries or poverty stricken nations where the daily fight for survival is a way of life never worry about food allergies nor are they concerned about prescriptions for anti-depressants or sleeping pills.  They don't have time for that luxury.  Nonetheless, I notice those who live in relatively advanced societies where citizens can enjoy prolonged peace tend to create problems for themselves.

I know a mother who used to take so many anti-whatever medications for years, but she weaned herself off of everything when her son had a car accident and became wheel chair bound for life. When her focus was shifted from chemical and/or emotional imbalance to becoming a full time caregiver for her disabled son, all her “severe conditions” miraculously disappeared.

I am not by any means attempting to suggest that food allergies or other illnesses that require pharmaceutical interventions do not exist, but I believe that before one decides to self-diagnose, one should examine whether we are just creating health problems to keep us busy and distracted.

Every food on earth was originally created to nourish us. Rice and wheat have been around and have sustained civilizations for centuries.  So have meat, fish and everything else considered edible that grows from the earth.   I believe we should support environmentally friendly and sustainable agriculture.  I support such efforts wholeheartedly.  Of equal importance however is our attitude toward food. Instead of putting fear in every spoonful of whatever we eat, perhaps if we pour over our gratitude and love to all the fruits of the earth, our body might react with joy.  It's possible that when “fear” is replaced with “gratitude” what might seem to be an allergic reaction might disappear, because as they say “Perfect love casts out fear”.

Eater's Digest | Food for my Soul

Food for my Soul

By Tomoko

 

Many equate food with the tangible edibles, but there is another source of nourishment that comes from within, a nourishment that feeds our souls.  When we are in the midst of a traumatic storm, sometimes forgiveness is difficult to achieve.

I have shared the story my girlfriend who was gang raped as a teenager and left her hometown twenty years ago. Two years ago, the man who orchestrated the gang rape, her boyfriend at the time contacted her.  Of course she was in shock.

My friend was a beautiful girl who has grown into a beautiful woman. Everyone was attracted to her.  At the time, he thought that she was cheating and out of jealousy, he paid other men to attack her.

Twenty years later, this man contacted her. First via email then by telephone which led to a conversation. He said “Maybe you don’t remember me anymore”, she replied “Of course I remember you”.  He shared “After what I did, I have been consumed with guilt. My life has been a mess. My whole family fell apart. I could not do anything. I could not keep my job nor find a new one. I have been miserable and I have no life here.  I want to move to a neighboring country looking for a better opportunity, but they don’t want to give me a visa.”

Then he said “Please forgive me. If you could, I would like to receive your forgiveness.”

She experienced fits of rage for a few days, of course this interaction was traumatic and brought up triggers. After the brutal attack, she had a hard time trusting men, and many failed painful relationships, including a difficult divorce she was just coming out of.

The repercussions of the event were still very much with her even after 20 years.

After much crying, praying and fasting, she somehow found the strength to forgive him. She called him back, and told him that she forgave him. She also spoke blessing over his life, and prayed with him and for him that a new door of opportunity would open for him so that he could start a new life with a clean slate. She also asked him to protect young girls if he ever encountered any who were in danger of such assaults. He promised her that he would.

A few months later, she received another phone call from him. He told her that immediately after she granted him forgiveness, a visa was issued from the nation he was hoping to move to.  He moved, got a job, and thanked her again for her forgiveness.

An unwillingness to forgive and guilt can create shackles and chains in our lives, but forgiveness can set people free.  Sometimes, it is not about who is right and who is wrong.  Victim or villain, whichever part we have played, we can both be hurt, shackled and chained by the experience.

My daily prayer has been that God will search my heart and reveal to me if there is anyone I need to forgive, if I have offended anyone and need to ask forgiveness, and even if I need to forgive myself.

So how does this entry tie into the “Food” blog?  It's important to understand that nourishment is not just a tangible item we place in our bodies, there is also the spiritual nourishment we give our souls that is sometimes overlooked but just as important as a malnourished soul often influences how we treat ourselves.  Part of loving ourselves is taking care of ourselves, and it's an inside job.  If we don't take care of the inside then it's possible we also make poor choices in terms of what tangibles we choose from the outside to put into our bodies.

The story of how my girlfriend was able to overcome her trauma and find forgiveness was not only an inspiration of great strength, faith and character but also food for my soul.

Eater's Digest | What Water Crystals Teach Us

What Water Crystals Teach Us
By Tomoko
 

There is a research done by a Japanese Alternative Medicine doctor and a scientist called Dr. Mararu Emoto. Some years ago, he wrote a book called Hidden Messages in Water. He took water samples from various places in Japan as well as from the world’s renounced places like New York or Antarctica, and froze the water and observed the shape of the crystal. He also took the same water, and curse at the water, pray over the water, speak kindly to the water, show different pictures or words to the water (they tape the word or image on the water bottle! ) or play different kinds of music for the water. Then the water was frozen and the crystal was observed. The result was truly astonishing.

When you think about 70% of our body is made up of water, this teaches us that what we say to ourselves matters. What we allow us to expose ourselves from our ear gate and eye gate matters. For example, if we keep watching TV shows that contain murders, hate, wars, violence, tragedies and other type of cruelties hour after hour, day after day, it has to do some damage to your psych and the body.



On the other hand, spending time in prayer must bring tremendous healings. If you can see how a destroyed or non-existent water crystal changed into a beautiful flower like crystal after a prayer was offered. So praying over your food makes sense. Reading the word of love and hope makes sense. Praying over your children and speaking love and encouragement to them make sense.


If we need a healing in any area of our lives, we first have to ask ourselves what we are reading, what we are listening, what we are speaking to others and to ourselves, and what thoughts we are putting into the things you eat and drink. Food nourishes our body, and words and thoughts nourish our spirit.


And of course, you should know that praying over the hard liquor before chugging it down does not make them holy or less harmful. So don’t try to justify yourself…

Eater's Digest | On Fasting

On Fasting

By Tomoko Bee

Yes, we all have abused our digestive systems in the past few months. So on January 1st, I started 21 days of fasting – the Daniel fast – to be precise.

In the Old Testament’s book of Daniel, the King of Babylon took 4 young Jewish men into captive, including Daniel, to serve the King. Instead of indulging himself with the King’s rations of meats, wines, and other delicacies, Daniel asked the chief of the eunuchs to just give him and his three friends only vegetables and water. The chief of the eunuchs was fearful at first because he did not want the King to think that he was not feeding the young men. But it turned out that after being served only vegetables and water for 10 days, Daniel and his friends were looking much better, healthier, and stronger than the other servants who were eating the King’s rations. And those 4 young Jewish men eventually became the favorites of the King because they were the wisest, most insightful, and always astounded the King with the powerful miracles they performed to prove their God’s power.

At any rate, our pastor recommended that the congregation do a 21 day fast at the beginning of every year. So I resolved to do the Daniel fast.

People who have done any form of fasting – be it one day or 40 days (that’s how long Jesus fasted, by the way) – claim to have experienced heightened spiritual awareness and much desired breakthroughs in their lives.

So I am denying myself all animal products and sweets, eating only vegetables, fruits, and grains. As a result, of course, my sense of smell is heightened. When I smell rich food, I crave for it. When I smell cookies being baked, I crave for it. But I have to tell my stomach that it is not my master. I also incorporate a day fast and half day fast here and there.

And since I am normally thinking about food all the time, even before the fast – what to eat, what to buy, what to cook, how to prepare, and what’s new to try – denying those thoughts strangely frees up my mind. I am sure my digestive organs are also resting, too, since they are not constantly breaking down all kinds of food three or more times a day. Yes, I am hungry. But all other energies otherwise spent on food, of food, for food, or digesting food are now directed toward my spiritual goal. I feel strangely peaceful about the problems I am currently facing in life. I remember my girlfriend once told me that when she was a victim of a gang rape decades ago, right after the incident, she went into fasting for 3 days. She did not know why, but she was compelled to do it. Her spirit just led her to fast for 3 days to detox her body. She said she never fell into a depression: she never lost her mind out of rage or became suicidal. She said she felt such love and peace during her fast.

I believe that when we fast, which is a form of denying yourself the “I want”, “I think”, and “I feel”, we are allowing something greater than the little “me” to take over our lives and let the greater power and the greater will to operate in our lives stronger. I imagine it to be like this. If a little child insists on playing with a toy that’s already in his hand, a loving father cannot give him a greater gift, nor would the child be able to fully receive the new gift. The child first has to drop the old toy he is playing with, and with his empty hands he can then receive the new gift from the father. He might cry a little when he is parting with the old toy. But this is because the child has no idea what a loving father has in store for the child.

With that loving thought in mind, this is day 15 of denying myself from the joy of food.

Eater's Digest | Breaking the Golden Rules of the Food Industry

Breaking the Golden Rules of the Food Industry

By Tomoko

 

If you ever worked in the restaurant business, you would know that the cost of food is usually kept below 20% of the menu price. In order words, if a sandwich is sold for $10, the actual cost of the ingredients (i.e. - bread, ham, cheese,lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise and whatever else you put in it) is kept below $2.  The rest would be used to pay rent, utilities, salaries, and, if lucky, maybe some profit.The restaurants try to have at least 3 turn arounds a day – twice for lunch and once for dinner - to break even or make it somewhat profitable. This“golden rule” of the restaurant business is the same here and the same in Japan.

BUT there is a Japanese entrepreneur who has broken this golden rule and his company has built about 20 or so chain restaurants in the Tokyo area. Theyare all called “Ore no Italian”, “Ore no French” or “Ore no whatever the type of food”. “Ore no” means “My” in Japanese, and all of them are amazingly successful and profitable. All the reservations are made a month in advance and people also line up outside the restaurants every day.

Here is the secret of their success model.

• They keep the cost of the food in the 60 - 70% range, and keep the total dinner price to be around $30 per person.  The quality of the ingredients is as high as what you would normally eatat a high-end, 5-star restaurant. What a 5-star would serve you for $200, you pay $20.

• The company hires chefs who have worked at 5-star Michelin restaurants. (Michelin is the French version of Zagat, but are ratings are determined by professional food critiques rather than the general public). There are many talented chefs, but not everyone can achieve a “celebrity chef” status where they can have the freedom to be creative at work. The company decided to providea playground for such chefs.  For example, all 3 Italian restaurants have 3 different executive chefswith 3 different menus, all created independently by each chef.

• And most importantly, the restaurants have no chairs. Yes, they are standing restaurants. So if you are looking for a place where you sit for 2 hours for a long relaxing dinner, this is not a place for you. This is a place where you go to eat superb quality food prepared by top notch chefs for a ridiculously low price. You eat well and you leave. So all the restaurants have about 5 turn arounds a day, instead of 2 or 3 like many other restaurants, and that makes the business VERY profitable.

 

Then you come to realize that there is really no “secret”. If the food is delicious people come back. If the price is inexpensive people come back. People don’t go to a restaurant because of the chair. We go there and we go back there because of the taste and the price. Very simple.

This Japanese company is going to open the first US chain restaurant in midtown Manhattan (New York City) next year. I am very curious how this model is going to work here. I promise that I will keep all the readers updated.

 

"About the author- Tomoko requires Rhina to have soy sauce in her fridge, a necessary ingredient for our on-going friendship." I will reveal who I am - through food - bit by bit.

Earters' Digest - Beauty of Dining with the Locals

Beauty of Dining with the Locals

By Tomoko

Do you like to cook and entertain people? You may not have been to a culinary school, but everybody tells you that you are an awesome chef and you know it. You like to eat as well and you like people. If so, you might be able to make some extra money by hosting a dinner party.

There is an Israeli company called EatWith, which has spread throughout Europe, and recently landed in New York City and LA a few months ago. The idea is fascinating to me because I am always curious what other people eat at home.

If you want to host a dinner, go to www.eatwith.com, select your city, post your menu, and indicate cost per guest. Those who want to dine would also go to the site, look at the chef’s menu, date, location, cost, and reviews written by other guests who have attended previous meal gatherings. If you choose to attend, you pay via Paypal in advance for the meal, so the chef knows exactly how many people are attending, the funds will be released to the chef after the planned meal gathering, and Eatwith takes a percentage.

I noticed that many savvy tourists have started using Eatwith when they travel overseas. Yes, you can always go to a local restaurant, but the great thing is you can dine with the locals at their home. Wouldn’t you be more interested in eating a wonderful meal at someone’s aunt’s home, who just knows how to cook, than... let’s say… to eat at an overpriced steakhouse in a tourist trap restaurant?

For example, for the price of $40, out of someone’s house in Brooklyn, a Puerto Rican style meal was presented:

“…nice warm toasted garlic bread is served as soon as you sit at the table, followed by an arugula, nuts, and fruit salad. For an appetizer, we will serve "piononos" sweet plantain filled with cheese or meat. The main course will consist of a whole chicken with butter and herbs and a side of rice and beans. Dessert will be a traditional "tres leches" cake. More drink if requested! “

This chef got 7 reviews from those who attended and got 5 stars for the food and overall experience.

And here is another one. A Japanese lady offers a Japanese inspired meal for $46 per person. She got 5 stars on 14 reviews.

“- vegetable mille feuille
- two more appetizers
- homemade silken tofu with edamame sauce
-tomato salad: tofu, hijiki seaweed, corn, shiso, chive, and arugula from the roof top
-buckwheat noodle with sesame sauce: shiso, mushroom, peas.
OR
-Grilled rice ball in dashi soup (fish broth)
OR
-barley risotto with ponzu: mushroom, chive,
-Dessert: TBA

If you got a mom, aunt or sister (or male relative) who can cook, and a great apartment to entertain several people comfortably, this may be a great way to earn extra money and also meet new people.

It is true that food brings people together, and you will encounter people that your path would not normally cross in your daily life.


And just for your information, I was not paid by them to write this….but I did propose them to expand their business to Tokyo..…

Earters' Digest - by Tomoko

Eaters’ Digest

by Tomoko

Bring Back the Real Food

Are you one of those who always choose “non-fat”, “non-sugar”, “low-sugar”, half-calories”, “no-calories”, “low-sodium”…..low this and half that type of food?

My suggestion is to choose the real one. Simple as that. That makes your life a lot simpler, and you would start appreciating food more.

When I used to work for a Japanese tea company, I met a lot of people who thought that caffeine was bad. We handled the REAL teas made from the real tea leaves, and we only one or two decaffeinated teas. So when some people bitched about our lack of selection of decaffeinated tea, I told them that French or Italian don’t have non-alcohol wines. If you don’t like alcohol, just don’t drink it. Wine is wine. Same thing with teas. Japanese or Chinese don’t even think about messing with the tea leaves to extract caffeine. This is the way the earth has given it to us. If you don’t want to drink caffeine, don’t drink tea. That explanation usually shut them up.

You don’t want to have a “I can’t believe it’s not butter” type of relationship with your spouse or your partner. What do you call a relationship which looks like and taste like the “real” relationship, but it is sugar free and calories free – meaning no substance to build you up to become your meat and bone? What do you call a person who attends social events with you pretending to be your intimate partner? An escort service? Are we to pursue and be satisfied with fake body parts, fake partners, fake friendship, and fake social life?

Pursuing such lifestyle would lead you to an empty life. And feeding yourself with fake food would make your body and spirit malnourished and makes you even sick.

Why don’t we start filling your life with real people and experience and real food?

Except those who have a specific doctor’s order, if you are one of those who tend to choose “fake” food, just because it makes you feel less guilty, I challenge you to start choosing the real food, and start sampling what the real food taste like. Your taste bud will appreciate you for that.

Just like there is nothing like experiencing real genuine love, there is nothing like having a generous bite of a good cake made of real milk, egg, butter, and sugar.

Eaters' Digest - by Tomoko

As I ponder what to write for this food segment, I was thinking why I love food so much. Yes, everyone loves to eat with a few exceptions. Food is as necessary for us to live as we need air to breath. But to me, food is so much more than something that goes through my system. I love food for the emotional experience it gives me, and the joy of the people that surrounds the food.

Many times I have dined with people who I share no common language or whose culture was so foreign to mine. But one major ice breaker was almost always to taste their food. Though we may not understand each other intellectually, when I took the first bite, and showed them my pleasure of eating their food, they were as pleased as they could be.

I become part of their community. I ate Russian food with a Russian family who did not speak any English. I ate with Mennonite people in Pennsylvania. All the women’s head was covered and they were wearing skirts. They made everything from scratch, and did not use any canned or jarred food. I ate with a French family in Normandy who killed a rabbit for me for lunch. I didn’t speak a word of French. I honestly don’t remember a time I refused to eat food that was set before me.

People may not always understand different cultures, languages, or values. But everybody understands love. And everyone understands food. By accepting their food and eating it, you instantly become a part of their community at the table. You might not understand them intellectually, but you understand them with your gut.

When you visit your parents or grandparents, what it is that they want to do first? They want to feed you. To many, putting food in front of you is the ultimate expression of love. That is why I have a hard time understanding people who are picky eaters (except those who have medical restrictions). I also have a hard time understanding the extreme religious practice that hinders you from sharing food with others with different beliefs at the same table. To me, rejecting food placed in front of you is rejecting love extended to you. As you should never reject pure love that is genuinely extended to you, you should never reject food placed in front of you with love, in my opinion.

So I strive to be open minded about food and am always willing to try something new. I live in a New York “barrio” with the largest Greek population outside of Greece. Naturally, there are many Greek grocery stores. Many of their ingredients are easily and cheaply available. So out of convenience and influence from my neighbors, I started trying out different Greek foods and grew to love it. But I also had to break the notion that I grew up with…such as using yogurt only for something sweet. The combination of yogurt and salty taste, like with salad or soup, was something hard for me to accept at first. But after years of trying their ways, I now know why they like to use their yogurt in certain ways... because it works and it sure is tasty. If I was so married to the idea of yogurt was to be eaten only with sweet items, I would have never discovered the joy of eating yogurt in other ways. Yes, last night for example, I made Tzatziki, which is Greek style cucumber, dill, yogurt salad, and I have made this salad numerous times this summer since this is such a refreshing light summer dish.

This is one tiny example of what joy I experienced by simply trying something that was foreign to me.

I remember a Brazilian scientist once told me that he ate a roasted worm when he went into the Amazon and dined with the indigenous people. He did not want to offend them, so he ate the roasted worm, and it tasted like peanuts, he said. I don’t know if I could be that adventurous. But without going into the Amazon, in New York City alone, you will still be exposed to many opportunities to eat something that may be culturally foreign to you.

Please observe what other people eat, and receive food with and open heart when kindly offered to you...with no fear, no hesitation…but with love and appreciation.

They say we are what we eat. We are more than fries and energy bars. We are more than Captain Crunch. If we want to be worldly, our stomach has to be worldly.

You will never know what joy awaits you.


"About the author- Tomoko requires Rhina to have soy sauce in her fridge, a necessary ingredient for our on-going friendship." I will reveal who I am - through food - bit by bit.