Posts Tagged ‘Food’
Blog Plug: Taco Journalism
9:13 am By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Blogs| Food| Internet| Linking Latinos · 1 Comment
5 Aug 2009As a food obsessed blogger, I was delighted to see that a food blog I frequent, Taco Journalism out of Austin, was featured in this great video from The Austin American Statesman.
At Taco Journalism, taco freak Mando Rayo takes you on a culinary tour of taquerías great and small, dazzling and disappointing. If you like tacos and like blogs, then I think you might love Taco Journalism. Pay Nando a little visit here.
Mississippi is the Fattest State — but Why?
10:48 am By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Food| Health| Mississippi| society · 1 Comment
1 Jul 2009
The state of Mississippi has won a top ranking on a list it would probably prefer not to be on at all: the obesity list. According to a new study by the Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, adult obesity rates increased in 23 states last year, and Mississippi takes the cake, so to speak, in being obese. The Houston Chronicle reports:
• Mississippi had the highest rate of adult obesity, 32.5 percent, for the fifth year in a row.
• Three additional states now have adult obesity rates above 30 percent, including Alabama, 31.2 percent; West Virginia, 31.1 percent; and Tennessee, 30.2 percent. Ohio ranked 10th with an adult obesity rate of 28.6 percent.
• Colorado had the lowest rate of obese adults, at 18.9 percent, followed by Massachusetts, 21.2 percent; and Connecticut, 21.3 percent.
• Mississippi also had the highest rate of overweight and obese children, at 44.4 percent. It’s followed by Arkansas, 37.5 percent; and Georgia, 37.3 percent.
• Following Alabama, Michigan ranks No. 2 with the most obese 55- to 64-year-olds, 36 percent. Colorado has the lowest rate, 21.8 percent.
What’s perhaps more alarming to me is that Mississippi’s children also lead the nation in obesity. Not surprising (if parents aren’t eating well or exercising, neither are their children) but alarming. And beyond alarming is that Colorado, at nearly 20%, is the U.S.’s “leanest” state.
But to invoke a post by La Macha from earlier this year, as alarmed as we might be by statistics, we need to look at the causes of this problem. Beyond just the superficial “you eat too much junk food” analysis, these statistics have everything to do with access to healthy food, education and everything that goes along with living in impoverished areas or belonging to a traditionally oppressed group.
Instead of just being alarmed, we need to examine the causes and talk about answers to incredibly hard questions: like, is good nutrition really an option for everyone? And what “should” struggling famiilies eat if they only have access to fast food? Aside from the fact that some areas lack access to fresh food, when you are sweating to make ends meet and a bag of organic salad that serves 2 costs $4.99 while you can get a bucket of KFC for the whole family for the same price…is this really even a choice anymore?
What do you think?
Via / Chron.com
Cracking Down on Taco Trucks, Revisited
3:36 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Controversia| Food| Health| Justice| Los Angeles| business| society · Comments Off
20 May 2009
Back in 2005 we told you about how our beloved taco trucks were getting smacked down by health officials in a few cities, among them Nashville, for being dirty. A taco truck? Dirty? Ha! And what difference does it make, when everybody knows a little chile can kill anything! Now it seems that taco trucks are yet again the victims of haters, but this time in on its real home turf: the Los Angeles area. Wha? Maegan first reported on this last year and The LA Times reports today:
Last summer, the City Council took action.No longer could loncheras set up for hours at parks or construction sites. Instead, they could stop only at sites where a bathroom was available to patrons, and stay just half an hour, barely enough time to set up and prepare a meal or two before having to break down and drive away again. In addition, all employees had to get background checks.
Palos Verdes Estates is hardly the only community to crack down on the trucks in recent years. Los Angeles County supervisors last year passed an ordinance making it a misdemeanor for taco trucks to park in unincorporated spots for more than an hour after restaurateurs complained they were siphoning off customers. A Superior Court judge later ruled the law unconstitutional.
Similar restrictions have been imposed nationwide in cities large and small, rural and metropolitan, from Hughson, Calif., to Houston, and in seemingly unlikely spots, including Des Moines; Charlotte, N.C.; and Hillsboro, Ore.
Some of the reasons remain the same, among them fears about food sanitation, but truck supporters are citing racism as a cause in some cities, with one Houston official justifying their demise by saying “I don’t want us to become, you know, a Third World area.” Well listen, Mr. Whomeveryouare, from one Houstonian to another, we are pretty much already there and it’s not because of taco trucks but because of people shooting each other for fun or stress relief.
What’s to become of taco truck culture in Southern California with these crackdowns? Probably the loss of a lot of great food. But I’m going to guess that this trendy new “taco truck” — all the rage on Twitter — isn’t going to get the same treatment. Nothing against Kogi (on the contrary, I love what they are doing, genuinely) but they appear to be thriving and there’s something unfair about one taco truck being somehow more acceptable when the patrons are more “high-end” and its owners are, well, less Mexican.
Via / LA Times
Image via el en houston on Flickr
Massive Inflation Changes the Mexican Diet
11:18 am By Maegan La Mala · Food| Lifestyle| Money| mexico| society · Comments Off
20 May 2008
The massive price increases that have been affecting Mexico since last year are changing the way some Mexicans — particularly those in the capital city — eat. La Jornada reports that inflation is up 60% on staple products, forcing many to have to change their diet for the worse.
The rise in prices is affecting at least 2 million people in Mexico City who barely scrape by economically, and forcing them to give up meat, chicken and fish, replacing them with tortillas and bread because half of their income is spent on food. It just isn’t enough to afford these items.
The Mexican Secretary of Development is worried that this will eventually take its toll on health, especially that of children, and expects to see a decline in school performance, as well as failing health in the elderly.
And the situation isn’t getting better. Just when you think you can turn to bread as a cheap food option, La Jornada reports that wheat flower has gone up 100%. Other staples like rice have increased in price by 80%.
Via / La Jornada
Image via Rageforst on Flickr
Pre-fab Rosca de Reyes
11:18 am By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Culture| Food| Marketing| mexico · 6 Comments
4 Jan 2007
Last night I went to a Mexican bakery in SF’s Mission District and the lady at the counter asked us if we wanted to put in an order for a Rosca de Reyes. This is how they do it in Mexico, but I guess not everyone has the luxury of having a Mexican panadería close by — and Mexican immigrant dollars must be earned — so enter the pre-fab Rosca de Reyes, made by Bimbo and coming to a grocery store near you:
Children in Mexico, Spain and some parts of Latin America celebrate Three Kings Day on January 6. The day commemorates the three kings who, according to the Bible, followed the star of Bethlehem to bring gifts to the baby Jesus. As a result, the holiday treat, Rosca de Reyes, is a sweet bread made in the shape of a crown. Holding true to tradition, Bimbo’s version of this Christmas dessert is adorned with jewel-like candied fruits. In addition, a small baby Jesus is placed within the packaging. Consumers traditionally hide the toy inside the bread for a guest to find. The lucky person is then responsible for throwing a party on February 2 to mark the official end of the Christmas season.
Kraft makes whack guac
4:58 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Controversia| Food| Marketing · 3 Comments
6 Dec 2006
I never buy prefab guacamole (and most of my friends will say it’s annoying that I don’t buy pre-fab anything) and I’m glad I don’t. The ladies over at Racialious point us towards a post that reveals what is actually in a tub of Kraft guacamole, and it ain’t pretty, folks. Original clip from Chow.com:
No wonder store-bought guacamole tastes like glue: It is glue! OK, not really, but it certainly isn’t real avocados, either. As Los Angeles resident Brenda Lifsey discovered, the green glop sold by Kraft Foods is primarily composed of staggering amounts of coconut and soybean oils, corn syrup, modified food starch, and food coloring, with a minuscule amount of avocado thrown in.
Latino family hardship rates high
6:54 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Family| Health| Money| society · Comments Off
21 Nov 2006
According to data just released by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Latino and African American families are having a hard time making ends meet, and “experience difficulty affording food, lack needed medical care, and/or live in overcrowded conditions.”
The report finds that 28 percent of African American families with children, and 31 percent of families headed by a Latino citizen, experience at least one of the above three hardships at some point during the year, according to the survey. This is double the rate for non-Latino white families with children (14 percent). This disparity largely reflects the fact that poverty rates are several times higher for African American and Latino families than for white families.
This striking data comes from a Census Bureau survey which, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, is valuable in learning about hardship levels, but is at risk of being terminated by Congress. A senior researcher at the Center says “If this survey is eliminated, we will lose one of our best means of understanding what it’s like to be poor in this country.”
Via / U.S. Newswire
Image via Oxfam UK
Wanna Cheesesteak? Speak English
3:15 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Food| Immigration| language · 15 Comments
13 Jun 2006
Does your mouth water at the idea of a succulent Philly Cheesesteak sandwich? Maybe you’ve been to Philadelphia’s famed eatery Geno’s and had one there. Next time you go, keep in mind that your English better be up to par if you want to order yourself one of these puppies:
A sign in a landmark Philadelphia restaurant asking customers to order in English is sparking controversy in the metropolis known as the “City of Brotherly Love.”
The owner of Geno’s Steaks said on Thursday that the sign, “This is America — when ordering speak English,” is intended to encourage immigrants to learn the language and assimilate into U.S. society, but one Latino activist said it’s racist.
First of all, I’ve never seen a Spanish speaker expect a non-Spanish speaker to understand what he’s saying — I see them struggling with the little English they know. That said, is this sign a reaction to the fact that Spanish-speaking customers are communicating with Spanish-speaking employees in their native language? Sorry, but you can’t restrict that.
Food TV Reality: Latina Eliminada
6:29 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Food| TV · 3 Comments
3 Apr 2006
To the horror of some of my friends, I am a Food Network addict. So, it comes as no surprise to them that I am also addicted to their Survivor-like reality show which pits would-be chefs against each other for a spot as the newest Rachael Ray protégé.
The show, as nail-bitingly entertaining as it is insufferable (like all reality TV) is comprised of a variopinto line-up of contestants. Okay, so maybe not so varied: you basically got one black guy and one Latina — a Puerto Rican named Evette — and bunch of white people. Oh, and an Asian girl, but they told her buh-bye in the very first round.
So once upon a time there was an aspiring TV chef named Evette, a Rican working mother from Florida, vying for a place for her traditional “Latino” cooking style among a more mainstream contestants.
The little wine industry that could
7:19 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Argentina| Food| Marketing · Comments Off
22 Mar 2006
You already vivir Latino, why not drink Latino?
Have you ever had Argentine wine? It’s consistently good and best of all, very affordable. I’m not ashamed to say that I had a $5 bottle of excellent vino argentino the other night.
Argentina wants more foreigners to come to know and love its wines, and is working on ways to make that happen. One way is to kick it up a notch, and make what will be considered world class wine:
”We’ve already shown the world that Argentina is capable of producing pleasing wines at a reasonable price,” said Bressia. “Now Argentina must consolidate its position as a maker of wines of great prestige . . . we can make the highest-quality wines.”
Increasing the presence of Latin American brands in the United States is something I get excited about. Small companies in countries like Argentina actually making an impact on a competitive American industry such as wine is great both for the consumer in that it opens him or her up to the diversity of another culture’s way of doing things, and great for the economy of the exporting country.
Here’s to Argentine wine busting down the doors in the U.S. Salud!
Via / Miami Herald
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