I say add the source, lot #, whether the animal was raised humanely or in gestation crates, what feed, and what additives/hormones were added.

Check out this great post by So Good about Oprah’s investigate video into Cargill’s feedlots…PR effort or real thing? Either way, wouldn’t you like to know where your meat comes from?

This world is heterogeneous. Always has been and always will be. Living, organic beings cannot be contained, no matter the odds. This applies to people. People travel, they think, they grow, they taste. And they fall in love.

Beautiful kimono with crane images

My bird and fish parents couldn’t agree more. Being from two distinct ethnic heritages, they come from different lands, carry their own traditions and beliefs and speak their own languages. Sometimes, it can get a little bit like this:

Just kidding. It's not really like this. (source: http://www.wildaboutmovies.com)/

Growing up in my household was a multicultural and multilingual experience—and sitting around the dinner table is sure to yield a lesson in global diversity. Four different languages (Spanish, Quechua, Japanese and English) and food choices are often represented with great gusto.

Tasty gyoza pork-filled dumpling dipping in white vinegar, soy sauce and Chinese chile oil

However, food is a great unifier. My theory is that if it tastes great, no matter what nation or culture a dish is rooted in, people of all nations and cultures will eat it. Wanka (Peruvian Indigenous people) love corn, potatoes, soups, stews and other hearty dishes. And when I think of Japanese food, I think of rice, fish (really anything from the ocean), tofu and other soy products, azuki red beans, mountain veggies and roots, and more rice. And despite any hesitation, these two food cultures can and do mingle, flirt and romance each other.

Taiyaki: Japanese waffles filled with azuki sweet red beans

Both cultures share a common thread that also links them with other world cultures and their love of food: There is no shortage of cooperation, devotion, creativity, innovation and tempered pride in the cultivation of ingredients or in their preparation—from earth to kitchen.

Scrumptious Japanese manju (teacakes) at Mikawaya Bakery in Gardena, CA: Exterior made from pounded sweet sticky rice. Filled with azuki red bean or sweet lima bean paste

So, being of Japanese descent for me has also entailed more than awareness of my family history. Especially because I am of mixed heritage, “being Japanese” is about practicing being Japanese. Especially since I am not fluent in the language, I must therefore find additional ways of being Japanese. And I have found that one of the easiest ways to do that is by eating. By eating Japanese food, one can gain tremendous insight into language, history, international relations and contemporary contexts of Japan. Eating, while simultaneously learning about the significance of food is an amazing opportunity for family closeness and personal cultural reaffirmation.

A Japanese staple: The ramen noodle counter at Bistro Miyoda Noodle House in CA

"Ground Meat Noodle" at Bistro Miyoda: Handmade noodles with ground pork in a miso and soy sauce broth

However, it is important to remember that like other food cultures, Japanese cuisine borrows (ramen itself originated in China), changes and shares, all while occupying a growing diaspora—For example, my family members recall that over 40 years ago in LA there were hardly any sushi restaurants. Now, you can get rolls at the mall!

I haven't seen this display at the local mall just yet though: Tasty-looking plastic food at a Marukai Market food booth

In my immediate day-to-day, I’m not always surrounded by crowds of Asian and Japanese people. Going to Little Tokyo or Marukai Market in California re-immerses me in Japaneseness. And it feels good. So my family and I enjoy venturing to Japanese hot spots, no matter how out of the way they may be. The following are some of my favorite items to pick up, several of which are treats.

Item 1. Mmmmmeat! Sometimes, ya gotta have it. And yay for no hormones or antibiotics!

Item 2: Fish and Octopus. Octopus is the other other white meat--For when you like it tough and chewy.

Item 3: Hello, lover! Spongy, soft swiss cake in various flavors.

Item 4: Mochi ice cream of course! Possibly the most awesome dessert EVER.

Item 5: Pretty much anything Hawaiian rocks!

Being a member of a globally conscious and compassionate society means engaging in meaningful discourse with each other. I remember a story from my childhood about a young Japanese girl who tried to make a thousand cranes before she passed away from nuclear radiation. War is “crazy time,” as my wise father says, and too many horrors are committed, too many wrongs that must be righted, for which we are responsible. But I think the point the story was trying to make is that we here have the opportunity to build peace. Somehow.

Origami paper: Simple tools for remembering peace.

How fortunate we are as human beings to have food as part of that protocol—the importance of breaking bread is increasingly crucial, for all of us.

If you are of mixed ethnic heritages or have children of mixed heritage, we’d love to hear your stories of how you merge languages, cultures and of course food traditions, into your lives and how you incorporate other food loves into your home as well!

For more information on Japanese mixed-heritage people, please see the Hafu film information or the Hafu Film Project. For more information about the story of the thousand cranes, search for Sadako Sasaki and the thousand cranes. Or view the Hiroshima International School website Thousand Cranes Club.

*Please note that neither Zomppa nor the author endorse the projects or products linked, but only make mention of them to fuel additional resource searches. A special thanks to my significant other, parents and family for assisting with photos, travel and a lifetime of continuous learning.

While there is debate out there (i.e. T. Colin Campbell’s The China Study – good read if you haven’t yet) about cow’s milk and its benefits and dangers, a lot of us drink milk or at least give it to our children. But do you know where your milk comes from? If you said, cows, you are right. But do you know where those cows come from and how they are raised?

Many of you are familiar with CAFOs and “drugstore cows” and many of you are not. CAFOs are Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations, where animals are pretty much confined in small places where they eat, urinate, defecate, and often die all in the same place with little or no grass or vegetation. There are many resources out there (look them up!) and these factory farms are perfect breeding grounds for bacterial growth and who knows what else. According to the CDC, over 75 million Americans get sick from the food they eat.

Note: these pigs are NOT from a CAFO – they are being humanely raised by a local farmer.

Drugstore cows are cows raised with unnatural diets and pumped with hormones and antibiotics to speed up their growth, which also speed up the possibility of illness (I actually had an argument recently with a woman who swore that a cow’s natural diet is corn and that the “media” was trying to lie to us that cows ate grass…did she think cows shucked corn with their hooves?). Most Americans are directly and indirectly affected by these hormones and drugs that have longer-term consequences than just a bad stomachache.

According to The Ecologist, the chemical pollutants passed from mother to child through the placenta or breastmilk can last decades…or even a lifetime. The EWG (Environmental Working Group) noted that it takes this long for a child to get rid of 99% of inherited pollution (note: that is not 100%):

• Phthalata platicisers (flexible plastics, etc.): 1 day
• Mercury: 1 year
• Flame retardant and stain-proofing chemicals: 12 – 60 years
• Lead: 166 years

This means generations of your children good be affected, causing permanent genetic changes. Does this mean simply not eating meat or drinking milk? But vegetables are not immune to bacteria and toxins. Recall outbreaks of E.coli in bagged spinach or the recent studies linking pesticides and ADHD. Check out this blog, Are You Sure You Want to Eat That?, for more information. Or what about the scandal of corporate greed and bribes and the sale of tainted foods?

So who is responsible for ensuring the safety of what we eat, meat or vegetable? In 2007, the FDA turned to states to step up their food safety programs. There is an ongoing debate whether federal or state control is more effective at ensuring the food safety of large national and multinational food companies.

Rather than getting caught up in this debate and risk harming ourselves and our families, it’s time that we recognize we are responsible for our food safety…as much as possible.

Buy local. Know where you food comes from. Better yet, know the person who grows or raises your food. If your food is not factory-produced or overly processed, the chances of these contaminants become lower. We cannot rely on some federal or state government regulation to do this for us. We have to take charge of our own lives.

Let’s start with our milk since many of our children drink it daily. where is my milk from? is a great website where you can source most of your dairy products.

Source: where is my milk from?

PS June is Dairy Month! For more and an insightful video, check this out.

A drug-free glass of milk and one of ZomppaPatty’s Whoopie Pies. Now that’s something I can get behind.

When I had the opportunity to go to Tibet, I jumped at it. In recent years, there have been a lot of romanticization about Tibet. It’s been trendy to put prayer flags on front porches, talk about the Dalai Lama, and fantasize that it is a country of yogis and vegan Buddhists.

Lhasa is an incredible place with rich history and culture. There is one monastery famous for its 2PM daily debates. All the monks gather in the courtyard and the monks are paired up. A topic or question is introduced, a hand is slapped and the other must respond. It was mesmerizing watching these monks in saffron robes slap their hands and finger their beads, deeply interested and engaged with words and thoughts.

I actually had the fortunate to be present when the Dalai Lama gave an audience in New York City over a year ago. It was in Tibetan, so I had no idea what he was saying, but I recall being totally charmed anyways – he stood delivering a speech to an audience of hundreds as if he was talking to each person individually, smiling, laughing.

In any case, it is tough to get visas to Tibet, and a day after I entered the country, the border had shut down again because of some protest in Taiwan. While I could talk about politics here, let’s talk about food instead. Come with me on food photo journey.

The Dalai Lama’s home is beautiful…

…but even it couldn’t avoid the wonderful global commercialization. Yes, that DOES say BUDWEISER!

The first night we arrived, it was late and we were all hungry. Of course, the largest place that was still open happened to be Chinese.

It was a place where you could get a Mongolian hot pot–where they stick a big pot of boiling water or stock and you put in what you want–meats, vegetables, fish.

The tricky part was there were a few vegetarians in the group and no one who spoke Mandarin more than a few words, including numbers and basic words like “vegetable, meat, and no”, so trying to convince the waitress that we needed a stock that was “NO MEAT, YES VEGETABLE” proved to be an arduous task. (The part about Buddhist vegans? Not here). In the end, my sister and I got to go into the kitchen. I spent 30 minutes pointing to greens and flapping my arms like a chicken while shaking my head “no.” No joke.

It was fascinating watching behind-the-scenes, the deft chopping of vegetables and fine slicing of meat into thin slivers so that they would cook in the broth.

Subsequently, it was straight up Tibetan food.

You must know by now, I’m a meat eater. Tibetan’s version of fatty pork belly is insanely sweet and rich.

Can you smell it? YUM! Tibetans also use a lot of yak meat instead of beef, which I found a bit game-y. (As much as I love beef and bison, I am actually not a lamb or goat fan). Yak and tomato, however, go splendidly together.

Of course, vegetarian options are widely available. But let me continue on this yak thing…Tibetan food has many influences of Nepalese, Indian, and Chinese flavors, from dals to fried rice. There’s also some interesting blends of East and West with this yak and fusilli dish.

But my favorite, oh, my favorite are MOMOS. Maybe we can convince ZomppaTsering to share her famous recipe (which are better than any I’ve had). Momos are juicy dumplings wrapped in either doughy buns or a thinner wrap. When you put one in your mouth, they “pop” and the juices just flow. Dipped in a hot sauce (ZomppaTsering makes one we have dubbed “Magma”), they are blissful. (Yes, they come vegetarian, too). These? Yak.

Guess what? Tsampa, Tibetan tea, is also made with yak…yak butter, which can be found in large quantities on the streets.

My favorite place to have tea, though, was a hidden gem. One afternoon of wandering the street markets, I peeked into a little hallway to discover  a gorgeous and open atrium. It was a teahouse/restaurant and soon my favorite little hangout with my favorite traveling buddies.

Whatever your politics, whether you’re vegetarian or a yak-eater, eating is spiritual, eating is communal, eating is connecting with our bodies.

Eating in Tibet is an experience like eating on the rooftop of the world.

This is definitely a dilemma for me. I love animals. I love dogs. I think pigs are really smart animals. I care about the environment. I recycle. I reuse bags. I pay extra for the recycled business cards.

Am I a hypocrite?

For those of you who eat meat, I’m sure you understand. For those of you who don’t, please don’t prejudge me yet. I have tried to go vegetarian, but I really like meat and my body doesn’t really do well with only vegetables (or only grains).

A few weeks ago, we joined Blog Action Day on the issue of climate change. BTW, I thought I was so clever today and made up the word “carbon fooDprint.” Turns out, there’s a neat organization – Cool Foods Campaign –  where you can learn more about how to reduce your carbon “foodprint” via your food!

ANYWAYS, this issue just gets more interesting…let’s see a run-down just the last couple weeks…

Lord Stern of the UK (not a vegetarian himself) warned the public they need to turn vegetarian in the Times October 27, 2009. You’re probably familiar with the argument that cattle and pig emissions (i.e. farts and stuff) are more dangerous than carbon dioxide to global warming.

The first country to take this connection seriously is Sweden. In Elisabeth Rosenthal’s October 22, 2009 article, she reports that the Swedish  government is taking steps to literally track their food by labeling the carbon dioxide emissions on food products and menus, from pastas to burgers.

Has this changed anything? Well, it seems that restaurants have found up to 75% of their carbon footprint attributable to meat. But even when they put these labels on their menu items and the more “climate-friendly items” have seen an increase in sales, some people just want a burger. They may feel a bit guilty ordering it, but they do anyways.

Moreover, she notes that the environmental cost is not just because of meat. Rosenthal notes that there are other factors like the type of soil used to grow the cattle’s food. So if we cannot cut meat entirely out of the human diet (which I don’t anticipate happening), then as Michael Pollan and others argue, we really should be paying more attention to where the meat comes from and how the animals are raised.

Rancher Nicolette Hahn Niman wrote in the New York Times on October 30, 2009 about this exact dilemma and raises some provoking points, affirming Rosenthal’s contention that it’s not as simple as meat/no meat, but how the land and surroundings are cared for in the raising of said meat. She points out that smaller, traditional, local farms don’t really have these carbon emissions that lead to global warming whether it is because of distance to market or little reliance on machinery (which sucks up energy).

And can vegetarians eat completely guiltless? Niman points out the reliance on soy for protein…and the most common soy and tofu found in supermarkets are from deforested lands overseas. Between large agribusiness emitting carbons to ship soy from overseas to large agribusiness companies like Monsanto destroying entire ecosystems in the Midwest to grow soybeans, we might have to think again whether meat is the only culprit to massive carbon “foodprints”.

Photo Source: Ecolitics Now

So what does this all mean? As Michael Pollan says, eat less meat. Eat more locally. By buying organic and local meat (which is also more expensive), I naturally buy and eat less. If I can’t get to the farmer’s market, I buy my meat at Whole Foods, where I know they have actually walked the walk with their involvement with the Animal Compassion Fund and Animal Welfare Standards.

I’m not sure I can ever fully resolve this dilemma. I sleep on organic cotton sheets, but my towels are not. I bike or walk where I can, but my car still gets lots of usage. But if Elisabeth Rosenthal is right that “”changing one’s diet can be as effective in reducing emissions of climate-changing gases as changing the car one drives or doing away with the clothes dryer,” then is it possible for me to care about the planet and animals, but still eat a little locally-, organically-, humanely-raised meat once in a while?

Starting today, I’ll start by cutting out meat 3 days a week.

I also spent part of the 4th holiday down at an undisclosed (note: uncrowded and I’m not spilling the beans on where!) beach in Wilmington, NC. The historic part of town is absolutely lovely, tucked by the Cape Fear River on the Eastern Shore. The people are delightfully (and scarily) nice (do they all really mean ‘good morning’?). Here is a photo of my house.

Just kidding. I wish! It’s definitely my favorite house.

I had made some easy oven baked chicken (see recipe below) for the beach and some AMAZING hanger steak sandwiches. These pack really well in some ice for the beach (sans eggs – add those for a great indoor brunch).

The best part (other than spending the day almost getting drowned in the Atlantic Ocean) was the SHRIMP. There are stands everywhere to buy freshly caught shrimp and scallops. This seafood has never seen a freezer or a refrigerator. We bought 3 pounds of shrimp.

I could eat these plain cooked. I have never had such juicy succulent (THIS is where the definition of succulent comes from) in my life. My friend Philippe (a proud Quebecois) made Shrimp Provencale – just the perfect dish.

The seasonings added and enhanced the natural tastes of the shrimp without overpowering or disguising the natural richness and freshness.

We took the shrimp on our own terrace right on the boardwalk with some wine and…I was in food bliss.

After dinner on the 3rd, we went to a fabulous boy bar in town, Ibiza, where the divas put on a grand show. Men/women (they were both at the same time) donned on their finest (wow – I need to learn how to put on eyelashes) while bartenders walked around with some sort of colorful drinks in test tubes. Everyone was having a grand time.

Perhaps not your typical family backyard bbq, but that’s what is so great about this country – food and drink can bring everyone together in whatever setting or form.

Happy birthday to the U.S.A.!

Shrimp Provencale (thanks to Philippe)

3 pounds shrimp (get the freshest possible – it makes a huge difference)
1 head garlic, roughly chopped
Tarragon
1 large can chopped tomatoes
Oregano
Salt
Pepper
Butter

1. Melt a couple TB of butter
2. Add shrimp and cook until pink
3. Remove shrimp
4. Add garlic, tomatoes, oregano, chopped tarragon, salt and pepper, stir occasionally over medium-heat for 5-8 minutes
5. Return shrimp to mixture and cook for additional 3-4 minutes
6. Serve over bed of brown rice

Hanger Steak Sandwich

1 pound hanger steak
3 cloves garlic, minced
Thyme
Rosemary
Marjoram
Salt
Pepper
Paprika
Olive oil

1. Combine thyme, rosemary, marjoram, paprika
2. Rub olive oil on steak, add garlic
3. Rub spice mixture, add salt and pepper as desired
4. Heat grill or skillet
5. Cook hanger steak on each side for 6-8 minute (as desired)
6. Remove from heat
7. Grill whole wheat hot dog buns (for real, hot dog buns)
8. Slice hanger steak and add to grilled buns
9. Cook two eggs over easy
10. Place eggs over steak, add salt and pepper as desired

Oven-Baked Chicken

3 pounds of chicken thighs
6 garlic cloves, minced
6 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt
Pepper
6 tsp thyme
6 tsp baking powder
6 TB sesame seeds
2 cups buttermilk
3 cups flour

1. Cover chicken in buttermilk and refrigerate for at least 2 hours
2. Put flour, baking powder and other spices in Ziploc bag and mix well
3. Add each chicken thigh in flour mixture and shake until covered
4. Place on baking pan covered with foil
5. Put in preheated oven (450F) and bake for about 50 minutes until done

This was one happy day. Happy Meal it was. The McDonald’s was super nice and clean with upbeat funky dance music playing. Great atmosphere.

The food. Oh, the food. Now I cannot tell whether it is because I have missed fluffy, soft buns (flatbreads are wonderful, but they are, well, flat) and in India, the McDonald’s buns are just as the image depicts – it is soft and fluffy. In the U.S., the soft fluffy bun often comes out squished and smashed. Not here. It was wondrous. I knew what I wanted to order – the biggest thing on their menu, but their other items all seemed just as good. McAloo (potato) Tikka sandwich, Salad Sandwich…their value menu starts at Rs. 20 (about $0.40).

As beef is not sold here, I ordered the Chicken Maharaja Mac, their version of the Big Mac. It came with fries, and I ordered a Coke float. The bun…oh, I talked about the bun. The special sauce was a mayonnaise spiced with chili powder and other spices familiar in Indian cooking. The fries were perfect – doesn’t have that meat flavor – but perfectly cooked and salted. The ketchup came in two little containers, and it was sweeter than what is found in the U.S. The Coke float was splendid. I could not have asked for more.

It is interesting how in the U.S., I often think of McDonald’s as the place of last resort – they are great for bathroom emergencies on the highway, and the occasional I-need-chicken-nuggets urge. Otherwise, I tend to avoid them. While I did go to nice one in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin with super friendly employees, most of the ones in the larger cities are impersonal and not the cleanest. Here, in India, however, it seems to be a place where at least the middle/upper class go. The food is amazing, the place is nice, and the employees really do smile.

So is McDonald’s a “good” or “bad” thing for Indian culture and cuisine? Diabetes and other diseases more commonly found in the U.S. are on the rise in India – especially among the wealthy. Is that due to an increase in fast food that is yet accessible to the lower socio-economic classes?

I’m not sure the answers to these issues, or whether there is even an answer. I do know that I thoroughly enjoyed my meal at a place that is familiar to me, and at the same time one that I usually avoid. An amazing sandwich for Rs. 125 (less than $3).

Talk about a Happy Meal.

I went to the store bought some beef (grain fed, no animal by product, no-antibiotic-just reading the package made me shudder as I glanced at its cousins-forced into cannibalism) which was super expensive! Coming out of the grocery store feeling a lot lighter in my purse I was wondering like we all do – Why does eating/feeding your family healthy have to be expensive? How can I balance healthy eating with cost?

My son’s first meat dish was minced beef, peas and carrot puree; unlike the time when I introduced him to cauliflower he did not clench his mouth closed but LOVED it! Jury is out -neither my 31/2 year old daughter, who loves her kebabs and chicken chowmein, is going to become a vegetarian anytime soon nor is my little boy! As long as they eat veggies, as a vegetarian mother I accept their present verdict on their diet!

GT-First Meat Dish

Minced meat, carrot and peas (8 months +)
Ingredients
½ cup of organic minced meat
1 teaspoon organic frozen/fresh peas
2 organic baby carrots/chopped
½ teaspoon Olive oil
1 cup of water

Directions
Heat the pan and add the olive oil. Sauté the meat until well cooked about 5 minutes. Add chopped carrots and peas and cook for 5 minutes. Add the water and cook till the carrots and peas are soft. Put the mixture into a food mill or food blender until pureed. Serve it nice and warm for your little love!

While I try to buy my meats only from the farmer’s market, this is not always feasible (or affordable), and recently, while at Whole Foods, they impressed me once more. I was browsing the meat counter (yes, I browse meat), and on the packaged “air chilled” poultry (I still don’t really know what air-chilled means but it sounds pretty neat) there was a label in the corner that said “Step Two.”

So I asked the meat man and he told me all about this new Animal Welfare Rating Whole Foods is implementing–it is program that audits all their farmers and rates them based on the extent to which they promote animal welfare practices in their meats. I got a neat little brochure that told me exactly what the steps mean and what all those terms mean (dustbaths and hock burns). The meat man also informed me that their meats (mostly coming from regional farms) are being audited and the goal is to encourage farmers to reach a higher rating to entice Whole Foods to continue to buy from them. Even more impressively is the fact that their lowest rating (scale of 1 to 5) is pretty decent, compared to factory-raised animals. Step 1 animals still have to antibiotics, animal-by-products, or growth hormones as well as a host of other guidelines.

At a time when “Big Business” almost always gets a bad rap, it is encouraging to see that some big businesses are are trying to set the industry standard for the better. Is Whole Foods making money from this? Probably. But is it necessarily a “bad” thing when one makes a profit while having a greater impact? Making a profit is not inherently evil or bad, and we must separate the issues of corporate greed from corporate responsibility.

At the very least, Whole Foods is trying. That is more than can be said for even the most well-intentioned but apathetic.