The Origin of the Taco

From Smithsonian.com:

The origins of the taco are really unknown. My theory is that it dates from the 18th century and the silver mines in Mexico, because in those mines the word “taco” referred to the little charges they would use to excavate the ore. These were pieces of paper that they would wrap around gunpowder and insert into the holes they carved in the rock face. When you think about it, a chicken taquito with a good hot sauce is really a lot like a stick of dynamite. The first references [to the taco] in any sort of archive or dictionary come from the end of the 19th century. And one of the first types of tacos described is called tacos de minero—miner’s tacos. So the taco is not necessarily this age-old cultural expression; it’s not a food that goes back to time immemorial.

Fascinating article on the origin of a food that I once despised, but now one of only three foods that I could eat almost every day and not get tired of it (pizza and barbecue are the other two.)

I also never knew the origin of Taco Bell.  That alone is worth sharing this article.

Guacamole

Oh, The Irony...

From Austin Eater.com:

Gerald Birkelbach of City Meat Market in Giddings on how to tell if you're eating good barbecue: "You want to know the real flavor? Taste it first without the sauce on it, and if you gotta put sauce on it, then it isn't worth shit anyway."

It's ironic because I've never eaten at the meat market precisely because their logo looks like a steaming pile...



He's right, though, even if he does have a crappy logo.

Keep Food Legal

From an organization called Keep Food Legal:

KFL is the first nationwide membership organization devoted to culinary freedom—the right of every American to grow, raise, produce, buy, sell, cook, and eat the foods of their own choosing.

• What are some of the issue KFL take on? The list is too long to print here, but these are some of our most important targets:
KFL will advocate in favor of abolishing all food-related subsidies. Government subsidies distort prices and demand, cause environmental problems, and have played a large role in creating America’s obesity problem.

• KFL will work to defeat food regulations and bans which limit our freedom to produce, cook, buy, and sell the foods we want. The government has no right to tell people what we can and can’t eat.

• KFL will advocate at the federal, state, and local levels in favor of more food choices. It is not enough to oppose bad new laws. We will work—in legislatures and in the courts—to roll back bad ones already on the books.

I can't say it any better than Matt did: "It's pretty sad that an organization like this has to exist at all." I agree completely.

Destructo, Grill Master

I entered one of my favorite things to cook in the HEB Grill Master Challenge: Grilled herb salmon with spinach and mushrooms.

I'll make you a deal- if you log in and vote for my recipe and I win, I'll have a huge party (with you invited, of course) with the winnings and to show off the amazing grill they're giving away. And then it'll be salmon for everyone!

Deal?

Eggs from Iowa

From the Washington Post:

A salmonella outbreak that sickened hundreds and led to the recall of hundreds of millions of eggs from one Iowa firm will likely grow, federal health officials said Thursday.

Much of the investigation so far has been centered on restaurants in California, Colorado, Minnesota and North Carolina.

The eggs were distributed around the country and packaged under the names Lucerne, Albertson, Mountain Dairy, Ralph's, Boomsma's, Sunshine, Hillandale, Trafficanda, Farm Fresh, Shoreland, Lund, Dutch Farms and Kemp.

Buy local, folks. Nothing good comes from mass-produced food from several states away. In fact, maybe it's time to give the 100-mile diet another look.

Speaking of which, this Saturday is Home Sweet Farm.

Princeton researchers find that high-fructose corn syrup prompts considerably more weight gain

From Princeton University (via Daring Fireball):

A Princeton University research team has demonstrated that all sweeteners are not equal when it comes to weight gain: Rats with access to high-fructose corn syrup gained significantly more weight than those with access to table sugar, even when their overall caloric intake was the same.

In addition to causing significant weight gain in lab animals, long-term consumption of high-fructose corn syrup also led to abnormal increases in body fat, especially in the abdomen, and a rise in circulating blood fats called triglycerides. The researchers say the work sheds light on the factors contributing to obesity trends in the United States.

"Some people have claimed that high-fructose corn syrup is no different than other sweeteners when it comes to weight gain and obesity, but our results make it clear that this just isn't true, at least under the conditions of our tests," said psychology professor Bart Hoebel, who specializes in the neuroscience of appetite, weight and sugar addiction. "When rats are drinking high-fructose corn syrup at levels well below those in soda pop, they're becoming obese -- every single one, across the board. Even when rats are fed a high-fat diet, you don't see this; they don't all gain extra weight."

Finally, scientific evidence to back up my hypothesis.

This one's for you, Girl.

I know how much you LOVES you some fried okra, but not so much okra cooked any other way - because of the sliminess.

Road Food

I took a week-long business road trip last week, and I took photos of most of the meals I ate. It's amazing what we'll eat when we're on the road...

Jake & Dorothy's cafe in Stephenville

Fried green beans at the Pioneer Cafe in Wichita Falls

Chicken fried chicken and okra at the Pioneer Cafe in Wichita Falls

Chicken tacos at Tacos Garcia in Amarillo

Veggie omelet, sausage, hash browns and raisin toast at Waffle House in Amarillo

Baked chicken, squash, greens, carrot souffle, black bean salsa and sweet tea at Furr's in Lubbock

Veggie pizza at Mamma Mia Pizza Kitchen in Levelland

Veggie omelet and hash browns (pancake not shown) at Pancake House in Lubbock

Barbecue beef and ribs, green beans, carrots, pintos and apple cobbler at Underwood's in Brownwood

Mamma Mia!

If you happen to find yourself in Levelland , Tx - about 30 minutes
west of Lubbock - be sure to stop in to the Mamma Mia pizza kitchen.
Excellent pizza, friendly service and awesome cinnamon sugar pizza!
Tell them the guy who wanted veggie pizza sent you.

Bubba's Bar & Grill

Check out this new cooking site from Neil Peart. Yes, that Neil Peart.

It's Bubba's Bar & Grill, and its all about the kind of cooking I love: fresh and simple. It seems we have very similar culinary tastes. I would have chosen a salmon recipe as one of my first, also.

The Crappiest McDonalds in the World

On Thursday on our way to Kristi's family reunion we stopped at the McDonald's in Madisonville, Tx to eat dinner. Kayci had gotten to pick.

When we got there, we noticed a huge TV, which was showing a news channel and proclaiming "Michael Jackson Rushed to Hospital."

We ordered our food - pretty straightforward stuff. The girl on the register was frowning and moping (not mopping) around, almost as if she was trying to be like a caricature of the stereotypical fast food worker. It took her almost five minutes to figure out how to ring up a package of apple dippers.

Once we got our food, I went over to get some ketchup from the ketchup pumpy-thing and was disgusted by the nasty gooey mess oozing out of the spout. There were flies and gnats flying around it and resting on the pump as if it were a shiny metal fly perch. So I went up to the counter and asked for some ketchup packets. A heavy-set girl behind the counter told me she couldn't give me any because I was eating here.

"What????" I said incredulously.

"My manager won't let me give out ketchup packets except to people ordering to-go."

"Well, let me talk to the manager, then," I said.

"I'm the manager on duty," she said. "The store manager told me I had to cut down on my orders." I'm sure I rolled my eyes at this point.

Then I got in her face. "You're the manager on duty. You have the authority to make this decision. I'm not using that ketchup. There are flies all over it!!! It's nasty!!!" I suddenly felt like Gordon Ramsey.

By this time Michael Jackson was in a coma.

"Okay, I'll do it this once" she fat robot sheep manager said. I think I said something like "damn right you will" as I grabbed some ketchup out of her hand and walked over to the table where my family was sitting.

I sat down and ate my quarter pounder with cheese and fries with ketchup. I couldn't help, based on my experience so far, but check my burger for maggots. There weren't any, thank God.

By this time Michael Jackson was dead.

So we finished our dinner and got the hell out as fast as we could. It's been a long time since I've had a restaurant experience that bad. I can somewhat understand the staffing issues. After all, minimum wage doesn't buy much these days, obviously. But the conditions were just plain disgusting.

So I'm boycotting the McDonalds in Madisonville, and I hope you all will, too. I'm not eating there anymore. Every time I do, Michael Jackson dies.

State-shaped meat

Last weekend we grilled chicken for Kayci's grandparent party. I did a double take when I saw one of the pieces of chicken.

It was in the shape of Texas! It's no virgin Mary or face of Elvis or anything, but still cool.

I'd open bidding, but I ate it. Turns out Texas tastes good!!!!

News Flash: Rudy's Named the Most Destructolicious Restaurant on Earth!

Well, it's official. Rudy's is the best place on Earth. It may even be the happiest place on Earth, supplanting DisneyWorld for the title.

Rudy's has ... wait for it...

Mexican Coke!!!



And in a stunning turn of events, they ALSO have Dublin Dr. Pepper.



And smoked turkey. Rudy's is my new Cracker Barrel. I MUST eat there if there's one around.

Another movie I'm planning to see

MUCH different than The Hangover, but still looks interesting. Kristi and I have actually been talking a lot lately about the CRAP that we shovel into our bodies and call food. I think this issue is just on the cusp of widespread social awareness. Food is one of the very few areas that I have no problem with the government regulating.

The world is about to get a little bit more throwbacky

Everyone who knows me - and anyone in earshot- has heard me rave like a freaking madman about how wonderful Dr. Pepper made with real sugar is. It's been available at a few places here in Brenham for years, but it seems to be popping up more and more places lately, such as Wal-Mart and HEB. It's light years better than that corn syrup crap. And I thought it couldn't get any better.

Until today.

Pepsi and Mountain Dew will soon (in mid-April, apparently) be made with real sugar, also.

Stop. Think of the ramifications. Calm down a little. Let the heart rate settle... Change your underpants if necessary.

Real. Sugary. Goodness. Mmmmmmm. I am SO pumped about this. I've long said that soft drinks just don't taste as good as they did when I was little. And it's all because of the sugar. In the mid-'80s, corn syrup replaced sugar as the sweetener in soft drinks and things just haven't been the same since. And when Pepsi moved from a steel can to an aluminum one, well, I died a little inside.

I'm really excited that I can finally share a Pepsi or a Mountain Dew with my kids the way they were intended to be enjoyed. With real sugary goodness. Now if only Coke would make a formula with real sugar... Don't worry. I suspect they'll be on the bandwagon soon.