Breakfast Food

My favorite meal of the day is probably dinner, but I do love breakfast. The first meal of the day, and the first meal after fasting for about eight hours. I know a lot of students in general skip breakfast, but I think it is worth it to wake up about thirty minutes earlier and eat some food before the day begins. Taking into thought that food is energy for your body, eating something at all will help get the day started.
Some people may choose to skip breakfast in order to cut out some calories and lose weight, however skipping breakfast is strongly linked to obesity. This may also be because someone who is too lazy to make/eat breakfast is probably lazy throughout the day. Also people who skip breakfast are more likely to stuff themselves later with less nutritious snacks to satisfy their hunger.
There are a variety of breakfast foods, but some of the more common ones are eggs, toast, sausage, and cereal. In breakfast food, you get the proteins, carbohydrates, and other essential vitamins and nutrients.

Different countries have different breakfast foods, but after looking through some pictures, I don't think there is such a thing as nasty breakfast food.

This looks tasty!

Grilled Cheese

I know everyone has had a grilled cheese at some point in their life. They are really easy to make, and the ingredients are almost always available.
Turns out that the grilled cheese is an ancient food and was found in populations all around the world. The grilled cheese that we enjoy today can be dated back to the 1920's.

In case you did not know how to make a grilled cheese, here is a link.

Sushi

Sushi is one of my favorite dishes. I could probably eat it every day if I had the cash flow.
Sushi is a Japanese dish, and can be found almost all over the United States. You can find them in almost any Japanese restaurant and even in Chinese buffets.
Sushi's main ingredient is raw fish or some other type of seafood and rice. There are many different types of fish, resulting in many different types of sushi. The type of sushi also depends on fillings, toppings, condiments, and preparation. There are usually some vegetables and seaweed involved in sushi.

I did not originally know about all the different types, but I came across a cool article describing the different kinds of sushi.

Chirashizushi is a bowl of sushi rice and sashimi (the raw fish in sushi by itself). The bowl usually has raw ingredients and no definite set of ingredients.

Inarizushi is sushi rice filled in a pouch of fried tofu.

Makizushi is rolled sushi. The rolls are formed by using a bamboo mat, and usually rolled using seaweed. There are many different types of Makizushi.

Narezushi is fermented sushi. The main ingredient here is skinned and gutted fish. The fish is placed into a wooden barrel and pickling stone, and can take around six months for it to be ready to eat.


Nigirizushi is hand pressed sushi, where the chef presses sushi rice into small rectangular boxes. The sushi is topped off with wasabi and neta.

Wester-style sushi is a sushi variety that has a western influence. A good example of this is the California roll.

I am not a sushi snob or master by any means, and sometimes I can't even tell the difference between some types of sushi, but I know it is tasty.

Coffee

Almost everyone I know has tried coffee at least once, and a handful of people have it every day. Coffee is a necessary part of breakfast for some people as coffee contains caffeine. While some people may avoid coffee, they may get their daily caffeine fix in other ways.

Coffee was first harvested in Arabia, and was always one of the largest exported crop. Today the three largest coffee producers are Brazil, Vietnam, and Indonesia. Most countries have their own type of coffee, and special methods of preparation. It is very interesting seeing such differences in coffee throug
hout the world. Even in the United States, there are a lot of ways to consume coffee. Some drink their coffee black, while others prefer some milk or cream, and sugar.

There are different methods to produce coffee too. You can buy and grind your own beans, buy beans already ground, or buy instant mix. There is always the alternative to going to a Starbucks or different coffee shop to get a cup of coffee as well. A fact I found interesting is there are two main types of coffee plants, arabica and robusta, but 3/4 of the coffee harvested is arabica, due to robusta's more bitter taste.

Froyo

Lately frozen yogurt has become the after school craze. Whether it is hot or cold outside, there is never a bad time for frozen yogurt.
While frozen desserts were first introduced in Asia thousands of years ago, frozen yogurt was first introduced in the New England area of the United States in the 1970's. Frozen yogurt is similar to soft serve ice cream, but usually has less fat and more of a tart flavor. This is because frozen yogurt is made from milk instead of cream. There are also non-dairy based frozen yogurt that is similar to sherbert.

There are an abundant amount of frozen yogurt shops all around the United States. All of the places I have been to have frozen yogurt dispensed in soft serve machines. There is also a toppings station where you can load up on pieces of fruits, cookies, candy, and other sweets.

An interesting fact I found was that frozen yogurt is not regulated by the FDA

Mini Lobsters

One of the greatest things about New Orleans is the food. A very popular one is crawfish. Anyone living in Louisiana, and isn't allergic, or a vegetarian, probably ate crawfish at a point in their life. Some people outside of Louisiana may call them crayfish. Crawfish are usually found in slow moving fresh water, but can also live in slightly salty water.

Over 90% of the crawfish that is consumed in the United States is from Louisiana. Crawfish are cooked by boiling them with a lot of seasoning. The seasoning is usually salty and spicy, and sometimes sausage, corn, and potatoes, are added to the boil. Crawfish boils are very popular in the early spring time to early summer, and are hosted by almost anyone. Whether it is a small crawfish boil at home for the family, or a large one like Crawfest, it is a social gathering everyone looks forward to. Crawfish can also be found all around New Orleans. In case the next crawfish boil is sometime away in the future, many restaurants serve crawfish.

There are no times darker than when crawfish season is over.

Critical Thinking

From reading most of the replies posted in the blog forum, critical thinking seems to have different meanings for different people. The overall idea, still stays the same.
After a little bit of research, critical thinking does have a very broad meaning. From information gathering and analyzing, to reflection and reasoning, an attempt to use a bit more brain power seems to be the key for critical thinking. Careful judgement and a little patience is also important for critical thinking.
Most news and articles have a bias, but by critical thinking, a person will be able to develop their own thoughts and opinions. Critical thinking is not just limited to news and articles, as this thought process can be used in almost any situation that calls for a higher level of thinking.

Critical thinking is influenced by personality and mood. If a person is angry or upset, their mindset about a situation may be completely different from a person who is happy.
Dictionary.com has the definition, "disciplined thinking that is clear, rational, open-minded, and informed by evidence."
Anyone can think critically, but if someone is very uninterested in a topic, critical thinking may be difficult to accomplish.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/critical+thinking
http://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/defining-critical-thinking/766

Good Food

My topic I am researching and will be blogging about is food. The topic of food isn't really controversial, but a lot can be learned about food. Sometimes from researching and reading about different kinds of foods from different countries, how a certain culture has progressed throughout history can be learned. I will be looking into all different kinds of foods, from comfort foods known here in America, to exotic dishes I may see on the travel channel.

My attitude towards food is positive. Growing up, I have never been a picky eater, but there are foods I prefer to eat over others. I also prefer to eat healthy if the option is available. I'm sure a lot of people love to eat, and many would love to try different kinds of foods. I can honestly say, I'm thinking about food all the time. When I wake up in the morning I'm thinking about breakfast, and when I'm sitting in class or church, I'm thinking about what I should eat for lunch.

I hope to discover interesting facts about foods from different countries, and even food that I may come across every day. I hope by the end of this semester, I'll be a more cultured person and a lot more open minded in general.

Pho Sure

Food is one of the many things people enjoy in life. Food is essential to survive, and depending on the country and region, food may be scarce. I am blessed to have grown up without ever worrying if there will be food on the table, and even have the luxury of going out and enjoying all different kinds of food.
One of my all time favorite food is Pho. Pho is a Vietnamese noodle soup. The soup itself is made up of beef broth, but additional items are added. Various vegetables such as bean sprouts, cilantro, onion, and other herbs and spices are added. Pho comes in different flavors, including vegetarian, chicken, and shrimp, but beef is my favorite. On top of everything, a slice of lime can be squeezed into the broth, and depending on taste, Sriracha sauce can also be added.


Ranging from about $7-9, Pho is one of the more affordable dishes to order whenever I decide to eat out. The soup is tangy and depending on how much jalapenos and Sriracha sauce is added, can be very spicy. The taste is hard to describe, as there aren't too many dishes that share the same combination of ingredients. Every Pho restaurant also have their own way of cooking the broth, and the taste may greatly vary.

Pho is primarily a breakfast food, and from what I understand, the broth takes hours (overnight) to cook. I however have rarely had Pho for breakfast, and enjoy it during any time of the day. While this may be one of my favorite dishes, this dish may not be for everyone, and the taste may be an acquired. I definitely recommend this to anyone who likes to try different food.