Food,
the who, the what and the why, such ponderings could lead to
interesting conversations. It is irrelevant whether you believe that
man was created in the image of God or that it may of taken a few
years for the guy to actually straighten up and walk using only his
legs. In either case the organic machine we call our body needed
fuel, and that fuel was and is food.
Some
2 million years ago Hominids decided it was time to shift away from a
diet of nuts and berries and begin the consumption of meat. This may
not of been the birth of the medium T-bone as archeological estimates
put the invention of cooking at only approximately 250,000 years ago,
but still it was a beginning.
As
human beings go, searching and refining is a natural course of our
evolution. Whether we look for a better way to walk straight, move
faster than before, discover the most cost effective killing device,
or simply improve on a steak sauce, we are always tinkering with
things.
Finally,
in 6000 BCE grapes were no longer simple sweet morsels to pop between
the pearly whites, but were grown for the production of wine in the
Southern Caucasus region. It took sadly another couple of thousand
years before the first suds flowed over the rim of a mug. Early
evidence of beer is found in a Sumerian poem honouring Ninkasi, the
patron goddess of brewing. There is no clarification by either
historians or archaeologists whether this was simply a pub ditty or a
full on prayer of worship. Regardless, by 3500 BCE beer was being
produced in Iran and it took the Germanic and Celtic tribes to spread
the amber liquid through Europe by 3000 BCE.
History
has proven that the immense complexity of man is woven with a common
simplistic thread, and that is our desire to make it better. The
'it' is irrelevant, simply put we are never satisfied. Just look at
the changes in what or how we eat. The first big leap was from nuts
and berries to steak and ribs, after that the whole culinary world
was flung open. Today we choose between a quick take out, a
family at the dinner table, or any one of a myriad of
restaurants.
The
idea of serving passing by customers food first hit a high note in
Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. Here these food pit stops were
called Thermopolia and had L-shaped counters in which large storage
vessels were sunk containing both hot and cold food. In Pompeii some
158 Thermopolia had been identified by archaeologists across the whole
town area. For us in the Western World it was the City of Light, the
culinary capital of the world which saw establishments appear around
1765. A soup merchant by the name of Boulanger began to sell the
idea of serving the public food without lodging, and voila here we
are today, the big yellow M is spreading everywhere.
Although
the idea behind Pompeii's Thermopolia was somewhat different, as
I am sure it was for Boulanger of Paris, today we have a
cornucopia of fast food, semi-fast food and almost fast food
establishments booming. On December 12, 1948, Maurice and Richard
McDonald, the sons of the original founder of this very American
idea, opened the doors to the first McDonald's restaurant in
California. Some 66 years
later this idea has grown to over 34,000 restaurants worldwide
reaching every corner of the globe and almost in every language
spoken by civilised man.
It
is not only the rise of a massive industry such as fast food that
modern society can claim to. Whether your memory is of television
before LCD flat screens, or you are more of the mind to travel the
internet highway, personality chefs are still there to tantalise.
Who can forget Julia Child, or the expertly organised Martha Stewart?
Each of these chefs with their perfectly chosen language are able to
whip up a frenzy of motivation in the viewer. Watching Jamie Oliver
dash around creating a tantalizing dish with his charming accent
added as a splash of something, or a pinch of that, makes one ready
to fling open all the kitchen cupboards.
Well
the doors are open, and what's staring us in the face is a box of Mac
& Cheese, as what's wrong with a casserole of pasta and cheese?
One of the oldest medieval cookbooks, Liber de Coquina records
a recipe for a pasta and cheese casserole, and the first packaged
version hit out markets and cupboards in 1937. In a fashion it is an
honoured tradition, right? But we should be strong and not give into
temptation and convenience, remember the words of Jamie Oliver. Yet
Jamie's recipe calls for fresh thyme and that other thing that we do
not have.
So
we jump into whatever four-wheeled convenience we have parked in the
driveway and dash off to the local supermarket. Ah, the convenience
of everything we need under one roof. Yet this one roof
stop-and-shop enterprise has not reached its 100th
birthday. The first supermarket was developed by Vincent Astor, who
founded the Astor Market in 1915 at the corner of 95th and
Broadway, Manhattan. Vincent believed that people would come from
miles around for such a convenience, he was wrong and shut down his
operation in 1917. At about the same time another entrepreneur
Clarence Saunders developed the concept of a self-service grocery
store with his Piggly Wiggly stores. Clarence was a success and
after opening the first store in 1916, winning a number of patents,
he began to franchise.
Here
we are today, convenience is at the centre of all things, and at
times we forget that food is also a joy. Its consumption is not only
a necessity but a pleasure, and its preparation can be a regular
journey of discovery. That in itself is the reason and motivation
behind Unleash Your Taste.
I
work daily as a chef in a most unusual setting. Each day I prepare
food not in a walled kitchen but in front of passing customers,
providing ideas and at times detours from intended menus. It is with
pleasure and a renewed joy in cooking that I am able to interact with
all kinds of people each day. At the same time each and every one of
them has an opportunity to pass on their own opinions and ideas, and
with this information the links in the chain grow.
Through
Unleash Your Taste we will go on journeys, take detours and at
times look at where it all began, but always the recipes presented on
a weekly basis from my station will appear here. This is a chance to
have a glass of wine and a chat, or if you prefer a cup of coffee or
tea and exchange ideas or thoughts, after all food is for sharing.
Welcome,
pull up a chair and join me.
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