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Photography Group Project

Alterations are not allowed in press photography, but they are one of the tools used in contemporary art photography? Why?

Press photography is a special type of photography. With press photography you are not allowed to  make changes or alterations to the photos in any kind of way. You are only sticking to the facts and the information. A main example of press photography would be of newspapers or online articles. Whereas with contemporary art photography you are able to make changes to the photos. The photographer has the ability to present the picture the way they like it best and that way it provides the viewers to see the photograph with different perspectives of it.    

With press photography it is used everywhere around the world, the photos are taken in the moment and are used to showcase and to tell real life stories. You just can’t alter real life events. Also you can’t voice your own opinion, like I said press photography is only presenting the facts without changing any of the information. Comparing that to contemporary art photography there is way more leeway to how the photos are allowed to be presented. Contemporary art photography is the art of an individual, they are telling their own story from their point of view, they are not telling a news story that is based off of actual events and facts. That allows the photographer to make all the alterations or changes to the photos. That is ultimately how the artist conveys their creativeness through their photographs. With press photography you are not able to do that, both types of photography’s they are conveying different messages.  

Compare photographs of Sommer, Adams and Klett versus Parkeharrison, Muniz and Crewdson.

Frederick Sommer:

Sommer as a photographer played with a diverse range of subjects. He took interest to take pictures of disorienting landscape and  ghastly side of the nature. He captured spooky, enigmatic, uncanny and clever images and created  the idea of exquisiteness in his photographs. His subject range might seem diverse but his distinct vision connected all his work. “Sommer’s photographs show an abiding interest in form and a consistently startling approach to composition, texture, and scale. His writings reference the hidden structure that he saw all around him, the beauty of which he sought to reveal in his images (national,2020). Sommer tried to find order in the disarray and that lead him to observe things that are not very noticeable to others or unpleasant.

Ansel Adam: Ansel Adam was a landscape photographer and environmentalist. Ansel Adam took particular interest in nature photography and some of his significant work included American west , Yosemite national park.

“Ansel Adams rose to prominence as a photographer of the American West, particularly Yosemite National Park, using his work to promote conservation of wilderness areas. His iconic black-and-white images helped to establish photography among the fine arts (Biography,2020).Ansel Adam took photographs of nature in different time zone , he captured beautiful landscapes in different lights and atmosphere at varying times of the day and of the year.  His interest in the natural environment made his images grand and detailed. With increasing environmental degradation in the West during the 20th century, his photos show a commitment to conservation(wells,2005)

Mark Klett:

Mark Klett is well known for his western landscape and human interaction with it.His photographs respond to historic images and his projects explore relationships between time, change and perception. Mark Klett “considers history and human activity part of the natural landscape. He photographs evidence of human interaction with the land, using formal beauty to invite the critical reflection of the spectator (ICP,2020)”

Robert Parkeharrison is a very unique type of photographer. He enjoys taking shots of how humans interact with nature. He uses his creativity to show the relationship between us and the environment that we live in. When I see this, I see someone who supports the Go Green initiatives. Colors are used to provide life into these images showing his imaginary world.

Parkeharrison expressed all his creativity into these photos showing that there is no limit in the fantasy world and that the fantasy world can become a reality if newer inventions in the future can become more sustainable with green energy to not ruin the world we live in.

Vik Muniz also offers a very unique style of photography. Muniz takes photos of everyday items such as ketchup, syrup, peanut butter, diamonds, sugar, junk and even garbage. He arranges these items to form an image that can mean a million words. Muniz was born in Brazil and has experienced life under a dictatorship. All of his images possess a metaphor as the people cannot trust the words of politicians as they are all lies and corrupt.

Gregory Crewdson photography style is very dramatic, cinematic and can also be considered to be a little disturbing with surreal events, almost replicating scenes of a horror movie. All of these images are staged and a professional set up is used. It gives off a very twilight feeling inside the typical American neighborhood/home. Crewdson is very detailed with his photographs, from the lighting, to the window that damages in the corner. He pays close attention to his lighting as it is a very effective way to set a certain mood inside his shoot.

The similarities between the photographs of the photographers:

Fredrick Sommer, Vik Muniz and Gregory Crewdson had similarities in their concept and ideas of their photographs. The concepts and the idea of Fredrick Sommer’s photographs are the blend of Vik Muniz and Gregory Crewdson’s photographs. The idea and concept are pretty comparable between this photographers. Mark Klett and Robert Parkeharrison had quite similar concept and idea when it comes to their photographs. Ansel Adam also took interest in nature’s photography but I think among all the photographers discussed Ansel Adam’s photographs are quite appropriate for press or documentary photography. He showed the nature as it should be.

What happened to Photography?

photography over the years has changed drastically. In the beginning of photography capturing the moment and the essence of it was very common.  Photographers and artists have stretched that common idea into creating photographs that are very unique, where one can see the buildup of the creative aspects that were embedded into the photographs. Artists and photographers have been trying to push the envelope and have become very distinctive in terms of the work they have shown, much like Muniz, Crewdson and the Parkeharrisons.  Most photographers have turned to digital photography programs that help bring their imagination to life. In the process many of these photographs create staged stories to express certain emotion to the audience when viewing their work.

Is this the future?

In the early days of photography, it was not accessible to the majority of the population, unlike today where minimal to no training is required to use a camera or majority of the digital enhancement software.  As new digital cameras and software become available, it also becomes less expensive and more user friendly.  One no longer requires a dark room, multiple cameras and lens to be a proficient photographer, only a moderately priced digital camera, computer and free digital enhancement software to create or re-create any image in their imagination. The trend in modern contemporary photography seems to be moving towards the surreal, into the minds of the artists themselves.  Muniz, Crewdson and the Parkeharrisons' reflect this trend in their work, as do other contemporary photographers.  It seems as if in modern contemporary photography there are no longer rules for what should or should not be photographed, and like many photographers before them, they will continue to challenge our concept and construct of imagery.  One thing is for certain, contemporary photographers are only limited by their own imagination.

References:

Campbell, A., & Portillo, L. (2011). AFTER: THIS: PROFILE: Robert and Shana Parkeharrison. http://www.next-after-this.com/2011/11/profile-robert-and-shana-parkeharrison_10.html. Gregory Crewdson: Twilight, Beverly Hills, June 29–August 3, 2002. (2018, April 12). https://gagosian.com/exhibitions/2002/gregory-crewdson-twilight/. Shana and Robert ParkeHarrisonhttps://www.parkeharrison.com/Vik Muniz: Masp hosts his biggest exhibition ever. Inside São Paulo. (2009, June 23). http://www.insidesaopaulo.com/2009/06/vik-muniz-masp-hosts-his-biggest.html. Vik Muniz. artmap.com. (2007). https://artmap.com/ps1/exhibition/vik-muniz-2007. 

Wells, Liz (2005). "Adams, Ansel". In Nicholson, Angela (ed.). The Oxford Companion to the Photograph. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/acref/9780198662716.001.0001. ISBN 978-0-19-866271-6. Retrieved July 22, 2018.

Ansel Adams. (2020, June 18). Retrieved December 01, 2020, from https://www.biography.com/artist/ansel-adams

National Gallery of Art. (n.d.). Retrieved December 01, 2020, from https://www.nga.gov/collection/photographs/frederick-sommer.html

Mark Klett. (2018, January 31). Retrieved December 01, 2020, from https://www.icp.org/browse/archive/constituents/mark-klett?all%2Fall

[nabilamowla]

Photo Manipulation

We live in an era where it is hard to tell what we see in any photographs is the actual truth or not. With the help of the basic editing app anyone can make alterations to any pictures. The digital advancement has given power to people to create many versions of any reality. It can also used in to enhance the quality of a picture, just depends on the intention of the photographer and his use of an editing tool to tell his/her story.

In my first photo montage , I did the basic editing to improve the quality of the picture by playing with the brightness, shadows, saturation, warmth, highlights. It just made the picture look more appealing and vivid but I did not change any facts within the photograph itself or change the story narrative of the picture. I did enhance the lighting and the saturated the colors to provide my audience more clearer version of the original photograph. The app I used to edit both of my photographs are Snapseed.

Brightness: +75

Contrast :+18

Saturation :+68

Ambiance :+19

Highlight :+22

Shadows :-18

Warmth +6

In my second picture, I played with the fact within the photograph. The reality of the picture was altered by removing few items from the picture. The reason I edited the second picture to show how we can alter the reality and show a different version of the story by altering the facts within a photograph.

Brightness:+27

Ambiance :+21

Highlight:+56

Shadows:+28

I used a function in the photo app to distort the image of the chocolates from the second photograph.

My first photo montage should not misguide or confuse the audience as I did not altered any facts. I presented the reality but enhanced the quality of the picture. If my audience see the original picture they would be able to relate the story I was trying to say , because changing the light or the tweaking few other things to improve the quality doesn’t mean the altercation of the reality.

But when it comes to my second picture, I removed the evidence of the chocolate that actually made the kid excited. It might confuse the audience because the audience might think the kid is excited to see the photographer. But actually in reality, chocolates were the main reason for his excitement and it may create confusion to the actual story.

My first photomontage can be used as press photograph as it did not violated any code of the photojournalism. Most of the media has come to an agreement to not change any facts from the photos but improving the quality of a photograph is acceptable.

“Photojournalism distinguishes itself from other forms of professional photography by its adherence to the principles of journalism: timeliness, accuracy, fair representation of the context of events and facts reported, and accountability to the public.(Staff,2016).

But my second photograph has violated the real facts within the photos, and it will create confusion among public and it goes against the code of ethics of the photo journalism. It is part of the rule that The media should not allow any altercated photographs that does not tell the true story.

I think the main difference between art and press photography is the content it carries ;and how those contents were created or happened. When it comes to art, it is mainly created by the artist with the help of any inspiration or their imagination. Art is altered and edited in many ways through the eye of the artist. An art is mostly not created by accident, art is mainly created with a vision and plan but the creativity of the artist can affect the content of an art. An art piece is open to interpretation. The audience of an art is allowed to interpret it and create a different version of the story that art might want to say.

According to Fredrick Sommer, Art is not arbitrary. A fine painting is not there by accident; it is not arrived at by chance. We are sensitive to tonalities. The smallest modification of tonality affects structure. Some things have to be rather large, but elegance is the presentation of things in their minimum dimensions

On the other hand, Press photography depicts the real life stories. In real life few interesting news worthy stories might happen by accident. Press photographers captures the real life incidents and not all real life incidents are pre-planned. That is why some press media gets photographs accidentally depending on the reality they are facing.

Reference:

Staff, P. (2016, February 24). A Brief History of Photojournalism. Retrieved November 04, 2020, from https://www.photography-schools.com/photojournalismhistory.htm

Frederick and Frances Sommer Foundation. (n.d.). Retrieved November 04, 2020, from http://www.fredericksommer.org/index.php

Ly, C. (2011, November 09). Press Photography vs. Art Photography. Retrieved November 04, 2020, from https://cindyly.wordpress.com/2011/11/09/press-photography-vs-art-photography/

[nabilamowla]

Life as a Lacto-Vegetarian!7 days Challenge.

I always find vegetables are the hardest to work with. Not everyone can make vegetables tasty; and it requires a lot of love and techniques to create a perfect vegetarian/vegan dish. I chose to follow a Lacto-Vegetarian diet for a week. I chose to become a vegetarian with the access to few dairy products. I only had milk, yogurt and cheese during my diet and I made myself limited to those dairy products only, no Eggs!

Allergen:

I have avoided wheat (chosen allergen) based ingredients during my diet and created my weekly meal avoiding it. I preferred having oats and rice instead of bread, Paratha. I used chickpea flour instead of regular flour to make my fried snacks.

As a lacto-vegetarian for a week, I had a hard time to create my meal plans. It was challenging at first but then I got many ideas from different sources to create few dishes to keep me going for the week. I Honestly did not focus on too much healthy eating, I was mainly focusing to not eat foods that I am not allowed to.

Example of a typical daily menu:

I started my day-1 with a Brunch (I was doing intermittent fasting during my diet): I had my first meal around 12:30 pm.

For Brunch, I had tomato and grilled bell pepper soup with a savoury oatmeal pancake, also with a mixed fruit salad.

I had fried onion bhaji battered in chickpea flour with hot sauces as evening snack. In between my main meals, I had different kinds of nuts, apples and milk tea. I had also a tangy tamarind beverage during my evening snack. 

I had cumin Rice with kidney bean curry also with avocados for my dinner. After my dinner, I indulged myself with cottage cheese and honey. Also, a cup of milk tea was my favourite thing during this diet.

Lacto-Vegan recipe:

I was craving to have few fried foods during my diet. I thought to create a fried vegetables and Paneer dish with a spicy and tangy flavor profile. My dish consists of 4 elements:

Roasted mixed potatoes: I boiled the potatoes in salt water. After boiling I crushed them and sprinkled roasted dry red chili and kosher salt blend. I also sprinkled few cumin seeds and mix it with olive oil. I then put it for roasting in the oven until the outer skin became crispy.

Shallow oil fried Eggplant: In a fried pan, I infused the oil with garlic slices. I added the eggplants to the pan and shallow fried it until brown.

Yogurt Sauce:I added fried garlic pieces into the yogurt.  Added Lemon, cilantro, salt and pepper to the mixture. Whisk it to the sauce consistency.

Fried Paneer:After cutting the Paneer block into small cubes I marinated with chat masala, garam masala, salt and red chili powder. Then I fried them into shallow oil until golden brown in color.

Finally, in a plate I assemble all the elements and garnished with mint leaves and lemon.

At the end of the week, I did not see much difference on my weight. My food choices were not very healthy though I was following a vegetarian diet. During the diet, I always craved for different kinds of foods and felt severe hunger in between my main meals. Mentally, I felt I am missing out on foods I usually have. I had a feeling of self-deprivation few times. On the brighter side, I felt lighter and very motivated to create innovative vegetarian dishes. My mind was always thinking about creating dishes that will compensate for my animal protein cravings. I also studied about plant based ingredients and their nutrients and tried to create dishes with proper nutrition values. Most importantly I learnt to respect vegan people for controlling their appetite and their strict food values for our food system.

I think If I want to continue my Lacto-Vegetarian diet, I need to be more educated of different kinds of plant based food ingredients. I realized, reading about vegan diets and dishes helped me a lot to think beyond the stereotypical vegan dishes. It is very important to gather information and knowledge regarding plant based food ingredients and their nutritional value to successfully maintain this diet. If I ever become a vegan chef I would talk to my guests and consider their opinions to improve my dishes.

I think I will continue to be lacto-vegetarian for 4 days a week and rest of the 3 days I would follow my normal food routine. The reason behind this decision will help me to read more about plant based food ingredients and it would motivate me to be up to date with recent culinary developments.. The future culinary world is all about vegetarian and vegan dishes because we are now seeking for more sustainable food ingredients than ever before. I think it will also help me to become a better chef to be able to serve tasty and flavourful dishes to my vegan/vegetarian guests.

7 days Food log as Lacto vegan:

DAY-1

Brunch:

Soup,

Oat Pancake,

Salad,

Tea

DAY-2

Brunch:

Oat Pancake,

Beans,

Pineapple,

Tea

DAY-3

Brunch:

Rice,

Red lentil,

Bitter melon stir-fry

DAY-4

Brunch:

Rice with mixed lentil stew with tomatoes. Tea

Day-5

Brunch:

Rice with Chili Paneer, Tea

Day-6

Brunch:

Sautéed Mushroom, Pancakes, Tea

Day-7

Brunch:

Grilled tomatoes, sautéed mushrooms,

Pancake

DAY-1

Evening:

Onion bhaji,

Tamarind beverage,

Tea

DAY-2

Evening:

Mango, honeydew, yogurt smoothie, Sautéed mushrooms.

DAY-3

Evening:

Smoothie,

Cottage cheese with Honey.

DAY-4

Evening:

Tea, Mixed Green salad with orange and tomatoes and grilled tofu.

DAY-5

Evening:

Tea, Fruit salad.

DAY-6

Evening:

Smoothie,

Banana,

Mixed green salad

DAY-7

Evening:

Broccoli and mushroom soup and mixed fruit Salad. Tea

DAY-1

Snacks:

Nuts, Tea, Apple

DAY-2

Snacks:

Tea, potato chips, nuts

DAY-3

Snacks:

Tea, Mash potatoes.

DAY-4

Snacks:

Tea, Potato chips, nuts

DAY-5

Snacks:

Tea, nuts

DAY-6

Snacks:

Tea, Potato chips.

DAY-7

Snacks:

Tea

DAY-1

Dinner:

Rice

Beans

Avocado

Cheese

Tea

DAY-2

Dinner:

Rice

Red lentil,

Okra sautéed

DAY-3

Dinner:

Vegetable stir fry with tofu and white rice, Tea

DAY-4

Dinner:

Chili Paneer, White rice, Tea.

DAY-5

Dinner:

Fried vegetables and roast potatoes. Tea

DAY-6

Dinner:

Bok choi Stir fry with white rice and Tea

DAY-7

Dinner:

Rice with mixed lentil stew, Tea.

[nabilamowla]

Vitamins and Minerals, we need them!

In the North America, people are not getting sufficient Vitamin D, A and C. Also, B12 and minerals like Iron and calcium are low in the North American’ people’s diet. Vitamin D is produced in our Body when our skin is exposed to the sun. Due to the north American weather or by adding sunscreen to our skin prevents us from getting more Vitamin –D in our body. B12 is mainly found in the animal based diet. Vegans and people who follow plant based diet might lack of it. After pregnancy, breast feeding and period in women’s body iron level goes down. So, it is important to always maintain a sufficient balance of iron for women’s body. Only dairy products are not sufficient as the source of Calcium. It is important to intake other foods that would provide us with calcium. According to the US dietary guideline, North American people are lacking Vitamin A and C. These two vitamins are found in Fruits are vegetables which don’t appeal to most of the North Americans.

The best way to incorporate Vitamins and minerals in our diet by adding these in our daily food routine.  To get Vitamin A, D and C we can add lots of colorful fruits and vegetable in our diet. In the morning, for breakfast we can have a mixed fruit smoothie with vitamin A, D and C enriched fruits and vegetables like Kale, mango, Cantaloupe, papaya, orange etc. We can choose mineral enriched fatty fishes like Tuna, salmon and mackerel over regular chicken or pork meats. We can eat plant based ingredients that are enriched with Iron and Calcium like lentils and legumes. For Iron efficiency, we can choose animal liver or red meat for a change.  Most important thing is to get positive and proactive to include these vitamins and minerals while creating our daily meals.

While cooking, some vegetables can lose its nutrients due to the change in their composition through heat. Mainly Vitamin C, B and few enzymes can get lost during the cooking process. But it doesn’t mean cooking vegetables are wrong. It depends on what method we are using to cook vegetables. Some cooking method boost the nutrients value in the vegetables some decreases. I think the best way to hold maximum amount of nutrients in vegetables by cooking them quickly without extreme heat. My favorite way of cooking vegetables is steaming. Through steaming we can contain maximum amount of nutrient scontent in the vegetables. I sometimes sauté the vegetables quickly on medium heat to contain the nutrients value.

One of my most favorite vegetables is kale. It is high in Vitamin A. It also has energy boosting Vitamin B and Vitamin C. It also contains plant based Omega-3 fatty acid. There are few minerals like potassium, calcium, magnesium, manganese, iron, copper, and phosphorus can be found in Kale. It is one of the most nutrient enriched super food on planet which is good for our brain and skin. I prepared Kale in three different ways: quickly sautéed kale, baked kale chips and made a healthy raw kale, mango and honeydew smoothie.  I really enjoyed having the sautéed kale. I cooked it with garlic, onion, chili oil and cumin. I ate it with plain white rice and it tasted amazing. This is by far, my favorite way of cooking and eating kale.

I have created a stew recipe with beef, split chickpea and sesame seeds. Major ingredients in this recipe are high in iron. It is an easy recipe to make. It can be eaten with White rice , Naan, Paratha, garlic bread. The recipe is included below:

Small Beef curry pieces : 1lbs

Split peas (soaked overnight ) : 1 cup

Sesame seeds: 2tbs

Butter: 4 tbls

Canola oil: 1 tbls

Onion: ¾ cup (small diced)

Garlic: 4 cloves (minced)

Garam Masala: 1 tbls

Coriander :1/2 tbls

Turmeric :1/2 tbls

Red chili powder :1/2 tbls

Dry Chilli whole :3 pieces

Cinnamon :1 stick

Cardamom :3 pieces

Tomato:1 piece

Lemon juice: 2 tbls

Cilantro for garnish

Salt to taste.

Steps: Sauté onions and garlic with cinnamon and Cardamom till golden brown. Add sesame seeds and all the spices except the garam masala. Add the meat and brown it with the masala mixture. Add the split peas and sauté with the meat for couple of minutes. Add garam masala and water. Braise the meat with the peas until tender. Add lemon juice and adjust seasoning. Garnish with Cilantro.

Sources:

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health-and-fitness/health/leslie-beck-how-to-keep-the-vitamins-in-your-veggies/article23900957/

https://www.foodnetwork.com/healthyeats/healthy-tips/2013/04/how-to-prevent-vitamin-loss-when-cooking-vegetables

https://www.health.com/nutrition/health-benefits-of-kale

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/foods/beef

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/sesame-seeds#section9

https://www.ewg.org/research/how-much-is-too-much/appendix-b-vitamin-and-mineral-deficiencies-us

[nabilamowla]

Speducci Mercatto- All about Cured meat by Chef Paganelli!

Gabriele Paganelli -A Chef who brought his Italian roots in Canada over 20 years ago. He is now an owner and chef of Speducci Mercatta, a specialty butcher shop and restaurant at 46 Milford Avenue, North York,ON. He used to teach at the George Brown college as a culinary instructor. In the Speducci Mercatto,he cures all his farm raised meat in old fashion way. He learnt the technique of curing meat as a boy back in Ravenna, in the emilia-romagna region of Italy. When I was talking to chef paganelli, he told me about his childhood and how his passion for cooking started. When he was boy, he used to go to a school which was far away from the town. Every day after returning home from the school, Chef had to cook for himself. And this is how slowly he got into cooking and became his passion. Chef Paganelli studied Electronics in college and later joined army.  After his army job, he started to work at his parent’s tourist restaurant in the summer time ;and horned his cooking skills through travelling and working under many chefs. Though, chef never went to a culinary school, he had a glorious career of over 42 years and still going on with passion for his work.

Chef Paganelli has his own farm near Wasaga beach, Ontario. He farms boars and pigs in his farm. He feeds the farmed pigs husks and wheat and allowed them to be outside in the farm instead of a closed enclosure. Before slaughtering, veterinarian checks those pigs for quality control. I asked chef if he believes in organic way of farming. Chef is not very keen for organic farming. But He believes in the right and humane way of farming the animals. He believes a good farm environment and food can raise animals perfectly instead of following strict organic rules and regulations. His animals are healthy and raised with proper guidelines in a natural environment. 99 percent of the meat at the Speducci Mercatta comes from Ontario, but bison. Beef and horse meats are imported from Alberta.

Speducci Mercatta is specially known for their cured meat. Chef Paganelli takes pride in his products and showed around the procedure of curing meats at the Speducci. At the Speducci, so many things can be found such as Prosciutto, Capocollo, Pancetta, Speck, Salami, Bresaola (cured beef) and many more things. It also sells many cuts of beefs, pork, lamb and other animals like elks and deer. Many kind of specialty cheeses and condiments can also be found in the store.

The prices of the produce at the speducci Mercatta are reasonable compared to other specialty butcher shops in Toronto. When I asked him the reason of this reasonable pricing, he said “We are honest”. This shows the integrity in their work and business model. Though the prices are reasonable, Chef never compromises on the quality of his produces. For an example, Chef Paganelli imports special sea salt that cost $3/kg from Italy. This sea-salt from Italy is naturally sweet because it lacks bitter minerals compared to other kinds. Chef believes in giving the best quality product to his customer within a reasonable price range.

From the tour at the Speducci Mercatta, I learnt many things about curing meat and storage. After a conversation with the Chef Paganelli I learnt about few techniques about the curing process. Curing meat is a very complex and sensitive process, with just one tour it is not nearly possible to learn everything about it. I believe, I got the zest of the whole process and most importantly I gained knowledge about the animals and how they are being raised in Chef’s farm. I am very grateful to also learn about Chef Paganelli and his background and felt his passion about his work.  The most important thing I learnt from this experience is integrity and how to care for your produce with passion and love.

[nabilamowla]

Nutrition- art of living!

There are many interesting topics related to nutrition. But I found it very interesting that healthy eating and balanced diet have huge impact on our mental health. Many researches show that a good healthy diet has direct impact on not only on our mental health but also on some specific mental illnesses like anxiety and depression. Healthy portion of Carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals have effect on our mental health. Every person has their personalized version of perfect diet. It is very important to personalize our diet according to our physical and mental need. I, particularly have interest in the importance of nutrition on mental health because I went through a depression few years back; and I noticed few things when I changed my diet to a healthy diet. I started to have more energy; and I started to feel happier. I was more focused on my daily routine and did not feel lethargic at all. My healthy diet helped me a lot to get myself out from the depression I was in.

“Carbohydrate gives us energy and our brain needs energy to focus otherwise we would feel tired, weak and unable to focus. This energy comes from the blood glucose and carbohydrate gives glucose to our blood. If our blood glucose rises and falls rapidly it might cause mental symptoms like anxiety and irritation. (Nutritionist resource)”

I have recently been diagnosed with Type-2 diabetes. I want to gain further knowledge about maintaining my lifestyle that best suits for type-2 diabetics.

“Type 2 diabetes is when the body doesn’t produce enough insulin to function properly, or the cells in the body aren’t reacting to the insulin as they should. The most common form of diabetes, it is often associated with obesity. Previously, type 2 diabetes was typically diagnosed in older people, yet it is becoming more common in younger people, too. (Nutritionist resource)”

My doctor told me that Type-2 diabetes is a long-term symptom but can be managed through healthy diet and exercise. I want to know what kind of foods are best for my condition and how can I manage the craving for sugar as I have a sweet tooth. I want to study more about alternative sugar options and if those are healthy for me to consume. I am mainly struggling to control my sugar cravings and finding a healthy sugar alternative would help me maintain a healthy lifestyle.  

I feel nutrition will play a very important role in the culinary industry. People are more aware of their diets and many people are leaning towards a healthy lifestyle. Millennials are keener towards hyped up diets like keto, low-fat, Mediterranean, TLC etc. The culinary industry is based on serving people their preferred meals. So, chefs and Restaurants will upgrade their menus to attract diet conscious customers. I find it very comical but at the same time smart that restaurants are using this trendy lifestyle of the millennials as their marketing tool to promote their services. Change is the only constant, so change will come to the industry based on what customers want.

The chosen two websites are: Diabetes Canada association and Endocrineweb website. To figure out if my chosen website “Endocrineweb” is reliable or not, I can check few things comparing with the credible website of Diabetes Canada.

DIABETES CANADA website:

This website has information and support section where contact information is given.

The website has a stamp from nonprofit organization. And it is created by an established association. The website does not look fake and has an authentic outlook to it.

No commercial plugs are inserted into the website.  

Endocrineweb website:

The articles have author with few credentials but when I searched them online nothing came up precisely about the author. There is no specific information section and no contact information of the author There is no way to contact the author to verify their information.

The website has a very gimmicky outlook and looked very un-organized.

There are so many commercial plugs in the website, does not look like a safe website.

After comparing these two websites, I would prefer to go with Diabetes Canada website for more authentic signature to it.

References:

Type 2 Diabetes Causes. (n.d.). Retrieved January 30, 2020, from https://www.endocrineweb.com/conditions/type-2-diabetes/type-2-diabetes-causes

Type 2 diabetes toolkit. (n.d.). Retrieved January 30, 2020, from https://www.diabetes.ca/recently-diagnosed/type-2-toolkit

Diabetes. (n.d.). Retrieved January 30, 2020, from https://www.nutritionist-resource.org.uk/articles/diabetes.html

Rogers, T. (2019, December 4). Here Are 8 Ways You Can Tell If a Website Is Trustworthy. Retrieved January 30, 2020, from https://www.thoughtco.com/gauging-website-reliability-2073838

Shabsove, M. (n.d.). 10 Diets That Are Worth The Hype Vs. Those That Aren't. Retrieved January 30, 2020, from https://www.narcity.com/healthy/10-diets-that-are-worth-the-hype-vs-those-that-arent

Pictures references:

Food for your mental health – You are what you eat. (2020, January 24). Retrieved January 30, 2020, from https://torontocaribbean.com/food-for-your-mental-health-you-are-what-you-eat/

AboutKidsHealth. (n.d.). Retrieved January 30, 2020, from https://www.aboutkidshealth.ca/article?contentid=1722&language=english

Mai, J. (2019, January 9). 16 of the Best Healthy Restaurants in Chicago. Retrieved January 30, 2020, from https://chicago.eater.com/maps/best-healthy-food-chicago

[nabilamowla]

Pan seared-Quail Bird

I have chosen quail bird as my preferred meat, because I have never tried any game birds before and I wanted to work with a lean protein. It is easy to do wrong while cooking a lean meat because of wrong cooking temperature and always a chance for overcooking which makes the end product gummy and hard. I wanted to practice my cooking skills on a lean meat.

Quail is a collective name for several genera of mid-sized birds generally placed in the order Galliformes. Old World quail are placed in the family Phasianidae, and New World quail are placed in the family Odontophoridae. Both Old World and New World quail include edible species. The common quail used to be much favored in French cooking, but quail for the table are now more likely to be domesticated Japanese quail. The common quail is also part of Polish cuisine, Maltese cuisine, Portuguese cuisine, Italian cuisine and Indian cuisine. Quails are commonly eaten complete with the bones, since these are easily chewed and the small size of the bird makes it inconvenient to remove them (Wikipedia).

I have bought my meat from a local organic store, called “Farmboy”. I bought a pack of six quail birds which costed me $13.99. As these birds are very small in yield, the best way to prepare them as whole. I think butchering them like chicken is not going to optimize the use of this meat.

I decided to pan sear whole quail birds as these are usually small and there is high chance to over dry the meat if cooked in separate body parts. I think, it is better to cook the bird as whole because it would preserve the moistness and flavour of the meat.

I have decided to create a dish that will complement the bird but would not overpower it.The elements on my dish are : Pan seared quail bird with orange flavoured couscous and cilantro vinaigrette starfruit salad.

I have decided to marinade the bird with coconut milk, paprika and salt. Later, I pan seared with Thai Basil and butter; finished it in the oven in low temperature.I have created a sauce that went well with the meat which consists of coconut milk, dijon mustard, chicken stock, Thai basil and white vinegar. As a side dish, I have created a salad with red radish, start fruit and cherry tomatoes. I pickled the red radish in sugar, vinegar and salt; and made a cilantro vinaigrette. I have also created a couscous salad with chicken stock and dry fruits and added fresh orange juice for a fruity sweetness.

I really liked the deep flavor of the quail bird. Quail bird have a similar flavour like chicken. But as the yield of the bird is very small, the flavour is very concentrated and pronounced.  

Reference:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quails_as_food

[nabilamowla]

Oil Preservation- Garlic Pickle

Pickle or in Hindi language “Achar” is a very important condiment for Indian cuisine. Specially, with plain rice and daal , a dollop of Achar can go a long way.I am always a fan of spicy and strong aromatic pickles. So, I decided to make red chilli garlic pickle within a blend of olive and sesame oil.

Because of cultural lingo, I am calling it a pickle but I chose preservation technique with oil to make this Achar.  Preserving with oil has originated mainly in the Mediterranean area.  Olive oil is a natural preservative that prevents spoilage by isolating the food from air, providing a seal that can delay oxidation, deterioration and molding (Firenze,2010).

“We should Keep in mind that methods for preserving food in olive oil will vary depending on whether the food is to be kept for a short time in the refrigerator, (e.g. 2-3 weeks), in a freezer (for up to 12 months) or to be stored at room temperature in a pantry or cupboard (for 1 – 2 years or more). Foods stored at room temperature require cooking beforehand (boiling in salted water or vinegar solutions) to preserve the food safely. In addition:

·      Make sure your tools and containers are clean and dry.

·      Use glass containers for storage with lids that close tightly.

·      Place your food in the containers until full and then completely cover with    

       extra virgin olive oil.

·      Make sure none of the food is protruding above the oil.

·      Add olive oil to form a seal.

·      Cover tightly and store.

And speaking of safety, it’s always important to use our eyes and nose to make sure that canned and preserved foods are safe for eating. If the lid is bulging or the jar is leaking, it may not have been sealed tightly enough. This indicates that the food has spoiled and you will need to discard it (Firenze,2010)”.

To prevent Botulism in the oil preservation process, the raw ingredients needs to be cooked, blanched or boiled properly. Also with 2 part of oil 1 part of vinegar is needed to fight the bacteria. Also, salt helps to fight the bacteria (Preserving veggies in olive oil, 2016).

I started with marinating the garlics and chili with white wine vinegar, salt and lemon juice. On a pan, I heat up the blend of olive and sesame oil. I added the special achar spice mix*, turmeric and red chili powder and Nigella seeds. When the oil started to shimmer, I added plum sugar blocks. When the sugar blocks were, half way melted, I added the marinated garlic and red chili including the vinegar and lemon liquid mixture. I cooked all the ingredients together until the garlic was tender and all the flavor from the spices got the opportunity to come out fully. In the meantime, I sanitized a glass mason jar by washing it in the boiling water and drying it fully. After the pickle mixture was done I poured it in the jar and added extra oil to completely submerge the ingredients to preserve it. Then I sealed the jar tightly with the cover.

SPECIAL PICKLE SPICE MIX: Roast Fenugreek, Fennel, Mustard seeds until the flavors come out. Blend them in the spice grinder all together.

This pickle is strongly pact with aromas from the spices used in it. It has pronounced spicy taste with background taste of sour and sweet. The sour taste from the vinegar and lemon is nicely balanced with the sweet taste of plum sugar and the chili powder adds a kick to the overall taste bud. The smell of garlic is nicely complimented with the aroma of nigella, fenugreek, mustard and fennel seeds. All the ingredients create together a very pronounce aroma and taste for the Achar.

I would consider it a pretty successful preservation attempt for me. It had so many safety steps concerning botulism (bacteria) which is the most difficult part to take care of. When I make it next time I would do it with mustard oil. I think mustard oil would have added a flavor that would complement garlic flavor beautifully. Also, I would experiment adding tamarind instead of lemon for next time for better exotic flavor.

References:

Firenze, C. (2010, September 1). Preserving Summer with Olive Oil. Retrieved

          December 3, 2019, from    

         https://www.oliveoilsource.com/article/preserving-summer-olive-oil.

How to Preserve Veggies in Olive Oil! (2016, August 15). Retrieved December 3, 

            2019, from https://www.feastingathome.com/olive-oil-preserved-      

           vegetables/.

[nabilamowla]

Trying out new Thai dishes!

On a snowy winter evening, I was craving for something hot, spicy and flavorful to eat. I was thinking to pick a cuisine which has these three characteristics I mentioned previously. Immediately, Thai cuisine came into my mind. As I live in Whitby, Ontario, I wanted to try a local Thai restaurant here in Whitby. Many of us, in general prefer to go to popular restaurants with a background of a famous chef, but it is also important to support the local chefs who are trying their best to present their foods to us as well. Food for a thought- How many of us can tell so many names of famous chefs, but don’t know a single name of any local chefs from our local community. It is a shame! So many talented local chefs do not get the opportunity to flourish their creativity and cooking skills because they do not possess expensive marketing tools to display their culinary vision. So, I decided to go to a local Thai and Malaysian restaurant called “Thai Mountain”. The restaurant itself is very cozy and the atmosphere was nice with friendly servers and good music.After seeing the restaurant’s A-la Carte menu, I decided to order one appetizer (soup), one entrée and a dessert dish.

Let’s first start with the soup; I ordered Tom Yum Kha. It’s a popular Thai soup and its ingredients really appealed to me. The ingredients in the soup were chicken, Coconut milk, Lemon-grass, Lime leaves, Galangal, Lemon juice and Thai spices. When the soup was served to me, I was not impressed by just looking at it at first. It was very simple and was not very well presented. There were no garnishes served on top of it. It looked very underwhelming.The colour of the soup was redsih brown because the coconut milk compromised the bright red colour of the soup; but the aroma of the soup was excellent and pronounced. I got a strong smell of lime leaves and lemon grass. The smell was very sharp and I was blown away by the lime leaves aroma. The consistency of the soup was not very thick ,but texture wise very creamy. When I first took my sip, I got a pronounced coconut flavour along with an acidic note from the galangal. Taste wise the soup had a good balance of salt and sour. At First, I tasted the saltiness of the soup, then the sour part of the soup hit me at the back of my mouth. The aromatics and the Thai spices in the soup was pronounced but it was mellowed down by the coconut milk in it.Those Thai spices in the soup hit the front of my mouth right after just one sip. Overall, by the look of it I was not very impressed but taste wise it was a well balanced flavourful soup and definitely, well-seasoned!

For my entrée, I was craving for rice, so I decided to order something that might go well with white steamed rice. So, I ordered Gai Phad Med Ma-Muang (Cashewnut chicken sauteed). The entrée looked very bright because colorful bell peppers gave it a vibrant look overall. It looked covered with the soy based sauce. The entrée had lots of cashew nuts in it which added to the yield of the dish. The entrée smelled like heavy soy sauce and had a sweet honey note to it. When I tasted it, at first, the sweetness of the dish hit my palate then it got slightly balanced by the saltiness. Cashew nuts added richness with every bite and included a crunchy texture. I really liked the look of the entrée but I would not order it again because of the pronounced sweet taste.

At the end, I ordered a dessert and It was a very famous Thai dessert- coconut sticky rice with Mango. I kind of knew, it is mainly a dessert based on white sticky rice. But the restaurant presented their own version with wild and red rice. The dessert looked very confusing to me. The color of the wild and red rice did not complement the color of the yellow mango. It looked un-balanced aesthetically. At first, I could not get any smell but when I smelled it closely, I found sweet note from the condensed milk mixed with starchy aroma. It really disappointed me to smell the condensed milk in it as I was expecting fresh milk or cream. But they added condensed milk to the rice and it tasted very sweet. The mangoes were a bit sour, so it sorts of balanced the sweetness of the condensed milk. The amount of the mango was so minimum in the dish that It was not a well-balanced dish. Rice was cooked Al-Dante (to the tooth) but it was an underwhelming recipe by the chef of the restaurant.

The soup particularly tasted like chicken lemon soup. And the other two dishes had not a very familiar taste in them for me. I think the Thai aromatics and the Thai spices made these dishes unique and exotic to me.

After tasting the dishes, I found out, I enjoy aromatic, spicy and well balanced dishes. Aren’t we all? To be honest, I only enjoyed the soup as it complimented my palate overall. I mainly enjoyed the aromatics in the soup which were lemon-grass and the lime leaves. The flavor of the soup was very exotic. I was not a fan of the entrée and the dessert because of their pronounced sweet profile that overpowered my palate. I do not enjoy sweet syrupy taste in savory dishes. And, I did not appreciate the condensed milk in the dessert; and the taste of it with the rice. I would again order the Tom Yum Kha soup in future; but probably would not order the other two items. Next time I am looking forward to trying more traditional Thai dishes like, red curry or green curry. After tasting these dishes, I would try to include aromatics in my cooking like lemon-grass and lime leaves. I really enjoyed the flavor profile of the soup. I would avoid adding too much sweetness to any savory dishes which I found not very appealing to me. I really liked the texture and richness of the cashew nuts in the entrée and would like to explore this nut  in my cooking. Overall, it was not an unpleasant experience for me because honestly, in a snow storm, I was feeling very lucky at least to get some warm fresh foods!  

[nabilamowla]

Classic South Asian Beef leg soup- “PAYA”

“Paya” is a very famous beef leg soup in the south Asian region. Though Bangladesh has a different take on this classic Paya recipe. I chose this soup because It is something I grew up eating on winter mornings back in Bangladesh. It is usually served with Naan or Paratha roti. Paya is traditionally made during the time of Eid-ul-adha (Islamic festival) when millions of Muslims sacrifice animals such as beef,goat,lamb etc. During the festival of Eid-ul-adha Muslim Bangladeshi people use the beef leg part to make this soup and feed friends and family. It is a nostalgic soup for me that reminds me of my culinary heritage. I wanted to challenge myself by recreating this soup to see if I can do justice to this classic south Asian recipe.

Paya is a complex recipe with pronounce use of spices and herbs. It needs the perfect balance of heat and acid that combine with the beef leg broth to create depth of flavour. The spices used in this soup needs perfect balance so that it compliments the main ingredients of the soup.

Ingredients:

Beef leg parts, Beef meat pieces, Bay leaf, cumin,coriander,cardamom,cinnamon,cloves,black pepper,dry red pepper,mace,fennel seeds,onion,garlic,ginger,turmeric,red chili powder,butter,oil,salt. For garnish: Cilantro,ginger,lime,green chilli.

Special Paya spice blend:

Dry roast all the spices together (cumin,coriander,fennel seeds,cardamom,cinnamon,cloves,black pepper,red pepper,mace) and then blend them to create fine dry mixture.

Cooking Method:

Firstly, Blanch the beef leg parts to remove impurities and after that simmer them with plenty of water for 8 to 9 hours straight. Add few bay leafs with the broth for added flavouring. When the broth is ready, on a separate pan, add butter and canola oil to caramelize few pieces of meat after sautéing the beef for several minutes. Keep the beef pieces aside. On the same pan, Sautee onion, garlic and ginger with turmeric, special Paya spice blend and red chili powder. When the onion gets a golden color, puree the mixture to create a thick paste. Add the caramelized beef meat into the garlic,onion,ginger paste. Sauté them for several minutes until the meat is tender. When the meat is ready add it to the beef leg broth. Cook them together again for few minutes. Take out access oil from top of the soup and again add some special Paya spice blend for added flavouring. Garnish with julienne ginger, cilantro, lime and green chili. 

Ready to serve!

Paya needs harmony between all its ingredients to create that exact flavor which re-present the classic smell of it. My Paya looks very vibrant in colors because of the garnishes. The broth is golden in color and beef pieces are nicely brown and caramelized. Texture wise, the broth is light, thin and has chunks of tender pieces of meats. It has deep flavor from the beef bone marrow from the leg parts. The spice blend is complimenting the exquisite flavor of the marrow. When I smell the soup, I can smell a perfect balance of spice, lime, cilantro complimenting the beef leg broth which is much needed for the recipe to be successful. When I taste the soup, I get the perfect umami taste from the marrow with the acidity of the lime. It has the perfect seasoning from the spice blend and an exotic heat coming from the roasted red dry chili. In some sips, ginger gives a pronounce bite of natural heat that add something extra to the whole taste. It does not have any prominent sweet or bitter tastes. This soup is a perfect balance of sour, salt, umami tastes that makes it a perfect comfort food of south Asian region.

I made my husband to taste the soup and according to him it tastes like the original classic Paya soup. This is the most important compliment for the soup. He finds the heat, texture and flavors are perfect for him. He really appreciates the soup and ate it with big pieces of naan rotis.

The most difficult challenge for me was the time management. The whole process of making this soup is very much time consuming. Another challenge was to make the spice blend because the ratios of the spices need to be exactly balanced to create that classic flavor. Overall, it is a complex soup but it is totally worth it. It was a success for me because it made me nostalgic when I tasted it. Next time, I might roast the beef legs into the oven with few dry spices to bring out more umami flavor. And then I would add water and simmer for several hours. But for now, I am happy to follow the traditional way of making it.

I really enjoyed the whole experience because it is a classic recipe from my heritage. It connected me with my childhood memories. It is always a great pleasure for me to re-create traditional classic recipes. This soup has inspired me to re-create more classic recipes from my heritage and to get over with my fear of ruining memories of classic dishes. I have learnt one important lesson, time and patience are the most important ingredients for any recipes.

**The recipe is inspired by my mother’s PAYA recipe. 

[nabilamowla]

One of my favourite quotes:

“At home I serve the kind of food I know the story behind” - Michael Pollan.

Source: 19 Most Famous Food Quotes of All Time. (2017, October 16). Retrieved from https://food.ndtv.com/food-drinks/19-most-famous-food-quotes-of-all-time-1763683

About Myself

Welcome to my blog!!

My name is Syeda Nabila Mowla, originally from Bangladesh. I came to Canada 8 years ago to do my Undergraduate degree. I am a BBA holder but my passion was always for cooking. Therefore, I enrolled myself into a culinary school this year. I am a 1st year Culinary management student at the George Brown chef school.

When I was around 10 years old, I saw one-day my mother spent a whole night at the kitchen to make special cloves cakes for me so that I can sell those at my school fair. There were many options available to her such as buying or catering foods but she chose to make those herself. That day she taught me to never compromise when it comes to quality foods. My mother learnt cooking travelling various places, connecting with many skilled people and by collecting rare recipes. During her time, there were no YouTube or internet. I saw her passion for cooking and her dedication to improve her culinary skills. It was her who sew the seed of culinary interest in me. She passed away 15 years ago. Only memories I have of my mother of her cooking delicious foods for us to be honest. I want to be a chef because when I cook it connects me to my roots, it connects me to my mother spiritually. And of course, when I see that big smile when someone tries my foods, I am the happiest period.  

I am currently not working in the industry and I never have worked in the industry before. I am mainly a passionate home cook. I want to pursue a career in the culinary industry therefore I am attending the George brown chef school. My primary target is to work for a good restaurant after my graduation full-time; now focusing on my school curriculum solely.

Though I am not a professional cook yet, but I love to create new fusion recipes. One of the bilingual Bangladeshi community magazines from Toronto publishes south Asian recipes inspired my fusion recipes periodically. The magazine is called “SOMPORKO”. I am very blessed to share my fusion recipes with the people from my community through this magazine. You can see I have posted few pages of my recipes from that magazine.

Source: ‘Somporko’ bengali community magazine published from Toronto

My personal philosophy of cooking is to create something new from the classic recipes. I am always interested to create fusion foods. I mainly cook south Asian foods and I take inspiration from classic South Asian recipes to create something new and trendy. I also do fusion with classic western recipes as well. Recently I cooked Sheppard’s pie with a set of totally different spices otherwise used in the traditional Sheppard’s pie recipe; and it was inspired by the south Asian cuisine. Cooking for me is to display a piece of my mind on the plate. I have grown up with the recipes passed down from my great-grandmother to us. I think about those recipes and try to give a modern twist with some changes. Some say it is better to not play with the classic recipes but I do it to learn deeply about those recipes by engineer new changes.

Source: Pineapple, shrimp and bell pepper Salad with burnt chilli and orange dressing prepared by me during my vacation in Bangladesh last year.

Through this journey, I want to learn more about the new and upcoming culinary techniques from other experienced bloggers. I am also expecting to get recommendations and constructive criticism about my food bloggings and recipes from others. I do want to learn as a team how can we be successful with food projects and want to build my network in the culinary industry through the blogs. 

Source: Iftar items are being sold during the month of Ramadan at a famous local open market called Chawkbazar in Bangladesh.  ChawkBazar Iftaar market draws crowd. (n.d.). Tritiyomatra. Retrieved from https://www.tritiyomatra.com/news/2193/local/2015/06/chawkbazar-iftar-market-draws-crowd

I am very much fond of south Asian cooking specially recipes from Bangladesh and west Bengal of India (Calcutta). The food from these regions are very different than typical mainstream Indian or Pakistani traditional foods. ‘bong eats’ is a food vlog channel from YouTube. It is run by a team of two enthusiastic food vloggers who creates recipes from those regions. They show us the easiest and quickest way to recreate popular Bengali recipes. I really like how they visualize the whole process of their cooking and the recipes are very captivating. But I would also like them to create few complex Bengali recipes showing us the actual long procedure of cooking those recipes; not only the simple or quicker version.

Link of the ‘bong eats’ Instagram handle: https://www.instagram.com/bongeats/

Link of the Youtube channel of ‘bong eats’: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=bong+eats

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