Update: March 23, 2012

So, I haven’t been posting nearly as much as I would have liked. A million excuses. But the best one is that I’ve done a couple of cooking lessons recently. I think they both went really well, and I’m excited to continue on this path. I figured that before I get back into the serious business of explaining techniques and tips for working in the kitchen, I’d share a bit about these first two lessons.

First, I had a coworker request lessons in cooking Japanese food. I decided on doing salmon shioyaki (salt-broiled salmon), a cucumber & seaweed salad with sweet vinegar dressing, a chunky pork stew, and the classic staple, short grain rice. We went to the store together so that I could show him where to find some specialized ingredients that might otherwise be difficult to track down. Some of the staples of Japanese cooking – short grain rice, mirin, rice wine vinegar.

A New American Diet

It is time for us as Americans to admit that our diets are not working for us. We are unhealthy as people, and our diet is one of the greatest contributing factors. We eat too much meat, too many processed foods, not enough vegetables, and not enough whole grains. We have to change the way we think about our current eating habits. We can no longer treat our diet as an afterthought.

We have to become more demanding as consumers. As a country, we have the palate of a middle school student. We want cheese, fat, and sugar. In the meantime, we have forgotten about fresh vegetables, and how to prepare them properly. It’s no wonder that many children hate vegetables when the only reference point they have is frozen vegetables that have been microwaved or boiled into a limp, dull, flavorless mush. Even if we could simply prepare frozen vegetables with proper cooking techniques, we would be making steps in the right direction.

How to Make Dried Tangerine Peels

One of my favorite things about winter is the small, delicious citrus fruit that comes into season at this time. It’s beautiful. In the middle of a long dark winter, tangerines of all kinds are like small little doses of sunshine. At the store near my house, you can often find 5 lb bags of these tangerines on sale for the same price as a jug of orange juice. It’s the best preventative health care I can think of.

After I’m done devouring my tangerines, I’ll sometimes dry out the peels in the oven to use for later. What do I use them for? Any number of things. I’ll throw them in with some rice to give it a nice, fresh fragrance. I’ll add them to a nice cup of mint tea. Put them into a chicken brine. Use them to make the Chinese classic, orange chicken.

So Long, 2011! Welcome, 2012!

So, it’s the beginning of 2012, and I’m really excited about the new year. Just thought I’d take a moment to share some of the things I’m excited about.

First, I’ve been talking with my friend Cassie about starting up some adult cooking classes through the school she works for in the Portland area. These will be designed, like this blog, to start from the very basics and work with people on knife skills, basic cooking techniques, how to plan a meal from scratch, and how to look for healthy and cheap products at the grocery store. No word yet on a schedule or start up date, but these classes should be very affordable, personal and a lot of fun. I’ll post more info as details solidify.

Introduction to the Evolution

My name is James Davidson, I live in Portland, OR, and I have been working in restaurants for about 8 years. I love food and travel, and learning about other cultures. As I get older, I’ve become increasingly interested in sharing my experience and knowledge with the people around me. This blog is a way for me to share my interests and experiences easily, and, if you find something interesting or helpful while reading, it is an easy way for you to share it with the people you know.

I titled the blog “The Evolution of Eating” because I feel like we are at a time in human history where our eating habits are producing negative consequences physically, psychically and environmentally on a large scale. We need to address these habits collectively by reevaluating our diets and our overall relationship with food. We must get closer to the source, and embrace the process of nourishing our bodies. However, when the topic of cooking and diet comes up, many of the people I know talk about how hard it is to cook, or how they can’t cook, or how they are forced to eat terrible fast food because they are too poor.