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Garlic Fun Facts

partysugar — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 00:01:46 -0700

Today, April 19, is National Garlic Day. I thought I would take advantage of the holiday and put together a quick little round of fun facts for you all to enjoy. Usually, I only reserve my favorite pieces of worthless knowledge for major holidays like Easter and Christmas, but I thought, hey garlic is in practically everything and is used in most cultures throughout the world. Surely, this potent little vegetable deserves its own fabulous batch of fun facts. For example did you know that garlic is actually considered both a vegetable and an herb? Or that garlic has been used medicinally for thousands of years since ancient Greek and Roman times? To see how eating garlic can better your health, read more

Garlic is believed to ward off heart disease, cancer, colds, and flu. The consumption of garlic lowers blood cholesterol levels. and reduces the buildup of plaque in the arteries.

It was even once used to treat acne, warts, and toothaches.
The psychological term for fear of garlic is alliumphobia.
The origin of National Garlic Day is unknown and it is not recorded in congressional or presidential proclamations.
Garlic is said to fight off evil spirits and keep vampires away.
If your garlic has sprouted, it is still usable although it has lost some of its flavor and health benefits.
The smell of garlic can be removed by running your hands under cold water while rubbing a stainless steel object.

Garlic is a member of the onion family which also includes leeks and shallots.
Its pungent flavor is due to a chemical reaction that occurs when the garlic cells are broken. The flavor is most intense just after mincing.
The majority of garlic (90%) grown in the United States comes from California.
If your rose garden is being attacked by aphids, an excellent home remedy to get rid of them is to spritz the leaves and blooms with a mixture of crushed garlic and water.
When picking out garlic at the grocery store, choose firm, tight, heavy dry bulbs.
Garlic has been used to infuse vodka and as an ingredient to make cocktails.
Finally, to tie garlic into Wedding week here on the Sugar Network: at ancient Greek and Roman marriages the brides carried bouquets of garlic and other herbs instead of flowers.

Got a fun fact about garlic? Please add it to the list below!

Chinese New Year Fun Facts

partysugar — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 09:57:32 -0800

Boy is it my lucky week: two holidays = two lists of fun facts... Woo-hoo! I am jumping for joy at my desk right now. I enjoy collecting random bits of useless knowledge about traditional holidays and festivals. It's my secret weapon: when I'm at a party and suddenly find myself at a loss for words, I simply state one of my fun facts. If you get nervous about attending parties where you don't know a lot of people, I highly recommend memorizing a few interesting, yet completely pointless facts. The Chinese are very superstitious and there are lots of little things you should and should not do on and around the New Year. Did you know that to cry on New Year's Day is to cry all year long, so children are indulged and never spanked on Chinese New Year? Or that Chinese New Year is actually celebrated over a 15 day long period? To learn the politically correct name of Chinese New Year and much more, read more

The politically correct term is now Lunar New Year, as opposed to Chinese New Year since many Asian cultures other than China's observe the lunar calendar.
The Chinese year is based on the cycles of the moon. This is called a lunar schedule (hence the Lunar New Year).
A complete cycle of the Chinese calendar takes 60 years.
The Chinese calendar dates back to 2600 B.C. It is the oldest known calendar.
2007 is the Year of the Boar (pig).
Red is considered a lucky color in China.
At one time wedding dresses were red.

The Chinese pay tribute to the Kitchen God at the end of a lunar year. The Kitchen God's mission is to inform the chief spirits of a family's behavior over the past year. A household burns a paper image of the Kitchen God, so that he may ascend to the Jade Emperor in the heavens. The Chinese include a paper horse to lift him on his journey, while the Vietnamese prefer a carp fish. Some families smear the lips of the Kitchen God with honey or sweet glutinous rice, to ensure he says sweet things about them.
According to superstition you must clean your house thoroughly to sweep away misfortune and make way for good luck and fortune in the coming year. The old year and its spirits are banished by sweeping the floors before New Year's Day. (Don't sweep on New Year's Day itself - you'll sweep away the New Year fortune if you do.)
The house should be decorated with paper cutouts of the words happiness, wealth and longevity.
Shooting fireworks on New Year's Eve scares away the old year, and households open up windows and doors at midnight as exits for the old year.

At New Year, special emphasis is placed on the symbology of different foods. Here are what a few foods symbolize:

Bamboo shoots = wealth
Black moss seaweed = wealth
Dried Bean Curd = happiness (note: fresh tofu is not served because the color white symbolizes death and misfortune in Chinese culture).
Chicken = happiness and marriage (especially when served with "dragon foods," such as lobster), family reunion (if served whole)

Eggs = fertility
Egg Rolls = wealth
Fish served whole = prosperity
Chinese garlic chives = everlasting, a long life
Lychee nuts = close family ties
Noodles = A long life
Oranges = wealth
Peanuts = a long life
Pomelo = abundance, prosperity, having children
Seeds = lotus seeds, watermelon seeds, etc. - having a large number of children
Tangerines = luck

Source

Grilling Fun Facts For Memorial Day

partysugar — Sun, 27 May 2007 01:18:19 -0700

I haven't had an excuse to do a round of fun facts in a while, so you can imagine how excited I was when I realized that I could gather up a bunch of useless knowledge in relation to barbeque!!! So if you want to know what region of the United States is responsible for the majority of grilling and what's the most popular food to grill - and you know you do! - read more

In the US, North-Easterners are the biggest barbequers, followed by those who inhabit the North-Central, the South, and the West (I found this totally surprising as I thought Southerners and Westerners were the biggest grillers)
Hamburgers are the most popular food to grill at 87%, followed by steak 83%, chicken 78%, and hot dogs 76%.

The 4th of July is the largest barbeque holiday, followed by Memorial Day and Labor Day.
American presidents have openly expressed their love for grilling by hosting barbeques dating all the way back to Thomas Jefferson.
The most commonly grilled side dish is corn, followed by other vegetables, and potatoes.
Hickory barbeque sauce is favored, then mesquite, honey, and tomato based.
In homemade barbeque sauces, garlic is almost always found in the recipe, as is brown sugar.
After aluminum foil, the preferred barbeque tools are long handed tongs, clean brushes, and spatulas.

To check the propane level of your barbeque's gas tank, weigh on your normal bathroom scale. An empty tank weighs between 17 and 19 pounds. The difference between that and what your tank weighs is how much gas you have left.
The origin of the word barbeque is debatable. Some believe it's from the Spanish word barbacoa which was a framework of green wood that held cooking food over hot coals. Others think the word is French because of the term they gave to the cooking technique of pirates who cooked meats from whiskers to tail or de barbe a queue.
Both Memphis and Kansas City claim that they are the barbeque capital of the United States.

Source: Thanks Rachelle!

Top Chef: May the Best Chef Win (Season 2 Finale Recap)

YumSugar — Thu, 01 Feb 2007 03:29:52 -0800

Well, we reached the end of Top Chef Season 2! We can now stop speculating which chef is better than the other. Was the finale what you expected? Did you have money on the right candidate? Or did you just stop caring after last week?

The episode starts off with Marcel and Ilan frolicking on a beach in Hawaii. They eat fresh sea urchin for breakfast (which, although my opinion of sea urchin is not always high, I was crazy jealous of) and Marcel even gets stung by one and is forced to pee on his hand. At this point I need to stop the recap for a second and say that I have been tastefully avoiding this topic all season long, but really what was the whole Ilan wanting to pee on Marcel, how homo-erotic was that? And have you noticed it all season long?? - Okay back to recap.

The chefs are told they need to make a 5-course dinner for eight. They get to pick up their produce at a local farmer's market. They will then have four hours of prep time before heading to their respective restaurants where they will have one hour to cook. Ilan is cooking at Donatoni's Restaurant and Marcel will cook at Imari.

Full recap with big time spoilers ahead, including the WINNER, so read more

Before heading to the farmer's market, the finalists are greeted with ghosts from their past. Mike, Mia, Betty, Frank, Elia and Sam are there to be sous chefs. Surprisingly, half of them want to work with Ilan and the other half, Marcel. Marcel ends up choosing Sam, who convinces him to pick Mikey (which, no offense to Mikey, but really, you've a lot on the line and you pick the perpetually stoney-sounding Mikey??). Ilan chooses his BFF Elia and then Betty. Frank and Mia once again get sent packing.

Each chef needed to prepare a five course meal, for eight guests.
The guests were:

The three regulars (Padma, Gail and Tom)
Hubert Keller
Michelle Bernstein
Scott Conant
Roy Yamaguchi
Wylie Dufrense

The chefs both end up picking great produce (did you see those rambutans!?!) and built their recipes around what they saw. Ilan was up first and he served:

Overall the judges loved the meal, they thought the appetizer was okay, they LOVED the soup, thought the lobster sauce on the squab was great, wished they could get more from the short ribs, but were crazy for the dessert. From my vantage point, I thought the soup sounded great (I love gazpacho, so a macadamia nut gazpacho sounded even more delicious) and I definitely wanted to try the bay leaf fritter. Talk about a great infusion of sweet and savory!

Next up was Marcel. Now right from the beginning you knew this was going to be a disaster. They had talking head clips of Mikey and Sam talking about a hectic kitchen, and then the Bravo TV cameraman zoomed in on several trays left in the hotel fridge. Like I said, not a good sign. However Marcel still managed to pull out a great looking meal. He served:

Like I mentioned earlier, there were a few snafus. Marcel's ingenious encapsulated vinaigrette teardrops didn't work due to the humidity and the fish for the third dish got left behind (lucky for Marcel, Sam was able to whip up an alternate dish). The judges, however, enjoyed the meal. They liked the texture of the urchin, they thought the salad was a bit weak, loved the balanced flavor of the sea beans, thought his beef was better than Ilan's and thought the blinis were whimsical and clever. From my point of view, I also thought the blinis looked fun, I couldn't figure out why on earth he would tell the judges that he forgot the fish, and I was saddened by the fact that his tear drops didn't work out.

Now for the judge's table. They liked everything and were split on whom to declare the winner, so they got some input from the sous chefs. Elia said Ilan should win because his food was superior (even if she didn't taste or see Marcel's), Mikey and Sam confessed that Marcel's kitchen wasn't run very well. Sam also took credit for the sea beans.

After much deliberation, the judges finally have a winner.
This year's Top Chef is Ilan Hall.
Were you surprised? I wasn't really, although I wouldn't have been surprised if Marcel won either.

Now for a few things to discuss:

Marcel telling the judges he forgot the fish. Why would you do that?
Even though Sam fixed the fish dish, he takes credit for the sea beans, but weren't the sea beans actually Marcel's idea? He said he was going to do fish with palm and sea beans

Elia dissing Marcel - Really did she need to get so petty? I've lost a lot of respect for her.
Were you as weirded out as I was about the whole urchins and peeing scene?
Would you have chosen Mikey as a sous chef?
Was the fish forgotten on purpose?
At the end Marcel says, "I thought it was going to take more than saffron and paprika to beat me." My guy swears he said "f**king saffron." Did you hear it?
Before declaring the winner Tom says, "One of you may go on to be the superior chef, but in the end our decision was based on who we believe to be the best chef right now." Do you think he believes Marcel will be a better chef than Ilan?
Did you think the right person won?

Discuss!

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Source: Bravo TV