Food Evaluation

When it comes to food or drinks I tend to not have a problem trying something new. When i walked into the door i could see that this would be a solid trait that would end up benefiting me greatly. There were many foods that i had never seen before, and foods that seemed benign to anything i would see on a daily basis. I quickly realized that some of the foods I was about to try were going to be, interesting, to say the least.

My favorite out of all the foods was the pomegranate seeds. Upon examining the package, it was simple and not exuberant. It seemed like something I wouldn’t mind seeing all the time. It just fit in. Upon opening the package, the seeds were in the juices from the other seeds in the package, and it released a very pleasant smell. The seeds were crunchy, yet juicy at the same time and were very satisfying to taste. They were quick, easy, and packed a punch in the taste department. Overall, the pomegranate seeds were definitely my favorite.

My least favorite of the foods had to be the seaweed snack. The packaging reminded me of an old boat for some reason due to the color. Opening them and smelling them only reaffirmed this initial response. Only the smell added the image of dead fish to my mind. Once i had gained the courage to put one in my mouth, my initial reaction was to spit it back out. Holding back and chewing, I found it had a texture like that of dead lawn shavings. Swallowing the snack was scratchy and rough making me question what i had just done. The after taste was horrible, and i needed to get a drink to control it. The seaweed snack is most definitely my least favorite of the foods I tried.

The most surprising food I tried was actually a drink. The Sanpellegrino drink seemed like it would be a soft, orange juice type drink. The packaging made it seem like a tropical, beach type beverage. The glass bottle with the classic sticker on it gave the drink a relaxed feeling. When I opened it I smelled a strong carbonated citrus smell that tingled. It swayed away from the relaxing packaging to an up-tempo frizzy drink that almost woke you up. The only comparison i could make is a sparkling citrus drink. This caught me off guard, and made the Sanpellegrino the most surprising item i tasted.

Winding up the Evaluative Essay before the break!

Just a reminder to all College English students. Email me your rough draft of the paper this weekend and / or give me a hard copy before school starts Monday morning. We have to begin peer review and also finish the Christmas project for the Elementary School. I look forward to reading these new essays!

Food Evaluation

Last Tuesday I was very skeptical before going into class. From the doorway I could see food but you had said to come with an adventurous soul so I knew not to expect ordinary foods. I then started freaking out because I am the worst when it comes to food. I do not like to try new food at all, I stick to what I always eat and that has always been fine for me. I am only up to trying new things if it would be rude otherwise and I certainly would not go out of my way to try the foods we did in class. However, there were many that I liked, many that I disliked and many that surprised me.

I had two top favorites out of them all. The Iced Gingerbread Popcorn and the Plantain Chips were my absolute favorites. The popcorn was a nice twist on ordinary popcorn. I like the material of the bag, it wasn’t an ordinary chip bag material, it had more of a fancier feel to it I guess. It was very tasty and sweet but still had the popcorn crunch to it. The plantain chips were another favorite of mine. I have had cooked plantains at the Spanish dinner and I loved them there as well. These did not disappoint and really just tasted like lightly salted potato chips. Except the best part is these are much healthier for you.

My least favorite food was the shrimp chips and the wasabi peas. When I first put both of these items in my mouth I instantly gagged. I do not like shrimp of seafood to being with and this extended to the shrimp chips. I disliked them very much. They were extremely disgusting to me and unfortunately they were also very potent. The taste lingered. If there was anything else to be noted for them, it shouldn’t matter because the taste was awful. I feel the taste should be the most important thing above all else. As for the wasabi peas, my mom loves them so she buys them regularly. I have never tried them just cause as mentioned I’m not really up for trying new foods like that. And I was right not to. These too, had an awful taste. This is going to sound weird but they tasted like spicy, cleaning supplies to me. While I’ve never tasted cleaning supplies obviously, I’ve smelt them and I just get that taste from the peas. I will not however that the can was rightfully suited for the product in my opinion; easy to grab and go.

The most surprising product for me was the Sanpellegrino drink. I had seen that it was orange and expected it to taste like orange juice. I have not liked orange juice since I last had the flu due to obvious reason so I assumed this would have the same effect. However, I liked the little glass bottles and logo. It made the drink seem more appealing and fun to drink. After, I took a sip I was surprised. It was carbonated and I normally hate carbonation. I hate soda and anything carbonated. However, I enjoyed this even though it tasted like carbonated orange juice. I thought this would be something I would hate, considering it tastes like two things I can’t stand. But I throughly enjoyed the drink contrary to my initial belief. All in all it was a fun day to have before break.

Food Evaluation

In class we had the opportunity to try new foods that we may not try otherwise. For me this was true, I had never tried most of these foods before class. It is interesting to try new food, and it is very important in many cultures. When I used to live in Utica, there are many different cultures in that city and I was introduced to many other kinds of food. Going to Mexico has also opened my mind to other kinds of food and how it affects the culture. It is important to keep an open mind when trying new things and although some of this food was not very appealing we were able to try it and decide if we liked it. Even though I wasn’t able to try all the foods because of the time, the foods that I did try opened my eyes to new ideas.

I was surprised at my choice for my favorite, I have never liked chick peas or hummus, yet the edamame hummus was my favorite. I also enjoyed the lemon dill hummus. These choices are a healthy alternative to other dips or sauces. The packaging was appealing and it is something different that people may like to try. I also realized that I don’t hate pomegranate seeds as much as I thought I did. One of the things that I have tried before was the Dol mas, we had them when I was in Utica. This food has a very strong flavor and a very different texture. In Utica, people would have them with different foods to offset the flavor. I thought the schoko-banen and marzipan were very interesting.

My least favorite was the shrimp chips, the taste just wasn’t right. I didn’t like the taste or the texture. The packaging wasn’t very appealing either. They had no nutritional value and high calories. Honestly, I don’t understand how someone could like them.

The most surprising food was the Tzatziki. I liked the taste of it, although the texture was very different. It tasted like yogurt in a different form. I know that many people use yogurt, especially greek yogurt in different recipes and it was interesting for something to have that taste.

I think that this was a good experience and it was interesting to try these new things.

Food Critic Activity

Last Tuesday, I had to be a food critic and I went way out of my comfort zone. I am normally a picky eater and don’t really like trying new foods. Whenever a good somewhere to eat, I get the same meal every time. Why mess with perfection, right? Well that was not the case last Tuesday. As I had German before this “adventure” I saw what was coming, and I didn’t particularly like it either. I vowed that I was going to try everything in the room, which surprised me that I did. I found some favorites and not such favorites with a surprised thrown in as well.

The best food/drink I found was the San-pellegrino orange. It looked like regular orange juice in a glass bottle. It was 18% orange juice which is why it looked like orange juice. The drink was carbonated which surprised me on the first sip. For the nutritional value, I found that it is better for you than drinking a can of soda. I don’t drink soda that much but sometimes I do enough it. Now since I “found” this product, I think I will replace soda with San-pellegrino orange. From a 1-10 scale, I gave this drink a 9/10. Although it is better than soda, there is still a lot of sugar in this drink. The packaging of the product was different in a good way. They were bottled in smaller glass bottles. The texture of the bottles felt like you were holding an orange in your hand. Overall, I thought this was the best drink/food item there.

Now for the worst food/drink item I tried, was………………the Katjes gummies. The appearance looked very good, like a gummy. I enjoy gummies a lot but there was lots of chatter about them before I got there. I just thought everyone was crazy and went along my way until I got there. As I picked one up, I realized that they were hard as a rock. This was the one thing I spit out and didn’t sallow out of all the products. They tasted worse than black licorice, which to me, is hard to beat. The packaging of the product looked appealing, it was colorful and had a clear part so you could s the “gummies.” This is a product that I hope I don’t find in my house and I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone who dislikes black licorice.

The most surprising food/drink item I tried was the Dolmas. At a first glance, they looked like some sushi roll thing. I don’t like sushi so this was a big step for me in trying this. After I tried it, I realized that it’s not that bad. It is not like sushi so that might be why. The texture while eating this was a squishy, which felt weird but it didn’t affect the taste. I thought that the Dolmas were going to be the worst item, but I was surprised. I gave these a 7/10 because of the weird texture. I wouldn’t mind eating this for a snack but it wouldn’t be my #1 pick.

The most surprising thing was that I tried all of the items. If these items weren’t brought in, I would have probably never tried any of these products. I am proud of myself for trying everything; I found a couple items that could be a favorite snack/drink.

Food review

On Tuesday, I had the opportunity to sample a wide variety of ethnic or unusual foods, with instructions to evaluate the ones that stood out. Many of these foods were ones I had previously come into contact with, due to my middle eastern lineage and background in Mediterranean cuisine. I was pleasantly surprised by some new foods, and unfortunately disappointed with others.

The food I enjoyed the most was the plantain chips. They had a pleasantly fried, but not overwhelming, flavor. I personally am repulsed by bananas, but the plantain chips retained none of the banana flavor that fresh plantains would boast. The crunch is satisfying, and the aftertaste is not objectionable in any way. Quite reasonably placed on the calorie level, the plantain chips took their place as an enjoyable, worthwhile price, and I was glad I was able to take the remaining chips home.

My least favorite from the available choices was the dried seaweed. Although I have eaten identical seaweed before, the overpowering fish flavor really pushed me away this time. The texture is also odd and unnerving, progressing through stages of dry paper, melting plastic, and limp dishcloth. I didn’t notice any remarkable dietary benefits to be found in any palatable portion, so I can only conclude that the main factor is taste. Since the taste did not appeal to me, I could safely discard this misleadingly edible food.

I was most surprised to enjoy the plantain chips, as I mentioned before. As a small child, I ate more bananas daily than any healthy monkey, and as a result, they wore out their welcome in my digestive system. To this day, I can’t bring myself to eat one. Knowing the similarities between plantains and bananas, I was wary of the dried plantain chips, but decided to give it a try. I had heard of fried plantains being used as a potato substitute, so how bad it could be? Once I opened my mind, I realized there are zero similarities between the chips and the bananas I have grown to hate. The lightly oily flavor, fried to perfection, reminded me of potato chips with much less added salt. I was very pleased with the crunch, flavor, and nutritional value of the plantain chips.

Overall, I was glad I was able to participate in this activity. It was fun to try new foods from different areas of the world, and see how other chefs might prepare the foods my mother has Made with more traditional methods since before I was born. Perhaps some of the snacks will eventually find their ways to my shelves.

Food evaluation

So last Tuesday we had all gathered in the conference room and we went around sampling different foods trying to figure out which was the best, worst, and the most surprising. To find out which food was the best, I put each sample through the same sort of criteria; what the food looked like and whether or not it was appealing, what it felt like, and what it tasted like. After sampling all of the foods, I found out that the best one, to me, were the wasabi peas. I had had them before, but it was a long time ago and I remembered hating them because of their spiciness. But now, as I have grown up, I have grown to like radishes, and horseradish in particular, so going back to sampling the wasabi peas, I found that they were quite delicious. That being said, the worst food out of the bunch was certainly the seaweed crackers. Not only did they smell unappealing, but they tasted just the same. They claimed to be “great on pizza, soups, salads, or a great snack!” but the only thing they would be good in is the trash. They both smelled and tasted like dirty sea water. Whoever’s idea it was to make salted seaweed crackers, is an idiot. That garbage is not edible. The most surprising food item, to me, was the edemame hummus. Before Tuesday I had always been against hummus, I don’t know if it was the appearance or what, but being put in the position to try it, I went for it. And in fact it was quite delicious. In fact, I would definitely eat it again. And it is also very good for you.

New Foods Evaluation

On last Tuesday during class we had the opportunity of trying an assortment of new foods. There were many that were actually enjoyable to eat but then others that were completely the opposite. After going around the room and trying the array of foods I was able to come up with my favorite food, the most disgusting food, and the most surprising food.

I was able to determine that my favorite of the foods I tried were the pomegranate seeds. These seeds were very enjoyable to eat. They were very sweet with a small crunch and were extremely juicy. They don’t have a strong taste to them, nor do they have a strong after taste. I decided I would really enjoy having these seeds as a regular snack. They were small and a very bright red in appearance. And the packaging on them was also well done. It was quite simple, but it worked out well. It was a clear cup so you could clearly see the red seeds and the words on the cup were also a dark maroon so the colors really went well together. Overall I really enjoyed eating the pomegranate seeds.

The Seaweed snack was definitely the snack I utterly hated the most. At first glance the seaweed looked as if it was a big green block. But after a closer look you could realize that it was actually packed together in thin sheets. Each sheet was pretty thin and was dark green in color. They didn’t have a strong smell to them either. I actually really enjoy seafood and sushi so I didn’t expect the seaweed to be that bad. But after tasting it I was very wrong. The taste was actually quite vile. It tasted as if you swam to the very bottom of the sea and collect the dirtiest and most grimy vegetation from the bottom and brought it up and dried it out and simultaneously ate it while drinking a glass of nasty sea water. Out of a 1 to 10 rating I gave these a 1. The packaging for this snack wasn’t that bad though. It had bright colors that really attracted your eye but in the end this snack just tasted awful

The most surprising snack that I tasted that day was Katjes Black Licorice. When I first looked at them they sort of looked like little soft gummies. So I “thought” that I would actually enjoy this snack. I hadn’t tasted black licorice before so I didn’t really know what to expect for the taste aspect. By the looks I thought a grape chewy gummy, and that I might enjoy it. But after that first taste I knew I couldn’t have been more far from the truth. First of all these were like trying to bite off a chunk from a boulder. They were extremely hard. And the taste was just god awful. I immediately went to the trash can and spit out these little candies that were created in Satan’s workshop. The packaging for these little snacks also wasn’t that appealing. First of all it was foreign so that didn’t help either. But it didn’t really have anything on it that made it pop and stand out. So in the end I was able to figure out that these innocent looking little cats turned out to be so bad that I might rather have my taste buds burned off than eating more of them.

To sum it all up, many of the foods were actually quite enjoyable. While only a select few didn’t taste very good at all. Some of these foods I would actually go out and buy them because I really enjoyed them. This activity also helped for me to get a greater understanding of how to be able to evaluate products better.

Unique Food Day – Colton Camp

When Mrs.Thompson said to bring your writers notebook and bring an adventurous soul, she wasn’t kidding. When I walked into room 19 on Tuesday, I saw all these weird foods spread across the room. Micayla and I paired up and sat down at a station where there was food. As we walked around the room tasting all the food and giving it a number 1-5 star rating, I was able to pick a favorite, one I hated and one that was the most shocking.

The Most shocking to me was the Hummus. The appearance was disgusting and had a green seaweed look. Plus the hummus smelled like mold and looked nasty. But I was a brave and took one of the chips, took a big scoop out of the hummus dip and took a bite.  I started chewing and shockingly, it was very good! I gave it a 5 star! The texture was crunchy because of the chips but it also had a feel of like little beads in your mouth. I sat there and kept eating it until we were called to a different station. The nutritional value of the hummus was that it was good for you and is considered a healthy food. It is low fat and has a lot of protein in it. Wegamans did a fantastic job on the advertising. It was very graphic and had a nice design to it. Then at the end of class Mrs. Thompson said if you wanted to take anything home you could, so I ran over to the hummus table and grabbed the hummus and the chips and put them in my backpack.

The Food that I disliked the most and gave a a 2 out of 5 stars was the Mediterranean Olive Bar. The appearance was horrible! It looked like a log of dog poop and had a horrible smell. I couldn’t believe I had to actually put it into my mouth and eat it. The texture of the bar was very slippery and oily. Writing this makes me want to throw up, just the thought of the bar is disgusting and I don’t know why anyone who want to eat it! The advertising on the package wasn’t appealing and was very bland and not creative. I disliked this Mediterranean Olive Bar so much that I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone.

The food that was my favorite was the Iced Gingerbread kettle corn! The appearance was very Christmassy. It had snowflakes and snowmen in a winter wonder land scene. It was aimed toward every age and I gave it a 5 out of 5 stars. The texture was very crunchy and had a popcorn taste. It tasted like caramel, cinnamon, sugar, gingerbread and lots of white chocolate. The advertising was perfect for the upcoming holiday season and Christmas.  The only downfall was that it wasn’t healthy for you at all. It had a lot of sugar, high sodium and total fat. But it is good to treat yourself once in a while to food that tastes so good! I would recommend this to everyone.

Food Evaluation

Tuesday in class we got to try a number of new foods. Many of these foods I had never heard of and never would have eaten them normally. I thought it was really fun to try the new things even if they were a little strange.

My favorite food was the pomegranate seeds. I love the taste of pomegranate and do not normally have the opportunity to eat it. These seeds surprised me and were sweeter than I was epecting. I also learned that you were sapless to eat the seeds. I always thought that you were saposed to bite it to get the juicy part off and then dispose of the seed in the middle. Apparently the entire seed is saposed to be eaten. This snack however, is definatly one of the few that I would eat on a regular basis. It was healthy, sweet, didn’t have a bad aftertaste, and was packaged in a way that could easily be accessed.

The most surprising food was actually a tie. I was expecting the Mediterranean peppers to taste nasty but they weren’t. They were also hard to describe. They didn’t really taste sour, sweet, or spicy at all. In fact without the oil it was in, the peppers didn’t really have much of a taste at all. The other surprising food was the shrimp chips. Most hated the smell and the taste, but I love seafood so it didn’t really bother me. When eating a chip or a puff typically you are not expecting a seafood like taste. While the essence of seafood wasn’t strong, having a chip taste like seafood was a little strange. I honestly had never heard of either of these strange foods before this activity.

The the most disgusting food was way ahead than the other foods. This was the rice roll wrapped in a strange leaf. This “food” screamed unedible right from the start. It smelled nasty, it looked nasty, and it tasted even worse. I can’t even describe what it tasted like to because it was so unlike anything I had ever tasted. The best I can come up with is a droopy salad leaf soaked in vinegar, dusted with sourness, and dragged through manure. It was absolutely disgusting and hope I never have to see or eat one of those again.