Biological humor

Indulge me, if you will, in a bit of Biological Anthropology related humor.

When studying physical adaptations of humans, we are taught that people living in high altitudes have an uncanny ability to carry more oxygen in their blood. They also have interesting placental adaptations that allow their growing young to develop in these oxygen deprived environments. We also know that skin color is an adaptation to high or low levels of solar radiation. Nasal passages can even be an adaptation. If you live closer to the equator, your nose can be broad and short but the further you live from the balmy climes, the longer and narrower your nose must be to warm and humidify the air you take in. Obviously these adaptations take many generations to manifest a change in a population (so when I move to southern Spain, you can say "I told you so!").

Moving on, perhaps the most recurring theme in any discussion of human adaptation in a physical anthropology classroom is that of Bergmann's  and Allen's rules. Bergmann said that members of warm blooded species with wide geographic ranges would be bigger in colder climates than their bretheren in tropical paradises. So for Bergmann, cold = big guys. He also recognized that the warm weather folks had a more linear body plan. Think of those long, svelte Kenyan runners. Allen observed that in cold climates, warm blooded individuals had shorter limbs. This makes sense to me as the first thing that freezes in these chilly mid-western winters are my fingers and toes.

Very interesting, and even inspiring I say! So, I decided to honor these geniuses of the ways and hows of human adaptation with christmas cookies. Ladies and gentleman, meet Bergmann and Allen:

 

Just for modesty's sake, I'll give you one with their clothes on too. That's Orlando on the right in his green, white and red. They seem to get along well, don't you think? I really do not know what to say about the creepy two-sprinkle mouths other than I'll try harder next time. I promise.

Old school

You know those dishes that just taste good? I'm not talking about duck confit or some fancy terrine, more like butter on warm bread, or a good grilled cheese sandwich. This is that kind of dish. It was served to me by my man's mama. Presenting: Turos teszta!
Very simple: cooked egg noodles are quickly fried in a pan with a bit of fat (butter, oil, or rendered bacon fat). They get a bit crispy, and a bit over cooked, but that's okay here. Into the noodles goes a generous toss of turo, a Hungarian cheese that resembles crumbly farmer's cheese. (I have found decent farmer's cheese at Whole Foods, but it is a bit liquid; best to strain it overnight so that it is drier and more crumbly. Alternatively, check out an Eastern European grocer.)

But, the pièce de résistance is the topping. There exists in Hungary a magical ingredient known as szalonna, or "meatless bacon." This is, as the name suggests, bacon that is more fat than meat. Here, we call it fatback which is not nearly as sexy-sounding as szzzzzzah-lohhhhhhh-nahhhhhh, but oh well! Cut into lardons or small cubes and rendered down, the resulting liquid is the stuff of dreams and one of the reasons why sadly I will never muster the strength to go vegetarian.The crunchy bits of fat are also a great textural addition to the noodles and cheese. Anyway, this is served in a small dish on the side so everyone can drizzle a bit on top.

On one trip, I was actually served a vegetarian variation of this dish that was also great. (Vegetarians in Hungary, mythical creatures indeed) Just swap out the turo or farmer's cheese for goat cheese and add a generous handful of chopped dill. No meatless bacon.

Mmmmmm. This has me thinking about how great fried noodles are in general. What is your favorite noodle dish, fried or otherwise?

Testing...

First post.

I am an academic. I spend my days and nights working tirelessly to complete my dissertation (okay, maybe not, but you get the point!). This is a 7 day a week job, and although I love my work, we all need a few moments of respite here and there, right?

I take pictures of food. Food that I make, food that I see, food that I eat, food that I want to eat. I have collected hundreds. I do not print these out EVER, and thought this could be a good place to put them and write about what it was about a dish, preparation, or flavor that inspired me to take a picture. I am very lucky to be surrounded by friends and family that also share this joy. In the course of this food photo fest, I have also documented several teaching sessions with parents, grandparents, and friends sharing one or more recipes with me. I am especially excited to get those out in the open. Food serves a larger purpose in my life than merely sustaining my corpus. I use it as a therapy, in much the same way as my yoga practice. Standing in the kitchen for hours on end is truly cathartic for me. Eating a well prepared meal out is just as good for me as a massage.

Lest I sound like a 'foodie' (a term that grates on my nerves like a microplane to the finger), I hope to also discuss my day to day dabbles in : yoga, home improvement, etc. Let's see what happens!
STB