Blog 7

Bringing it all together

Blog 6

Today I am going to talk about the origins of other ingredients in my meal. Most have an interesting history and have all been important to benefit mankind

Museum

Thhe musuem was a great

Blog 5

This week I learned about salt and where it comes from. I did not know it was of great intercontinental value and what a rich history and just how important it was.
I use to think that salt was just a condiment that made my fries and steak taste better. I would have never thought that it was so important that great african empires would have to rely on something that sits on my dinner table everyday. I guess we all take advantage of things that we do not need to exert any effort into getting.
In ancient times salt was traded in africa for gold. This was known as the salt and gold trade, where giant blocks of salt where traded for giant blocks of gold in the Mali Empire. Salt back then was traded for its weight in gold. Salt was valued so much because of its preservative abilities. It is capable of preserving food. Salt is also used to melt ice in the winter.

Salt also is mentioned in various religons such as Catholicism, Shinto, and Aztec mythology. It is said that there are around 35 referencees to salt in the Catholic bible.
I never knew how important salt can be. Hmm maybe I should try to trade some salt for a gold bar.

Where My Food is Made

I never knew where exactly plantains or rice is made from... Today I guess we will both find out.
First the rice that I eat is made by a company named Carolina. It comes wrapped in plastic . The rice is naturally grown in the USA.


The lentils beans come in an plastic package and are naturally grown in the USA. They are manufactured by Goya



The frying cheese is made in carribean islands such as the Dominican Republic. It comes in plastic packaging. The company that produces this cheese is call Tropical.



The ripe plantains usually are in a plastic bag in a cardboard box. They are made in South America usally in countries such as Ecuador, Venezeula, and Colombia. The makers in the picture I provided are from the Goya company



The best part being the steak comes from cows that are brought up in farms upstate and sent to slaughter houses in new jersey. There is no main company that distributes these steaks.




The peppers are also grown in farms in south carolina



salt comes from the salt mines of africa, no specific brand. comes in a glass saltshaker.


the tomatoes are grown in china. which happens to be the worlds largest tomato distributor.

Recipe

Recipe for Arroz con Menestra y Carne Asada with a side of Platano Maduro y Queso.
2 cups of rice
1 lb of beans
2 cups of water
2 ramas of spicy white onions
1 spicy pepper 1
1 small spicy tomato with garlic,
salt,
Ripe Plantains
Frying Cheese

Ripe plantains at the supermarket cost about 4.95 for a pack of 5 microwaveable plantains. Which is a dollar a plantain. The rice comes in a bag that measures 10 lbs at 9$ per bag. I love rice so I usually take ALOT of rice and boil it up. The portion of rice I use would cost about 65 cents. A can of red goya beans would cost about 3 dollars a can at trade fair. I love my beans so i use half a cand of beans which is about 1.50$. A spicy pepper gives the meat a kick so that would normally cost 25Cents a pepper or 5 for a dollar. I only eat one pepper so 25 cents for the pepper. Spicy white onions are 4 for a dollar at key food. Tomatos are about 3 for a dollar. 1 Tomato is like 33 cents. and The frying cheese is two dollars a a slice would be 15 cents. The sirloin steak costs about 5$ for the whole steak.

My Favorite Meal

I usually will usually try anything once, twice If I like it. But my favorite meal that will make me drool at the mere thought of it or hearing someone mention it arroz y frejole con carne with a side of platano maduro con queso de freir. In english that means rice with meat and plantains with frying cheese. It is my favorite meal preferably cooked by my mother but it does not matter since I would eat it regardless of who cooks it. It consists of a portion of white rice and beans with a cut of well cooked steak. The side is plaintains which are ripe bannanas they are made after removing the skin, the ripened fruit is sliced (3-4 mm thick) and pan fried in plantain oil and sprinkled with salt or sometimes baked in the oven. It is very delicious and is a delicacy is Ecuador. Along with the maduro is the frying cheese which is a block of white cheese made from cow's milk that is cut up into little blocks. I usually eat this alot in Ecuador among other things but eating it here isn't as good as over there almost as if it is missing something. There you go that is my favorite meal I recommend that you try it if you get a chance.

What I ate today (BURP)

Friday
So Far I have eaten a bowl of oatmeal and a protein shake with 1 raw egg. YUM! no not really but you get used to it. This was the first of six meals i had the whole day. The second meal I had was a nice big ham and cheese hero with lettuce tomato and mayo, it was sooo good and I had a bag of chifles to go along with it. Lets see I usually drink a gallon of water everyday which causes me to go to the bathroom.... everyday. My lunch was four chicken cutlets with another protein shake. Yes I know I eat alot but thanks to my metabolism I ca eat whatever and whenever and not gain a pound muahaha. If you think I eat alot you should see my sister or my father they both eat wayyyy more then I do yet stay at the same weight. Well later on at three I had some mac and cheese with a bottler of water. Then at around six I had my beloved arroz con frejole y carne con maduro y queso. I am guessing my mom was in a good mood or something. Then at ten I went to go see resident evil 3 and ate some popcorn. My mom did not raise no fool I brought my own popcorn from home to avoid paying 5$ for a SMALL bag of popcorn with very little butter.

Saturday
Saturday I woke up and made six pancakes and drowned them with syrup and I drank orange juice to go along with it. Later on around twelve I went to jackson heights to reserve my copy of Halo 3. ( I cant wait!) After reserving my copy I walked around hanging out with my friends and ate lunch at this bakery. I had a cuban sandwich and drank it with an Arizona iced tea which has soooo much juice for only a dollar. I also had two pastelitos which is a little round bread with beef inside of it. I went to the doctor later at four and I heard the best news ever. That I can start going back to the gym and start lifting again but lightly. I can also start to play basketball again but not too long just shoot around. When I left the doctor's I had Taco Bell, which is the best fast food ever made. I ate a cheesy gordita crunch and had a crunch wrap. I also drank the best drink ever made which is a Baha Blast. Baha Blast is this radioactive colored drink that is made by mountain dew and can only be drinked at Taco Bell. Then I went home and to the park to shoot around. It felt.... weird to shoot a ball I bricked my first couple of shots. But then I started to regain my stroke although nowhere near as smooth or as accurate before but hey got to start somewhere right? I finished off the night with a sicilian and some garlic knots.
Sunday
On sunday I ate some Froot Loops and had milk. Later I had a protein shake and an apple. For Lunch I ate Wendy's which is the second best fast food but the best burger place. Those jr bacon cheeseburgers put a smile on my face every time especially with a side of cheese fries. At two I went to the park and played some handball I didn't lose that whole day. After some handball I shot around again. Good news is that I can at least touch the rim so it wont be too hard to regain my dunking abilites. After playing ball through the night I ended up going to sizzler's and ate with my friend. We ate food and had some of the all you can eat buffet. I tried to take some chicken some with me but the waitress saw me :(

it is I

My name is Ernest Arambulo but my family and neighbors call me by my middle name, which is Chris. I was born in Guayaquil, Ecuador and came to the United States when I was 3 months old. I didn’t learn English until I was in 5th Grade and it wasn’t until 8th grade my “jevy” accent disappeared. I used to love to play soccer but after getting injured I was forced to stop playing. Eventually I started to play another sport which was a lot different from soccer in almost every way possible. This sport was basket ball; I was amazed how ordinary men were able to jump so high as almost as if they were flying. I was hooked on basketball the moment I saw an alley oop play and that is when I traded in my cleats for a pair of Nike. I practiced and practiced until I became the best in the park and eventually started to dunk on my own, however my body was not able to withstand the continuous impact that pounded my knees. Eventually during a championship game I dunked and as soon as I landed I heard a “snap”. I had torn my ACL and had to undergo surgery. I have not picked up a ball since.
I am currently attending LaGuardia College to attain my Associate’s degree in fine arts. At the current time I am not sure what I plan to do after LaGuardia, I have too many interests in many things. My dream would be to fully recover from surgery and eventually go into a division one basketball school and eventually the NBA (I can dream right?). If I am unable to pursue my then my backup plan would be to travel the world or pursue a Bachelors’ degree in criminal justice and move down to Miami.
In my opinion Taco Bell is the best fast food ever with Kentucky Fried Chicken a close second. My favorite food from Taco Bell is a cheesy gordita crunch with a crunch wrap and a baha blast (I am getting incredibly hungry now). I like the Snackers from KFC because they are only a dollar and I can eat a lot of them.
In my absence from sports I have taken up other hobbies such as guitar and paintball. I enjoy going to paintball arenas and just shooting my friends all day. The best part of paintball is that it leaves you really nice bruises. So all my friends have to do is look at the bruises that appeared after I shot them. I own a Spyder ACS (Anti Chop System) which is a really good gun for the price that you’re paying at one hundred dollars. I also like to drive around ever since I got my license I tend to race people sometimes in the streets but after a car accident in February 2007 durin a snowstorm. I did not end up hurt but I destroyed my beloved car. It was so damaged it would cost me more to fix it then what I paid for it. So I am currently saving up again to buy another car and hopefully soon enough I will be driving again.