FOOD CHALLENGE!!!...and more

The Sandwich

So one of the definitions that came up when we were defining “America” was instant satisfaction. The sandwich represents this concept very well. A sandwich is a simple way to enjoy a concoction of ingredients without having to make a commitment. There are many theories on how sandwiches came about, one source says that the sandwich was invented in London in 1762 by an English nobleman, John Montagu, the Fourth Earl of Sandwich (1718-1792) The legend goes that he ordered a waiter to bring him roast-beef between two slices of bread when he was too busy gambling to stop for a real meal. The Earl was able to continue his gambling while eating his snack. Well, I’m not sure is this is true, so I don’t want to elaborate too much on the history of the sandwich, but rather how it represents the “on-the-go” lifestyle of most Americans nowadays. The sandwich also symbolizes Asian Americans since we are often “sandwiched” between two conflicting cultural ideals and beliefs.

Katsu

Katsu is a popular Japanese dish that could be made with a variety of meats, whether it’s chicken, beef, or pork. It is not the typical Japanese dish because it doesn’t have the delicate texture or ingredients that most Japanese dishes posses. This is due to the European influence in the 19^th century. Katsu was invented to satisfy the European pallet, it is breaded and deep fried, which is unique in Japanese cuisine. It not only represents the Japanese culture, but it also shows the oppression experienced by Asians. It’s always thought that anything European is better than what we have, and instead of cherishing our own culture and traditions, Asians commonly have the misconception that adopting European culture will help advance their societies, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth.

I was responsible for doing the research on the Katsu Sandwich, I realized I may have taken too much time doing the presentation, but I felt that I had important points to make. Everyone in our group worked hard on this challenge and I think it really showed during the challenge. I feel that we really deserved to win this challenge(which we did), but it was definitely a tough win. Mixed Persuasian(our competitors) had some great dishes, but I'm glad we were put against another great group, which really brought out the best in both groups. I felt the judging was fair...for the most part. Some of the judges seemed a little too critical but I respect their opinions regardless of how they scored us. I guess I just feel some resentment because of all the hard work we all put into this project. From coming up with the ideas for the dishes, to the making of the food, to the background info, and to the presentation. I really felt that we exceeded the expectations in every aspect of this challenge. So when certain judges decided to call our dishes "unoriginal" and "you can get it anywhere", I was really shocked and disappointed. Especially becauses all the other judges gave us marvelous feedbacks. I felt we were very creative with all the dishes, and we even made a drink! This was merely one project in one class, yet all of us took it very seriously and gave our best effort. Not the mention the extremely short deadline which we had to work against. By the way, we are also not professional gourmet cooks, and the dishes are completely original and could not be found in a reciepe book. In that respect I feel that we were very original and very creative, and with the budget we had, it was literally the best we could have done. So for a judge to call our hard work "unoriginal", it was definitely hurtful, and I'm speaking for all of my group members when I say that. I really don't want to talk about this anymore, because I don't want to focus too much on the negative aspects of this project. I actually enjoyed the experience as a whole and really appreciated the extra efforts made by my group members, so, if I was a judge I would give all my group members 1,000,000,000 points out of 40. And here's some advice for the judges just for future references: take it easy on the groups, understand that we are not professional chefs, realize that we have shit to do outside of this class, and appreciate the delicious, free and unique dishes that each group created for you guys. Last but not least, I would like to congratulate 210's finest for winning this challenge, and thank everybody for their efforts in helping us win this eventful challenge!!

-jiawei