Hi, how are you? 

These days, it's getting colder and colder.

I have a little sour throat… ;( I heard a cold is going around and some of my friends got a cold.

Be careful to catch a cold.

I'm reading a book related to food in Russian culture and history.

I chose the below video; Bizzare Foods in Russia.

This video shows us that how to make an egg in egg, which scrambled eggs and caviar are into the cleaned shell of egg.
The reporter also tell us about caviar cuisine in Russia. He took a taste of different types of caviar.


After watching this video, I felt really like eating caviar because I've never tried it.
Have you ever eaten caviar?

NeverSeconds

Hello! It is so cold today ;(
I want to eat something hot for lunch.

Today, I write about a food blog, NeverSeconds.
http://neverseconds.blogspot.jp

This blog is written by a Britain girl.

Quality:
I think the quality of the blog is high.
I was surprised that an elementary school girl writes such a high quality blog. It's amazing!


Usefulness:
She mostly mentioned school meals and food from various countries and she has a project to provide school meals for poor African children. So, every posting is useful I think and also it's interesting!


Visual attractiveness:
She uses many photos and sometimes short videos.
Photos are big and clear. They are helpful for readers to understand.


Accessibility of the language:
That blog is all written in English but her English is easy and plain to read.
I think anyone may enjoy reading her postings and share her idea.


How interesting is it to you personally?:
I'm interested in postings of school lunch. She reported about school lunch contest in Japan with many photos. It made me a little nostalgic and I felt nostalgic about the time when I ate school lunch a long time ago. :)


I add some information.

My memories of school lunch was mostly fun. When I entered the elementary school, I couldn't eat so much and I'm also fastidious about food. However, through school lunch and eating with my friends, I overcame my dislikes of food.

I think AGU's dining facilities have high quality but in my opinion, the cafeteria is too crowded to eat leisurely and the price is a little bit expensive.

We should use the Table for Two system to help people who suffer from poverty.
I think this project is famous among students because AGU joins this project, too.
This system is not difficult because all you need is to eat the menu which includes a contribution in its price. We can help children's school lunch in developing countries by eating.

Book analysis

Hi, how are you?
These days, it's gotten colder. So, the season of the one-pot meal is coming!
I love one-pot meals. I especially like kimchi nabe!
Anyway, I want to try many kinds of one-pot meals in this winter.


Today, I'm going to write about the book I'm reading.
I read 2 sections of Food in Russian History and Culture, so I totally read 3 sections so far.

The first section, "2. Food in Rus' Primary Chronicle", is written about the food Russian ate at that time.
It is said that People in Russia ate mainly the mixture of grains and drank the diluted honey water.
But, to be honest, it was difficult for me to understand the whole contents… I felt a little boring…


On the other hand, the second section, "3. Food in Catherinian St. Petersburg", was more interesting for me!
This section was written about the typical food eaten by each social classes at that time.

The rich and nobility ate variegated diets, such as fresh fruits; apples,pears, lemons, and watermelons, butter, bacon, and wines and brandies, which were imported from Europe.

The working people got food from the markets which sell frozen carcasses of various animals, including cattle, deer, pigs, sheep, hares, geese, ducks, chickens, and wild fowl, and cheeses, coffee, and the basic vegetables; cabbage, beets, onions, carrots, radishes and turnips.

Moreover, in Russian food culture, cereal is a staple of the Russian diet for centuries.

I found interesting parts of this section. It's that there were two types of restaurants in St. Petersburg, kharchevnia and traktir.

The kharchevnia is a restaurant where the common people took their meals and was popular in the northeastern-most distinct of Russia.

The traktir is a kind of disturbed place. Fights and other minor disturbances often happened.

The difference between these two restaurants is the kharchevnia served only food and not drink and the traktir made the list of rules, including prohibited items, for a their catering to people of the better sort.


Through reading these sections, I could find some interesting features of Russian food culture.
I want to read it with giving a pace a little more.

Analyzing a food blog

Hi! How are you doing?

It's rainy today ;( and a cold is going around. Don't catch a cold.

I visited one food blog called Hummingbird High.

The owner is an American lady, Michelle. She is a baker, blogger and photographer behind her blog.

Quality

I think the quality of her blog is very high because there are detailed descriptions about each posts of recipes with many simple photos. This blog is almost written about baked sweets recipes, for example, muffins, cookies, cakes, donuts, etc. She wrote numerous recipes, so you can surely find recipe that you want to make. She also writes restaurant reviews and feast Portland reviews and puts some snaps on the blog. I believe her restaurant reviews certainly help me when I write my own restaurant review.

Usefulness

As I wrote before, this blog is mainly written about almost all kind of baked sweet recipes. When you want to make baked sweets, these recipes may help you and you can surely find your favorite recipe. It’s also written restaurant reviews and reviews for feast Portland, so it can help when you write your own review.

Visual attractiveness

I’m impressed her photos because they are very cool! All of her photos are fine and beautiful. The layout is very easy to see so it’s simple to know what she wrote. Anyway her photos make me hungry. :) 

Accessibility of the language

I felt it’s not difficult to read and understand the blog. Her writing is plain and clear. Some words are linked to other reports or sites. You may enjoy her blog.

How interesting is it to you personally?
It’s interesting for me to read restaurants' reviews rather than baked sweets recipes. I don’t make sweets… so I’m more interested in restaurants' reviews and some reports with photos. It's attractive and when I'm reading her reports, I feel as if I were in that place and eating.

Anyway, I recommend you to check her blog, Hummingbird High.

Introduction of my book

I chose Food in Russian History and Culture (1997). 

As you read the title, this book is written about Russian food and culture.
The authors are Musya Glants and Joyce Toomre. You can learn the role of food in Russian culture from many sources in this book.

The reason why I chose this book is my interest and I want to know about foreign food culture that I have never known. Last year, I took a Russian class and my teacher showed many things that is related to Russian culture. That's a opportunity that I'm interested in Russian food culture.

The first section of this book is written about the importance of a stove. The stove was a necessary thing for old Russian because it was used not only for heating a room but also for cooking. The peasant in old Russia ate mainly rye and they added mushrooms or nuts into it and processed in the stove. Fish and meat was rare to eat for them.

After I read this, I thought the food old Russian peasants ate is similar to ancient diet in Japan.
I also thought the grains are important nutrition for people for a long time.

I'm keeping reading and I want to learn Russian food culture more.