Exploring the Intersection of Food, Culture and Identity

New flavored quinoa from Roland Foods

A new line of flavored quinoa takes the ancient Andean grain to the next level, that is: easy weeknight meal with cultural cred. Flavors like Roasted Garlic, Garden Vegetable, Black Bean, Toasted Sesame Ginger and Mediterranean come from natural sources like carrots, tomatoes and aromatics. My favorite suggestion? Roasted garlic quinoa with wilted greens and a fried egg. Yum.

with apologies to the artist

Picture it: Michelangelo lying on his scaffold, God’s finger reaching not for Adam, but for his nearly finished pint of gelato.

“You could never eat a pint of gelato,” says photographer Peter Menzel, who along with his wife, writer Faith D’Aluisio, chronicles eating habits around the world. “It would turn you into a marshmallow.”

Well, maybe if you’re Italian.

Let’s face it. Americans are gluttons. Two-thirds of us are overweight or obese and 26 million have diabetes (the kind you get from being fat.) American portions have ballooned in the last two decades with a bagel now twice the size of yore and a 300-calorie cheeseburger now hovering around 600 calories. And a new wave of ultra-low calorie products – ice cream with 150 calories per pint (yes, per pint), beer with fewer than 70 calories, noodles that clock in at 40 calories per half-pound – is making it easier than ever for us to eat without consequences.

Other wealthy nations don’t treat food this way – although, they are catching up. Statistics on portion sizes around the globe are tough to come by, but in their gorgeous book “What I Eat: Around the Globe in 80 Diets,” Menzel and D’Aluisio document the stunning diversity of foods, diets and habits that sustain life in today’s world.

So who are the most reasonable eaters on the planet?

The Japanese.

“They’re an island nation surrounded by fish, they grew up eating rice and soy, and they have a tradition of community and not snacking,” Menzel says.

from "What I Eat: Around The World In 80 Diets"

And probably one more thing: you’d have to eat 20 pieces of tuna nigiri to get the same number of calories found in a pint of Cherry Garcia.

Korean Kalbi is salty-sweet and spicy

On the Fourth of July America’s melting pot becomes a red hot grill. Check out these terrific recipes from great American traditions: Korean kalbi, Japanese yakitori, my grandfather’s Syrian “lambburgers,” my mother-in-law’s tandoori salmon. Please see my recent story for NPR.org. And happy grilling!