Pork and Potato Stew

In my house, my Mom usually takes on most of the cooking.  Since she grew up in Arizona, she always likes to cook some Southwestern favorites form her family.  For New Years, my Aunt, Uncle and Cousins from Texas came over and they made their version of the very same stew.  By comparing recipes, we were able to sort of mix and match to optimize flavors and styles.  For the stew, you will need a few things:

Ingredients:

• 6 Boneless Pork Chops
• 4-5 Potatoes
• 4 Cans of Green Chili Peppers
• Flour
• Vegetable Oil
• Salt/Pepper
• Cumin
• Water

Food in the Ritter House

My family’s culture is fairly similar, in my opinion, to most other families in America.  However, we also tend to be a little more traditional in some senses.  We always eat together as a family.  All five of us eat together in our kitchen, regardless of what’s going on on TV.  The only time we ever eat in our TV room is when we have company over and were eating snacks or appetizers in there.  Since we usually aren’t in front of the TV when we eat, we usually don’t use electronics at all.  Dinner-time is a time for conversation, although it usually may not be everyone talking about the same subject.  My brother and I usually talk about one thing while my parents wind up talking about something else.  The meal itself is fairly regular each time: a meat, a fruit or vegetable, and a starch.  Pretty much every dinner is a serve-yourself style with pots on the stove and ladle in hand.

The meal is almost exclusively made by my mom on weekdays.  Since my dad and I are both at work and Austin is completely incapable of making anything edible, she takes up most of the responsibility. On weekends, we usually make meals for ourselves.  Whoever makes some sort of pasta or chicken usually makes enough for two so that my brother Travis gets some to eat.

My kitchen is a fairly simple one.  It has all of the basic necessities for cooking and preparing a meal.  We have a refrigerator, stove, oven, microwave, toaster, island, and a 6-seat kitchen table.  That leaves more than enough room to make separate parts for each meal, while keeping everything within reaching distance.  This also makes it easier for everyone to cook individual meals in the same area without getting in everyone else’s way.

During an average week, my family spends around $250 on food.  Of that amount, 20%, or $50 is spent eating outside of the house.  Usually on Friday nights, we will go out to eat as a family if there are no conflicts.  Our go-to restaurant is Piazza Orsillo's, which everyone but Austin enjoys.  When we aren't eating in a restaurant, we're eating at home.  Our breakdown for foods is as follows:

40% Meat
25% Fruit/Veggies
20% Starch
5% Dairy
5% Beverages
5% Sweets/Condiments
$200 total spent

We are a fairly healthy family in that we spend very little on snack food (less than $10).  Since our meals are almost exclusively meat, starch, fruit/vegetable, those three categories make up most of the shopping list (combining for $170).  Our house is one that eats vegetables sparingly.  As a result, the abundance of the money spent on the produce is spent on fruits.  Most of the vegetables we get are cheap, frozen options.  This limits the costs on goods that we may not necessarily enjoy the same way we would other food groups.

Polish Food and Culture

This Polish family consists of 5 people: 2 grandparents, 2 parents, and a daughter.  They also happen to have a dog and cat, which explains the dog food present in the picture.  The amount of food they ate in one week totaled up to 582 Zlotys, or a bit over $150. 

They have a varied diet, but they tend to eat more of potatoes, meats, and fruits than anything else.  They eat 11 pounds of potatoes each week, split between mature and new potatoes.  Along with potatoes are other starches, like various breads and rice.  Their main starch, however appears to be potatoes.  They use an insane amount of sour cream each week.  Consuming more than a quart, this dairy product appears to be a staple condiment, possibly in association with some homemade pierogies.  They also drink a lot of milk and eat a wide variety of cheeses.  For meats, they tend to gravitate toward the store-brand Auchan variety.  They eat a considerable amount of meat, and also a bit of fish to go with it.

They eat a variety of fruits and vegetables as well as a handful of nuts.  For condiments, there is an astounding amount of sauerkraut in their diet, almost 4 and a half pounds worth.  They tend to stay healthy and restrict their sweets.  Although, since they have a 13 year-old daughter, it is nearly impossible to resist chocolate or fast food.  They drink mostly water and tea, typical of any European family.

Most of their food is fresh, like fruits, vegetables, and potatoes.  However, they consume a ton of meat, which is processed for convenient cooking.  They tend to cook the large majority of their food.  The rest is either eaten as-is or warmed up.  Their diet is high in protein and vitamins, and the absurd amount of sauerkraut adds a ton of fiber.  Overall, their food consists of mostly natural ingredients and less of the fatty, greasy foods of the United States.

RPS Food and Culture

Now that we have landed on the roof of Rutgers Prep, we are preparing to mix with the students to see what they do in everyday life.  Their day starts out with a couple classes, but after a quick delegation assembles, they move on to do what they please.  For most, this is eating.  The foods range from fruits to candy.  Both boys and girls tend to eat fruits, but it is mainly girls that eat fruity snacks, like Nutrigrain bars.  Some students also prefer the healthier alternative, sandwiches.  The meeting is usually very brief, but they convene later in the day to eat yet again.

At lunch time, the Dining Commons is full of food for the students.  There are many options for meals the students can eat.  There’s pasta with two or three bins of flavored water to top it.  There are many green vegetables, and also, a meat dish here or there.  We have noticed that the staff likes to ensure the meat is not undercooked, so they make sure to cook it very very very well done.  There also is a salad bar, which tends to attract more girls, although some boys may make one as a supplement.  Even though the food appears to be free, some older students drive off and get food of their own.  Mostly, this food is very greasy and fatty, but the male students seem to care little about their health.  However, there are some that claim fast food makes them sick, and they would prefer a more healthy meal than burgers and fries.  In the end, it seems that every student winds up losing.  They either have to go out and pay additional money for the food, or they have to stay in and eat what the Dining Commons surprise them with today.  The population seems quite vulnerable during this eating period, and it would be the best time to begin the takeover.