Yummy Cheese!

When was cheese invented?

Countless countries claim the glory of having come across this delicacy. As per word of mouth, cheese was said to be discovered by a rider embarked with milk contained in leather pouches which came from the stomachs of young cows. To his disappointment, the milk became sour and had turned into curd. But surprisingly, when he tasted it, he liked it very much.

Strangely, there could be some truth in the legend of the cow’s pouches about rennet, a digestive juice found in the stomach linings of calves, which separates milk into curds and whey. As we all know, cheese is produced by the coagulation of casein, a milk protein from cows, buffalo, goats, or sheep. The milk is curdled through acids, like lemon juice or vinegar. The solids produced are then separated, pressed and shaped to its final form.

Chocolates

Did you know that in the beginning, our favorite chocolate drink was found to be a cold bitter beverage? The Central American Indians called this cold sugarless drink “cacahuati.” It comes from a finely ground roasted shelled beans of cacao, or cocoa tree. Carolus Linneaus, a Swedish botanist and taxonomist, gave cacao its scientific name Theobrama cacao, which means “cacao, food of Gods,” in Greek.
How do we make chocolates out of these beans of a cacao tree? As these beans are ground, a free-flowing ‘juice’ called chocolate liquor is obtained. This is where all kinds of chocolate products come from. In the early 1500s, Spanish explorers found this cold beverage too bitter that’s why they sweetened it with sugar and preferred to serve it hot instead of cold. The Indians, on the other hand, called it “chocolati” to differentiate it with the cold beverage “cacahuati.” ‘Choco’ for warm and ‘lati’ for beverage.

Avocado Fruit

Have you ever thought of a part of a man’s body that resembles the fruit avocado? An edible fruit with a distinct taste, avocado is derived from the Nahuati word ‘ahuacati’ or in Spanish, ‘aguacate’ meaning ‘testicle.’ Indeed, it is shaped like a testicle, a male reproductive organ that produces and stores millions of tiny sperm cells. Avocado has an oval shape with an elongated neck and a seed inside. But more than the shape, avocado is considered one of the most nutritious fruits in the Philippines. It contains vitamins good for our body such as Vitamin A, B, C, E, and K. It also has the necessary minerals like potassium, sodium, calcium, folic acid, and dietary fibers. Avocado is a good antioxidant and it can be used as treatment of skin disorders. It’s the best source to beautify ourselves, isn’t it? It may not be as famous as mangoes, apple or banana, since its taste is not so sweet, I still find avocado a fruit worth trying for. You can prepare it in different ways. It can be eaten with milk and sugar, a flavor of your ice cream, ice candy and shake, can be mixed with your vegetable salad, or just put some mayonnaise and shrimps on top of it!

Chopsticks for Chinese

Have you ever asked yourself why Chinese people use chopsticks for their food? Indeed, they have been doing this for about 2,500 years now. Traditionally, Chinese use chopsticks because of the way their food is prepared. It is being cut into small pieces so that it can be cooked quickly. Why? To save fuel, thus cutting it's cost.

Chinese people use chopsticks like tongs, picking up pieces of food and quickly tossing them into the mouth. They call it "kwaitze" which means "quick ones." They refer to "chop" as "quick", and this is where they derived the popular term "chopsticks." Through chopsticks, they can relay a message to their host. Placing them across the top of the bowl conveys a message that they wish to leave the table.

It may seem difficult to use chopsticks, but why not give it a try? Learning to use it can be fun, and it might teach us to live and work swiftly and productively, like Chinese people do!