Sunday, July 26, 2015

Meat - The Diet of Domination

A study examined "whether reported food habits (vegan, vegetarian, or carnivore diet) are associated with right-wing authoritarianism, prejudices against minorities and acceptance of social dominance."

Meat eaters have a greater tendency to pre-judice than people who mainly eat plant and fungi matter. Additionally, is it more likely that they prefer authoritarian structures and hierarchies in their social environments.

It appears, that people who made a conscious choice to refrain from eating dead animals have reflected on traditions and mainstream pressures and are acquiring and culturing their own ethical food practices. Vegans and vegetarians also prefer equal relationships.

Real men really don’t eat quiche...

Men and the elderly had the strongest inclinations to cling to and enforce the convenient traditions of the mainstream.


"The results show that individuals with vegetarian or vegan diets less frequently report having prejudices against minorities, supporting social dominance and accepting authoritarian structures than individuals with a mixed diet." (source)


Petra Veser , Kathy Taylor , Susanne Singer , (2015) "Diet, authoritarianism, social dominance orientation, and predisposition to prejudice : Results of a German survey ", British Food Journal, Vol. 117 Iss: 7, pp.1949 - 1960
http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/BFJ-12-2014-0409

The Meat Paradox: How Carnivores Think About Dinner, Wray Herbert, 12.02.2014 

Theodor. W. Adorno, The Authoritarian Personality, 1950, PDF


Images:
Corinth, Lovis: Viktualienmarkt at Hiller in Berlin, 1923
Corinth, Lovis: Butchered Pig, 1906

Saturday, July 18, 2015

Macadamia Lemon Sponge


It is fortunate that macadamias drop and lemons ripen at the same time. Freshly cracked white nuts and freshly picked lemons make a delicious combination in this nutty lemon sponge.

get

8 bantam eggs (or 5 large eggs)
200g macadamias, medium grated
50g spelt flour
4 tbsp agave nectar
3 Meyer lemons

50g macadamias
1 tbsp honey

1 orange


do

For the sponge
Preheat the oven to 190°C.
Grate the lemon rind into the grated macadamias. Add flour and mix.
Separate the eggs.
Beat the egg whites in a large bowl until stiff. Add 2 tbsp agave nectar. Continue beating until very stiff.
Beat the egg yolks in a small bowl until creamy. This takes a few minutes with a hand beater. Add 2 tbsp agave nectar. Continue beating until very creamy.
Gently lift the egg yolk mix under the egg white mix resulting in a light creamy foamy mixture. Lift the nut mixture gently under the egg mixture a little at a time.
Butter a 28cm baking form. Cover the bottom lightly with a sprinkle of flour.
Pour the mixture into the form and smooth the top.
Bake for about 25 minutes until golden on the second shelf from the bottom. Test using a knife or skewer which should come out clean. Turn the oven down to 150°C if necessary.


For the filling
Medium grate the macadamias. Add the juice of 1 lemon. Add 1 tbsp honey. Mix well.
Remove the cool cake from its form. Cut into 2 flat disks using a string. Place the bottom disc on a cake plate. Juice the orange and pour the juice evenly over this. Distribute the filling evenly on top. Then place the top disc on the filling.
Serve in thin slices. Store wrapped in a linen cloth in a cold place.


Fancy extras
If you want to make this cake more fancy, make macadamia honey marzipan and roll it out thinly, larger than the cake. Place this on the cake and form it around the sides. Decorate with icing sugar mixed with lemon juice.
However the cake will then be much sweeter and it tastes perfect without this topping.

Thursday, July 16, 2015

Macadamia Lemon Slices


get
300 g light wholemeal flour
2 tbsp agave nectar
1 egg
140 g butter

300 g macadamias
5 tbsp agave nectar
4 Meyer lemons

do
Add agave nectar then the egg in the middle of the flour in a large bowl. Mix with a wooden spoon into a paste and then into the flour. Add butter in flakes. Knead to a pastry. If it is sticky add more flour. If it is too dry, add more agave nectar. Cool for 15 minutes covered with a linen cloth (tea towel).


Medium grate the macadamia nuts with a hand grater.
Coarsely grate the lemon peel into the macadamia meal. Add the agave nectar. Add the juice of 3 lemons or as much as necessary to make a wet, sticky paste and mix well.
Preheat the oven to 190°c. Butter a baking tray. Roll out half of the pastry on a linen tea towel. Turn it over from time to time and use the tea towel to fold over and straighten the the edges. Roll out a thin pastry the size of your baking tray and place it on the tray using the tea towel. Adjust the edges. Spread the macadamia paste on the pastry, right to the edges. Roll out the other piece of pastry to the size of the baking tray. Use the tea towel to lift it onto the top so it fits exactly. Use the flat edge of a knife to press the macadamia paste inside the pastry, straightening and closing the edges as much as possible.

Bake for about 25 minutes on the second shelf from the bottom until light brown.
Cool in the turned-off oven with the door open.
When cool, or before serving, cut off edges for private use. Cut into slices about 2 x 6 cm for public presentation. Alternatively leave it as one piece and cut off slices as required when required.
This is a variation on an earlier lemon slices recipe using almonds, honey and icing.