Keri - The Independent Florida Alligator

THE AVENUE | FOOD

Cookbook introductions: How to write one and why you should read them

By Keri | Apr. 8, 2015

Often an overlooked element, the introductory pages to a book tell the reader everything. You find out what the book is about, why the author is writing it and who it is for. You meet the author and get a feel for the book. Introductions set the tone and flavor of the book and can make the difference in whether someone keeps reading it or leaves it on the shelf.

THE AVENUE | FOOD

‘Food voice’: What it is, how to get it

By Keri | Apr. 1, 2015

Food is highly personal. Talk with anyone about food, their favorite restaurant or the best thing they ever ate, and their eyes light up with excitement. As they detail the taste, the dish, the setting, their “food voice” emerges. Coined by Annie Hauck-Lawson, a professor at the City University of New York, “food voice” is the way you engage with food to assert aspects of your identity. You develop your food voice as you create new recipes and dishes and try different cuisines.

THE AVENUE | FOOD

Evolution of the Kitchen: from servants' domain to heart of a home

By Keri | Mar. 11, 2015

When you walk into a newly constructed house, you will likely find the kitchen to be a main focus. Often described as the “heart,” the kitchen is designed to be the center of the home. This wasn’t always the case.

THE AVENUE | FOOD

Dining out: more than just food

By Keri | Feb. 25, 2015

Stopping by Starbucks on the way home for a Frappuccino? Making reservations for Friday night at Leonardo’s 706? If so, you are not alone; countless people seek hundreds of thousands of different restaurants every single day in the U.S. There are different restaurant environments, from small “mom and pops” to individually run businesses to fast-food chains to fine-dining, sit-down establishments. Restaurants face many challenges to draw diners in and work to enhance the eating-out experience by creating a specific ambience.

THE AVENUE | LIFESTYLE

How to make a good first impression

By Keri | Feb. 18, 2015

You are preparing for a job interview. You spot a good-looking guy at the bar. You are about to make a presentation in class. Each scenario puts you on the spot. You have 90 seconds to create a good first impression. So, how do you make yourself likeable in these first crucial moments?

THE AVENUE | FOOD

Flavor, smell of food affected by in-flight time

By Keri | Jan. 28, 2015

Have you ever wondered why food tastes different on airplanes? Brownies taste bland, and peanuts taste plain, but bloody marys taste richer? Flavor is a combination of your taste buds and sense of smell, and according to research by Charles Spence, a professor of experimental psychology at Oxford University, these senses are affected in higher altitudes. The low air pressure and lack of humidity affect your sense of taste, reducing your detection of saltiness and sweetness. At the same time, sour, bitter and spicy flavors remain unaffected, and umami notes (like tomatoes and cheese) actually seem stronger in the air than on the ground.

THE AVENUE | FOOD

Lucky's Market and the evolution of the supermarket industry

By Keri | Jan. 21, 2015

The recent opening of Lucky’s Market sparked a flurry of excitement. People are buzzing about the amazingly low prices and exceptional, fresh, locally grown produce. Functioning as a central source of goods, Lucky’s provides customers a place to purchase food and socialize. Small, specialized “superettes” like The Fresh Market, known for its European-style experience, and Trader Joe’s, known for its Hawaiian T-shirt-clad crew and brand-name packaging of hard-to-find goods, thrive alongside larger supermarkets like Publix. Ward’s Supermarket has a niche as well, as it is the only locally owned grocery store in Gainesville.

THE AVENUE | FOOD

The history and art of recipes played on the radio

By Keri | Dec. 3, 2014

The sharing of recipes is not only through cookbooks, television and the web but also on the radio. Contemporary radio shows, such as American Public Media’s “The Splendid Table” hosted by Lynne Rossetto Kasper, have been continuing the art of recipe telling on the airwaves since the early 20th century. In fact, the glory days of radio homemaking began in the 1920s, increased in popularity during the Depression years and lasted up until the 1960s when television took the scene. Providing a community for the radio homemaker were women such as Evelyn Corrie Birkby, of Sidney, Iowa, who chatted about domestic life, sharing best recipes and cooking tricks.

THE AVENUE | FOOD

Toasting to the holidays ahead

By Keri | Oct. 15, 2014

Now is the time to start preparing for the holidays ahead. No, we don’t mean shopping or menu planning, which are good ideas by the way, but preparing for the social events ahead. Ways to fine-tune your social etiquette are to know how to give good toasts, a universal practice of honoring a person or occasion with an expression of goodwill and a drink. The holidays present many opportunities to give toasts with gatherings of friends and family ahead, including parties, winter weddings and graduations.

THE AVENUE | FOOD

Universal Cutlery Culture: the spoon’s diverse history

By Keri | Oct. 1, 2014

Ever been bewildered by the multitude of forks, knives and spoons jostling for space at a formal dinner table? Which to use? When? And how did they get there, anyway?