A good online friend started exploring his “healthier” side by going vegan. Yup, everybody seems to be going vegan nowadays. I also have a college friend who’s a vegetarian. No beef, no chicken, no fish… just the thought of it sends chills up my spine. Veggies and fruits are all well and good but a life without meat is just…
Haaaay…
Aaaanyway, lately, I’ve been developing my fifth taste.
You might say…
“Fifth taste? You’re talking crazy Jigs! There’s only four types of tastes! Sweet, Salty, Sour and Bitter! You’re stupid! I’ll never read your blog again!”
But wait, there IS a fifth taste. You do have the basic Bitter, Sweet, Salty and Sour, and the fifth is UMAMI. There isn’t really an English word for it, but essentially, UMAMI is the savory taste found naturally in meat, poultry, seafood and some vegetables. The UMAMI taste itself is subtle. Most people wouldn’t even recognize it. It Enhances the taste of other flavours and brings everything together. It’s amazing, believe me, when you can recognize and manipulate UMAMI. It’s like UMAMI is the soul of a dish.
UMAMI isn’t just in the taste. It is a combination of taste, smell, color, temperature and appearance. But let’s set the record straight, UMAMI is not MSG. MSG has been touted as a flavor enhancer which is kinda what UMAMI is. However, UMAMI is the natural occurrence of the delicious essence found in foodstuffs (meat, cheese, tomatoes and mushrooms to name a few), which is far better than its synthetic counterpart. I have never used MSG as an ingredient and never will. MSG is the quick and cheap way to attain that savory flavor.
Enough about that…
UMAMI is something that is not unfamiliar to us. I bet, after reading this short article, you will start recognizing what UMAMI is, and what it tastes like. It is an integral part of the whole dining experience. So, I try my best to maximize the UMAMI of any dish I make. Let me say though, UMAMI is something Vegans can appreciate too. Just a bite of a ripe tomato and you can taste UMAMI.
This is basically my Meatyball Surprise dish. What’s the surprise? UMAMI! LoL! Not really! You just have taste it for yourself! Oh wait, you can't! Hehe! Anyhoo, I have two reasons why I’m showing you this dish. One, it's because it has a great UMAMI taste thanks to the beef, the tomatoes and the parmesan cheese which makes this meal amazing! And two…
It's just to show all those VEGANERDS what they’re missing! Mwahahaha!
P.S. VEGANERDS are “non-practicing vegans”- people who are vegans just because they want to be cool!
For more information about VEGANERDS and those “non-practicing vegans” ask PAOLO.
Haaaay…
Aaaanyway, lately, I’ve been developing my fifth taste.
You might say…
“Fifth taste? You’re talking crazy Jigs! There’s only four types of tastes! Sweet, Salty, Sour and Bitter! You’re stupid! I’ll never read your blog again!”
But wait, there IS a fifth taste. You do have the basic Bitter, Sweet, Salty and Sour, and the fifth is UMAMI. There isn’t really an English word for it, but essentially, UMAMI is the savory taste found naturally in meat, poultry, seafood and some vegetables. The UMAMI taste itself is subtle. Most people wouldn’t even recognize it. It Enhances the taste of other flavours and brings everything together. It’s amazing, believe me, when you can recognize and manipulate UMAMI. It’s like UMAMI is the soul of a dish.
UMAMI isn’t just in the taste. It is a combination of taste, smell, color, temperature and appearance. But let’s set the record straight, UMAMI is not MSG. MSG has been touted as a flavor enhancer which is kinda what UMAMI is. However, UMAMI is the natural occurrence of the delicious essence found in foodstuffs (meat, cheese, tomatoes and mushrooms to name a few), which is far better than its synthetic counterpart. I have never used MSG as an ingredient and never will. MSG is the quick and cheap way to attain that savory flavor.
Enough about that…
UMAMI is something that is not unfamiliar to us. I bet, after reading this short article, you will start recognizing what UMAMI is, and what it tastes like. It is an integral part of the whole dining experience. So, I try my best to maximize the UMAMI of any dish I make. Let me say though, UMAMI is something Vegans can appreciate too. Just a bite of a ripe tomato and you can taste UMAMI.
This is basically my Meatyball Surprise dish. What’s the surprise? UMAMI! LoL! Not really! You just have taste it for yourself! Oh wait, you can't! Hehe! Anyhoo, I have two reasons why I’m showing you this dish. One, it's because it has a great UMAMI taste thanks to the beef, the tomatoes and the parmesan cheese which makes this meal amazing! And two…
It's just to show all those VEGANERDS what they’re missing! Mwahahaha!
P.S. VEGANERDS are “non-practicing vegans”- people who are vegans just because they want to be cool!
For more information about VEGANERDS and those “non-practicing vegans” ask PAOLO.
19 comments:
Veganerds are stupid. But I guess I don't mind them. You don't want meatballs on your spaghetti? Awesome. More for me!
Carnevil! Just imagine the animals slaughtered to make this dish. They must've been wailing in pain.
This means warr...
@paolo: yeah yeah yeah. We've all heard that one before. At least they didn't die in vain, and it benefited others too! I honor them by preparing them in the most delicious way. Now if that isn't a great way to go, then I don't know what is.
As for your little war proclamation, I say,
bring...it...on....
UMAMI is stuck in my head.
What's with all the UMAMI in humongous, bloody red letters? Is this a pay-per-post of some sort WTFFFF. XD
FYI, I've been a consistent vego (not a "veganerd," whatever the fuck that is, just to clear things up) for quite a few years now. And it always puzzles me as to how some people call themselves true human beings without considering the denial of life that their habit imposes upon other creatures. They wouldn't butcher their pet dog, but it's perfectly fine to wolf down big chunks of chickens, cows and pigs every day.
And I'm perpetually irked at those who immediately assume that if you're a vegetarian, there's something wrong with you, that you're somewhat lacking in the health department, that you eat crappy food, that you must be one of those psychotic PETA people that hijacks models on runways WTFLOL, ladida. If only they knew.
Ponder on all the things I've mentioned, Jigs. Oh, and this is not war. This is a call for change WTF. XD
Hi,
While browsing the web I stumbled upon your blog harshpoeticchaos.blogspot.com and I find it a very great read and engaging. I'm Elmer and working for pacificadvance.com and I would like to invite you for blog post advertizing. If your interested kindly mail me back at elmer@pacificadvance.com so I can send you the guidelines and pricing details.
Hope to hear from you soon.
Sincerely,
Elmer
Pacificadvance.com
looks good! i'm glad it's not pork! hehe!
ohnoes! i'm a vegetarian. and i second everything that talamasca said.
i do it out of respect for life, not because i wanna be cool. [i never get people telling me, "wow that's so cool" when i tell them i'm veg.]
and ahem. might does not equate to right.
ok mapapa-speech ako dito enough enough enough. haha
working as a web content writer is getting to me. I look at your post and see UMAMI as keywords for search engine optimization. haha!
I should really play a little more.
Anyway, I'm a HUGE MEAT EATER. garrrr.... really. I respect vegans and vegetarians. But if you take meat away from me, I'd probably be a suicidal sorbetera. XD
Dropped by to tell you that you can delete my blog from your links na. :d I've decided to close it since I no longer update anyway. :)
I hope you're well.
lol if i was a vegetarian, your post would be considered a 'sabotage' to my vegetarianistic lifestyle. Haha. I'm glad i aint one. Life is all about enjoying what's there life has to offer, not missing out on things such as meat. But syempre watch your intake. Haha. You wouldn't wanna shorten it with clogged arteries. Live healthy, Eat healthy. ;) Haha
Parang ambassador ng Food organization noh?
this one can actually ignite some fire but then its all a matter of perception...
where meat eaters like me help the people depending on animal husbandry to earn some money, people are bcmin vegetarians just to be cool sounds a lil over but maybe green...
i only eat chicken and fish (and of course, lots of veggies and fruits). pork and beef just don't appeal to me, dunno why. so, this picture doesn't seem that appetizing. except for the sauce. it looks yummy.
haven't been visiting this site for ages!!!!!!!! how do you do?
this ends my search for a word that described utterly good food for years. Hence, Umami.
sarap ang food>>>>
i was going to submit my blogs in yugatech.com but i was wondering what would i put in the reciprocal link url?? thanks
my blog address is http://rentale.blogspot.com
Been a healthy vegetarian and occasional vegan for decades.
In Chinese medical systems the FIVE elements flow through all things - including flavours.
In the order of the Sheng cycle, fire relates to the bitter taste, earth to sweet, metal to PUNGENT - as in curries, etc - water to salt and sour to wood energy.
See also http://newilluminati.blog-city.com
and
http://hermetic.blog.com
I miss your blog updates. :( What happened? Are you living in an area where there's no technology or internet access?
Your blog had... UMAMI. :)
Anyway, I'll continue to drop messages here every so often... and wait for your comeback.
Later days,
Massa P aka fruity
Post a Comment