Yesterday, I went through one of the worst, most painful experiences of my life.  I was tricked by one of the most despicable men I know into eating this dastardly vegetable.   It was a pepper, but not just any pepper, it was a Jalapeño.  I know you might be thinking, "Oh, a jalapeno, I ate one of those when they came with my Papa John's Pizza", but I can tell you the Jalapeño when not pickled is Satan's vegetable.  When I first ate an unpickled Jalapeño, I was so vulnerable, so unaware of the excruciating pain I was about to go through.  I was blindfolded, so there was no way I could have seen it coming, and when it first entered my mouth I thought to myself, "It's just a normal pepper".  I have never been so wrong in my entire life. The pain of the heat at first was mild, but it then increased dramatically until I felt like I had a full-scale fire going on inside my mouth.  I took about 15 minutes of nonstop water penetrating my mouth until this on-fire like feeling in my mouth went away.  I really learned my lesson that day: Do NOT trust the man shown in Figure 1 with feeding you mysterious foods while you are blindfolded.

Figure 1                                                 Figure 2

                                                        

The Jalapeno is a type of vegetable that originated in the New World and was transferred to the Old World through the Columbian Exchange.  The Jalapeno pepper was used mostly by Indigenous people in the Central and Southern parts of the Americas as a spicy food of which many people in that culture enjoyed.  The picture labeled as Figure 2 is the Jalapeno pepper.

"Some Exchange of information" Matthew Ingram

"Some Exchange of information"

"Some Exchange of information"

Wings From the Gods

As I was coming home from school, my stomach began to rumble with great intensity. I happen to have seen a restaurant, and saw the sign that stated:Wings from the gods themselves." I decided to walk in a try it and it was delicious. I wanted to find out how to make it so I asked the head chef how he made the wings. He reluctantly gave me the ingredients and I went home determined to recreate these wings and taste their deliciousness once more. I arrived home and read the ingredients list:

1/2 cup of teriyaki sauce

1 cup of oyster sauce

1/4 cup of soy sauce

1/4 cup of ketchup

2 table spoons of garlic powder

1/4 cup of gin

2 dashes of liquid smoke flavoring

1/2 cup of white sugar

1 1/2 pounds of chicken wings, separated at joints, tips discarded

1/4 cup honey

Some of the ingredients had adjectives and clauses describing the ingredients.  Under chicken it stated that is was an ingredient in the Columbian exchange and came from the Old World to the New World. Adjectives that describe chicken are delicious, tender, juicy, savory, meaty, delectable, and chewy. Under ketchup it stated: tomatoes, in which ketchup is made from, and adjectives describing tomates: bright red, juicy, soft, sweet, delicious, can be ripe, or rotten. It also stated that it was from the New World to the Old World. When I finished reading all of it, I gather all the ingredients and cooked the wings. It tasted amazing and now that is all I eat now, for breakfast, lunch, and dinner all I eat the wings from the Gods.

Food

Mexican food: an American favorite that isn’t really American

Mexican food: an American favorite that isn't really American by Ellenina Iacobucci

Most people go for the typical taco, but not me, you know hard shell with ground beef and the whole 9 yards.  Not me. I went to El Azteca and was feeling adventurous. As my waiter approached me, I panicked feeling under pressure in the Mexican inspired environment. Large statues of women dressed as Aztec's stood in each corner and I felt inspired. I then ordered Fajitas Parilladas for two. Knowing my boyfriend would eat none of it (he's too classy for anything under 5 stars) I was excited to down the juicy steak and rich green peppers mixed with the perfectly tender onions. When the food arrived, steaming hot I rubbed my hands together ready to down everything in front of me. I grabbed my tortilla and spread sour cream and queso in thick layers and then placed each piece of steak or onion strategically. I held it in front of me in excitement and took the largest bite ever. When I was done chewing I yelled DELICIOUSO! It was the best Mexican food I ever had in my life. The steak was just as juicy as I pictured and the onions were even more tender than I imagined.

          Behind me I heard a young girl whose father had ordered the same meal. She exclaimed "Daddy, Where do onions, beef and peppers come from!?" As her dad began to say, "I don't know, let me eat." I turned to her and said "Well little girl, back when the Old World began colonizing the Americas they exchanged many foods. Onions, peppers and Beef were some of these foods. While onions and beef came from the Old World Peppers came from the New World."

The Amazing Pie

The other day I visited my friend's restaurant and it was spectacular. It was an amazing pie consisting of three main ingredients from the Columbian exchange. It was a combination of pineapples, peach, and squash. It was exquisite, unique, and very tasteful. The peach, for a start, was brought to America by cultivating Spanish explorers in the 15^th to 16^th century. It was also eventually brought to specific parts of England and France in the 17^th century. George Minifie brought the first peach to England and then brought them to the new world in the early 17^th century. He planted them in his estate in Buckland of Virginia. They were not largely grown until the 19^th century where many farmers started to grow them.

Pineapple was another major ingredient in the amazing pie I was given. The plant was indigenous to south America between southern brazil from the domesticated peoples. Charles the second was the person who grew the first pineapple in England in 1675. Columbus was the one who actually discovered it. He brought it back. He called it the pine of the Indians.

One of the other ingredients was squash. It really tied the whole meal together and made it complete. Squash was part of the new world since agriculture was first started prior to arrival of the new explorers. The plant was their even before anyone was there.

Fwd: Liz's Columbian Exchange

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Liz Lowe <lizparis21@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, Dec 13, 2013 at 2:37 PM
Subject: Cluck Cluck For Turkey Pie
To: Liz Lowe <lizparis21@gmail.com>, benschinef.columbian7@blogger.com

Yummy Leftover Turkey Pie

 

Yes, Thanksgiving is finally over!! Most people, except of course the moms, are sad about this, but not me. First of all it means I get to go BLACK Friday shopping. It also means that we get to use the leftover turkey to make turkey pie. My friend while I'm typing is going "eww, that's disgusting!" But it really isn't. If you have ever had chicken pot pie, then turkey pie isn't that different. You just substitute the chicken for the turkey. Anyway since I am a nerd I just had a very interesting recollection of some of foods traded in the Columbian Exchange that are also included in my leftover turkey pie recipe like turkey, peppers, and onions. Both turkey and pepper were traded from the New world to the Old world, and onions were traded from the Old world to the New world which explains why I don't like them, because I'm original and new, duh! Anyway, my other ingredients are the following:

 

Ingredients:

1.       Butter

2.      Onion

3.      Chopped mushrooms

4.      Minced garlic

5.      Sage

6.      Thyme

7.      Turkey

8.     Black pepper

 

GO HOME AND MAKE THIS LEFTOVER TURKEY PIE!!! J

-Liz Lowe

 

 

Columbian Exchange of Pie

So I was in my room the other day, doing homework (not), and I heard a loud noise coming from the kitchen.  I went downstairs to investigate, but when I turned the corner I saw something terrible. My younger brother was standing in the middle of the room with two pies, one balanced precariously in his right hand, the other face down on the floor. I was speechless. Luckily, the one on the floor was blueberry, and blueberries are garbage. The pie still intact was an apple pie, and since I was hungry and feared for its life I took it from his hands and set it on the table, ignoring the mess. I asked my brother why he had two pies as I took out a knife to cut it. He didn't answer and instead went outside. Not that I cared.

As I cut the delicious looking pie it occurred to me that apples weren't native to the Americas. They were a part of the Columbian Exchange, and were brought by Europeans. I guess they caught on here because now people grow them in Georgia. I took a bite of my slice and realized that the dough must have contained flour, which is made from wheat, which was also a part of the Columbian Exchange, and also came from the Old World to the New. Grains such as wheat are grown almost everywhere now, and they're used in so many different things, because they're a staple. I glanced at the pie smashed on the floor and put my hand to my head, annoyed. Blueberries were also part of the Columbian exchange, but they traveled from the New World to the Old World. Unfortunately, they became popular and people made terrors such a blueberry pie from them. I got up and walked around the mess on my way out. He could clean it up when he got back.

-Katie Makowski

π

The amazing pie

The other day I visited my friend's restaurant and it was spectacular. It was an amazing pie consisting of three main ingredients from the Columbian exchange. It was a combination of pineapples, peach, and squash. It was exquisite, unique, and very tasteful. The peach, for a start, was brought to America by cultivating Spanish explorers in the 15^th to 16^th century. It was also eventually brought to specific parts of England and France in the 17^th century. George Minifie brought the first peach to England and then brought them to the new world in the early 17^th century. He planted them in his estate in Buckland of Virginia. They were not largely grown until the 19^th century where many farmers started to grow them.

Pineapple was another major ingredient in the amazing pie I was given. The plant was indigenous to south America between southern brazil from the domesticated peoples. Charles the second was the person who grew the first pineapple in England in 1675. Columbus was the one who actually discovered it. He brought it back. He called it the pine of the Indians.

One of the other ingredients was squash. It really tied the whole meal together and made it complete. Squash was part of the new world since agriculture was first started prior to arrival of the new explorers. The plant was their even before anyone was there.

 

The Waffle House Experience

The Waffle House Experience

It was a late night, and as I was searching the streets for what was open in the center of Dunwoody, when I found myself wandering into the infamous Waffle House. At first I was excited to try one of their delightful delicacies. I was skimming the menu and one item stood out to me particularly, and that was the peanut butter waffles and grilled buttered Texas biscuit. I know what you are thinking, but it was a long day and I was hungry. So I went for it. My server, Betsy, screamed my order to the cooks and they started making my dinner. When they were done I ate and surprisingly it was the most delicious thing I ever had in my entire life.  

        As I left the Waffle House the story on the wall of the restaurant caught my eye. As I started to read this story about the Columbian Exchange and the introduction of Peanuts to the Old World I realized the importance of this event. Not only were peanuts introduced but so were many other foods and animals that made a large impact on the old world. Because of the Columbian Exchange these delicious peanut butter waffles can be shared with people of the Old World too.  

--

Ilana Wayne

Sources Confirm: Charlies does eat Babies

Our sources have just recently confirmed that Charlie does in fact eat babies.

Pumpkin Pie

Over thanksgiving I ate my favorite food PUMPKIN PIE. Pumpkin pie is the best dessert ever and is enjoyed many times a year at my house. Pumpkin Pies are pies so they are made from crust which is which is made from wheat and other things. Then pumpkin filling, sugar, milk, salt whipped cream, cream cheese, cinnamon, and ginger are added into the crust and baked to create the most wonderful dessert known to man. Pumpkin pie has history all over the world from the pilgrims of the new world all the way to global advancements in this age old creation by European chiefs.

The Columbian Exchange is the process in which culture, food, and disease was transferred between old and new world over sea trade and colonization. The ingredients used to make a delicious pumpkin pie had to be brought together by this process.  The spices used in pumpkin pie were transferred old to new. The cream cheese and whipped cream is transferred old to new. So were the milk and eggs and the actual pumpkin. So as we eat a wonderful slice of pumpkin pie it is important to remember that if the Columbian exchange never occurred pumpkin pie would have never been created by the pilgrims and never enjoyed by so many people worldwide.

Emil Muly

 

Harry's Great Journey to Moe's with Mr. Benschine

Recently I had this urge to go to Moe's, so yesterday I visited the restaurant with Mr. Benschine, my formal AP World History teacher.. When I went to the Moe's I ordered some chips and extra salsa. The salsa there is very rich in taste and fresh.  The salsa contains fresh tomatoes, onions, serrano leaves, salts and some lime soup. The taste of the soup was perfectly balanced and the crunchy chips, made out of grains were the Perfect- O – Combo.

As Mr. Benschine and I were consuming and enjoying some chips and salsa, it reminded me of the "Columbian Exchange" I learned in his class. It was surely pain in the butt to remember all the new and old worlds and the exchanges of the foods. The onion comes from the old world to new world, but the tomato comes from new world to old world. And the chips, the grain is from old to new! The mixture of ingredients from different regions of the world, and the perfect taste it makes made me cry, while eating the chips plus salsa. I just had to tell this to Mr. Benschine.

Mr. Benschine hearing me, watching me cry, also cried realizing himself, the greatness of world history and his student's passion for Columbian exchange, also cried. I will come back to you with next time with some "Dog Stew" See you next time guys!

 

-Sung Eun Bae ( Harry) -

Georgia Cobbler by Faith Jones

I was up late one night watching the food network when Paula Deen came on the television. She began talking about peach cobbler and the history of it. She described how all the ingredients used to make peach cobbler came from the Old World to the New World.

 

Ingredients:

4 cups, peeled, sliced peaches

2 cups of sugar

8 tablespoons of butter

1 ½ cups of flour

1 ½ cups of milk

½ cup of water

 

            The main ingredient in peach cobbler, peaches, originated in China and made its way to the New World through the Columbian exchange along with cows and sugar cane. Cows were mentioned in this portion of the show because milk and butter are used in the process of making peach cobbler along with sugar, which originated in south-east Asia.

            The last ingredient she mentioned was flour.  She said the Romans were known to be the first group of people to use flour. That leads its origins back to the Old World.

            After hearing Paula talk about peach cobbler it made me want to make my own dish. So I recorded the episode and the next day I gathered all the ingredients and made it with her. It was delicious J

Cheesy Cheesecake

I went to the Cheesecake Factory with my mom, sisters, and brother-in-law for my niece's birthday and had the best cheesecake that I had ever eaten. It was also the first cheesecake that I had ever eaten. I thought that it was going to be nasty because I don't like cheese, but my sister dared me so I had to eat it.

Ingredients for Cheesecake

1-1/2 cups  HONEY MAID Graham Cracker Crumbs

3 Tbsp.  sugar

1/3 cup  butter or margarine, melted

4 pkg.  (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened

1 cup  sugar

1 tsp.  vanilla

4  eggs

There are a couple of ingredients that are in cheesecake that come from the Columbian Exchange. Cheesecake contains sugar, which comes from sugar cane, which comes from South and Southeast Asia.  That means that sugarcane came from the Old World to the New World. Cheesecake also has butter and cream cheese, and both come from cows. Cows went from the Old World to the New World from through the Columbian Exchange. Eggs are used in cheesecake. These eggs are chicken eggs, which means they come from chickens. Chickens come from Asia, Africa, and Europe, which is the Old World, meaning that chickens were traded Old World to New World. Last but not least, vanilla is also in cheesecake. Vanilla comes originated in Mexico with the Totonaco Indians. Since vanilla came from originated in Mexico, it means that vanilla went from the New World to the Old. Vanilla is the only thing that comes from the New World in cheesecake.

So, I ate something that was made with things that have been traded through the Columbian Exchange. Cool.

Think Greek by Joiya Reid

--

When you think Greek, what is the first thing that comes to mind? For me, I immediately think of olive trees and the breaking plates at weddings. In my mind, everything Greek is made with olive oil and colorful vegetables. I was sorely mistaken. Turns out that not everything from Greece is all olives, tomatoes, and spinach. Greek styled stew chicken is the complete opposite.

The main ingredients of Greek styled stew chicken is chicken, obviously; salt; pepper; cinammon; tomato sauce; garlic; and oragano. While chicken could be easily found in Greece or in the other countries that Greece trades with, tomatoes, pepper, and cinammon all come from the new world. The Columbian Exchange allowed Greece to implement other foods into their traditional dishes and make new, tastier, and appealing cuisines.

The Greek styled stew chicken completely delighted my taste buds. The chicken had a sweet and salty taste, it was tender with crisp skin, and fell off of the bone. The aroma of the stew chicken made my mouth water. With one bite of the juicy white meat, I felt as if I was sailing on the Aegan Sea with Greece in my sight. I recommend this dish to any and everyone who wants a little bit of Greece in their backyard.  

Fruit Salad- Yummy Yummy

             This weekend I enjoyed my sister's famous fruit salad at our annual family picnic. As I was eating the mysterious collection of citrus, I wondered where all of the fruit had come from. After my research, I learned that these are all tropical fruits, and must be grown in relatively warm, humid environments. This makes sense because these foods were all used in the Columbian exchange; the exchange of culture between Europeans and the natives of the new world.

                The fruit salad had strawberries, pineapple, and grapes which all came from the new world during the Columbian exchange. These ingredients all came from the Caribbean and tropical regions of the Americas. The Europeans learned to grow them from the natives and the knowledge was taken back to Europe.

                The delectable salad also had watermelon, bananas, and kiwis. These were all grown in southern Africa and were brought to the Americas by settlers and merchants, where they became a very important part of the native's diet.

Dajee's Burrito History

Dajee's Burrito History

Last night, for dinner, I had the most amazing burrito at Chipotle. It consisted of the following:

1 Tortilla

1 cup of rice

2 whole jalapenos

¼ of a tomato

¼ cup of corn

¼ cup of guacamole

4 whole olives

1/8 cup of chopped onions

1 cup of rice

1 lb. of ground beef

For my side, I had a serving of pineapples.

As I ate, I started to wonder the history behind these magnificent components of my meal. Later that night I drifted off into a deep sleep. I started to dream that I was in an AP World History Class and some guy named Mr. Benschine was talking about this a period of cultural and biological exchanges between the New and Old Worlds around the year 1492. He started going on and on about how foods, goods and diseases were traded.

                All of a sudden I saw the foods from my meal appear on his slideshow. Coming from the Americas to the Old World, I saw peppers, tomatoes, corn (maize), avocadoes, and pineapples. Coming from the Old World to the Americas, I saw olives, onions, rice, beef, and grain. As I woke up from my deep sleep, I noticed that I had had a history lesson for a dream. I'm glad that guy Mr. Benschine explained to me where every part of my burrito came from.  

 

 

 

Charlie eats babies

As I was swallowing Charlie Deyo's despicably constructed nutrients, I noticed that there was in fact a human finger embedded within the dish. I then noticed that the dish was actually a child. This didn't surprise me considering that Charlie made it. Somehow I managed to gather the reminisce of my appetite to attempt to consume what appeared to be the chocolate milk that Charlie squeezed out of a raw utter that he was carrying around.

Of course it was terrible. But as least it was simple, chocolate sauce and milk. Milk comes from many mammals, but the milk commonly consumed is that of cows, which originate from Europe. Chocolate sauce is made from melted chocolate. Chocolate is derived from the cacao bean, which is indigenous to Mexico. Both of these key ingredients (Cacao and Cow Milk) were frequently traded on the Columbian Exchange.

I advise anyone who values their internal organs not to consume anything Charlie offers you. It will most likely be dog, cat, or baby.