Fish, protein, and food science

Glidden provides a picture of a fish recently caught. Fish is a source of protein that has been on a rise in the U.S. and found in Asia for many years. Before I delve into the food science behind this source of protein. I would like to quote a poet and artist by the name of Kahlil Gibran Kahlil (1883-1931). This is a part of On Eating and Drinking: “Would that you could live on the fragrance of the earth, and like an air plant be sustained by the light. But since you must kill to eat, and rob the newly born of its mother’s milk to quench your thirst, let it then be an act of worship. And let your board stand an altar on which the pure and the innocent of forest and plain are sacrificed for that which is purer and still more innocent in man.”

Pacific Seafood chowder

The following recipe used two different thickeners—cornstarch (original recipe) and the brown rice flour (substitution). As you can see above from the first picture. The recipe with cornstarch on the right is thicker, and brighter in color than the left one with brown rice flour. The brown rice flour is less thick and dull in color. I noticed the brown rice flour had a lingering taste in my mouth for at least 30 minutes. The cornstarch tastes thicker and better, not bland. The brown rice flour has a light taste, and stronger flavor not bland as well. Also, as you can see from the second picture the brown rice flour is not a good thickener because two layers formed after they were put in the fridge. I think I made a mistake in the cooking time with the different ingredients in the recipe. There are a lot of variables that are not constant, which made my recipe not as controlled as I wanted it to be. The only variable that needs to be changed is the cornstarch to see the difference in viscosity, and flavor.