Pad Thai

In unit 3 of our Food for thought class, which is called Rebirth, my class learned about the foods we eat and studied how fresh or not they really are. For the action project we were assigned to pick a dish we enjoy at a restaurant, and try our best to remake the dish at home, and create a food review. While eating out we had to write down how the dish looked, smelled and tasted. I decided to go to Noodles and Company and order Pad Thai like I normally do. What is not normal is me cooking. I’m not the best in the kitchen, so I was pretty nervous when it was time to recreate the dish. Luckily I had my uncle to help me. Unit 3 opened my eyes on how the food we eat is either industrial or fresh, and the differences are huge. I never really took the time to study my plate and try to figure out whether it was fresh or not, but lately I’ve been catching myself doing so.

I walked into the familiar view of Noodles and Company. The first thing I did was  run to the back to make sure my booth wasn’t taken, then I ordered. It was busy as always with servers walking around with interesting looking pastas, the bustling kitchen open with many cooks, and the sound of frying foods bustle in my ear. I order Pad Thai with chicken. Once my Pad Thai made its way to my table I got the aroma of steamed vegetables, fried noodles and soy sauce. The plate was covered with colorful greens and filled with thick Thai rice noodles. As I started to mix in lemon, hot sauce, and soy sauce, it sounded squishy, but still appealing. I was ready to try it. The first spoon was surprising. It was salty, yet I got hints of citrus, spicy,but I could taste peanuts. The dish was squishy, and crunchy with the carrots and bean sprouts. The noodles were slimy, but crisp. The addition of chicken added a delicious smoky taste. It had layers of flavors. The Pad Thai was topped off with fresh cilantro and bean sprouts. The cilantro gave the dish a herby, fresh taste. I can tell it was fresh because I saw the cooks make it while waiting, and because the store has no freezers,microwaves or can openers, which means that they would not be able to store any vegetables, or reheat any food. It’s made on the spot once you order.  

RD. Photography. Chicago Illinois. 2014

I tried my best to recreate the Pad Thai from Noodles and Company. I went to the store and bought some dried rice noodles, so I knew it was not as fresh. Once I had everything I needed, I prepared my dish. With the sesame oil in the pan, I added onions and garlic. I  heard them bubbling in together. My kitchen was surrounded by the smells of fried noodles, onions, garlic, and dressings. I was excited to see what I could come up with. Once my dish was done I was anxious to try it. As I poured the noodles in a bowl I heard the familiar sound of the squishy noodles mixed in with catalina dressing. My noodles had more color added. I added lemon to get a more zesty taste going on. The rice noodles were a darker color, almost brown. I saw and smelled the steam rise up from my bowl. When I stuck my fork in and tried it I was surprised again. It was sour, because I added more lemon, salty because of the soy sauce, and very spicy because of the crushed red pepper. The spice was a taste I was not expecting. The noodles had a more sticky texture, not as crisp as the dish at Noodles and Company. In my opinion, the spice is what really made the dish come together. The spice didn’t overpower the other flavors. It was a good kind of spice. It blended in well. Both dishes tasted different, but were good in their own ways. If you like spice, then I would say go for my homemade dish, but if you like a more smoky, stir fry dish, I would recommend Noodles and Company.

RD. Photography. Chicago Illinois. 2014

The other flavour that made my tastebuds happy was the zesty catalina dressing used as a sauce.  The ingredients were pretty interesting. Two of them really caught my eye: Phosphoric Acid, and Calcium Disodium. Phosphoric Acid is a artificial additive that gives off a tangy taste in the dressing, way cheaper than actual lemons. It’s not that healthy either. This acid is linked to lower bone density. Calcium Disodium is a preservative with a salty flavour, which can cause Kidney disease. I wish I didn’t read about that, but at least I know n

One person that knows a lot about food and what kinds of  ingredients are put into it, would be Michael Pollan. He is an American author and journalist. He writes about how nature and culture come together on our plates, farms and gardens. He believes in  5 food transformations: Whole to Refined, Complex to Simple,Quality to Quantity, Leaves to Seeds, and Food Culture to Food Science. My experience connected to Pollan’s Quality to Quantity. The noodles they use for Pad Thai are rice noodles. You can’t get a lot of nutrients from rice noodles. They’re high in calories and carbohydrates, and very low in minerals and vitamins. That being said you would have to eat large amounts to get all the right nutrients for your body, but will eventually gain weight.