Of Jam and Bread

“How can a nation be called great if its bread tastes like kleenex?” -Julia Child 

Missing aspects of my life in Northern Italy, I took an adventure through the suburbs of Harare to a local market named ‘Upmarket’ in an attempt to cure my nostalgia. The concept of the market is similar of the market in Bra, Italy although in a ginormously smaller scale in every way possible- less: space, people, vendors, produce. The element of surprize though is ubiquitous to both markets.

I arrived a little over an hour after the opening time of the market. The stalls laden with fresh produce, but more of prepared foods: from baked goods, jams, condiments and ready-made meals packed in individual portions for those in the neighbourhood of Belgravia stopping by to pick up a quick wholesome tasteful and possibly exotic (with Thai, Indian and even Lebanese foods on sale) lunch, or in my case a mid-morning snack.

Longing for the familiar; a taste, the complex aroma of the marriage of fresh and fermented artisanal bread, a crunchy crusty outside and a delicately soft and squishy interior I made a beeline to the bread stall, having been told that some of the tastiest sourdough bread can be found here. I have made sourdough bread before, it is a long and tedious process, but the results are worth the labour. So yippee artisanal bread has made itself public to Harare, courtesy of a new local business- The Bread Co.

For those of you who have never tasted sourdough bread, I urge you to do so. Although somewhat of a novelty for us in Harare, there is nothing new to it as sourdough bread dates back to ancient civilizations.

For a first timer, it is peculiar- almost off tasting. This is due to the lengthy period of fermentation and the naturally occurring yeasts. Lost? Some-what simply put: that means the bakers do not use the standard commercial baker’s yeast. They make, or rather grow their own yeast. They start with the simplest mixture of flour and water- called the ‘starter’ allowing that to ‘grow’ for a period. The natural yeasts in the form of various types of bacteria are the key components of the sour taste of the bread. Once it has grown to the proper volume, voila you have the home grown yeast that will not only flavour the bread but act as a leavening agent.

When you put the bread close to your nose it is yeast like, a fermentation of grains, at the same time creamy. Depending on the natural additives- usually spices and flavourings you might smell some rye, or fennel.

Back to the market- To my astonishment I found the vendors packing up, the dozens of loaves of bread had sold out within a short time of setting up the market stall. Once you embrace the flavour, aroma and texture you will understand why the bread does not last long at the stalls. 

The atmosphere of conviviality through the market and conversation with the bakers of the wonderful bread made up for its absence. The short conversation between myself and the gastronomes was interrupted several times by others seeking out this extraordinary bread. They were directed, as I was, to some of the outlets throughout Harare, where if you arrive early enough, and are quick enough you will get your daily bread.

Although I have never actually tasted the aforementioned breads, I eagerly anticipate the time when I will savour the complex flavours. The bakers assured me that it will be well worth the wait.

I decided to get something to accompany this mysterious bread, for when I eventually find it, thinking that I best be prepared. I headed on to the stall with the honey lady, wanting a sweet treat with a distinctive flavour.

Again, I met a vendor informing me that their product had sold out. A persuasive business woman though, she had no intention of letting me leave the stall empty handed. I was offered a taster of a beautifully fragranced creamy coloured preserve on a minuscule slice of bread. I politely declined the creamy fruit curd, informing  the lady that my refusal was not for lack of a quality product but rather not wanting my immune system to overwork itself rejecting this beautiful yet  deadly (only to my immune system ) fruit preserve.

Not dismayed by my immune system she encouraged me to take a look at the other preserves. A brilliant red caught my eye and a wonderful surprize, tamarillos jam. Commonly known as tree tomato jam. Score. My mother recently acquired two tree tomato plants (or is it a tree? ) after my coaxing.  I have never eaten the fruit before but a little research  convinced me that this somewhat exotic (at least to our family orchard) was well worth growing.

One of the tree tomato plants in the family orchard 

Back to the honey lady, she did not need to persuade me into purchasing the little jar of brilliant coloured jam. A quick exchange of bills and I was off- without the bread but with some mystery jam.

I got home in time for lunch as opposed to the mid-morning snack I had aimed for. Nonetheless, I was not about to wait till I happened to find the bread. I toasted a slice of not so special, commercial, generic tasting brown bread. While I waited for it to pop up I dug a teaspoon in the jar, stirred through and felt the consistency, how else do I describe it but jam like, gooey thick but still able to go through it. Spoon in my mouth, a slight ting, tart, acidic. The a swift change to sweet, not a heavy sweetness that you associate with rich foods. But a light refreshing sweetness almost like a granadilla. The jam way a wonderful fusion of the traditional ripe tomato flavour and that of something sweet like a strawberry. Savoury-sweet or even sweet-savoury. A great middle ground to please us all.

So now I have a jar of tamarillo jam keeping cool in the fridge waiting patiently to accompany the bread and perhaps I am pushing it too far to think that I might get a surprise and come across so flavourful semi hard cheese (that would be a great pairing with the new found jam) or should I just appreciate the availability of sourdough bread.

For now I wait. Hopefully another good surprize will find me soon…I am sure by then I would have found that bread. 

Karibu Nairobi

I told you I would return to Kenya. I did, a few weeks ago. In my usual travelling style, my safari to get there was eventful, but that’s another story, luckily though I made it in time for the family wedding.

This time round I was in the East African metropolis of Nairobi. Those of us in Harare complain about traffic, we have nothing to complain about as compared to other capital cities. Nairobi is a huge, bustling city, characterized by traffic of all sorts, matatus, pikipikis/borda-bordas, and most importantly people. You find the same thing in Harare, but there is a different flare in Nairobi (with a population over three million).

The language

In Nairobi just about everyone speaks kiSwahili. By everyone I mean everyone, all the market vendors, (people of different ethnic backgrounds. Not like in Zimbabwe, with our 16 official languages (courtesy of the new constitution) most people speak either Shona or Ndebele or English, not often do you find us speaking all three let alone the 16 which many remain unintelligible. But a real linguae franca- a trade language does not exist. Perhaps I am wrong, consulting socio-linguists about this one may be necessary.

A huge smile plastered on my face, in an attempt to apologize for my lack of language I would answer the Kenyans, in English desperately wanting to throw in my few Swahili words and a few words of sheng (the local slang-that I have learnt from my Kenyan friends and family) or better yet answering back in the similar sounding Shona that I know, Hopefully, by the time I return to East Africa I will be more conversant in this trade language that intersects Arabic and Bantu languages.

The people of Nairobi represent a multitude of ethnic and social backgrounds from across the globe. While walking through a large supermarket with my Kenyan sisters, I tried to heed to my mother’s council of not prying into conversations. It was impossible to not to ignore the English spoken with accents from around the globe, the KiSwahili and not surprisingly Shona conversations.

KiSwahilii, allows the people of the nation from over 40 language groups to understand each other. It is the language of choice during  a marriage ceremony joining up two people from different ethnic groups, building relationships and growing families.

The traffic

The traffic of Nairobi is something that everyone who has been to this East African metropolis will attest to is nothing more than irritating. You spend a considerable amount of time in a jam, no matter how hard you try to outsmart it, something will make the journey longer than you anticipated, perhaps it is the road works, or the traffic police who might be chatting with one of the drivers in a stationary car instead of directing traffic. The road infrastructure, even with the many roundabouts, does not match with the sea of cars, the majority being high clearance ones that are able to navigate through the pot holes.

While the traffic is irritating, there is so much to see, roadside markets and vendors selling tourist curios. The vendors selling everything from fresh cut flowers to adorable puppies. If it all gets to be  too much, there are road side restaurants, and popular eating spots all dotted around the city specializing in local delicacies, offering  meals and snacks at cheap prices. If that doesn't entice you there are fast food chains all over.

And then there are the matatus or mats- minibus taxis, which in all the African cities I have been to, are the same. I might even add the Roman taxi cab drivers also share such a reputation. Their names may be different, from a taxi, a Kombi, Candongera, to Molue the drivers and their conductors exercise their entitlement bestowed on them by apparently us; the paying public who desire to get to our destination in the shortest time possible. In an attempt to please us, the drivers have an unusual disregard for the law, weaving in and out of traffic, committing numerous road traffic violations that constantly go unnoticed and not reprimanded.

The upside to these mats is that you have your standard fare and you have no worry about parking. Parking your car is a costly expense when venturing to the numerous shopping complexes, which surprisingly for me from Southern Africa were full of busy shoppers. And off street parking, if you find it, may not be the safest option. The little I saw of the city center of Nairobi along Moi and Kenyatta Avenues, I think it’s a wise option to be a pedestrian. Not to mention that with the mats you can go to the less attractive areas, the real hidden gems where you really see that Nairobi is a sprawling economic epicenter of East Africa.

The sights and sounds

My sisters and I, weary of being stuck in the weekday traffic headed out of the house in the suburbs at the crack of dawn. Jumped into the mat just outside the gate of the housing complex and began our sleepy journey to Gikomba Market. One of the larger markets in Nairobi, where, if you are a self-proclaimed fashionista on a budget, will consider this market as a bargainer’s  mekka. According to my sister, it is the market where all the nearly-new clothes from abroad come into. Walking through the market you find people like me and my bargain savvy sisters, backpacks in hand, market vendors trying to pick out the better quality garments to buy then clean up and resell for exorbitant prices in other less markets of Nairobi. All this is done while trying to hold on to your backpack stuffed with found treasures and men shouting out to move out of the way as they try to move through the haphazardly ordered aisles, carrying sealed sacksful of clothes.

Exhausted from our bargains, we exited the market, a large one, nothing quite like I've seen in Zimbabwe but the hustle and bustle reminded me of the markets in West Africa. Back onto the matatu, we dropped of in the center of Nairobi and stopped for a much deserved early lunch in a popular take away in Nairobi center. Along the street there were several of them with very familiar menus (things you might find at other take always across the globe), chicken rotisserie style, or fried, hamburgers, hot dogs, and deep fried potato chips- what I was after.

I’m not the biggest fan of deep fried potatoes, but my sister had convinced me that I had to try bhajas, before leaving Kenya, having visited Zimbabwe before they assured me that I wouldn't find anything quite like them in my Southern African home. True to their word, the bhajas were nothing short of delicious, the exact carbohydrate fix that was needed after shopping.

The deep fried potato disks that have been coated in herbs and spices, and the ubiquitous fresh coriander leaves sprinkled on top. The flavours of this street food (and I believe many others that I did not have an opportunity to try) are reflective of the intersection of the people and cultural backgrounds in East Africa. Incorporating flavours from the Indian subcontinent, Near, Middle and Far East, subtly alerting you that the nation is a colourful melange of people, histories and stories.

So there you go, a very quick, and very short story of Nairobi, hardly doing it justice. Perhaps the next celebration in my adopted Kalenjin family will give me another opportunity for a safari through Kenya. If you get there, before me, embrace it all, the language, the people and the traffic. For now, I say asante sana Kenya. 

Restaurant Week

As a gastronome I am always on the search for some interesting food festivals, promotions and all things gastronomic. When Eatout Zimbabwe started their marketing campaign for the 17- 25 May ZOL Restaurant Week  I was sold. A chance to sample 2-3 course meals from a range of US$ 15-25, at reputable upmarket restaurants in Harare- local residents will agree with me that is a steal.

I coerced two gastronomes in the making to join me. We analysed the set menus of the 18 available restaurants made our choice of two of the 18. Due to time constraints we had to settle for one restaurant to visit.

When I saw Chicken Tortellini, Gnocchi Piedmontaise and Panna Cotta on the Emmanuel's menu I was excited. I was hoping that this Northern Italian inspired menu- one which was filled with nostalgia for me- would provide my dining buddies a taste of Northern Italy. My dietary restrictions did not allow me to have this specific menu so I had to rely on my friends’ description of the dishes and their experience against my description from my memories of living in Piedmont.

Friday evening we found ourselves at the said restaurant. After a long week, the only thing we anticipated was a wonderful evening together at this fine dining establishment. I have learned not to presume too much about restaurants in Harare as I have had some disappointments to my palette and endured some poor service, so making sure you have good company allows you to overlook some of these undesirable shortcomings.

We were pleasantly surprised when we were cheerfully greeted at the entrance and promptly seated at our reserved table. A welcoming ambiance of well laid tables, dimmed lights was accentuated by infectious laughter coming from the several tables filled with what looked like groups of friends enjoying an evening out together. With such merriment, the barely audible, guitar playing musician, was eventually heard once the patrons were temporally silenced by their food.

Drinks ordered, we were ready to begin our meal. Our smartly dressed waiter came round and offered us a single piece of bread. That confused me since my experience of dining in Italy is the ubiquitous bounty of bread and wine, more so, our little table for three had a dish full of creamy petite butter balls waiting to be spread on several pieces of bread. I chose the not- so-focaccia like-rosemary topped focaccia. My slender piece was void of the olive oil, salt and other herbs that I guessed would be there.  To appease us, perhaps for the lack of bread, we were given a complimentary chicken roulande- a thick piece of cooked chicken breast fillet, compressed into a roll and stuffed with minutely shredded vegetables. 

Complimentary plates over, we began our three course meal.

My knowledge of tortellini is: minute pasta parcels, made from an egg- rich dough, stuffed with rich ingredients that take a painstakingly long time to make, hence reserved for special occasions and often served as a handful in a rich broth. Two large flat plates came with an entrée of three large tortellini stuffed with chicken garnished with crayfish tails. The stated broth of pea and mint appeared more like a sauce. Nonetheless, my dining companions cleared their plates. As the menu had read, my grand bowl of butternut soup had a chilly kick to it although I struggled to find the advertised croutons in the bowl of soup. I guess they were hidden in the layers of rich flavour that characterised the soup.

Our empty plates were swiftly taken away replaced by appropriate cutlery. My fish knife to my right I was ready for my sea bass. Yes, ordering fish in a landlocked country is not the smartest idea as you know that the fish would have traveled a long distance before it gets to your plate. However, against better judgment I still ordered it. It was pleasant, light, flavourful and complemented by a leek puree and sweet sun dried tomatoes. 

With slight hesitation, my curious gastronome friend ordered duck. Having never eaten this type of poultry before, she had a welcome surprise. The duck leg and breast were well cooked, and had a rich umami taste which she described as a cross between chicken and pork. I had a smidgeon of hers; it was, dare I say delicious.

The Gnocchi Piedmontese was possibly inspired by the Northern Italian region. I will give the chefs a leeway and say that they had artistic liberty to interpret this simple Italian dish as they pleased and transform it into fine dining, heavily laden with garnishes and aesthetic interpretations. The gnocchi around the plate looked as if they could have been served in a deep bowl that would allow the potato dumplings to soak up a rich sauce.

Dessert did not disappoint. Three types of dessert served on a large white plate. Panna Cotta, literally cooked cream is a rich northern Italian dolce- dessert. Rich fresh cream is simmered together with milk and sugar sometimes infused with some vanilla and left to set. Often served with a coulis, or sauce of some sort to compliment and lessen the heaviness of the rich cream. Our panna cotta was well set, with a slight little wiggle to it but topped with an out of season strawberry. In line with seasonal cooking I would have expected some winter citrus flavours. But I wont hold that against them, since I enjoyed the panna cotta. The large white plate had a square of sticky date pudding that complimented the panna cotta. To finish off; a refreshing passion fruit sorbet to compliment the richness of the other components.

Although we were beyond satiated, we found room for a cup of espresso to aid digestion. It was necessary lest it would have been almost impossible to drive home. The last gulp down and then the meal was finally over.

The panna cotta temporarily cured my nostalgia for Italy. I might be a certified gastronome but my education has not come to an end. The Italian inspired dishes opened my eyes to artistic interpretations and creativity. The chefs embraced their artistic licence: veering away from the traditional interpretations and creating dishes in a manner that some might frown upon, and question but somehow still appreciate.

My compliments to Emmanuel’s as it was an evening of laughter, excellent service- the best I've had in Harare so far. 

Of Carrots and Oranges

I've had a long hiatus from blogging.  But I’m back, as a certified gastronome.

That just means I know a lot more about food than I did a year ago. My palate has adapted if not evolved, I've come to like and even appreciate flavours that I once despised.

Growing up, not having the desired 20/20 vision, my mother always insisted that I eat my carrots. I needed my extra dose of Vitamin A. Seldom would I eat them without complaining; pushing them to the furthest part of my dinner plate, secretly hoping they would they fall off, land on the floor and be deemed inedible. I found them to be bitter, apparently over cooked, bland.

I used to completely agree with Fran Lebowitz:

Large, naked, raw carrots are acceptable as food only to those who live in hutches eagerly awaiting Easter. -Metropolitan Life 1978

So you can imagine the slight surprise that my mother had when she found me happily munching away to raw carrot sticks. They weren't so bad considering that they were accompanied by a chickpea hummus.

Now I know that they are more flavourful when in season, and I've discovered more flavourful ways of getting my vitamin A and incorporating them into everything.  My newest discovery are these carrot-orange muffins.

I’m looking forward to making these beta-carotene filled treats this winter season.

Carrot-Orange Muffins

Yield: 12 large muffins

½ cup whole wheat flour

½ cup all-purpose flour

½ cup quick-cooking rolled oats

½  cup plus 2 Tablespoons brown sugar

1  teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon dried ground ginger 

1 teaspoon baking powder

½  teaspoon baking soda

¼  teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon zest of orange

¼ cup fresh orange juice

3 Tablespoons plain yogurt

½ cup milk, mixed with vinegar

1 teaspoon vinegar

¼  cup vegetable oil

1 ½  cups finely grated carrots (approximately 3 carrots)

Handful of pumpkin seeds

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375F/ 180C . Lightly grease a 12-hole muffin tin and line with 12 squares of baking paper. Push the squares down into each hole so that the paper sticks up. .

2. Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl, leaving 2 Tablespoons of brown sugar. In a separate bowl mix together the wet ingredients.

3. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and fold the ingredients together, but be careful not to over-work the mixture.  If batter is too dry slowly add in a bit more milk

3. Spoon the batter into muffin tin. Sprinkle pumpkin seeds and remaining brown sugar over muffins.

4. Bake in the centre of the oven for 30-35 minutes, or until the muffins are well risen and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.

5. Cool a few minutes

Enjoy.

Seasonal Cooking

With no formal training, simply my mother’s kitchen, significantly more error than trial, I consider myself  an amateur cook on the road to becoming more of a professional. Insert housemates, family, friends, limited budget, scarce ingredients and the confidence levels oscillate between very low and high with being a cook.

I have been trying to cook remembering all the things that I have learned through the course of my year in Italy: the good, the clean and the fair. It is challenging at times. But I've been told that as a cook, the challenge is what you are after. You need all the creativity and the inspiration you can find to keep up the opinion polls of those eating what you prepare.

In Southern Africa our seasons are not as distinct as other parts of the world so we always have some sort of fresh seasonal produce. Right now we are at the beginning of summer or some would call the rainy season. My challenge comes in the form of our family garden and its fertility. On an average season, whatever is planted grows successfully and leaves us with an abundance of it. Over the years we have had( just to name some of the produce): tomatoes, pumpkins, cucumbers, cabbages, beetroots, carrots and a lot of other fresh produce. As a cook that would be great as produce with the most robust flavour is that which is found when in season, when it has had the opportunity to be sun-kissed and harvested when ripe. Insert problem. What do you do with an abundance of one particular crop even after sharing it with the community? How do you prevent monotony in cooking when you have an abundance of <insert name of produce>?

Sheer creativity and experimenting. Open up the old cook books and surf the internet. Find some willing guinea pigs- preferably those with strong stomachs, who enjoy experimental cooking. Start cooking and preserving the food.

After years of making jams, chutney, pickles, pies, soups and everything else in between I have a new challenge. Herbs. This season we planted a lot of them in the family garden, not thinking that they would grow well), but alas we have an abundance them. I know that they can be dried, but I need something more alive and tangible. With an abundance of herbs:  mint, basil, sage and cilantro and soon rosemary, lavender and tarragon I have to be innovative. Suggestions are welcome!

My biggest problem are the cilantro (fresh coriander)  and the basil, they have to be constantly pruned to ensure continued growth so that they are available all season before they flower. This week they have been a part of almost all our meals. But when the monotony of fresh herbs hits and the family has exhausted their weekly experimenting quota (this week it was spicy Thai and Italian pesto) it’s always convenient when a friend has a birthday and can further experiment in the guise that one needs to make a special cake.

So thanks to Miss E who let me try out some seasonal baking experiments. Much to her surprise her birthday cake this year was a Sweet Tomato Cake served with a Basil infused Cream Sauce.

Under the African sun

Hello November. Where did September and October go? They moved by swiftly especially under the African Sun.
I spent some time on the Atlantic Coast, watching the sunsets, eating seafood, attempting to learn Portuguese.

I went further south to Southern Africa.
Then I had my second spring this year. One filled with purple horizons, ripe mulberries and carpets of purple jacarandas, jacaranda honey, papayas, strawberries and more strawberry jam. Fresh herbs:sage, coriander,basil grown from basil seeds from Bra.


Farm fresh eggs.


Spring quickly became summer, with the sweltering heat of the sun painting the grass golden brown.
When it became unbearable, the heavens miraculously opened up with the much awaited rain. The  dry dusty air was replaced with fresh crisp air.



Crisp fresh air not only came from rain, but in the form of nephews and nieces bringing in new perspectives of life, giving you an extra laugh and smile.
My time under African sun brought about cooking and writing with an enthusiastic bunch of young ladies. Scrumptious chocolate cakes and flavoursome savoury dishes.

Of Fish and Other Sea Creatures

Food Rule Number 24:

“Eating what stands on one leg [mushrooms and plant food]is better than eating what stands on two legs [fowl], which is better than eating what stands on four legs [cows, pigs and other mammals]”

Michael Pollan, Food Rules: An Eater’s Manuel, 2009.

Michael Pollan adds to this rule and includes fish and other seafood which majority are legless creatures which contribute to a good diet.

Being from a landlocked country, I plead ignorance with regards to the ocean, marine biology and anything sea related. I use this excuse when convenient.

Then, I moved to Bra and met people who know their seafood. Unfortunately for us as students, Bra is a two hour drive from the coast. The seafood that is found  in Bra has travelled a long distance to get to you. This brings about questions of freshness, and this limits the choice that is available. Your cooking experiences reflect what you learn through the Slow Food philosophy. This means that you are willing to try out new things, and innovation becomes a reality more than a philosophy. For example on Fridays, my Thai friend wakes up early and heads to the fish market to get her free salmon heads from the vendors. I had no idea what she was going to do with them until one Friday afternoon I stopped over for an early dinner and before me was a platter of a slowly baked salmon fish head! Chopsticks in hand, spicy flavourful dipping sauce of chillies, garlic and other Thai seasonings, I from the landlocked country devoured that fleshy fish head.

Armed with added knowledge about fish heads, I thought this was the pinnacle of all fishy knowledge. But alas I attend UNISG. Contrary to popular belief it is not a cooking school. You do learn about cooking but not trained to be a chef you would think that your close family members would remember that. My dear mother knows very well that I enjoy cooking but I’m not a chef. Nonetheless I received a desperate email about two months ago that my mother had been given some “sea creatures”. She took them home, alive and they were wiggling their antlers and legs all over the kitchen sink. To bring them to their death, she mustered up courage, stuffed them in a plastic bag and threw them into the depths of her freezer.

Upon hearing about the fate of the “sea creatures” who turned out to be either crayfish or crawfish I assured here that they were food, just in an alive state. I consulted a few of my classmates who knew a lot more about seafood  than I did. I also consulted Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking for a classic recipe. Her instructions on dealing with live lobster (or other crustaceans):

If you object to steaming or splitting a live lobster, it may be killed almost instantly just before cooking if you plunge the point of a knife into the head between the eyes, or sever the spinal cord by making a small incision in the back of the shell at the juncture of the chest and the tail.

It was too late for lobster wisdom from Julia Child, but nonetheless I sent the recipes and instructions. I expected to hear back from my mother saying that she had prepared the seafood and what she thought of them. Alas, she had not. They would  stay buried in the depths of the freezer until I came to visit, and then they would be cooked, by me.

That’s what I did. After a day or two of rest I asked about the “sea creatures”. I retrieved them, heated and salted some water and boiled them. You must know that I have never cooked such kind of food. We (I made Mother assist me in the cooking that she was supposed to have done) removed the fleshy meat from the tails. Rich in flavour only seasoned with salt it tasted like it had been doused in a buttery sauce.

An instant hit with my family. At the end of the meal, Mother considered that on her next ‘fishing’ trip she would come home with a lot more of these delicacies and try the other recipes.

Mission accomplished, crayfish or crawfish whatever they maybe, cooked, enjoyed; I think I am now more knowledgeable about crustaceans. I have considered eating more of them while I am here, nearby the ocean where they are in abundance, and this way I can get closer to eating wisely by following Michael Pollan’s Food Rules.