Food Photographing Obsessions and NadaMoo! Too!

I could not decide which one to put up today so I decided on both!

First off is NadaMoo!

Today I had a sample of NadaMoo! ice cream, which uses coconut milk as the base with a little brown rice and agave nectar for sweetness. What makes NadaMoo! unique is its combination of many dietary factors and tastiness. It is vegan-friendly, cholesterol-free, only some saturated fat, organic, kosher, and gluten-free. No dairy (so good for lactose intolerant people) and not soy-based (no soy taste) unless indicated. However, the facility does handle dairy and nuts so be cautious of the fact. Finally, the company also uses Fair Trade ingredients.

Three flavors were available to try: Vanilla, Chocolate, and Coconut. These varieties are sold in markets around campus as well as your specialty grocery stores like Wheatsville Coop and Whole Foods. I tried the vanilla and though a little extra sweet, the taste was obviously vanilla. However, there was a distinct coconut flavor in the background. It seemed like most people present were trying the coconut and I believe that would probably have tasted the best due to the natural taste of the coconut already present in the ice cream.

The ice cream texture is good, tending a little soft, but the feel is just like ice cream. Creamy, tasty, I am this close to buying a pint. It’d be great to have a tasty ice cream that is not killing the waistline with every scoop. More importantly, I do like the flavor of coconut and this ice cream seems to have the best genuine taste of coconut ice cream I have ever had.

See the 6 flavors of NadaMoo! in living color: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=157616&id=22319119578

NadaMoo!’s story is an interesting one, stemming from one sister’s love of another to create tasty, healthy treats that her sister could consume safely without worry for her allergies. Whole Foods soon supported the idea of selling the ice cream in pints and a company was born! Since 2004, the products have spread from Austin to the West Coast. There are a lot of charity events that receive money from NadaMoo! and it is everything an Austin-based company aspires to be. I can see NadaMoo! becoming bigger in the future so I definitely suggest you try this ice cream at least once before you’re left behind wondering “NadaWho?”

I also saw a New York Times article, First Camera, Then Fork, that appeared just yesterday. It’s an interesting article talking about the latest trend of food photography and online food diaries that have been popping up. Taking pictures of food is old hat for me, but this is on a whole other level.

People are taking pictures of their food for the artistic value, accountability, and for basic crazy fun. However, people are becoming even more intense with the picture taking by using high tech cameras and special lens. One man in the article even forced his wife to wait an hour just so he could run home and get the right lens for their food! Gee!

Camera companies are recognizing the fact that people are taking pictures of food and are now starting to include a ‘food’ mode in the camera’s features. Admittedly, I would be a little swayed by the ‘food’ mode and now I have one on my camera! The option of a ‘food’ mode is pretty awesome, but the only difference I’ve seen is it made the food look a bit warmer.

I definitely understand why people are taking pictures of food, but I can see where people may become a bit obsessive over taking pictures of food. People can become obsessive about a lot of things and a lot of people are obsessed or at least easily influenced by food.

Food is a connection of people, of memories. Food is a deep-seated part of humanity as evidenced by the many traditions around the world surrounding food. Asian people begin by asking “have you eaten?” and the act of eating is an intimate one, a social ritual that involves sharing a valuable resource and opening yourself to the other person. Our growing obsession with food, as evidenced by food channels and even movies on food, may just be reflective of our growing obesity rates or it could be our attempts to remember a tradition that brings us all together. You decide.

Here are some pictures that are my attempt at artistry or just for fun:

I thought my random tea looked pretty that day.

My Mighty Awesome Muffin

A Warm Ending