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'Haute Cuisine' on Mars
Roland Piquepaille writes "If you're lucky enough to be a crew member of one of the next European Space Agency (ESA) long-term missions, you will have the choice between eleven new delicious recipes, such as 'martian bread and green tomato jam' or 'potato and tomato mille-feuilles' when it's time for dinner. In 'Ready for dinner on Mars?,' ESA says that these recipes will use fresh ingredients grown in greenhouses built on Mars colonies or other planets. The future astronauts -- should I write 'farmonauts'? -- will grow potatoes, onions, rice, soya or lettuce. And it's interesting to note that the new menus were elaborated with the help of Alain Ducasse, the French chef who has almost as many stars in the 'Guide Michelin' as there are planets in our Solar system. This overview contains more details and references about eating in space."
You don't count all the space lab trips in the shuttle? Or the other ESA manned missions in various other ships?
The ESA hasn't launched a mission all on the own, but they have been an important part of many missions.
As a chef, I think you are uninformed as to exactly what French cuisine is and how much the French have contributed to modern techniques used in all types of cuisine around the world.
For some background, I suggest these two wikipedia.org articles:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_cuisine
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provence (note the culture section)
I prefer the flavors of the Southwest, Latin america and India in my own cuisine, but there are very good reasons that most modern chef schools teach primarily French techniques in their curriculums. In the majority of dishes I prepare, there is some piece of the dish whose core is a French invention, or at least has a parallel in French cuisine. For instance, read wikipedia's article on sauces (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sauce), where you will learn about the huge effort French chefs put into creating and codifying the various root types of sauces. These sauces are heavily used in nearly all types of cooking.
In regards to use of vegetables, I'd think a classically trained (read: French) chef could come up with many tasty dishes with just a few vegetables.
I think you have some misconceptions about French cuisine.
Taft
And you know what? With all of that butter, cream, cheese, lard, etc they will still have a better blood lipid profile and heart health than sushi, grilled everything, twigs and berries diet. Not to mention it is more satisfying and nutrient packed, so a little food can go a long way while that twigs and berries diet is very carbohydrate rich, but nutrient poor. Guess what that means: you have to eat far far more calories to actually get the necessary vitamins (which can only be absorbed in the presence of fat... you did know that, right?) minerals and proteins to remain healthy.
No scientific study has shown that saturated fats are bad for you. They all use the combination of: 1)lowering fat intake, 2)reducing calories and 3)excercising. Guess what... that is not a valid scientific experiment or study. While there are many studies out there which show that versus low fat diets, extremely low carbohydrate diets, even without added excercise or even cutting overall calories, will lead to A)better blood lipid profiles (because fat becomes fuel, not energy storage. Your body CAN NOT burn fat while there is a lot of insulin in the bloodstream. Gues what... carbohydrates dump tons of insulin in the blood, even complex carbs.) B)lose fat and C)have a more consistant level of energy and D)have less cravings for "bad" foods.
But, still, exercise is one of the most important parts of maintaining good health. It builds lean muscle mass, which in turn boosts the metabolism. Exercise releases endorphins which A)suppress hunger and B) make one feel better about themself in general. I've also found that when I am exercising regularilly I happen to play soccer and enjoy long walks on rugged terrain (sort of like hiking, I guess) but pick and choose untill you find something you like. You'll be healthier, happier, and more attractive for it. Oh, and many sports will help you meet new people. Even the solitary ones like running lead to opportunities to meet different people.
There are no trails. There are no trees out here.
From Wikipedia, from the UN:
...any distinction, exclusion, restriction or preference based on race, colour, descent, or national or ethnic origin which has the purpose or effect of nullifying or impairing the recognition, enjoyment or exercise, on an equal footing, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural or any other field of public life.
Quote...
The United Nations uses a definition of racist discrimination laid out in the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination and adopted in 1965:
End Quote.
I think your apps weren't comprehensive enough.
First, most spices are not nearly as easy to cultivate as you describe. Take black pepper, for instance. There is a reason that it was once one of the more valuable spices in the world. Read up on wikipedia for the details of its cultivation (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_pepper). A key point in the article is that getting an initial harvest of a consumable size would likely take a few years. Cumin and corriander (which would also produce cilantro) are far more viable options. But I'd just like to point out that if a spice so integral to most cuisines as pepper is difficult to grow, these astronauts better prepare to make some sacrifices. Many spices require so much cultivation time and/or post-harvest treatment as to make them impractical, especially on another planet. I would think vanilla, saffron and cardamom would fall into these categories. And then there are the spices which would be nearly impossible to cultivate without an extended stay and a large amount of land. Cinnamin comes to mind...
As for shelf life, spices generally don't fare very well. In ground form, spices generally lose their pungency well within a year. In whole form, you can eek another year or two out of them. But that isn't a long time in planet-hopping years. Storage mechanisms might be created to extend their potency, but I use air-tight containers at home for whole spices and I never keep them for over a year. You can taste the difference, trust me.
In terms of herbs, they would fare much better. A little herb plant can go a long way. And so long as there is enough light and water, cultivation is a snap.
Taft
You were so close to the answer. Even used the correct word: hydroponic. Yet you still missed it.
Plants just need water and nutrients to grow. They do not care much about the soil, so long as the roots get enough (but not too much) water and nutrients. Tomatoes have been grown in just water and fertilizer for years! No soil needed at all. Most plants are more picky than tomatoes, but many grow in gravel sprayed with water and fertilizer.
This is old by now. Tomatoes were first grown in the lab this way in the 1930s. (There are claims to have done it before then, but they are hard to pin down) Though tomatoes are particularly easy to grow with hydrophonics.
I'm not sure what nutrients potatoes need, but they prefer sandy soils, which generally doesn't have much in the way of nutrients. Most of the other plants in the article seem to have been selected in part because they don't need much in the way of nutrients.
In short, we know we can find CO2. We can crack that to get a little O2 to start things out. We are pretty sure we can find water. The amount of fertilizer needed is small for many plants, and thus trivial to bring. (Not to mention it is a by-product of digestion once humans are nearby) The only worry is nitrogen doesn't seem to be plentiful. It could easily end up that getting the nitrogen is the hardest part. Depending on how the greenhouse needs to be designed of course.
What sort of argument is "I'm a bigot, so I shouldn't get modded down"? What's next - +5 for someone saying "Before you mark me as a troll, understand that I really do hate Jews"?
modern cultural bigottry aside, the french were right bastards during their colonialist era. Not as bad as the spanish, worse then the british, makes modern imperial america look like boy scouts.
"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy."