Then Class Got WEIRD...

In one of my night classes this week, my lesson plan focused on research methods. As any good scientist knows, before you can really get into the heart and soul of research methods, you have to first make sure that students know about the scientific method. In particular I wanted to draw out the distinction between a theory, a hypothesis, and an operational definition. We started by getting examples of developmental phenomena that students noticed. A student volunteered 'babies suck on their toes' as our starting point. This is something we've observed and something that we might be interested in explaining. 

Phenomenon: Babies put their toes in their mouths.

Step two was to come up with a theory that could explain WHY babies put their toes in their mouths. Some of the suggestions were that toes taste good or that babies are curious. I settled on 'toes taste good' as the example theory we'd use. (Note: it would have been better to choose 'babies are curious' for many reasons...)

Theory: Babies put their toes in their mouths because their toes taste good.

Our next step was to come up with a testable hypothesis based on our theory. While theories can be general, hypotheses have to outline a specific, testable relationship between at least two variables. Someone in class noted that after infancy, people pretty much stop putting their toes in their mouths. 

Hypothesis: Babies put their toes in their mouths because baby toes are delicious. They stop putting their toes in their mouths because toddler toes don't taste as good. 

All things considered, it is actually a decent hypothesis because we now have a specific prediction that we can test. We can design a study to see if baby toes might be more delicious than toddler toes. This hypothesis clearly outlines our independent (IV) and dependent variables (DV): we think that the deliciousness of toes (IV) might be related to how often young kids put their toes in their mouths (DV). 

The next step was to operationalize our variables. We had to come up with a specific way to measure both the deliciousness of toes and how often young kids were putting their toes in their mouths. 

Operationalizing our IV (deliciousness of toes): People could lick different baby and toddler toes and rate how good they tasted. Our raters would not know how old the toes were that they were tasting. (Reminder: we expect that young toes will taste better than older toes.)
Operationalizing our DV (how often young kids put their toes in their mouths): Someone could watch babies and toddlers for a specified period of time and count how many times they put their toes in their mouths. (We could have also measured the duration of how long toes were left in mouths.)

This is how we came to discuss the deliciousness of baby toes in class. We started by picking a phenomenon. Then we tried to explain why we might observe it. Before we could discuss ways to collect data to test our theory, we had to draft a testable hypothesis about how two specific variables might be related to each other. And finally we had to come up with a really clear method for measuring our variables of interest. Our operational definitions had to be clear enough that anyone else who wanted to conduct a replication of our study would be able to do so. Not that we'd recommend that anyone conduct a blind taste test of baby toes. 

Sometimes you commit to a path and things just get weird.

Thanksgiving Update

Hi everyone,

I hope you had lovely Thanksgivings with your family/friends/coworkers/self. For the first time in seven years, I did not host a meal for my friends. Mainly because I don't have any friends here yet, but really because I am in driving distance of my family now. Over the years, my Thanksgivings have morphed into a gluten-free smorgasbord of delicious turkey, vegetarian entree, and sides. However, re-entering the regular world meant that there were fewer options this year. Instead of quinoa-based alternative stuffings and crustless pumpkin pies, I was back in the land of traditional stuffing, dinner rolls, and regular pies. This meant less food, but that is probably better in the long run anyway. Gobs of research suggest that caloric restriction may improve longevity. I did team up with my cousin, a recent culinary school graduate, to make some really tasty roasted asparagus with lemon and dill. The original idea came from here, but I didn't look at the recipe after deciding that this was a good idea. The asparagus was so tasty that it will probably become a more frequent visitor to my plate.  

Roasted Asparagus with Lemon and Dill (another half-baked recipe from your Goddess)
Fresh asparagus, or frozen*
Olive oil
Half of a Lemon, juiced and zested
Dill, chopped finely, or dried*
Salt

Trim asparagus. Lightly coat with olive oil and salt and roast in oven at 350 for about 10 min. Make a sauce by combining olive oil, juice of lemon, zest of lemon, and dill until it tastes good to you. Chef Cousin was pretty adamant that the zest go in, since it would make the flavor stronger and richer. Chef Cousin also shook his head in quiet disgust when he noticed how old my dried dill was. Clearly, Chef Cousin was the brains of this operation. After 10 min, turn asparagus and add sauce, then roast for another 10 min. I think our asparagus took about 20-25 min total to roast. 

This dish is best enjoyed eating straight from the scalding hot baking sheet and pretending you're my uncles. 

*same sh*t, different pile :P

Fancy Chickpeas

I miss stuffed grape leaves. I miss how the lemon, dill, mint, and olive oil came together to make something fatty and savory, yet bright. Using only local grocery store ingredients, I got really close to mimicking that taste. Here's how I made my 'fancy chickpeas' tonight*:

Fancy Chickpeas

1 can chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
1 roma tomato, coursely diced (I tossed this in to add texture and color)
A little bit of red onion, coursely chopped
Crumbled feta 
Lemon juice (a little)
Olive oil (more)
Dill weed
Salt

I don't really have proportions to share... I was really hungry, so I just dumped and stirred until I had a nice ratio of olive oil, lemon, and dill. I'd have added mint, too, but the local grocery store was out. 

*I assure you that there was nothing fancy about the disposable lunchmeat container I mixed it in. 

A Glutard Navigating the World of Beauty Products

Being beautiful is hard, especially if you're going to try via the dominant cultural definitions of beauty in the US. For women, this often means using makeup and hair products, among many other things. Now I am NOT saying you have to use these products to be beautiful, or that you need to limit yourself to this very narrow definition of beauty. All I'm saying is that if you play by the dominant culture's rules, you're gonna have to play smarter if you're a glutard. BECAUSE THE FDA DOESN'T REALLY REGULATE ALLERGENS IN COSMETIC PRODUCTS. What??? Maybe you already knew this. I guess I kind of knew it, but hadn't really thought about it. Let me share a story, then what I've learned in my procrastination-induced research.

First off, I don't think much about cosmetic products because I don't really use them. I moisturize and mascara-ize, but otherwise would prefer sleeping over waking up earlier to make myself up. I know enough to not buy hair or makeup products with hydrolyzed wheat protein (which is all the rage right now), or barley, or malt, or any of the obvious perpetrators. I read labels to look for potential gluten offenders, buy the stuff that seems safe, then carry on my merry way. This topic was thrust to the forefront of my attention, though, when my mother (who is also a glutard) broke out in a rash after using Pond's cold cream. She had checked the label before purchasing the product and didn't notice anything that looked offensive, so she bought it. When my Ma called Pond's, she learned that they routinely use gluten in most of their products. They also told her that cosmetic companies are not required to list all of their ingredients on their product labels. So my mom tried a higher-end brand in hopes that their labeling practices would be more straightforward. But when my Ma spoke to a sales associate at a Clinique counter, they told her that they also cannot guarantee that their products are free of allergens. They don't seem to be actively using gluten as an ingredient, but they did say that they can't guarantee the source of some of their ingredients and that there may be cross-contamination since their parent company also produces other brands of cosmetics. 

This irked me. I don't know why I expected more, but I did. Perhaps I had been lulled into a sense of pseudo-security since I have mastered reading food labels.* Especially from Clinique, which markets itself as hypoallergenic. HELLO - your products contain one of the eight major food allergens. Yeah, it isn't going IN your mouth, but the products are going ON or AROUND your mouth.  So I did some research. I focused on reliable sources, mostly the Food and Drug Administration's websites. 

Here are some things I learned:

-The use of the term 'hypoallergenic' is not regulated by anyone. It means whatever someone wants it to mean. In fact, a federal court specifically mandated that use of this term doesn't have to be backed by anything. FYI, I'm hypoallergenic. 

-'Incidental' ingredients don't need to be declared on labels. If a company uses an ingredient in the manufacturing process, but is has no 'technical' or 'functional' effect, you don't have to list it as an ingredient. This can include suspension or concentration agents. This is the Pond's situation. 

-Cosmetics also have vague-yet-familiar catch-all terms that can include almost anything, like 'fragrance' or 'flavor'. This isn't surprising to me, since we see similar terms in foods and drugs (e.g., 'natural flavoring' or 'pregelatinized starch,' respectively). 

-Tocopherol (Vitamin E) may or may not be wheat-derived. Tocopherol shows up in a lot of moisturizers and lip products. I had no idea where it came from... Maybe someone just hugged a Vitamin E tree so hard that it produced oily little happy tears of vitamin-filled moisture. Maybe not. 

For more information, check out some other FDA websites:

-The FDA product and ingredient safety page

-The FDA cosmetic labeling guide

-The FDA food allergen labeling page

Do you have any other helpful information to share about allergens and cosmetics? I'm a newbie here...

*Honestly, food and drug labels are just as confusing, what with all of the ingredients/additives of unknown origin. 

Command Center Brunch, Part 1: Egg Bake

So back in August I moved across the country. One of my best friends, Kathleen, also moved across the country (but much farther away ::sadface::). Fate smiled upon us and we were actually able to leave at the same time. This meant that I had someone to support me as I said goodbye to my old life, and someone who was sharing my excitement about leaping into the unknown. This also meant that there would be 2x the logistics, since we were doing a coordinated move. Essentially, her moving posse and my moving posse convoyed halfway across the US, then my moving posse waved goodbye as her moving posse continued their journey. It was kind of like a Modern-Day Oregon Trail Live-Action Movie. Except instead of wagons we had Penske trucks, I didn't have to shoot any buffalo or squirrels, there was no dysentery, and no oxen died fording a river. We did have some pretty epic weather that threatened our caravan, and some near-death experiences at a sketchy motel, though. 

<<Rewind>> So I hosted a 'command center' meeting to coordinate the move. This was a great opportunity to get together in the same room to enjoy a hearty brunch and discuss the logistics of moving two households in tandem. In addition to the in-person team, my boyfriend joined the meeting via webcam and my best friend joined via instant messenger. (I was serious... most of my favorite friends were a part of the command center. And yes, I play favorites.). I had been hungry all week, so I wanted brunch to be super-filling. It was also one of my last opportunities to show my appreciation for them through cooking, since we'd soon be scattered across the country. I made an egg bake and cheesy potatoes. The meal was a hit, and we all rolled out of the meeting stuffed to the gills with brunchiness. Today I'll share the egg bake recipe; when I get a break from work again, I'll share the recipe for the cheesy potatoes. 

My Friend Jenn's Egg Bake (That Will Blow Your Mind If You Are Not Lactose Intolerant)*

½ cup butter
12 eggs
½ cup gluten-free flour blend (I used cup4cup this time and it worked well)
1 tsp baking powder
8oz chopped green chilies
1 pint cottage cheese
1 lb shredded jack cheese

Melt butter in a 9x13 baking pan. Beat eggs lightly add flour, baking powder, butter, chilies and cheese pour into pan. Bake for 30 to 40 min on 350 degrees. Cool slightly before cutting.

Devour. 


*If you are lactose intolerant, it will blow your colon. 

Holy September, Batman

I haven't forgotten about you, I promise. I'm just have the most ridiculous work schedule, which prevents me from doing most things, including sleeping. One of the things my work schedule prevents me from doing is grocery shopping. True story: twice in the past month I have had baked beans and string cheese for lunch when left to my own devices. Lucky for me, I now live with my boyfriend, which means that there is someone else around to buy me food so I don't just eat expired things I meant to throw away two weeks ago. This is great because it is one less thing I have to actively worry about, but I still find myself passively worrying that he'll accidentally poison me. (He hasn't yet, but I am a worrier). I am happy to report that he is learning the ins and outs pretty quickly and that I have consumed numerous complete meals thanks to him. My favorite so far has been baked ziti, which he augmented with Italian sausage. I am also happy to report that I worry less with each independent grocery trip he makes. Yay for learning and trust! Now if you'll excuse me, I have a bunch of sh*t to do... 

Happy September! May the beginning of fall be filled with pumpkin lattes and cozy hoodies!

PS: Kathleen, I promise I will post the recipes from the Command Center 2012 brunch!

A Friday Chuckle

I was catching up on the internet and came across this comic from Married to the Sea, one of my favorite comic sites:

If you want to print it out yourself, here's the link to the original post.
Happy Friday!