April 26, 2006
Update 14: What to do with our Quinoa?
When we were shopping for supplies in Iquitos, we were so excited that we found
a very nutritious whole grain food called quinoa. Quinoa is a tasty grain that
is full of protein. It is common in the highlands, and is eaten much like rice.
Since quinoa is tasty, healthy, and goes with anything, we bought a lot of
it for our trip. The first night that we ate the quinoa we noticed that it was
full of rocks and sand. Apparently, when the people in the highlands of Peru
harvest the quinoa, they dry it on the dirty, sandy, and rocky ground. So the
next time we prepared the quinoa, Ruben and I spent a long time searching through
huge mounds of grain, removing as many small rocks as we could find. Then, we
washed the quinoa and sifted it through my mosquito head-net to remove extra
sand. We were sure that our problems were solved, but unfortunately, that night
we were once again crunching and grinding our teeth against rocks and sand.
It made for an unenjoyable eating experience.
We have a lot of quinoa left, and we are going to have to either eat it, throw
it away, or give it away. If we get rid of it, we will need to buy some rice
or potatoes in a town to make up for our food loss. I don't know if giving it
as a gift is a good idea; it might not make people very happy when they realize
that we gave them rocky quinoa in return for their kindness.
Because it is quite an unpleasant eating experience, none of us want to have
to eat the quinoa again. But we did buy it, and we bought a lot of it. Plus,
it provides us with essential protein, which we don't get in a lot of other
foods. We hate to be wasteful, but...
What should we do?
Rocking through the Rainforest,
Anna
Try putting it in a pot of water and the quinoa should float to the top and the sand and rocks should sink.
Posted by: ahrens at April 26, 2006 09:19 AM
Can youseparate it while it is cooking or sift it after it has been cooked?
Posted by: Mrs. Dalleska at April 26, 2006 09:32 AM
Wash out the rocks and sand and eat it.
Posted by: Ms. Reda at April 26, 2006 09:45 AM
You should trade the food for better food!!!
Posted by: Mr. elder at April 26, 2006 11:52 AM
You should trade the food for better food!!!
Posted by: Mr. elder at April 26, 2006 11:52 AM
Posted by: hggg at April 26, 2006 11:57 AM
Michael says you can sell it, as long as you tell the people buying it that there might be small rocks in it. Amanda says you can give it to local people, since they might be used to eating it the way that it is. Rachel and Kristina say you should eat it very carefully because you need to protein and because it's good to try new things. Charlie says maybe you can return it to the place you bought it in exchange for something else. Lisa says you should keep some as maybe emergency food, but sell the rest. Mike says you should just throw it away. It's not worth trying to eat it and getting sick. Carmen says you might mix it with other foods or seasonings to help get it down. Blair says you should try rinsing it over and over again to clean it or try just a little at a time. Laura says that soaking it might help get it cleaner. Allie said that you can give it to people who are begging for food.
Posted by: Mr. Graber at April 26, 2006 01:52 PM
Posted by: mr.BLAZEK at April 27, 2006 10:07 AM
I think you should give it away to people you met there instead of just wasting it.
Posted by: Mr.Blazek at April 27, 2006 10:22 AM
Leave it for the animals or put it in the river. Maybe the fish will like it.
Posted by: Mrs. Brewers' class at April 27, 2006 12:37 PM
Why don't you ask some of the locals what they do when they buy quinoa and also ask if it is worth it to buy it or if it takes to long to prepare. Maybe the next time you go you can ask the locals if there are any other foods that have a lot of protien. I've heard that there is a lot of protien in meat maybe you can find some the next time you go in the markets. I hope otherwise you guys and girls are having a great trip. I'll keep you posted on what I think.
Posted by: Miss Cegelski at April 27, 2006 12:59 PM
We think that you should keep it to eat but use nets and your hands to pick out the large rocks. After you get the large rocks out you could boil it to have the little grains seperate. Take out a handful at a time then to check it to make sure it is good.
Posted by: Mrs. Bodony at April 27, 2006 02:43 PM
4th Grade HAWK students suggest asking some local residents if they know how to remove the rocks and sand. If this is how the quinoa is always prepared, they must know a way to deal with the problem. Don't eat it now because the rocks could break your teeth. Are there any animals that you could feed the quinoa? We don't think it would be terrible to throw the quinoa away if you are able to replace it with something else to satisfy your hunger. Sometimes you have to learn from an experience and suffer a slight loss. Unless you explain about the rocks and sand, we don't think you should give this to the people that you meet. We don't want you to lose friends over quinoa.
Posted by: Miss Linnea Gustafson at April 27, 2006 02:49 PM
You should sell half the food for some better food in the next city you come across. That way you won't have to eat all of the Quinoa. If you keep half then you can eat the rest if you need to.
Posted by: Ms.Janda at April 28, 2006 11:40 AM
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