National Junk Food Day
Junk foods are usually, by definition, high in fats, sugars, salt, and calories. But more often than not, they are delicious! Junk food day is the perfect day to treat yourself. On Junk Food Day, you get to eat anything you want. Eat any amounts that you want, too. Tomorrow, however, it’s back to a healthy diet.
It doesn’t have to be candies either. Like bacon? Eat so much bacon! Like chili cheese dogs? Eat all the dogs you want. Onion rings, yes please. Pizza? Have it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Junk Food Day is all about indulging in your favorites.
Please Note: Junk food may be hazardous to your health. After all, mom knows what’s best for you. Do so at your own risk. That risk includes having too much and Mom saying: “I told you so!”
Learn about Junk Food Day
Junk Food Day is a day that allows you to chow down on the foods that you usually would not. Junk foods, by their definition, tend to contain a lot of calories, salt, sugar, and fats, and they offer very nutritional value. You may think that it doesn’t do anyone any favors to have a day that is dedicated to junk food.
However, if you follow a healthy and balanced diet, there is nothing wrong with having one day of the year whereby you can eat anything that you want to. In fact, this is encouraged, because it means that you are more likely to eat healthily the rest of the time, right? Of course, it is up to you whether or not you decide to fully embrace Junk Food Day, but we know that we will be!
History of Junk Food Day
Upon searching for the history behind this food filled day, we found no information on the origin of this day. It was most likely created by a diet conscious individual or group who desired to eat junk food, without guilt, at least one day a year, sounds like a great idea to me. For it to become a “national” day it requires an act of congress. I don’t mind celebrating it anyway.
But, what about junk food? When did this start to come into our lives? Well, this coincides with the advent of packaged foods throughout the late 1900s. Of course, for decades, home-cooked meals were still the standard. However, after WW2, junk food really started to take off.
The population was traveling more and eating out more, and this resulted in fast food chains and the frozen food aisle really taking off. There were so many different foods for people to choose from. However, it was not until the 1970s that junk food started to get a bad name. This was when microbiologist, Michael Jacobson, actually coined the phrase. His aim was to try and curb our appetite for high preservative, high salt, and high sugar foods, which we were eating at a worrying rate.
Since then, there has been more knowledge and information about junk food, and a lot of food manufacturers have tried to make healthy versions of the junk food that we love the most! Nevertheless, if you have junk food now and again yet you generally maintain a healthy diet, it should not do you any harm! After all, we all deserve a treat now and again, right?
How to celebrate Junk Food Day
Celebrate this wonderful day by eating any sweet or salty treats you want! Bake cupcakes, make cookies, heat up some popcorn, buy some of your favorite candies. Invite friends over and have them bring in their favorites and make a junk food buffet and spend the rest of the day watching movies. You can always go get some fast food for fun. Take a cheat day from your diet and have dessert for dinner.
Consider trying some junk foods from other countries. Japan has a particular talent for making fun candy that you have to mix together. Look online to see if you can order special treats for the day. To name a few for you Korea has Cheong Woo Pumpkin Candy.
The Ukraine has Mr. Fizzy, a small hard candy that fizzes in your mouth. Columbia has Jet chocolates, a package of chocolates that also comes with a dinosaur sticker. Japan has Unican Mikita Melon Milk candy, a chewy candy with melon flavor. In Spain they have Violetas, sugar coated natural violets. In Poland they have a crunchy wafer-chocolate bar called Prince Polo made by Olza.
Another way that you can celebrate junk food is by creating your own versions of your favorite snacks. For example, instead of heading down to KFC, why not try making your own southern fried chicken? There are lots of great recipes online for junk food nowadays. In fact, you will see that there are some weird and wonderful creations, including different and unusual burger recipes and much more!
You may also want to decide to spend Junk Food Day with your friends. Why not host a junk food party? You can tell your friends that everyone has to bring carby and fatty foods. There are no green leafy foods allowed! Enjoy the day and indulge together. After all, it’s not like it is something that we all get to do all of the time, is it? So, you may as well make the most of it and indulge in those naughty foods. We won’t tell anyone!
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Describing Foods - A Masterlist
As a broke university student, I love reading about food. It’s almost like eating a real meal myself <3.
I get a little angry when characters are eating a meal and I barely get to experience it with them. In that, I mean I don’t just want to know what it is, but what it’s like to eat that food—how it tastes, smells, sounds, and feels. Is a perfect croissant still a perfect croissant without the crack of the exterior, the airiness of the pastry inside, the smell of yeast?
Probably not. When writing about a dish, the smell, texture, technique, taste, and how it looks are all important to painting the experience, so here’s some words to use when describing a meal:
Taste:
Acidic: Sharp tasting. Often used to describe tart or sour foods as well.
Aftertaste: A different taste that remains in the mouth after eating something
Bitter: Tart, sharp, and sometimes harsh flavour.
Bittersweet: Less harsh than bitterness. Tartness + sweetness.
Bland: Has no significant flavor or texture
Briny: Just means salty. Often describes pickled foods.
Citrusy: Bright flavour like… well citrus fruits—oranges, lemons, limes, etc.
Cooling: Mimics that cooling feel—like mint.
Earthy: Reminiscent of soil. Can be used to describe wines, root vegetables, and mushrooms.
Fiery: Another word for spicy.
Fresh: Light and crisp—describes produce or herbs.
Fruity: Sweet and reminiscent of fruit.
Full-bodied: Rich and ‘feels heavy’ in your mouth. Can describe wines or soups.
Herbal: Bright, fresh, sometimes earthy from the presence of herbs
Honeyed: Sweet or candied taste like honey.
Nutty: Taste similar to the flavors of nuts. Often used to describe certain cheeses.
Rich: Full, heavy flavour. Often dishes that contain cream taste rich.
Robust: Rich + Earthy. Used for lots of wines or aged liquor.
Savory: Describes meaty, earthy dishes and soups.
Sharp: Harsh, bitter, or tart taste. Used to describe acidic foods.
Smoky: Reminiscent of the smell of smoke.
Sour: Biting, tangy, tart flavor.
Spicy: Burning taste.
Sweet: Sugary.
Tangy: Tart, biting taste—feels tingly
Tart: Sharp, bitter, or sour flavour. Used to describe acidic foods.
Woody: Earthy, sometimes nutty taste. Describes some coffees or cheeses.
Yeasty: Earthy taste reminiscent of yeast. Describes beer and bread.
Zesty: Fresh, vivid, or invigorating flavour.
Sound/Texture:
Sound has a lot to do with texture, so I've combined them for this section!
Airy: Light, pillowy texture (think inside of croissant)
Brittle: Hard but easy to break
Bubbly: Usually during heating, when bubbles rise to the surface—low sound.
Buttery: Smooth, creamy texture (think certain pasta sauces)
Chewy: Food that needs to be chewed thoroughly. Can be light and bouncy (chewy bread) or heavy (steak) and sticky (candy)
Creamy: A smooth and rich texture, comes from dairy.
Crispy: Light texture with slight crunch.
Crumbly: Food with loose structure that falls apart into crumbs.
Crunchy: Firm, crisp texture with a sharp, loud noise.
Crusty (behave): Food with a hard outer layer and soft interior (many loaves and breads)
Delicate: Light and fine, feels like it can come apart easily.
Doughy: Soft and heavy, usually pale colouring.
Fizzy: Usually liquids—a hissing sound, feels like ‘static’
Flaky: Light, characterized by layers that come apart during eating.
Fluffy: light and airy.
Frothy/Foamy: Airy bubbles, usually in a drink like a latte.
Gamey: Usually refers to meats when they’re very “meaty”
Gooey: Viscous, sometimes sticky texture from moisture in a dense/solid food.
Hearty: Firm, robust texture.
Juicy: Tender and succulent texture from liquid in a solid food (steak)
Molten: Hot, gooey
Oily: Slick, heavy, lingers on the tongue.
Silky: Fine, smooth texture that feels sleek.
Smooth: Texture free of grit, lumps, or edges.
Snap: A quick, sharp, crackling sound when broken.
Squelch: A soft sucking sound when pressure is applied. Somewhat gross.
Sticky: Gluiness in the mouth.
Succulent: Tender and juicy
Tender: Soft and easy to break down
Velvety: Smooth and rich
Smell:
Acrid: Strong, bitter, unpleasant
Comforting: pleasant, probably calls back to a nice memory
Damp: Wet smelling—probably a bit earthy
Delicate: subtle, faint, not overpowering
Earthy: reminiscent of soil
Fetid: Caused by decay—unpleasant
Fishy: reminiscent of fish
Floral/flowery: Reminiscent of flowers
Fragrant: Sweet or pleasing
Fresh: Cool, crisp, refreshing—produce, probably not cooked
Funky: Something’s gone off
Heady: Strong smell, pungent, rich
Musty: Not fresh
Perfumed: Pleasant, reminiscent of something (can be perfumed with citrus, say)
Piquant: stinging, pungent—tickles the nose
Powerful: strong
Rancid: Definitely gone off, decomposing
Ripe: Strong, usually unpleasant smell
Savory: spicy, salty, no elements of sweetness
Sour: has gone off
Spicy: Sharp, tingles the nose
Tangy: Strong and bitter but in a good way
Tart: Sharp
Woody: earthy smell, reminiscent of wood
Sight:
Usually texture gives us a really good picture of what a food looks like, so here’s some non-texture sight additions:
Blistered: Bumpy exterior.
Caramelized: Usually golden brown
Cloudy: Splotched. Almost see through if not for a slight white or grey mist.
Colourful: Bright and vibrant
Glassy: Resembling glass
Glossy: Smooth, shiny
Marbled: Two colours intertwined
Opaque: Not transparent. Can’t see through.
Ripe: Colourful (can be to a fault). Nearing the end of its edible state.
Scaly: Covered in scales, fish.
Shiny: Appears wet or glossy
Sparkling: Glimmers under the light
Stuffed: An ingredient placed inside a larger part with no additional space.
Translucent: Allows light through
Vibrant: Striking, bright
Food Prep:
How the food is prepared gives it these other attributes. If your character is familiar with cooking (or is the cook themselves!) they may describe food this way.
Baked: Cooked in an oven. Results in browned or crispy outer layer.
Blackened: When food is dipped in butter and coated with spices then cooked in a hot pan—spices darken, making it appear ‘blackened’
Blanched: Food scalded in boiling water and moved to cold water so it stops cooking. Texture comes out soft.
Braised: Food that is briefly fried in fat and then stewed in a pot. Results in seared, crispy exterior with a tender interior.
Breaded: Coated with breadcrumbs/batter then baked or fried so it turns crispy
Broiled: Food cooked with intense radiant heat in an oven or on the grill. Results in a darkened appearance and crispy texture.
Caramelized: Food slow-cooked until it’s browned, nutty, and has a bit of sweetness.
Charred: Grilled, roasted, or broiled and gains a blackened exterior and smoky flavor.
Fermented: Food that’s sat with bacteria, yeast, or another microorganism and has produced acids, alcohols, or gases. Results in a biting, pungent flavor. (Kimchi is fermented)
Fried: Food cooked by submerging in hot oil. Creates crispy, crunchy texture and golden colour.
Glazed: Food with a coating brushed onto its surface. Appears glossy with a thin, flavorful, and crisp outer layer.
Infused: Food steeped in liquid with another ingredient so it carries the essence of that ingredient. Used with herbs usually.
Marinated: Usually meat soaked in liquid containing flavourful herbs, spices, vinegar, or oil.
Poached: Food cooked in near boiling water. Results in tender, moist texture.
Roasted: Food cooked with dry heat in an oven or over the fire. Results in browned exterior and crisp coating.
Sautéed: Food cooked quickly in small amount of fat.
Seared: Food cooked in small amount of fat until caramelized. Finished by roasting or grilling. Results in crisp exterior and tender interior.
Smoked: Food exposed to smoke from smoldering wood for a long time. Results in that distinctive smoky flavor.
Whipped: Food beaten to incorporate air. Light and fluffy.
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