the university newspaper just ran this article about my restaurant
Soup-R-Man Tells Us to Take Time to Cook
By Nikki Little
Prompted by its unimpressive 'C' rating in the Globe and Mail's 2007 'university report card,' James Scott spent weeks scouting out the food court at the University of Regina to see what it was lacking. He observed that the food court lacked chef-inspired cuisine, and that there was nowhere on campus serving fresh, home-made soups. This unfilled niche is what inspired the creation of the restaurant 'Soup-R-Man,' located between the Riddel Center and the College West building.
The restaurant’s name was based off of the idea of kryptonite, a substance that was the one weakness of legendary crime-fighter Superman. Scott refers to deep fried foods as "edible death," and feels that some of the foods we commonly eat are our own kryptonite. He holds many strong beliefs about healthy eating.
Scott, a self-trained chef, calls himself "the Robert Frost of Cooking."
"I don’t follow recipe books, I make them," says the culinary poet. His self-developed cooking style stresses the use of good-quality ingredients that have not been, as he describes it, "cooked to the point of death." He feels that more nutrients are retained in foods when they aren’t overcooked, and that you prevent negative chemical processes from taking place. In his foods, flavour is imparted by organic veggies and herbs, high-quality vinegars, and healthful hempseeds and flaxseeds instead of excessive fats, salt, and additives. Scott firmly believes in the old but true adage "you are what you eat," and that cooking with healthful, high-quality ingredients will bring us the most nutritional benefit.
Investing time into food is also very important to Scott. As a member of the Slow Food organization, Scott believes in taking the time to grow foods properly, to prepare them properly, and to enjoy them to their fullest. He is leery of the tactics used in pre-packaged foods to create the same flavours that take hours to prepare in an average kitchen. When you cook, you will gain the most health benefits by taking the time to prepare foods from scratch rather than cutting corners with pre-prepared products.
Scott feels that the preservatives and chemicals that go into pre-packaged foods create a lot of problems with digestion.
"Before the advent of microwaveable food, obesity was not a problem," he points out.
One should be wary of chemicals such as BHT and BHA, Scott notes. According to the entry for Chemcial Compounds in the Gale Virtual Reference Library, these are two chemicals used to prevent fats and oils from turning rancid. The entryalso states that there is scepticism surrounding the safety of these compounds. In particular, scientists question if these chemicals can cause long-term kidney and liver damage, and if they are carcinogenic (meaning cancer-causing). We have to question how we expect our bodies to properly digest foods containing additives meant to prevent these foods from breaking down.
"Food should not be [in] stasis," Scott says, referring to the chemically preserved state of so many of the foods we eat today, "it should be static." Food that breaks down naturally on its own is easier for our digestive systems to handle.
Scott hopes students will see the connection between how they eat and their own achievements at school.
"The way you perform is based on how you eat," he points out, adding that healthy eating can go a long way in assisting a student’s studies. Opting today for foods that will give you all the nutrients you need and none of the chemicals that cause you more harm than good can therefore have a great influence on your future.
For more on the Slow Food International, see http://www.slowfood.com .
woooooot
Soup-R-Man Tells Us to Take Time to Cook
By Nikki Little
Prompted by its unimpressive 'C' rating in the Globe and Mail's 2007 'university report card,' James Scott spent weeks scouting out the food court at the University of Regina to see what it was lacking. He observed that the food court lacked chef-inspired cuisine, and that there was nowhere on campus serving fresh, home-made soups. This unfilled niche is what inspired the creation of the restaurant 'Soup-R-Man,' located between the Riddel Center and the College West building.
The restaurant’s name was based off of the idea of kryptonite, a substance that was the one weakness of legendary crime-fighter Superman. Scott refers to deep fried foods as "edible death," and feels that some of the foods we commonly eat are our own kryptonite. He holds many strong beliefs about healthy eating.
Scott, a self-trained chef, calls himself "the Robert Frost of Cooking."
"I don’t follow recipe books, I make them," says the culinary poet. His self-developed cooking style stresses the use of good-quality ingredients that have not been, as he describes it, "cooked to the point of death." He feels that more nutrients are retained in foods when they aren’t overcooked, and that you prevent negative chemical processes from taking place. In his foods, flavour is imparted by organic veggies and herbs, high-quality vinegars, and healthful hempseeds and flaxseeds instead of excessive fats, salt, and additives. Scott firmly believes in the old but true adage "you are what you eat," and that cooking with healthful, high-quality ingredients will bring us the most nutritional benefit.
Investing time into food is also very important to Scott. As a member of the Slow Food organization, Scott believes in taking the time to grow foods properly, to prepare them properly, and to enjoy them to their fullest. He is leery of the tactics used in pre-packaged foods to create the same flavours that take hours to prepare in an average kitchen. When you cook, you will gain the most health benefits by taking the time to prepare foods from scratch rather than cutting corners with pre-prepared products.
Scott feels that the preservatives and chemicals that go into pre-packaged foods create a lot of problems with digestion.
"Before the advent of microwaveable food, obesity was not a problem," he points out.
One should be wary of chemicals such as BHT and BHA, Scott notes. According to the entry for Chemcial Compounds in the Gale Virtual Reference Library, these are two chemicals used to prevent fats and oils from turning rancid. The entryalso states that there is scepticism surrounding the safety of these compounds. In particular, scientists question if these chemicals can cause long-term kidney and liver damage, and if they are carcinogenic (meaning cancer-causing). We have to question how we expect our bodies to properly digest foods containing additives meant to prevent these foods from breaking down.
"Food should not be [in] stasis," Scott says, referring to the chemically preserved state of so many of the foods we eat today, "it should be static." Food that breaks down naturally on its own is easier for our digestive systems to handle.
Scott hopes students will see the connection between how they eat and their own achievements at school.
"The way you perform is based on how you eat," he points out, adding that healthy eating can go a long way in assisting a student’s studies. Opting today for foods that will give you all the nutrients you need and none of the chemicals that cause you more harm than good can therefore have a great influence on your future.
For more on the Slow Food International, see http://www.slowfood.com .
woooooot
