K is for King Corn and Killer at Large: Obesity in America

     Sad, inspiring, disturbing and revealing. American's are sick, and it's because of the foods we eat, the advertisements we see, and the way the system controls food that is processed and spit out to the masses.   

     The other day I snuggled into my warm bed in the late afternoon. There was a chill in the air for the first time in California, and I was coming down with a cold. So, after many cups of yerba matte and a large bowl of steel cut oats, I let go of my failed attempts to feel better and enjoyed the pleasure of the fabulous "Instant Gratification on Netflix". You wouldn't believe this gigantic world of movies you can watch, instantly on your computer! Cheap and instant, two words everyone likes.
     So tea in hand, Kleenex at my side, and many DayQuil down, I began watching Killer at Large: Obesity in America. To be completely honest, I wasn't entirely interested or excited considering its ominous title. It could have turned out to be a bunch of overweight Americans complaining about how the system made them this way and that the government should pay for their lipo surgery, and blah blah blah. However, I was pleasantly surprised. This documentary directed by Steven Greenstreet, was well crafted, thought provoking and mostly turned out to be a call to action. It made me physically ill with facts that reveal how terrible our government is about regulating our food supply. The thousands of advertisements to hook children early and the badly regulated high calorie USDA school lunch program. It also illustrates how basic human nature within all of us has created this monster of a problem; excess does not equal health, obviously.
    So, what exactly are the brass tacks of the problem labeled obesity? I have outlined some of them from the film to help you understand the depth and breadth of this issue:

• We have created a system where the least healthy food energy in the market are the least expensive, and the more healthy items, like fruits and vegetables are more expensive. Therefore, if you are poor, your food quality is also poor. 
• The risk for obesity for a child increases by 6% for every hour of TV watched per day.
• 46% of the USDA approved "fruits and vegetables" consumed by kids per year are eaten as Ketchup and French Fries.
• 2/3rds of American's are considered overweight or obese. 
• Everywhere we go there is food available. Everywhere. Hardware stores, clothing stores, book stores. We can not go one block without seeing food. We are surrounded by cues to eat.  
• Food is a cultural problem of not valuing it, not revering what it is, as the most important engagement of the natural world. -Michael Pollan
• Quantity is not the key measure as opposed to quality. 
• It takes 10 kcals of fossil fuel energy to produce 1 kcal of processed food in the US. 
• For every extra pound of weight the average American gains, we use nearly 39 million additional gallons of oil.
• Corn is in EVERYTHING. (I will elaborate on this later.)
• Oil, Corn and the Pharmaceutical companies are inextricably linked. Oil goes into fertilizer to grow corn, corn is used in processed foods which is eaten by humans, all the processed food and fast food makes us fat and sick and then the pharmaceutical companies sell us drugs to make use better. All of these companies, making tons of money and all of them killing us. - Conversation between Bill Mahr and Michael Pollan

    So what do these facts tell us? Well, I trust you will see the film after reading this, but in the mean time, these facts show obesity is rapidly destroying our society from within. This rising rate of obesity is not only a "crime on the body" and but it is one of the most pressing issues that we as American's should be trying to control.
    In 1946 the surgeon general warned us about the problem of excessive weight gain and the over abundance of advertising to children.  Now, nearly 60 years later, we are fast approaching what will be the largest population earth has ever held as well as the largest people. Obesity costs the US over 75 million dollars a year. Think about where that money could have gone? National Parks, new bike paths,  city parks, school physical education, organic farmers, nutrition classes to elementary school children, anything. There is so much more in the film, but I am counting on you to see it for your self, and act accordingly from the facts presented.

    After watching what was truly Killer, I was all riled up, I needed more activism, more fuel to my fire, and feeling slightly better thanks to my dosage of DayQuil, I moved on to view King Corn. A documentary by two friends Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis, both graduates from Yale, who discover that they are made up of mostly corn, or better yet, the food they eat (because, you are what you eat) was made up of mostly corn. This revelation was the jumping off point for them. With a few bucks and a common thread of heritage in Iowa, they set off from Cambridge to learn how an acer of corn is planted, fertilized, grown, harvested, shipped, and eventually processed into our food supply to eventually be eaten and become a part of our biomass. 

    

"Hair is a tape recorder of diet.... so this hamburger will eventually find it's way into my hair..." - Steve Macko, explaining how food becomes a part of your body.

"...the carbon in your body originates from corn.... not corn on the cob.... the corn thats being used as a material thats going into the food that we use ubiquitously... high fructose corn syrup.... beef, chicken, we feed them corn which is turned into their biomass that we consume.... corn starch... hydrolyzed corn solids... " - Steve Macko, University of Virginia.

     So think about this statement when you are at the grocery store the next time. Go and look at food labels and packages. Find out what your meat is being fed. All of it. You will be surprised by what you are made up of. 

     The tale of these two is fascinating. Full of great cinematography, stop motion, excellent time lapse photos, wonderful farmers, open hearts, genuine shock, and extremely surprising facts about the amount of corn grown and used in this country. One writer brought me full circle back to Killer. Michael Pollan, the author of In Defense of Food, The Omnivores Dilemma and The Botany of Desire are books I have read, highlighted, quoted in presentations, and pushed on friends and family, makes a great point in King Corn: 

     

"You take that McDonald's meal, and you don't realize it when you eat it,  but you're actually eating corn. Beef has been corn fed. Soda is corn, it's all high fructose corn syrup, thats the main ingredient. Even the french fries, half the calories of the french fries come from the fat they are fried in, and that fat is liable to be corn oil... everything on your plate is corn."  

     

     Now, it is not to say that all of this is terrible for you, but it is just not natural. The production or better yet, the over production of corn is on-going because of the government subsidizes given to farmers. The mountains of golden corn all over the mid-west is "cheap", it is "surplus" and it goes into our bodies. It is not eaten off the cob, but boiled down, ground up, digested, mashed and repackaged as Pepsi or Big Mac's or Twinkies.  My favorite quote from the film: 

"We subsidize the happy meals, but we don't subsidize the healthy ones."  

    

    I realized that our money is going to the companies that end up making the masses sick.  For the first time in American history, my generation is at risk of having a shorter life span than their parents. Not necessarily a surprise considering all of these facts presented. But, via my years in school and the abundance of great documentary and literary work I have delved into, it is a surprise to me that all of this information is out there and yet there are very few doing anything about it. 

    We vote every time we spend money, we vote with our time, how we participate in every day life, but it seems to me that there is a better question here : why don't we vote more consciously with our bodies? 

    I'm not going to say that food is poison, and I'm not going to say that meat is murder, and I'm not rallying against the government or protesting the great farmers of America, but there needs to be some kind of recourse for what is being done. 
     Watch, take notes, listen to facts and understand that everyone makes a difference. 

     
There is no better time than now. 
  


  PS:  As far as weight goes, here is the Interpretation of Body Mass Index (BMI) in adults, by the National Institutes of Health. These are the measurements for "health" or the overall mortality and nutritional risk that most health practitioners go by. 


BMI is calculated as :   weight (in kilograms) divided by height (in meters) squared. 
       More simply : kg body weight / [height in m]²
    So:  If your weight is 120 pounds, to find it in kilograms (kg) you divide 120 by 2.2 : 120 lbs./ 2.2 kg = 54.5 kg 
            If your height is 5 feet 7 inches, convert that to inches total : 5 ft X 12 inch = 60 inches + 7 inches = 67 inches.
            To convert Inches to meters, use the conversion factor of 0.0254.   So, 67 inches X 0.0254 meters = 1.7018 m 
                                 So our calculation is:   54.5 kg / [1.7018 m]2  = 54.5 / 2.9 = about 18.9 BMI
So what is Obese classified as? 


A BMI of 30 or above is classified as obese. 
A BMI between 25 - 29.9 is classified as overweight.
A BMI between  19 - 24.9 is classified as healthy weight.
A BMI of 18 or below is classified as underweight. 

Simple to understand? Right, no. But, with these easy calculations you can grasp what the government and the health care industry considers you. 

J...

Jelly Beans. Jumping Jacks. Jolly ol' Saint Nick. Jell-o. Judicious. Jack-fruit. Juxtapose. Jack White. Japanese food. Jicama. Jesus. John Lennon. Juniper. Jumper. Joyus. Joel. Jalapeno. Joke. Juice. Juicy Juice. Jerk-face. Jaundice. Jasmine. JuJu Bee. Jugular. Java. Janice Joplin. Justice of the Peace. Just out of reach. Just in time. Just my luck. Just in case. Just for good measure. Just because. Jab. Jabberwocky. Jealous. Jewels. Jimi Hendrix. Jekyll. Je ne sais qoui. Jay-Z. Jam. Jerusalem. Jazz. Joint. Jail. Jinx.

Just thought I would use this entry to see how many J words I could think of in 2 minutes.

Try it.

(Because K is going to be Killer, and I can't wait to get to it!)

I is for Icing on the cake.

     It is an infamous scene and an inevitable one at that. Every event where there is cake I see icing, and its always left on plates, strewn about, after the party has commenced. Shameful. All of that fluffy handcrafted cake-ness, has been eaten without the frosting. It is left there on the plate, sad and alone, full of possibility. It is that sugary delicious frosting that makes a truly good cake experience, in my opinion. It's not an orange friends, you don't peal off the outer layer. Good cake is to be eaten with good icing, it is a unit. The biggest offenders of this food crime is women who always refrain from the even taking a nibble for it may disrupt their figures.
     Obviously, I love frosting. Of all kinds, I do not discriminate. It holds a special place in my "food memories bank". Rubbing elbows with Mashed Potatoes and Top Ramen with Peas.
     I like decorating with it, blending colors together, mixing it with new flavors like orange zest and irish cream, which is amazing. Another new favorite is shredded toasted coconut with crushed chocolate covered espresso beans, or lemon with a touch of strawberry jam, oh forget it, it is just all so good.
     FROSTING! BUTTER CREAM! ICING! GANACHE! PASTRY CREAM! WHIPPED CREAM! Eat, indulge, dive in, lick it off your fingers and for goodness sake eat it with the cake it comes with. Don't try to be dainty, because you just look picky and finicky.
     A pastry chef, is a chef, and therefore there is a reason for the frosting. As with most things, there is a method to the madness, and pushing a major component of the final course of an amazing meal onto the outskirts of the plate in disgust is just like asking for salt at a 5 Star Michelin restaurant. That is how upset it makes me to see frosting left on the plate, only to be thrown away, never to be consumed with its counterpart, cake.
     So my question to those who do not have their cake and eat the frosting too, did you have a bad experience with icing in the past? And if so, have another go at it, I beg you. The prospect of lonely frosting rich and delicious left alone makes me sad. If my sadness over this frosting debacle doesn't make a difference to you, then do me a favor, don't even take the cake that is offered, all you will do is mangle it beyond repair. Seeing the promise of cake deconstructed, broken and leaves me despondent.
    
     With that, it is my dubious duty to give you some frosting making tips. Think of this like a decree from the icing queen: I send you off into the future and wish you good cake and frosting making and eating, with these stipulations:

1. All ingredients require the right temperature to make a smooth icing. Some recipes call for a double boiler, like a 7-minute-frosting. Other require leaving butter out on the counter to soften, which is usually a must when whipping up a butter cream. This goes for egg whites as well, if making meringue, make sure they are room temp. Since the cake, if it is not an ice cream cake, will be eaten at room temperature, it is best to create in those conditions.

2. Baking is usually more scientific than regular cooking, so if using a recipe, follow instructions very carefully. Binding, leavening, emulsifying, creaming, temperature, rise, blend; these are words which actually yield a chemical reaction between the ingredients used, and therefore, to create to correct product, you must add the right amount of reactants together at the appropriate time.

3. When putting the first layer of icing on your cake, firstly make sure the cake is cooled (you don't want to melt the frosting) and secondly add a very thin layer to cover the entire top and outer edges of the cake. This is called a crumb layer. After this is finished, place the cake in the fridge to help solidify this crumb layer of frosting to the cake. This simple step will help to alleviate the issues getting crumbs from the cake into the pristine frosting you have created and will soon envelope the fluffy goodness.

4.  Wether you spatula on the icing or use a pastry piping bag, it is crucial to remember that texture, color and presentation are elements important to create appeal of the cake. Bundt cakes require just a drizzle of lemon glaze and others like 3 layer Red Velvet scream for a basket weave design, and some are just perfect pilled high with thick deep dark chocolate butter cream swirled all over by a small spoon. It's your call to play with it, make it what you want, and to always remember that as much people protest to eating desert they always want to, so it is your job to make it as irresistible as possible.

5.  Very important, enjoy the creation of this sweet treat! There are steps, there is preparation, there are daunting directions, sometimes there is an overwhelming plethora of ingredients, but ultimately you are not alone in the journey to icing heaven. I'll be there with you, hovering over your shoulder as you blend together sugar, butter, vanilla, shortening, anything, everything, and I will personally make sure that everyone eats that cake with the frosting.

Trust me, it's worth it.    

H is for Healthcare

     Remember Sicko? Michael Moore? The influential documentary director/producer/writer of Fahrenheit 9/11, and Bowling for Columbine? Some believe his films have served as catalysts to spark the fire under politico's, after they are released to public scrutiny. In the same fashion as Morgan Spurlock's Super Size Me against the mega-conglomerate McDonald's, Sicko certainly does a number on the healthcare industry in America, insurance companies in particular. It's now 3 years after the film was released in 2007, and here we are teetering on the brink of change. Once again, maybe Michael Moore was ahead of the game in asking the tough questions. 
     This new "legislation aims to provide health insurance to more Americans by expanding Medicaid, providing tax credits to help low- and middle-income people buy coverage, and creating health insurance exchanges for individuals and small businesses. It also would require employers that don’t offer coverage to help pay for employees’ government-subsidized coverage.... cap annual out-of-pocket expenses and prevent insurance companies from denying coverage for pre-existing conditions." 
     Hillary and Bill in the 90's obviously tried, but subsequently, their attempts were crushed by the onslaught of rebuttals to the idea of equal healthcare for all American's. Not a surprise considering that Hillary was the face of the attempted reform, and as I recall her contemporaries were downright rude and disrespectful during the congressional hearings. Unfortunately, the Clinton's toil was fore-not, because of what it all come down to in politics : campaign contribution money and backing. 
      It is always money isn't it? 
      How much money did those bureaucrats get in contributions to their political machines after that pharmaceuticals bill for seniors was signed by Bush in 2003? And, how many of them now work for Humana, Blue Cross, or United Health care? Nearly all of the 14 who sponsored it. Hundreds of thousands, a combined over 2 million dollars, in contributions went those 14 benefactors, and W. got over $825 thousand of it towards, well, who knows now.
     Sick is right Mr. Moore. That was just one of many pay outs to congressmen and senators from insurance companies over the years. 
     A question I find my self asking is, if these politicians actually cared about their constituents, wouldn't they make more of an effort to put laws in place that might keep us around longer? Don't they need our votes? They can't get them if we are dead. We can't get to the polling booths laying in a hospital bed sucking oxygen though tubes in our noses, or comatose on life support. Both of which are routes a LOT more costly for the healthcare industry than if people were treated with some primary prevention, for example going to see a Dietitian before conditions worsened.  

     In 2009 it is estimated by the American Cancer Society that nearly 290,000 men and 270,000 women will die from Cancer in the U.S. If this statistic isn't enough to make law makers start listening to the people they are supposed to be fighting for and closing their wallets to insurance companies, I don't know what is. That is just the Cancer death rates, think about all of the other diseases contracted by humans. While these kinds of statistics are overwhelming, special interest groups are spending $1.4 million a day to kill reform according the the New York Times.  
      The question of why politicians remain money hungry is not a mystery. Although, one mystery remains, why do those who have everything, find it difficult to share with those who have nothing?
      We all have had forays into the fear of not having health insurance, especially as young adults in our twenties. My most recent brush was during a trip to Santa Barbara in August. 
      My parents own a little cabin, located in the Los Padres National Forest. Eight of my friends and I ventured up to enjoy a weekend of relaxation, games, wine tasting, and togetherness. It was a good time had by all, well, all except for my boyfriend. He will now don the proud nickname "spider monkey" for the rest of his days. Bitten by what we think was a black widow the first evening of our stay, Joel began to suffer from symptoms about eight hours later: chills, profuse sweating, lack of appetite, dizziness, quiziness, muscle spasms, difficulty breathing, everything and anything was happening inside his body. Ice cold feet, a blazing hot forehead, an internal temperature over 102 and a crazy bright red vein that ran up his leg from the location of the bite to his upper thigh. The bite,  near his ankle became as large as a ping-pong ball, and as hard as a rock. He was a mess. He is also self employed and like many others, lacks health insurance. 
        Pouring sweat in the downstairs room of the cabin, he lay, trying to sleep it off. I dosed him with Benadryl and Advil, which decreased the allergenic effect of the venom and relieved some of his pain. Ultimately, he probably should have seen a doctor. He did, of course, survive the bite, feeling somewhat better 2 days later, but, what if we had needed to race him to the hospital? How much would that bill have been? Knowing that others have paid over $3,500 for one night in the emergency room, I can only imagine what any treatment may have cost him.  Thusly, it was due to his lack of healthcare, that he protested our requests to take him to the hospital. 
       2009 is drawing to a close, and, since we are a nation in need of instant gratification, we are tapping our toes, arms crossed, sitting on the edge of our seats, asking, dear government when will the other shoe to drop. 
      Yesterday one of those shoes did. The health care reform bill "jumped a hurdle" according to all the top news sites. The Senate Finance Committee approved the bill 14 to 9 and shows a "step towards reform" to quote the President,  but as we all know from the many School House Rock Videos it takes a while for a bill on capitol hill to become a law. Here's hoping that the system works. 
      "Now that all five congressional committees have passed reform legislation, we're sure to see attacks that are even more extreme. It's up to us to make sure that ordinary Americans continue to be heard louder than the Washington lobbyists",  Mitch Stewart asks of us as the Director for Organizing for America. 
      Although, this may seem like a somewhat of a one sided argument on my part, I error on the side of my beloved friends and relatives who go without insurance because they cannot afford it. So, in the meantime, here is the link to  Help Pass Real Reform. I'm not a spokesperson, I'm just concerned for others who may get bit by a spider. 
       
              

G is for Grandmother, Gum, Grains and Giant Orange Slushy Drinks

       It was common during the early 40's in America, that she and he would become fast in love and lust, but forced to part soon after. A young girl at the age of seventeen, in the summer of 1943, freshly wedded to the handsome Herbert Charles Jenkins, "Lou" as we know him, and four short days later, they parted ways for what would be months on end. He had to return to service with the U.S. Navy, so the beautiful Irish girl from Pennsylvania, with gorgeous kelly green eyes,  Mildred "Millie" Anne Jenkins, was left by her new husband for a boat full of men, and a war far far away, while she with a ring on her finger tried to put together the new life that lay ahead of her.
      I cannot imagine or even want to dream about how this time in our history must have been for all the other girls stuck in those shoes. It's difficult for me to not see the people I love most for more than a day, let alone months and months. Corresponding only by letters which would generally be few and far between. It must have taken a lot of strength. And I am proud to say, and still hope, that some of this remarkable woman's strength has now passed into me. My Grandmother, Millie.
      This past Sunday, October 11th, she turned the ripe age of 83 years young; wore her brand new brown micro-suede skirt, matching shoes, coral blouse and matching earrings as she posed for her birthday pictures. She is an inspiration, as are most older people. The stories seem like tall tales really, of traveling, loads of hard work, war time and depression era strains, family triumphs as well as family heartbreaks, the newness of things that we deem old, and the appreciation for things that we deem frivolous; that is what I have come to love most about older people, their perspective on life.  My Grandma, for as far back as I can remember, has always been so kind, loved and cherished her gorgeous children, and put up with everything that was thrown at her with grace and poise.
      Literally, I see people light up when they are in her presence. She greets everyone with warmth and welcome, and this weekend was no exception. My parents and I visited my Grandparents to celebrate the special occasion of my Grandmothers birth. On one of our outings, a sunny Saturday afternoon the staff at the new See's Candies became some of the privileged few to make Millie's acquaintance. Like Cinderella, she walked into the new store like she owned the joint, all eyes were on her, and she really is striking. Although Parkinson's has limited her ability to walk without assistance, she took center stage in her matching Alfred Dunner Pants and Plaid Periwinkle Blue top, which she made of point of stating were "Made in the U.S.A." and in the same fashion, just like her favorite See's candy, which is made in California.

       We sampled a sickeningly sweet treat, greeting us upon entry to the shop. This new Milk Chocolate covered Vanilla Cream with Walnuts will surely be on our favorite list for a while. It tasted like  a  throw back to my Grandmothers younger days, and I imagined what that must have been like then, strolling the shores of Newport News, while I let the sugar dissolve on my tounge. Although my favorite candy from See's is the Dark Chocolate Chip Truffle, this new concoction is a close 3rd or 4th runner up. ( A list of a favorites to follow soon. )  With her infinite charm she also coerced the candy slingers to give us a few lollipop's for her son and husband whom she said, "were out shopping for us girls", when really they were perusing for TV's with the new HD quality, that would compliment the sports package Lou had recently ordered.
      An amazing woman on all accounts. There have been many moments in my life that I can connect directly back to a memory of my grandma. Brightly colored clothes, jewelry and lots of it, big bright sunflowers, always looking "fresh and polished", those little sausage links at morning breakfasts. She made me numerous dress up clothes that would make me into a princess for hours of play time, never forgets a birthday, a holiday or any card giving celebration for that matter, and still stuffs little sayings and recipes into envelopes to send to me,  and she has always smelled like fresh gardenia blossoms. But there is one other scent, in particular, that instantly reminds me of her: Wrigley's Doublemint gum. Still, she chews it religiously and attributes to her lack of a waddle under her chin. She has always kept "slim and trim" as she would call it and "the good lord willing..." always will, she says. Her gum habit, has been a long standing one, and I can't think of anyone else who has a more beautiful glowing smile. So I'll thank Wrigley's for her, you're doing a great job!
        Earlier that morning, as I sat across the breakfast table from her, staring into her bright green eyes which gazed back at me from behind her amazingly stylish frames, and she regaled us with stories of hardship and determination, with in inflection that lead me to believe she couldn't fathom having to do it all over again. Now, over 65 years after she and Lou were married, they live in St. George, Utah. (But are really true Californian's.) So, all five of us, eating and chatting at the breakfast table, my parents side by side, going on almost 35 years of marriage, and my grandfather to my right. As we enjoyed conversation and each others company, I tried to soak up every second of this greatly profound family memory. Of course, this heart warming tale of family togetherness is also entangled with a memory that what will now live in infamy as the "salty oatmeal incident". With the best of intentions my grandma woke up bright and early to fix the oatmeal for all of us.
     Instant Oatmeal. Thick Instant Oatmeal. With Sea Salt. Lots of it.  In addition to that, she also made a pot of coffee. Flavored coffee. Vanilla Cream Flavored coffee. Don Francisco to be exact. Wonderful.(?)
        I love my grandparents to pieces, don't get me wrong, but I can unequivocally say, I do not love salty oatmeal, flavored coffee, and/or any combination of the two.
       The breakfast was not necessarily terrible or inedible, I must attribute some of lack of luster to myself and my foolishness the evening prior. Because, I can now say with my head hung low, I especially do not love a luke warm bowl of thick, salty instant oatmeal accompanied by a semi-warm cup of vanilla flavored Donny Franco coffee post a night which ended with Giant High Octane 190 (with an extra shot) Orange Slushy Drink from a place called Fat Tuesday's at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas. Honestly, I stumbled into the trap which I call the enabler : my Mom.
       While I'm on the subject of things I Do Not Love, another addition to the list is the promise of a requested "vegetarian/vegan" entree, which when brought to me, the hungry diner, is found to be laced with bits of apple-wood smoked bacon in the mound of greens pilled high a top the deeply fried potato pancake which has been left to swim in a pool of, what can be assured is a chicken stock laden smokey tomato cream sauce. This was an accident? Oh, I think not Emeril's, Las Vegas. You also had the audacity to not remove it from the final bill? For shame bald waiter whom I was assured by would take care of me. Although, I will thank you for the glass of Gloria Ferrar Rose Champagne due to our cured meat mishap. But, do you think you could scrape the flavor of the poor pigs backside out of my mouth. It is days later and I can still taste it, even though I spit it out. Now, back to Grandma.
       So we enjoyed our processed grains, salty as they were, and she waxed poetic about the days of yore, her long gone youth, and most favorite things: her children. One, my dad, the apple of his parents eye; a dream son on all fronts, although not safe from his share of trouble making for them. They adore him, and it is obvious of the four great kids they produced, he is the favorite. Which in turn, makes me the favorite grandchild of the six. Great people, all of them, but, well, I'm the favorite, and thats that. (Sorry Chris, Malani, Melissa, Joyclyn and Nick. Love you!)
        She also claims that she never wants anything for her birthday. Just like all women, she says "your company is enough for me", but since I adore cooking for others, and baking in particular, I requested she give me suggestions for her big birthday cake; no feat too big or small, I wanted to make it. I was thinking of going in guns blazing, 12 tier-royal-lemon-scented-french-meringue-frosted-triple-chocolate-butter-pecan-rose hip-flowers-homemade-truffle-center-gourmet crazy. Much to my chagrin, she wanted a simple bundt cake, pound cake style specifically, with a light lemon glaze. I sighed, easy, and fast. So, I did try to get a little adventurous and added extra lemon zest, ground cardamom, whole vanilla bean and freshly ground nutmeg, but otherwise it was straight up pound cake, and it turned out fantastic. Like she said, "this is just what I wanted dear", and I can't think of better satisfaction that that. Can you? Especially a la mode.
        A simple day. With her family; Her son, her husband, her daughter-in-law and granddaughter. We laughed, and talked as she chewed her gum and enjoyed her birthday cards and multiple gifts from near and far. Played a game or two, and shared a light healthy dinner. Penne pasta with asparagus, zucchini, tomatoes, peas, carrots and red bell pepper and a simple tossed romaine lettuce salad  and for the seafood eaters southern baked jumbo prawns. I just love the smell of food on the stove, especially when I'm making it for other people. In particular people I love. They enjoyed every bite.  It is easy to, forget how it can please people to just go and visit them, have dinner with them, play a card game or two with them. Making this small effort has made me realize how lazy I have become.
        So now, after visiting Morman country, LDS everywhere, and blessings from god abound, I find myself thinking of my Grandparents, and I had plenty of time during the eight hour drive home (damn Vegas traffic). But even as we drove away I began to wonder, how did they do it all these years? I can barely hold my life together and I've got it pretty easy. My Grandma, now 83 and my Grandpa turning 88 in December, both of them having gone through their lions share of surgeries, misfortunes with health, playing thousands of Golf games, experiencing huge Bingo victories and losses, the many many years devoted to the Navy lifestyle, four kids, one whom has passed, and living out here in St. George, so far away from us.
      So, did they move to get away from us? The family? The friends? To wash away the dread that California may have caused them? Did they move for the community centers and the religion? (Although, the center was awesome. It has two pools and jacuzzis, one indoor and one outdoor area, a great workout room which was empty, elderly square dancing, yoga, water aerobics and the list just goes on. It was kind of amazing.) Did they crave the warm desert air or the proximity to Nellis Air-force Base and thousands of golf courses? I'm guessing that I can waste time wondering, or just visit them incessantly until I figure it out.
       I truly enjoyed my visit with them, even though the kink in my neck has yet to correct itself from the extra firm double short twin bed with a strange headboard in the guest room.
       My point? Well, we all need to make an effort into the elderly of America. Grandparents, an elder that you are close to, a neighbor, even someone you see walking by. They are our truest connection to the past and our best escape from the present. They have so much to offer and are always willing to tell a story or two. Who knows, you may learn something!
       So, on a Sunday in October, the day of my grandmothers birth 83 years earlier, it was an honor and a privilege to enjoy a bowl of Malt O' Meal with fresh sliced peaches, a toasted an English Muffin covered in Orange Marmalade, and a cup of Macadamia Nut Flavored Kona coffee made with love by my Grandmother.

    










Grandma and Grandpa, Lou and Millie, you astound me everyday. Thank you for being a part of my life and my history. I Love you.

F is for Falafel

      I believe that working in one of the most popular Lebanese restaurants in California for over 5 years gives me somewhat of a license to discuss the delicate art of the falafel.  
     There are many who search far and wide for the best falafel. Some may even say you are not true  vegetarian if you haven't tried one. Others, many many others. argue that, their culture does it better than another. The rules of falafel eating are discussed; the appropriate amount of condiment, accompaniments and method by which they are delivered to the mouth are also under scrutiny. Over all, the falafel is and always will be a food loved and coveted by the masses. 
     It's crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, slightly nutty, a little garlicky, warm if it's fresh, nutritious in many ways and ultimately satisfying. It can come in many sizes, but usually one shape. This round ball made of chickpea, parsley, garlic and a host of other ingredients has changed the general perspective of what beans can be, what vegetarianism can be and what healthful eating can become.  They don't have to be fried, although they are significantly tastier and crisper when they are dipped in a vat of boiling oil, but they don't have to be. Baked is good too, sauteed is even a method which has been applied. On Top Chef a contestant attempted to use them as the "bun" of a Mediterranean inspired sandwich.  
       Thinking outside of the box is always a good idea when it comes to food. The notions of the past have clearly been tossed aside when culinary minds collide. The fate of the falafel is an excellent example of how the world of food and flavors has gotten smaller. Maybe not smaller, but more global. Thirty years ago an average Californian wouldn't have dreamed a four block stretch could include a Greek, an Indian, a Lebanese, an Italian, a Japanese and their favorite taco joint. We have welcomed these cultures with empty spoons, many napkins and clean plates. 
       The falafel, a street food on many corners of this planet, has become increasingly popular and increasingly more mainstream in restaurants. This is not a surprise to me due to their deliciousness, however, it is a surprise that more Lebanese dishes haven't gotten the same recognition. I personally absolutely love traditional Lebanese Tabouleh, I can't get enough of it. But it has to be done right. Lots and lots of parsley, plenty of fresh mint, light on the bulgur and heavy on the lemon. It's a delicate thing trying recreate these flavors, and this is where I find many places trying to recreate it, but also water the more intense flavors  down to make it more, appealing to the masses. 
       All I can say, to sum this up, is people need to be adventurous and go challenge those taste buds, don't be afraid of a food because you have never tried it, or because of its funny name, although Baba Ganouj is truly humorous, I must admit. Never cut off your nose to spite it's smell. Think of all the things you miss out on, for example, the laughter that comes with the experience and utter humiliation of slurping up your first bowl of Pho. Or the first time you were faced with a piece of sushi. Do you eat with your hands, or chop sticks, and why is it still raw, plus what's this odd green paste next to it? All in all, food is an amazing way to come together, to enjoy something new and to learn more about cultures through the food they eat. I'll go with you if you're afraid, I was once too. Trust me, my mom will not let me live down our trips to Chinatown in Los Angeles, or the time we ventured to Artesia to get in on the Indian Buffet specials. 
        But all this talk makes me hungry, and what I could go for especially is some Dim Sum from Ton Kiang in San Francisco (my favorite is the dai dze gao, also know as scallion and shrimp dumplings, de-lish-bomb).

E is for Energy

        Energy comes in many forms. The energy to get up and go to work in the morning, the energy used to run the coffee pot, the energy obtained from a dam, fueling our constant need for electricity, even the energy which is seen in the desert night sky when a lightening storm goes racing across a low mesa. Nonetheless, energy is a type of currency seen and used by everyone. It's seen in a growing child, in a pregnant girl, in a marathon runner in their last leg of a race. We need it to grow up, for our bones to lengthen, and for our minds to flourish and expand. Energy is all around us in many forms; mechanical, thermal, electric, electromagnetic, chemical, nuclear, sound and lastly, but not least, a new term we all need to become familiar with and understand, bioenergetics.

      Bioenergetics is a term I recently stumbled upon, but it makes sense. It is a rapidly increaseing field of study and I have been able to break it down in laymen's terms as to make sense of it, for you, and for me as well.
     So, here goes : The human body is a living organism which requires external forces to run it, and those forces are food, water and oxygen. This field of biochemistry's main focus is the body and how it is able to metabolize and utilize these said products. So, if you eat, say, a piece of pie, all the little food molecules are then broken down by the gastrointestinal tract, in fact starting in your mouth. But, this delicious flakey pie and its moist unctuous filling must have a little sugar right? But, here is a better question, what is sugar exactly? Well, table sugar, or the sugar used to sweeten your morning coffee, or in this case, pie filling, is also known as sucrose. Sucrose is made of two molecules, the monosaccharides glucose and fructose, which bond together forming the disaccharide we love and use abundantly. The glucose component of the sugar breaks down into pyruvate, by a process which we know as glycolysis. Glycolysis is one of the pathways which converts sugar to energy, essentially. This energy is to be used in the body, or if not used immediately stored, or used somewhere else in the body in another reaction. But how do we get this energy? What does this energy look like? Well, through a series of reactions, the glycolysis pathway releases high energy compounds. These high energy products released by the action of this pathway are ATP and NADH, also known as the "molecular units of currency". This is just a small fraction of the story....
     Getting dizzy? I know I did when I first began to dissect and disassemble the tangled mess that is human digestion.
     I'm sure it's obvious to you now that there are numerous steps in the process of metabolism. Here, with our pie example, there are hundreds of other reactions which take place to break down the many different food molecules present. The fat from the buttery crust, the carbohydrates from the sweet fruit inside, the protein from the flour used to hold it all together, etc. etc. But lets keep it simple. For now, we eat food, the body breaks it down, which requires enzymes, catalyses, acids, mucus and hormones to work in concert with each other, so that we get the compounds needed to not only run the body but also to break down foods we eat.
    Amazing isn't it? That the energy the body uses to stimulate your muscles, your brain and everything in between, is fueled by those treats and sweets we love so much?
     It's clear that certain foods contain a higher amount of energy per bite, but as I stated in the C post, calories or kilocalories are a unit of energy. Think on this point for a second; think about the foods you eat regularly and think about which foods make you more hungry after you eat them? High sugar ones right? Put the Skittles down, throw out the Coca-cola, yes I know, but, you really need to get rid of the Ben and Jerry's Fish Food Ice Cream, and think. Doesn't it make you question, as you're reaching for that third soda, if you had just eaten something that filled you up, gave you energy, and left you without the distraction of hunger at the end of the day, wouldn't you feel better? Your body will use energy it has stored, instead of the energy eaten! i.e. the loss of pounds! Fabulous. The simple fact is, we need to eat to survive, so choose that energy source wisely. You wouldn't want to put bad fuel in your car, why put it in your body.

I'm going to give you a simple math problem. When I saw this I realized how simple it can be :
   1 Pound = 3,500 calories.
   So, if an individual cut 500 calories out the their diet daily for a week that would mean that....
   500 kcals x 7 days in a week = 3,500 calories, or the loss of 1 pound!

Amazing, right? Just remember, that 1 pound isn't going to be just the muffin tops of the belly fat which we desperately hate. But hey, it is a step in the right direction, and lets try to do it without soda, okay?