June 07, 2006
recap
Joe, the amazing human being that he is, remembered that I wanted this:
It's tiny, cute and perfect.
Dinner at Spire was AMAZING. The five course tasting menu was delish.
Next weekend--part of the late celebration--is the Chocolate Bar at Cafe Fleuri at the Langham. The menu alone is enough to make you gain ten pounds. Mmmm I can't wait!
Posted by crystallyn at 07:51 AM | TrackBack
December 21, 2005
Absolutely Delish!
My favorite cookie evah!
Mayonnaise Sugar Cookies
1 cup mayonniase (no substitutes...lowfat makes them taste and act like rubber)
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. almond extract
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cup flour
1 tsp. baking soda
Mix together mayo, sugar, almond extract and vanilla. Add flour, soda and salt. Roll into balls and roll in sugar (you can use colored sugar if making around the holidays). Flatten slightly with fork. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until crispy (they shouldn't be brown, just barely golden-barely).
Posted by crystallyn at 07:45 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
December 20, 2005
chocolate overload
After our fabulous xmas party this last weekend we found ourselves overloaded with sweet treats. Multiple towers of candy, plates of cookies, buckets of chocolate truffles, and if that wasn't enough, one of the directors at work decided we were going to have a cookie swap yesterday.
Sunday found me terribly sick, not hung-over sick, but my cold worsened to miserableness. Joe babied me all day as he is so excellent at doing (I have such a kick-ass husband!). But at 7:30PM he suddenly realized we hadn't made the cookies for the swap. I wanted to just bring in a tower of something but there wasn't enough of the same thing for everyone so we settled in to make my favorite cookie of all time--mayonnaise sugar cookies (oh my they are AMAZING). With Joe helping it went three times as fast as I would have muddled along on my own.
So now we have mayo sugar cookies at home too. We're going to bring them all to the Pitt over Xmas, which is what we call Pittsfield, MA. All the cousins and aunts and uncles will hopefully devour them. I've become a total slug over the last four days because of being sick and so having all the sugar, being sick and not going to the gym is taking a toll on me. Argh. And I was doing so well with my training too.
But the good thing is that I finally figured out what to get Joe for Christmas. This is always a huge travail for me--he's terribly difficult to buy for. He just doesn't want much--or they are things that are bigger than our budget. If I had my way we'd take a trip somewhere. There's nothing more awesome than running away with him and getting away from everyone and everything.
The holiday season is such a huge time of reflection for me and one of the things that I realize is how completely happy I am right now. I love my job. I have really wonderful friends. I love where we live. I have the best fucking cat on the planet. My in-laws love me. I have family that is all getting along and cares deeply about each other. I am accomplishing things all the time even if it feels like I sometimes do them slowly. With the exception of this last week I am becoming healthier than I've been since childhood. And I have the most amazing relationship with Joe. It gets better all the time. He's the single person that I could literally spend every second of the day with and not want to kill them. I am always amazed by this. After five years you might think that would change as we get more settled into marriage but it just gets cooler all the time.
I'm also looking forward to going to Ikea with AJ next week--we both have the week off and the only possible time of saneness would be mid-day. You can't get near it otherwise. And New Years--for which Joe and I finally have a party to go to!
Posted by crystallyn at 06:57 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
December 02, 2005
Things I Love About December
* Getting a tree, wreath, poinsettas, mistletoe
* Decorating the house! I go all out!
* Decorating the tree with our annual Xmas ritual beginnng with a really nice Joe-cooked dinner (this year it's pheasant!) followed by champagne and chocolate during the trimming--It's a Wonderful Life playing in the background.
* The annual work party. There are only 7 of us in our location so we pick a nice restaurant and go out to eat. This year it's the Metropolitan Club.
* Buying a new holiday dress
* Our annual Holiday party!
* Christmas lights up in the neighborhoods
* Snowstorms on quiet nights, a fire in the fireplace with all the xmas lights on
* Getting Christmas cards
* Christmas carols! I'm so sappy....I have tons on my iPod and I listen to them all month long.
* Catching up with lots and lots of old friends.
* Finishing up the semester (this year as a professor, not a student!)
* Cookies and candy!!
* Eggnog!!
* Christmas Eve at my in-laws. They have all the relatives drop in over the course of the night--it's such a wonderful, fun, loving evening (where we invariably all drink a little too much)
*
Posted by crystallyn at 06:16 PM | TrackBack
September 19, 2005
Lemon-Buttermilk Ice Cream YUM
I made this over the weekend and WOW it was delish! I added 3/4 tablespoon of vanilla to it and I think it made a difference. It's great because unlike a lot of ice creams you don't need to cook any part of it. This was super creamy and very tasty. It has a little bit of an ice milk texture which normally annoys me but in this it was just fine. Perfect with fresh blackberries!
If you have a Cuisinart ice cream maker like I do, you'll need to half the recipe to make it fit. Or just make two yummy batches!!
Lemon-Buttermilk Ice Cream
From Cooking Light
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup fresh lemon juice (about 10 lemons)
2 cups half-and-half
2 cups whole milk
2 cups fat-free buttermilk
Combine sugar and juice in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk until sugar dissolves. Add half-and-half, whole milk, and buttermilk. Pour mixture into the freezer can of an ice-cream freezer; freeze according to manufacturer's instructions. Spoon ice cream into a freezer-safe container. Cover and freeze 1 hour or until firm.
Yield: 18 servings (serving size: 1/2 cup)
NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 130(25% from fat); FAT 3.6g (sat 2.3g,mono 1.2g,poly 0.0g); PROTEIN 2.8g; CHOLESTEROL 18mg; CALCIUM 93mg; SODIUM 54mg; FIBER 0.1g; IRON 0.0mg; CARBOHYDRATE 21.4g
Cooking Light, MAY 2003
Posted by crystallyn at 09:12 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
June 25, 2005
fish heads fish heads roly poly fish heads...
well maybe not fish heads but food all the same. Joe and I are planning a fun little food/wine adventure that we'll let you all in on in the future but in the meantime I wanted to share some of our favorite little places to go nosh and sip.
Cosmo Deluxe Ice Cream and Cupcakes: My new favorite place. YUM! Some of the best ice cream in the city. WAY better than Rancatores if you want my opinion. It's located in a little tiny shop on Mt. Auburn Street around the corner from the other venture of its owners--the Watertown Diner, which btw, is next on my list...
The Deluxe Town Diner: Joe and I are here every weekend for breakfast. If you go early you can avoid the line. Sweet potato pancakes are one of my faves. They also have great burgers and their evening crowds are slim.
Sushi 21: Another spot in Watertown (54 Mt. Auburn Street) that we really like. We meet Paulette here for sushi a lot since it's close to her house. It's small and well-priced. Sushi is very good and the best part about it is that it's so friendly. Whenever we leave all the chefs make a point to say goodbye.
The Red House: This gem of a place is tucked away in Harvard Square. I'm partial to the food but what we really like is the cozy bar. In the winter there is a roaring fire. It's small and intimate and we know the bartenders. Has a great patio.
The Blue Room: We ate there last night, actually. Peter, one of the bartenders there, always gives me the dregs of their Lindys in the summer. Food is wonderful, atmosphere is an A+ and if you peruse the menu thoughtfully, you can eat for under $100 even with a bottle of wine. Plus they have the one perfect cheese...
Craigie Street Bistro: is probably Joe's favorite place and I'm rather partial to it as well. Food is quite literally some of the best in town. Chef Tony Maws was just named one of the ten best newcomer chefs by Food & Wine magazine so unfortunately, we expect that the place will be more difficult to get into, sigh.
Laurel Grill & Bar: One of the cheapest fine restaurants you'll ever find. Excellent food and although they don't seem to have as many $10 plates as they used to, $15 a plate is still a damn good deal for the caliber of food they serve.
Matt Murphy's Pub: Probably my favorite restaurant in all of Boston. Cozy, incredible food and super nice people. Expect to share a table with strangers and that the wait could be quite long.
Tu Y Yo: It's hard to find a great Mexican place in Boston. Coming from the West coast I didn't realize how spoiled I was. Authentic Mexican food...so much so that they have a sign on the door that says that they don't serve burritos! Super tasty sangria is worth the trip alone.
Posted by crystallyn at 07:05 PM | Comments (2)
May 17, 2005
winos rejoice!
Joe and I were highly pleased to hear that the Supreme Court struck down the ban on purchasing wine directly from out-of-state wineries.
It will be interesting to see how it affects the wine business in general. The wholesalers are understandably upset, but many in the wine industry don't think that it will change things all too much.
According to an AdAge article (free signup required):
A spokeswoman for the Wine Institute said any impact would be felt most on wines that sell at more than $20 a bottle because shipping of less expensive products isn’t cost efficient.
And wine.com, the country's only legally operating Internet wine retailer feels like it won't change much at all.
"There is a widespread misunderstanding of the issues at hand here," said George Garrick, CEO of San Francisco-based Wine.com. "These cases will not result in a free-for-all for retailers to ship direct to consumers who order via phone or the Internet. In fact this is not about retailers at all. State laws governing retailers are different than those governing wineries. The strict state-by-state regulations on retailer direct shipments will remain in effect regardless of the rulings."Garrick continued, "The vast majority of the industry will continue to sell through the three-tier system whereby wineries sell to wholesalers, who sell to retailers, who sell to consumers. In reality, these cases will only affect a very small level of industry sales, and we do not anticipate the general structure of the industry changing at all."
But really, wouldn't it mean that wine.com could also purchase directly from wineries in certain instances, for very popular or perhaps hard-to-find wines, thus lowering both their own costs and their customers?
In fact, I think what is really exciting about it is if smaller wineries that have a following decide that they will work through direct mail or Internet shipments. I'm anxiously looking forward to two wineries in particular opening up their business for Internet shipments:
Bainbridge Island Vineyard and Winery, who don't even sell to retailers, so if they open up their business for customers to purchase via the Net or mail order, it would be absolutely wonderful. Their late harvest Siegerrebe, when available, is heavenly.
Dr. Konstantin Frank Vinifera Wine Cellars, which we first learned about when we were in Montreal and had an excellent bottle of Cabernet Franc. They currently do sell their wines online but up until now, Massachusetts didn't allow shipments across state lines. A big bonus, they are not expensive at all.
I can always hope that Inniskillin will open up an online shop too...and that cutting out the middle man will drop prices for consumers who choose to buy that way.
And another that I am rather partial to, this one just a town or two away from where my family still is, Ste. Chapelle, in Caldwell Idaho.
I'm hoping that it will be the wine lover who ends up ultimately benefiting from this--the ones who are true patrons of particular wineries but have been limited in how they can get their happy tasty bottles. I'm looking forward to see the next Wine Spectator and Wine Enthusiast mags.
Posted by crystallyn at 07:49 PM
May 09, 2005
drunk on cachaça
or at least I think that the Wine Enthusiast cachaça reviewer in the May 2005 issue must have been.
For those of you unfamiliar with cachaça, like me, Joe says it tastes like a mix of vodka and tequila. It's sugarcane liquor from Brazil.
Anyway, I was checking out Joe's latest issue and got to the cachaça reviews. Here's one of particular interest:
Beleza Pura Super Premium Cachaça (Brazil, Excalibur Imports, New York, NY) 40% abv, $28. An amazing experience of aromatic waves of beans, then raw sugar cane, burning tires, black pepper, hemp, steamed asparagus, celery salt, and tar. Taste strongly of ash, soot and burning rubber at palate entry; at midpalate, a sly sweetness acts as a foundation for smoke and tar. Finishes semisweet and smooth. Best Buy.
Mmm sounds appetizing, huh? In general cachaça seems to smell or taste like pickle brine, cat-pee, escarole soup, fried egg, meringue (I didn't even know meringue smelled!), clam sauce, prickly pear, creosote, paint thinner, and stone. I'm not sure what it means that this is one of Brazil's favorite drinks.
I think it is, however, an excellent example of how loaded and overblown that wine and spirits terminology can be. Joe is always moaning about them but now I understand why. He knows one of the senior editors at the Enthusiast and is ready to give her a wonderfully bad time when they speak next. :)
Posted by crystallyn at 07:41 PM
September 20, 2004
Speaking of concerts,
Barry Manilow is right around the corner!
Even better, the day after, Joe and I are heading to P-Town for our 4th anniversary celebration...we go to the Cape every fall and celebrate. We're staying at a very cozy little B&B that looks great! I'll be able to tell all the queens at breakfast about Barry! We also have dinner reservations at one of our all time favorite restaurants, Chester.
Mmmmm can't wait!
Posted by crystallyn at 06:54 AM | TrackBack
August 29, 2004
summer's end
Friday and Saturday nights this weekend really spoke to the foodies in us. We dined in style at both 33 and then at Mantra. Mmmmm. Mantra is a definite recommend. Interesting, innovative food and the atmosphere is delightfully modern and stylish.
Labor day is going to be a quiet one for us, with an evening with friends on Friday night and then me hoping that the beach will be in order at least one of the subsequent weekend days! I want one more day at Crane's before the season ends!
But what I'm really looking forward to is Brimfield, which is September 7-12 this year. If you live in New England and love antiques, this is the place for you. Every kind of antique you can imagine...linens, dishes, furniture, sports equipment, posters, jewelry, art, ephemera, and on and on! We're going to take off Friday the 10th and head on down to see what we can find. In past years we found our dining room table, our really nice wire plant stand on the porch, jewelry
and this wonderful antique egg print for our kitchen:
I need a dresser, so we'll be on the lookout for a good bargain. I'll also have the chance to look for antique postcards of Seattle and Boston. My collection is really growing these days.
After Brimfield, back to the Berkshires to spend time with Joe's family, who are the most wonderful people in the world. I really love the Berkshires, and it's been too long since we've been back. We didn't make it at all this summer, even though I vowed I would finally see a concert at Tanglewood. Next year.
Posted by crystallyn at 06:55 PM | TrackBack
August 20, 2004
French food and conversation, turkeys and giants!
Very cool things:
Joe, who is the coolest in my book, picked us up tickets to go see They Might Be Giants in a few weeks! They're playing here in September, and I'm SO excited! If you don't have The Spine yet, you HAVE to go grab it...it's a great album!
After two weeks of not seeing turkeys at work, finally five of them, picking away at the grass along the parking lot. They crack me up. ;-)
That same cool Joe grabbed us reservations at Lumiere for Restaraunt Week (which is pretty difficult to get right now...all the restaraunts are booked up). Lumiere picked up accolades from the Food Network for one of the best French Bistros. Can't wait!
I'm brushing up on my French too, and it's definitely coming back. I picked up a Pimsleur set of CDs for the car. I'm flying through them pretty fast though but the brush up is good and I think that it's helping me with pronunciation quite a bit. The big set of Pimsleur CDs are pretty expensive unfortunately. But after this semester, I think I'm going to take a course at the Boston French Center and see if I can get back in the swing of things. I may get Joe to take a one-day beginners immersion course with me on a weekend too. He thinks he can't learn French, but I don't believe him. :)
Then again, he would tell you I never believe him (not true!)...
Posted by crystallyn at 06:31 AM | TrackBack
August 15, 2004
RIP Czeslaw Milosz, Julia Child
On Saturday, one of the world's greatest contemporary poets, Czeslaw Milosz, passed away.
THE THISTLE, THE NETTLE
Let the sad terrestrials remember me,
recognize me and salute: the thistle and the tall nettle,
and the childhood enemy, belladonna.
-O. V. DE L. MILOSZ, "Les Terrains Vagues"
The thistle, the nettle, the burdock, and belladonna
Have a future. Theirs are wastelands
And rusty railroad tracks, the sky, silence.
Who shall I be for men many generations later?
When, after the clamor of tongues, the award goes to silence?
I was to be redeemed by the gift of arranging words
But must be prepared for an earth without grammar,
For the thistle, the nettle, the burdock, and the belladonna,
And a small wind above them, a sleepy cloud, silence.
--Czeslaw Milosz, trans. Hass & Milosz.
His poetry is wonderfully accessible, and his words have directly touched and influenced my life. I am greatly saddened by the loss of this great poet.
And Julia Child, the most celebrated chef of our times...possibly ever, passed away on Friday. She lived for much of her life in Cambridge, and when she moved from there, her kitchen was donated to the Smithsonian. Few know that she was a spy in World War II.
Julia Child's Chocolate Mousse
Serves 8
8 oz. Sweet or semi sweet baking chocolate -- melted with:
1/4 c. Strong coffee
6 tbsp Unsalted butter
3 Egg yolks
1 c. Heavy cream (make sure it's the heavy variety)
3 Egg whites
1/4 c. Instant (finely ground) sugar
-----OPTIONAL----
Whipped cream
Beat the soft butter into the smoothly melted chocolate. One by one, beat in
the egg yolks. Beat the cream over ice until it leaves light traces on the
surface. Beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks. While beating,
sprinkle in the sugar by spoonfuls and continue beating until stiff shining peaks are formed. Scrape the chocolate mixture down the side of the egg-white bowl, and delicately fold in the whipped cream. Turn the mousse into attractive serving bowls. Cover and chill several hours.
You may wish to decorate the mousse with swirls of whipped cream, or to pass
whipped cream separately.
Julia Child - The way to cook. Published by Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. Copyright 1989 by Julia Child. Isbn 0-394-53264-3.
Rest in Peace, Czeslaw and Julia. Our world is much brighter because of you.
Posted by crystallyn at 11:20 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
August 05, 2004
so it turns out
that I have a wedding to go to the day after Manilow. In New York. From one magnificent party to another.
Other things of note:
1. I have a tan. Really. Imagine...pasty white me, tan. :)
2. Joe forgot to pull the paper off the disposable litter box while we were out at Mirror Lake in NH on vacation last week and Romeo decided that the big rubber plant in the living room was a suitable cat box. Well, he is smart, I have to give him that. We at first thought he was disgruntled, but then realized that he was just using his next option. Besides, how could he be disgruntled? He had Paulette taking care of him (in between hanging out with Jerry Springer (literally!) that is).
3. CONGRATULATIONS TO BRENT AND MARY ANN!!!! WOOOOHOOOO YOU TWO! You better be sending some pictures in my direction! I want to see this Dreat guy once and for all. ;)
4. Joe and I have decided that we're going to France next year. No clue how or when, but it is going to happen. We're targeting 10 days. I minored in French...figured I better actually put all that education to use. But it's been 10 years now and a brush up is DEFINITELY in order. Would welcome any recommends on places to eat or stay in Paris or any of the wine regions.
5. When I get my first paycheck from the super cool new job (I haven't had a paycheck in a month!!), I'm getting one of these:
6. I learned about the wicked cool Archimedes Palimpsest today.
7. Urbanoutback pointed out what someone else pointed out...in that every day you think of a monkey. OMG it's SO TRUE! Every day since then, a monkey has surfaced at some point during the day. Amazing. EVERY DAY YOU THINK OF A MONKEY.
8. In case you ever wondered about the evolution of food, now there is the Food Timeline
9. WOOOHOOO I made the Wikipedia. Who knew that a little jaunt by Joanie and I would end up being a bit more than 15 minutes of fame?
And I'm sleeeepy.
Posted by crystallyn at 09:19 PM | Comments (7) | TrackBack
June 20, 2004
fish heads fish heads...
roly poly fish heads....fish heads fish heads, eat them up, yum!
Well, okay maybe fish heads aren't so great to eat, but fish in general can be mighty tasty to a lot of people.
I actually didn't grow up eating any fish or seafood with the exception of tuna fish from a can. We were landlocked, in Spokane and Boise, and fresh fish wasn't something my parents ever ate or cooked. So it wasn't until I moved to Seattle and to Boston that I realized that there is a lot of seafood that I should at least try.
Joe still thinks I'm picky about fish and seafood, but really, you are talking about someone who never touched most fish until she turned 23 or 24, so I think I'm doing pretty good. I love most shellfish...shrimp, crab, lobster, clams, mussels. I'm pickier about fish though, tending to enjoy salmon and tuna best, although I do think swordfish and mahi mahi are pretty good.
But as I've started to become very aware of my health and the types of foods I'm putting into my body (and the impact of how those foods being farmed or harvested may have on the environment), I've learned that when it comes to fish, there are several factors that make me decide not to choose or buy it.
First and foremost, is the harmful ways that over-fishing can hurt the environment and destroy full species of fish. I don't eat swordfish anymore because of this, but I really wasn't aware of the full range of fish that are affected by poor farming methods and overfishing.
Someone on one of the health boards I frequent mentioned that orange roughy has been farmed nearly to commercial extinction, just as we are starting to learn about this unique fish. The Orange Roughy lives 2,500 to 6,000 feet below the surface, which is put into perspective by the fact that most people can only dive to 200 feet. This has made it extremely difficult to study the life of these fish. Recent examinations of this fish have found that it can live to be 150 years old and is not mature until the age of 20. This means that at dinner you could be eating a fish that was born before your grandparents. Because of their slow breeding cycle the fisheries are quickly becoming depleted and will take decades to recover. Orange roughy are caught by bottom trawling, a method which can damage the seafloor, with unknown impacts on the fragile deep-sea ecosystem.
This person pointed to a great resource by the Monterey Bay Aquarium to knowing what types of fish to avoid because of the detrimental impact that farming/catching these fish have on both the species and the environment. It's worth printing out the cards so you know what to avoid at the market or in restaraunts.
Another thing that I'm also pretty aware of these days is mercury poisoning. Mercury is being found in increasing amounts in many types of fish. Being exposed to too much mercury can result in loss of motor skills, memory, and even kidney damage. Most people don't eat enough fish to be affected, but in recent years, fish has been touted as one of the healthiest foods, so consumption has increased dramatically.
KEEP ON READING....
In 2001, the FDA issued a warning that pregnant women should avoid tilefish, shark, swordfish and king mackerel. The warning further suggested that no more than 12 oz. of fish a week should be eaten.
Now, the reason for the warning is to protect the unborn baby, but what happens to the rest of us who eat fish? What about those who consistently eat fish 2-3 times a week--more than 12 oz.? Tuna, sushi, sea bass, etc... Pretty easy to eat a lot of fish if you are trying to adhere to a lowfat diet and you eat out a lot. Mercury builds up in the body over time, so prolonged exposure could be detrimental.
Interestingly enough, in March 2004, the FDA revised their warning...but the problem is, while it briefly mentions children, it doesn't include other adults. Cleanwateraction.org also warns against eating any freshwater fish caught in New England.
Doctors are starting to see the effects of too much mercury in their patients. Many think that the FDA levels are far too low. A recent letter to the FDA by a group of doctors and scientists cites three reports that are actually quite alarming.
But even if they aren't too low, it's pretty darn easy to meet those limits and not even realize it. If you are a fish eater, check out the mercury calculator at gotmercury.org. It's pretty eye-opening when you see how easy it would be to overdo the recommended limits...just 4 oz of tuna, 6 oz of red snapper and 6 oz of lobster puts you 140% over.
Even more disturbing is that Bush has pushed to REDUCE mercury standards in favor of coal-fired power plants. The Sierra Club has even more information on this atrocity.
So really, I think it's okay that I don't like much fish. By eating less fish, I'm doing the environment and often, my own body, a favor.
Posted by crystallyn at 07:32 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
December 03, 2003
i have
this great recipe for Cathedral Windows, a chocolate, coconut concoction that uses colored marshmallows as the core of recipe. White ones wouldn't do it justice at all.
There is one problem I have found.
They don't seem to sell colored marshmallows in Boston!!!!!!!!!!!!
Is that bizarre? I have been all over! They sell fancy shmancy ones at Whole Foods that cost $7.00 for ten of them, but no regular plain ol' little marshmallows. I don't understand. :(
I was wigging out because I can't find flavored oils either to make the hard candy recipe that my mom always made...I was even feeling a little sadness that eventually no one would probably be able to make it anymore because you can't get the oils (we always had to get them at a pharmacy or drug store, weird huh?). Then my mom pointed out that I could probably find them on the Internet. DUH! Here I am, with over 12 years of Internet under my belt and I don't even think of that.
Wilton's carries a small selection, but Happy Cooker carries every flavor you can imagine! Whew! I feel better now.
Let the candy making begin!
Posted by crystallyn at 08:29 AM | Comments (10) | TrackBack
November 05, 2003
i'm having a SERIOUS craving
for MarketSpice Tea, something you can only find in Seattle. God I miss the stuff. I need some, desperately. I haven't had any in years, sigh sigh sigh.
Sigh. And that website that it is linked to...I used to work for the Washington Specialty Foods Association, many moons ago. I loved that job...one of the perks is that I got to taste all that great food. Mmm.
And oh, MarketSpice. There is NOTHING like it. No tea compares. I think I'm going to need to get some if I'm going to make it through all this book writing.
Update: 18690 wordcount...
Posted by crystallyn at 07:41 PM | TrackBack
October 26, 2003
a very disturbing trend
in the US in particular is the way that we are feeding our children. An article on Yahoo News describes how children between the ages of four and 24 months are eating alarming amounts of french fries and soda pop.
"French fries are the most popular vegetable eaten by children 19 to 24 months old," researcher Dr. Kathleen Reidy said at an American Dietetic Association conference. "Twenty to 25 percent of these kids did not eat a single healthy vegetable on the day of the survey, and 25 to 30 percent did not eat a single fruit."
The article goes on to talk about how infants as young as seven months are being fed soda pop in their bottles.
It just makes my jaw drop. And when I see fat kids, I mean fat LITTLE kids under the age of five, I can't understand it. I sort of look at it as akin to a form of abuse--these are kids who don't buy their own food, they don't make decisions about their health, they don't have a sense of what is good or bad for them--their parents are the only ones who can control this. And they don't, subjecting their kids to a childhood of verbal and potentially physical harm by other kids who taunt and tease them; significant impact to their child's self-esteem and how they view their own bodies and subsequently relationships; and worst of all, they put their children in the hands of potential health complications, including higher rates of cancer, diabetes, heart problems, etc. I can't understand how any parent who really loves their child would ever put them in harm's way like this. Amazing.
My parents being here this last week was fairly eye-opening to me. It was very disturbing to me that when we went to restaraunts, my father and I would invariably end up ordering the same thing (or wanting to...I often would switch my order after I realized it). I have always known I was cut from the same mold, but that was eerie. The main bad habit was dessert after every meal. Joe could never understand my affinity for dessert--why I view it as sort of a right rather than something for a special occasion. I think he gets it now. It was pretty obvious where I got that bad habit. It's interesting to me, how much my parents have influenced my eating. I never really ate seafood or fish until I came to live in New England. My parents don't eat any sort of seafood or fish unless it's shrimp...or tuna. The other thing is, they don't want to TRY anything. My father was adamant that he hated calamari. After we talked more about it, we discovered that it wasn't fried calamari, which of course is very different. It took my in-laws prodding him to try it and he liked it, as I knew he would. Other things they wouldn't try at all. It was funny, being in the reverse position, the child trying to get the parent to eat something!
But for all the bad habits I acquired, I was still a skinny child up until high school. We didn't sit in front of the TV playing video games all day (we had some Atari time in the evening, usually with dad, but not all day, and we never were allowed to have a TV in our bedroom). We played outside, we were active, and they at least tried to get us to eat vegetables. Aside from not being the weight I want to be at, I have always been pretty healthy--good blood pressure, strong heart, decent cholesterol (olive oil and garlic are diet mainstays now). One really awesome thing about my parents being here is that my awareness of food and activity and health is sticking with me...I even managed to lose a pound while they were here, despite not eating as well as I should and skipping a week at the gym.
Every time I see one of those fat kids, I feel a mixture of pity, sadness, disgust and fear, but mostly anger. Anger at those parents who are putting the lives of their own kids in jeopardy.
Posted by crystallyn at 09:58 AM | TrackBack
June 18, 2003
memory
In planning for my upcoming Hen Party, I came across this incredible, wonderful, amazing resource. Reminds me of summer at my grandma's house.
Posted by crystallyn at 08:01 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack