The Art of “Cooking” Raw Food May 22, 2013
Posted by nrhatch in Food & Drink, Health & Wellness, Humor.Tags: Cooking, Food, Health & Wellness, Humor, Raw Food, raw food diet
16 comments
To counter health issues, my sister is on a Gluten Free Vegan diet with lots of Raw Food tossed into the hopper.
I equate Raw Food with crisp crunchy salads . . .
And fresh fragrant fruit requiring little or no preparation . . .
Or a plate of crisp crunchy crudités . . .
Or better still, a pairing of fresh veggies and fresh fruit . . .
But what do I know?
A few weeks ago, my sister went to a Raw Food Sampling Event in Mount Dora, Florida. Attendees received samples to try and recipes to take home but did not observe any actual food preparation because . . . preparing Raw Food would have taken too long.
I find that amusing.
As it turns out, many Raw Food Recipes take hours longer to prepare than their cooked equivalents. A few examples:
* White Basmati Rice takes 25 minutes to prepare in boiling water. On a Raw Food diet, rice must be soaked overnight to become digestible.
* White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies take 8-10 minutes to bake, all the while perfuming the kitchen with delicious aromas that make it hard to eat just one. In contrast, raw cookies must be dehydrated for hours before becoming (barely) edible. And, even after all that time, they are still hard.
No, not hard to resist. Just hard.
When I asked my sister about the sampling event, she said, “Interesting talk and good food, especially the crunchy raw live crackers.”
“Did you enjoy any of the samples enough to recreate the recipes at home?”
“No. Probably not. Too much work.”
“Don’t you find it ironic that RAW food takes longer to prepare than COOKED food?”
“I suppose.”
“At least they didn’t call it a Raw Food “Cooking” Demo. That would have been oxymoronic.”
Aah . . . that’s better!
What are your favorite Raw Food “Recipes”?
Smoothies? Salads? Fresh Fruit? Or something more involved?
Related Articles: The Raw Food Diet, Overcooked (David Katz, M.D.) * Raw Food Diet (WebMD) * Pros & Cons of a Raw Food Diet (Prevention)
Don’t Spoil The Broth . . . Trim The Fat May 21, 2013
Posted by nrhatch in Blogs & Blogging, Word Play, Writing & Writers.Tags: Blogs, Word Play, Writing, Writing Exercises
16 comments
Whether you’re focused on fiction or fashion or food, details spice up your writing and make readers come back for seconds.
And thirds.
Nancy Curteman (Global Mysteries) offers up 10 sweet and savory examples designed to make scenes and stage-settings glow with energy and life:
10 Ways Details Can Spice Up Your Writing
BAM!
Just remember, whether you’re cooking in the kitchen or at the keyboard, moderation is key ~ too many seasonings competing for attention results in a mixed up muddled up puddle of a mess . . . a/k/a mud!
That’s boring.
And, as Eric points out with humor, charm, and chutzpah, boring is bad:
Writers have it easy compared to cooks. When something isn’t working, we can exercise our editing muscles to excise the excess . . . we can trim the fat.
In contrast, if too many cooks spoil the broth by adding too much salt to the stew, they find themselves in a real pickle.
Aah . . . that’s better!
Quote to Ponder: I have made this letter longer, because I have not had the time to make it shorter. ~ Blaise Pascal
Why “O” Rather Than A, E, I, or U? May 20, 2013
Posted by nrhatch in Food & Drink, Fun & Games, Humor, Word Play.Tags: Cheerios, Cheetos, Doritos, Food, Fritos, Humor, Word Play
31 comments
Cheerios packaging sold in the U.K. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
While munching a bunch of Fritos, I began thinking about Doritos.
From there, my amusing musings continued on to Cheetos and Cheerios. And, of course, SpaghettiOs.
What is it about “O” that has allowed it to corner the market as the preferred ending vowel sound for food?
Why are we all urged to “give those O’s a go”? What does “O” have that A, E, I, and U are lacking?
Oh, sure, Italy got “I” in on the action:
We got your Ziti right here! And your Rigatoni, Spumoni, Macaroni, Cannoli, and Spaghetti.
But those “I’s” all sound like “E’s.”
Rigaton~E, Spumon~E, Ast~E Spumont~E.
So they don’t count.
Capiche?
Italy also got “A” some action with Pizza and Lasagna. But those “A’s” sound half-hearted. Pizz~UH, Lasag~nyUH. They don’t sound like “A” at all. Imagine if The Fonz had walked around saying “Uh!” instead of “Eh!” . . . Ferget About It!
And what about “E”? Rather a silent sort. Like nice white rice, “E” barely makes its presence known. Not like “O” which demands to be heard no matter how you pronounce it . . . Potato, Potahto, Tomato, Tomahto.
So what is it about “O”?
Why Gelato, not Gelata, Gelati, or Gelatu?
Why Jell-O?
Is it O’s shape . . . a huge gaping hungry open mouth shouting for MORE?
MORE! MORE! MORE!
Perhaps “O” implicitly gives snackers permission to abandon the mantra “less is more” (at least until “the remains of the bag” contain only crumbs too small for a mouse).
Does O’s uncanny resemblance to donuts, pies, cakes, and cookies cause marketeers (and Mouseketeers) to march to the beat of O’s round sound?
But it’s not just in the food arena where “O” makes its presence known.
Oh, no. ”O” has a book named after it ~ The Story of O.
And there have been two magazines titled “O.”
Ignoring A, E, I, and U (each waiting in the wings, ready to step into a Starring Role), Oprah went to court to fight for the right to use “O,” winning her trademark dispute in an epic Goliath vs. David battle.
Can any other vowel make these kind of claims?
NO! N~O!
Although, to be fair, “I” has quite a following among narcissists ~ the “I, Me, Mine” crowd.
But even narcissists abandon “I” and cry out to “O” during impassioned moments . . . O! O! O!
So, what is it about “O”?
I don’t know.
Maybe it just has a nice “ring” to it.
What say U?
Oh . . . that’s better!
It’s Tigger Time! May 19, 2013
Posted by nrhatch in Amazing Animals, Animal Welfare, Humor.Tags: Animals, Cats, Diabetes in cats, Health, Humor, Pets, Tigger
40 comments
I checked the archives and realized it’s been five months since my last update on Tigger ~ Eat, Drink, and Be Hairy!
Well, our little guy is still with us ~ a full year after his diabetes diagnosis. Yay!
Since January, we’ve been able to maintain his weight and energy level with frequent feedings.
We like big butts and we cannot lie . . .
Tigger also needs constant “watering,” letting us know he’s thirsty by crying in the middle of the kitchen (right next to his FULL water bowl) or by hanging around the (KEEP IT CLOSED!!!) toilet bowl.
My precious . . . my precious . . .
When he’s not eating, drinking, or sleeping, he helps us around the house.
Let me help you organize those photos . . . I’m an exceptional bookmark.
Oh, catching up on correspondence? I’m a stellar paperweight. See?
After his thrice-daily nap, he enjoys seeking out secret Hide-y Holes.
Or playing Tigger-in-the-Box.
Hey, let’s play “Put your hand across the threshold of my hideaway.” C’mon. I double dog dare ya! Wait! Where ya going? Don’t be such a scare-dy cat!
In addition to his other fine feline attributes, Tigger excels at guarding treats against would-be intruders.
Mine! Mine! Mine!
When it’s not too hot or too cold or too rainy or too sunny, Tigger likes to hang out on the deck, but he refused to pose . . . he was too busy hunting lizards!
When I told Tigger that he would be the featured post today, he lifted one eye in my direction, “Fine. But I don’t give interviews. Or sign paw-tographs.”
He’s quite the fuzzy furry feline fella!
Aah . . . that’s better!
Believe It Or Not! May 18, 2013
Posted by nrhatch in Books & Movies, Fun & Games, Synchronicity & Mystery.Tags: Books, Fun & Games, Ripley, Ripley's Believe It or Not!, Robert Ripley
18 comments
I grew up reading books by Ripley, filled with unbelievable oddities and amazing facts, but seldom paused to consider the man behind the cartoons.
A Curious Man: The Strange & Brilliant Life of Robert “Believe It or Not!” Ripley, by Neal Thompson, reveals this real life Wizard of Odd.
“The life story of Robert ‘Believe It or Not!’ Ripley is as intriguing as the many oddities in which he delighted.”
~ Entertainment Weekly
“An engaging, fast-moving biography… makes the case that Ripley was among the first media celebrities, and that his affection for the grotesque and the extreme shaped American pop culture.”
~ Columbus Dispatch
“Ripley’s amazing American life itself plays out like an impossible fairy tale.”
~ Kirkus Reviews
“A Curious Man is the marvelously compelling biography of Robert “Believe It or Not” Ripley, the enigmatic cartoonist turned globetrotting millionaire who won international fame by celebrating the world’s strangest oddities, and whose outrageous showmanship taught us to believe in the unbelievable.”
~ Amazon
Ripley’s efforts to counter claims that he was “stretching the truth” resulted in the fascinating and fun array of artifacts displayed in Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! Museums around the globe.
Once could say that Ripley’s curated collections are the fantastic and amusing consequence of calling a man a liar . . .
“I venture to say that I have been called a liar more often than anybody in the world. Ordinarily, when one is called a liar, one feels hurt. But it is different with me. I do not mind it a bit. When I am called a liar by a reader of my cartoons, I feel flattered. That short and ugly word is like music to my ears. I am complimented because it means to me that my cartoon contained some strange fact that was unbelievable ~ and therefore most interesting, and that the reader did not know the truth when he saw it.” ~ Robert Ripley
Did you read any of Ripley’s books of wonders, miracles, freaks, monstrosities, and almost-impossibilities?
Did you Believe it or Not! ?
Aah . . . that’s better!
What Have You Created Lately? May 17, 2013
Posted by nrhatch in Art & Photography, Books & Movies, Food & Drink, People.Tags: Art, Books, Consumer, Creator, Desires, Movies, Seinfeld
48 comments
In life, we have two principal roles . . . consumers and creators.
Why do we create?
To fill our hearts, homes, and hours with more satisfying fare than watching endless reruns of Seinfeld or I Love Lucy while mindlessly stuffing our pie holes with Hostess Twinkies.
Parents create offspring to nurture. Cooks create meals to savor and share. Musicians create music. Artists create paintings, statues, collages, quilts, jewelry. Photographers create Kodak moments and memories. Architects create buildings, bridges, and alleyways. Attorneys create theories of the case, opening statements, closing arguments. Writers create plot-lines and poetry, heroines and villains. Friends create relationships, connections, and shared bonds. Philosophers create ideas and ideals.
Advertising and marketing moguls create desires for us to consume when we are not creating.
As consumers, we consume an endless array of consumables in every waking and sleeping hour . . . books, sleep, movies, classes, TV shows, meals, lectures, jewelry, alcohol, shoes, handbags, concerts, sporting events, video games, puzzles, magazine articles, and the occasional imported cigar.
Our appetites as consumers are insatiable.
Once we have consumed the object of each current desire, a new desire arises to take its place.
To kill time and fill the void between birth and death, we can consume.
Or we can create.
What have YOU created lately?
Aah . . . that’s better!
Mozart Mirrored God’s Symphony May 16, 2013
Posted by nrhatch in Happiness, Mindfulness, Synchronicity & Mystery.Tags: Happiness, Music, Passion, Purpose, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
40 comments
Mozart composed beautiful music at an age when most children are still playing with blocks.
He tapped into “all that is” and transcribed what he heard.
Mozart mirrored God’s symphony.
We best serve our fellow travelers by expressing our unique gifts and talents to the world, not by sacrificing ourselves for others.
Our spiritual essence knows why we are here and nudges us in the right direction. It wants us to accomplish what we set out to accomplish.
Our purpose is to discover our purpose and pursue it with passion.
Aah . . . that’s better!
Quote to Ponder: Don’t worry about what the world wants from you. Focus on what makes you feel more fully alive. What the world really needs are people who are fully alive.~ Joseph Campbell
3 Dudes Walk Into A Bar May 13, 2013
Posted by nrhatch in Fun & Games, Humor, Joke, Word Play.Tags: Bartender, Bet, Food & Drink, Humor, Joke, WP Prompt
43 comments
Three dudes walk into a bar.Two of them grab a table while the third weaves over to the bar to order a round of drinks.
Bartender shakes his head, “Can’t serve ya. Yer already drunk.”
“Sez who?! I’m nots drunk and I can prove it.”
“How?”
“Set up a bottle at the far end of the bar. I’ll pee into it without mishing a drop. If I win the bet, you give us a round of drinks on the house.”
“Fair enough. But, if you lose, you owe me $100.”
“Deal.”
Wager accepted, the drunk took aim and fired.
As expected, he missed his mark by meters while the bartender laughed at having won the bet.
Unperturbed, the drunk zipped up, gave the bartender $100, then crossed the room to his waiting companions.
“Pay up, fellas! You each owe me $200! I told ya I could pee all over the bar while the bartender stood by and laughed.”
Aah . . . that’s better!
When We No Longer Know May 12, 2013
Posted by nrhatch in Life Lessons, Mindfulness, Poetry, Synchronicity & Mystery.Tags: Journey, Mindfulness, Poetry, Purpose, Wendell Berry
39 comments
It may be when we no longer know what to do,
we have come to our real work,
and that when we no longer know which way to go,
we have begun our real journey.
The mind that is not baffled is not employed.
The impeded stream is the one that sings.
Holiday at The Dew Drop Inn May 11, 2013
Posted by nrhatch in Books & Movies, Word Play, Writing & Writers.Tags: Books, Dew Drop Inn, Word Play, Writing
18 comments
When I received this book as a child, I giggled at its title . . . and dove right in to the Dew Drop Inn.
Holiday at the Dew Drop Inn (third in the series, The Family from One End Street) describes Kate Ruggles’ summer holiday at the Dew Drop Inn.
The Family from One End Street beat out Tolkien’s The Hobbit to receive the 2nd annual Carnegie Medal for outstanding children’s book by a British subject in 1937.
Seventy years later, a panel selected it for the Top Ten List of Medal winning works.
Eve Garnett wrote the series to address the social conditions of the working class in England at the time.
Have you met Kate?
