Monday, November 28, 2011

The company that manufactures flavours .......Givaudan

Bad diets and bad thoughts. Nothing causes more acidity than that and we do know what acidity causes don't we? But do we have a chance or are we eating in a food carnival where the flavours hijack our brains and we become addicted and can do no better ....we then are eaten up by stress in our relationships, jobs, money matters etc and what happens we can't find any part of us that is alkaline...........
I watched 60 minutes on CBS this past week and learned about a company called Givaudan that is making any flavour you desire but with chemicals...strawberry, raspberry, roast chicken you name it they manufacture it. When this ends up in a package, jar or can what are we to do? We eat it merrily proclaim it delicious and next week we run and buy some more.........
The company's chief chemist, who is a woman, said in her interview "I create thousands of flavours, 750 citrus flavours alone......I can mimic the smell and taste of anything .........."
Are we eating food? When they put taste in powder form and we have it as our favourite frozen dinner what's to become of us?
People like me whose genes obviously cannot take the onslaught of these chemicals what do I do? Please remember even the fruits in the groves are now being genetically modified so what do I eat, grow it myself ?
Life is just getting too hard........ the easier they make it,the sicker we become!

Saturday, November 19, 2011

top 5 national dishes

As the Jamaican saying goes "If is egg we inna the red" - no surprise then that this article from the National Geographic book "Food Journeys of a Lifetime" includes one of my favourite dishes - Ackee
Hamburgers, U.S.
Although the origins of the hamburger are disputed, there is no argument over the popularity of this classic dish. Toppings and accompaniments vary from region to region, but for an original version visit Louis’ Lunch in New Haven, Connecticut, which has been serving hamburgers since 1900 and claims to be the oldest hamburger restaurant in the U.S.
Planning: Louis’ Lunch is open most days for lunch and some days until the early hours of the morning.

Ackee and Saltfish, Jamaica
Despite ackee’s unhappy origins as slave food, Jamaicans have reclaimed it as part of their national dish. A nutritious fruit with a buttery-nutty flavor, ackee resembles scrambled egg when boiled. Jamaicans sauté the boiled ackee with saltfish (salt-cured cod), onions, and tomatoes. Sometimes the dish is served atop bammy (deep-fried cassava cakes) with fried plantains.
Planning: Jake’s, Treasure Beach, is renowned for ackee and saltfish and also offers cooking classes.

Coo-Coo and Flying Fish, Barbados
A polenta-like cornmeal and okra porridge, coo-coo pairs perfectly with flying fish, which is either steamed with lime juice, spices, and vegetables or fried and served with a spicy sauce.
Planning: The Flying Fish restaurant overlooking St. Lawrence Bay claims to be the Barbadian national dish’s home.

Bulgogi, Korea

Beef bulgogi (fire meat) is a dish of thinly sliced, prime cuts of meat marinated in a mixture of soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, onions, ginger, sugar, and wine and then grilled. It is often eaten wrapped in lettuce or spinach leaves and accompanied by kimchi (fermented vegetable pickle). Many Korean restaurants have miniature barbecues embedded in tables where diners grill the meat themselves.
Planning: Seoul’s upmarket Byeokje Galbi chain is a bulgogi sensation.

Kibbeh, Lebanon/Syria
Dining well Levantine-style often means sticking to the delicious mezes (appetizers). Kibbeh, a versatile confection of ground lamb, bulgur, and seasonings, is a core component of mezes. It is often fried in torpedo or patty shapes, baked, boiled, or stuffed, but is tastiest raw.
Planning: Aleppans in northern Syria are kibbeh’s greatest innovators, flavoring it with ingredients like pomegranate or cherry juice.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

THANK YOU SUNSET FAMILY

You know I have a lot to be thankful for and every day , when I listen to other people, little things I take for granted I have to keep giving the Father thanks over and over....I have the greatest group of friends who are always there at my beck and call to help. I have my children and those that I just call mine that are there every step of the way. I have never had to have a fund raiser, my man didn't leave me because I have breast cancer, and last but not least my work place didn't retire me ....Last night they had a November birthday party for 3 of us and when my boss got up to toast me he said "We couldn't do without you". That makes me feel so special....they at all times try to keep me rested and loved. Even though I have been feeling that due to my absences from work since July as a result of my 2 surgeries, I need to be back at work, I have never been pressured to do so - it has been all on my terms....it doesn't get any better than that. Thank you IK and Cathy, it's been a pleasure working with and for you these past 11 years!
I would like to believe that what you give out comes back to you so those of us battling, try and come out of the "woe is me" if even for a day .........see the good in cancer, it's not all bad .......you have been warned - if you are thinking of malicing someone - there is no time for that so don't bother with the petty things, you wake each day giving thanks and you savour every moment that you are above ground, you say I love you more and you pamper yourself today instead of tomorrow.
I remember my friend Barbara asking me if she would ever drive again, I promised her she would..." Why not?" I exclaimed. She never did! She got diagnosed in January and was dead by April......I was diagnosed in 1978, I'm still here. Hers was aggressive mine is slow moving so I give thanks for that too.
I could have missed out on a black man being President of the United States of America - I didn't......
I could have missed out on my granddaughter - I didn't ......but most of all I could have missed out on raising my son Sajato who was under a year when my first cancer was diagnosed so he would not have remembered his mother......what a miss that would have been and what a lot of stories wouldn't have gotten told.
Those of us who are under the gun , remember it's not the beginning or the end of the race..... hasn't Usain shown you enough times it's how you run the race?