It was absolutely lovely purring in to 'Old Town' Alexandria in the early evening, feeling the sun seeping into our bones and the air like soft velvet wafting over us.  After a gentle stroll, and some last minute gift buying, we decided dinner was in order and decided to try a new restaurant specialising in crepes and coffee.  The food and drink was marvellous but their menu was a little saucy...

so this is one of my favorites since it's very easy to make and pretty light. definitely not vegan with the ricotta but that's the yummiest part.

ingredients:
baby spring mix (you can buy the prepackage stuff)
if you want to make your own: baby spinach, baby arugula (rocket), & baby romaine should do
1 hand full of semi-dried tomatoes, diced up
1/4 of a red onion, sliced thin and broken up
2-3 tablespoons of light ricotta cheese
extra virgin olive oil
balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper

step 1: the base
mix the leaves, sliced onions, and semi dried tomatoes together

step 2: the dressing
slowly whisk in some extra virgin olive oil into some balsamic vinegar. about 2-3 tablespoons of each should do. i generally eyeball the oil parts.

step 3: the finish
mix in the dressing with the leaves, onions and tomatoes. i like to mix it all together with my hands to make sure the small parts aren't left on the bottom of the bowl. top the salad with dollops of ricotta. i like to drizzle some balsamic vinegar on top of the cheese parts. add a sprinkle of salt and fresh ground pepper.

enjoy!

This recipe I must credit to Christine Skordeles, my loving cousin.  She arrived yesterday with dates, goat cheese and melon.  She pitted each date, stuffed it with goat cheese and wrapped it in a thin slice of canteloupe.  Refrigerate them to chill the melon and serve.  Again, a simple, delicious starter!

hope you will try this too!

happy CURRYING!

Ingredients

4 chicken breast fillets (cut in large dice -- six to a fillet)

2 large onions, peeled and sliced

3 cloves of garlic, crushed

Pinch of sugar and salt

3 tbsps curry powder

1 tbsp Chinese five-spice mix

1 ltr chicken stock (fresh is best, a stock cube is fine, or just water)

1½ tbsps of cornflour (softened with water)

1 bunch fresh coriander leaves, chopped

2 tbps sunflower oil

Method

- Heat a little sunflower oil in a pan and quickly colour the diced chicken. Remove from the pan and leave to one side. l Add a little more oil to the pan and sweat the sliced onion and garlic until soft, but do not let them colour.

- Add the curry powder and Chinese five-spice mix and cook for a minute or two, then gradually add in stock. Bring to the boil and skim off any excess fat, if you've used a homemade stock. Season to taste with salt, and add a pinch of sugar.

- Thicken slightly with cornflour, adding it bit by bit until you have the consistency you like.

- Now add the chicken to the sauce and simmer for between six and eight minutes. This will ensure the chicken is cooked through but still moist.

- Finish the sauce with a tablespoon or two of the chopped coriander leaves. You could also add some reduced fat coconut milk for added depth of flavour.

If you leave your curry until the next day, it will always taste so much better as all the flavours will fuse together.

Very quick method

Put onions, garlic, oil and chicken in pot. Sweat for a couple of minutes. Add spices, etc then the stock. Cook for 10 minutes, thicken and remove. Finish with coriander and season to taste.

- Myles McWeeney

http://www.independent.ie/health/diet-fitness/a-simple-chicken-curryno-worries-1286844.html

How about a slice of danish blue cheese wrapped with a thin slice of prosciutto. That's it.  Unbelievably delicious!  Had them on Friday at a cocktail party and replicated them on Saturday for our pizza party! Delicious!

Remember a few years back when there was a commercial on TV that stated, “You are what you eat”?

Let's change it around a bit to “You are what you think”.

Young children don't give a second thought to how their body looks. They are aware of well being and they experience and express it without any thought to how big their tummies are, whether their diaper makes them look fat or any of the other silly things we are told to think about our bodies as we grow older.

Your body is a marvelous thing, just think for a moment about how everything works in harmony so that you think, imagine, walk, run, move your arms, talk, see, smell, see and experience life through the use of this fantastic house for your awareness.

Your body is a perfect body, working in unison with all it's parts, a lot of them without your even doing anything. You breathe, digest, your heart beats, toxins are eliminated, fuel is stored for later use all without your having to do anything.

The only problem with your body is your thinking.

That's right, your thinking is at the root of whatever you entertain as “wrong with you”.

These thoughts were offered to you by others who had also been brainwashed into thinking that unless their body was like someone else's that it wasn't good enough.

Perhaps you've believed for years that being fat, sick, tired, not athletic were your lot in life.

You have made it so by thinking and believing it to be so.

Scientists have proven that every seven years every single cell in your body is brand new. Some cells don't take this long to renew, but even the most complicated cell within your body is new every 7 years.

Your body is a perfect self healing living organism. It doesn't need you to direct it to heal a broken bone, balance a cold or flu. It does it because that's the way it works.

You only slow it down and disturb the flow of positive energy with your thinking.

Or.. you can enhance your body's natural healing and restorative powers by lining your thinking up with what is natural to you.

Change your thinking and your body will respond to your new thoughts, beliefs and expectations.

As you a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.

This means that your beliefs are instructions to your body which it follows to the letter.

It's very important to be in vibrational harmony with what you really desire to experience within your body. Thoughts of it's genetic, my family is fat, we are prone to this dis-ease or another all promote those very things.

Rather than giving your body instructions that you really don't wish to experience, change your thinking to line up with what you do wish.

Research has shown that when athletes imagine themselves running, jumping, playing their sport, the body does not know the difference between really doing it and imagining doing it. This is powerful information. Using the power of your thoughts and imagination you can shift your body's size, strength and physical abilities the same way the Olympic athletes do.

Begin this renewal process by loving and being thankful for your body.

Appreciate all the wonderful things you can experience due to having a body.

You can feel hugs, kisses, smell, taste, think, move, run, jump, talk, dream; your body is a wonderful manifestation that allows you to enjoy the physical world.

During the day be aware of how effortlessly your mind and body works to allow you to walk, sit, speak.

Pay attention to how different movements feel to you, enjoy the sensation of muscles moving to allow your legs to stand and walk.

Watch your hand and fingers work as you grasp your cup to sip coffee or cola.

Celebrate the sensation of taste as delicious food enters your mouth. Taste is enhanced by smell, enjoy the scent of your food and let each bite be a party in your mouth.

As you begin to pay more attention to the magic of your body you will feel more gratitude for it.

The more grateful you are and the more you line up your thoughts with how you wish to experience your physical body, the more quickly it responds to your thoughts, gratitude and new mental picture of it.

Be like a little baby with your body, Let each movement be brand new, be fascinated by how it works and how it feels.

Hug yourself, tell yourself how wonderful, strong and delightful you are throughout the day.

Watch that self talk about your body. It's helpful to write down on paper all the thoughts you have about your body. Writing them down makes you aware of the messages, the instructions you have been giving your body over the years.

If you are having an issue with weight, also add your thoughts about food to your list. Pay attention to these, they are the instructions you are giving to your body.

Your body is created to use food and exercise like your car uses water, oil and gas. Your car doesn't say, “oh, no, that grade of gas makes me fat”.

Food does not make your body fat either.. your thoughts .. those beliefs.. they are what make your body fat.

The size of your body is not a determination of it's well being and fitness. Reprogram your thinking on this issue to understand and know that being fit, strong are more important than being a certain size of clothes or a particular weight.

As you work through the process of changing your thoughts use these affirmations to aid you.

Print them out or write them down to read throughout the day. By choosing to think these thoughts you will replace the old thinking and the old instructions into ones that better suit your desires for your body.

I love my body, completely, and honor it.

My body knows what it needs for fuel and when it needs fuel. I trust it's wisdom completely.

My body is a physical projection of my beliefs about myself.

Every day in every way I am expressing more beauty.

I celebrate the magic and divinity in every cell of my body.

I love myself and in so doing give others permission to love themselves and me in the same way.

My body is perfect and wonderful, right now in this moment.

I honor my uniqueness, strength and beauty every moment.

I am grateful for my body and all it allows me to experience

My well being is my number one priority.

My body grows stronger and more in harmony each day.

I offer my highest thoughts to my body and it responds with it's Highest Energy.

I am grateful that my body knows how to restore, heal and renew itself.

I celebrate the magic of my body and am grateful for it's help in experiencing life.

I am in balance, mind, body, and spirit.

I offer love to my body and it returns love to me.

Gratitude for movement fills my heart, I am thankful for this wonderful body.

My body is my friend, we live in harmony, joy, love and peace.

Thank you body, I honor and respect you.

The toro was the best piece of raw tuna I've ever eaten.  Then came a couple of pieces of red snapper.  S had a cocktail and because I couldn't decide on the sake I wanted I had a flight of three tastings.  I love little tastings of just about anything.  We had the tuna & crab nachos as an appetizer.  They were cute tiny tortilla cups with spicy filling.  S wasn't that impressed.  I thought they were really tasty and that Hubbard (who was busy meeting college buddies at the Knights of Columbus pool) would have liked the little nachos quite a lot.   Then we moved on to the rolls.

In true S and Margie fashion, we ordered too much.  But, guys, I have seriously got to start thinking about taking pictures of my food.  Especially in a place like this.  These rolls were just lovely, almost decorative.  We had the Sushi Axiom roll - salmon, crab and avocado in a soy wrap with wasabi cream.  I like the soy wrap, as opposed to the typical nori.  It's much easier to bite through.   Following that, the Cherry Blossom roll - shrimp tempura, crab and cucumber garnished with tuna.  Very tasty.  And the Lady In Red - now, I've forgotten the details on this one.  But, S said it was basically a spicy tuna roll without the nori.  I think it was wrapped in red soy.  Everything was just beautiful and tasted so nice and fresh.

We both had another drink as we finished up the rolls.  I settled on a single glass of Northern Skies sake.  Very easy to drink.  Then our server suggested that we finish with an uni shooter.  We had already asked what the strange yellowish stuff in the special little container was about and we were told it was sea urchin.  Wouldn't have guessed that.  We agreed to try the shooter.  This is undoubtedly the strangest thing I've had in a sushi joint.  Hey, if Zimmern can do it, so can I.  I don't have all the details on this interesting little mouthful.  S noticed that "the man" seemed to show up just about the time they started talking about putting these shooters together.  Someone dressed in street clothes and looking like he was in the know suddenly appeared behind the sushi bar while the shooters were being put together.  He watched over our man as he poured out most of the sake that was given to him in two shallow shotglasses.  Then he added the uni, a little more uni than I thought I actually needed.  Very odd consistency.  S and I looked at each other.  Were we doing the right thing?  We didn't even ask how much this was going to cost.  Then, he added some kind of brown sauce (soy sauce?  eel sauce?).  That was topped with three different kinds/colors of roe - red, black and green.  Finally, he cracked a quail egg on top and handed them over.  We looked at each other again and went for it.  S just slammed his back.  I'm not the kind of person who can do that.  I managed to get it all in my mouth at once.  But, I took me a couple of seconds and swallows to negotiate the whole thing.  Very interesting.  Very full flavor that I really can't describe.  And a thousand little pops of the fish eggs just to give it all a bit of zing.  Would I have the shooter again?  Probably not.  It wasn't a $13 experience in my book.  Am I glad I did it?  Sure I am.  I'm not sure I can say what uni tastes like because it was mixed with so many other flavors.  I think the texture is what I liked the least about it.  The flavor was good. 

So, $72 a piece after tax and tip.  We were offered a little desert of some kind of banana snack cake and a weird pink ice cream and two plastic spoons.  We ate a couple of bites.  But, it wasn't necessary.  Somehow dessert really isn't what I'm looking for after sushi.  Especially not with a plastic spoon.  It was a cute touch, though.  At home, I was in bed about 30 minutes after I hit the door.

Should you go to Sushi Axiom?  Absolutely.  It would be a great place to take a date.  You could easily dress up or down.  Most of the people there were very casual.  There are so many new places to try on that stretch of Henderson right now and I'm certainly excited to have a new sushi place in our neck of the woods.  Go.  You'll like it.

ht Adam M. and Kyle

Great stuff.

---

Forgetting Sarah Marshall is probably my favorite film of 2008 so far. This film coming from the Judd Apatow comedy machine is pure gold, with a simplistic plot that easily presents tons of funny moments. Jason Segel is a revelation; I didn't like him that much in Knocked Up, but he was certainly brilliant in this film. The two female leads, Kristin Bell and Mila Kundis also their had standout moments.

---

Finally, after two unsuccessful attempts for the past two weeks, I had dinner again at Pepper Lunch in Rockwell last night. Definitely, I will be coming back for more.

Ah, escarole and bean soup. I love the way you can control the depth of field by adjusting the aperature far more creatively than with the kit lens.

The only thing I did different on this one was adjust the F stop. Totally different effect on the picture.

Even one of our pedestrian Chinese stir-frys looks quite exciting through the new SIGMA F/1.4

I really like this particular wok shot.

Tasty results.

The tower of Barbecue Ribs. Full sunlight, ISO 100, F/5, at 1/500th of a second.

Mmmmm. Meat.

It is quite a hearty meal. No wonder why it is cooked once a week or even less occasionally these days. Traditionally it was made with all weird parts of pig including ears and feet, but I was glad that there was no way we could find them in a supermarket. So we got bacon, ribs and sausages for the main meat, and was lucky to find the most crucial ingredient, black beans, from the nearby Paddy's market.

The beans took long to cook since we didn't soak them in water overnight. Separately barbecued meat was added to the boiled beans after two hours, and came the interesting part of putting an orange into the pot, which was supposed to help to skim off fat. *I'm not sure, though, whether it REALLY does the job it is meant to do.*

While the pot was simmering away, 'L' made special sauce with the liquid reserved from boiling black beans by adding some onion, chili and pepper. This dish is served with special root flour called 'farofa', but the closest we could find was 'coarse semolina', and he toasted it together with butter and bacon. Finally, rice was cooked with chopped onion and I was put in charge of making tomato&capsicum salsa, which got a thumbs up from 'L'. After three hours of cooking, the special dish was finally served and by that time we were so starving.

How does it look? We ate it with Korean beer 'Cass', which 'L' said tasted quite similar to Brazilian beer. I should say it was the most unusual dish I have ever come across. The crunchy, grainy texture of semolina flour and the colour of the dish being black, which isn't the most appetising. The salsa is a must with this heavy dish because it adds a refreshing taste to every single heavy mouthful.

As soon as each plate had been cleared, people started to rub their tummy and close their eyes. We were full of beans, but instead of getting up and jumping around, we got all knocked out and started dreaming about Brazilian farmers taking a nap under the shade of trees after their big lunch like this one.

Hats off to their amazing metabolism and ability to shake around their bum at parties after eating 'feijoada.'

Today, Jiejie is very happy. She brought me for a long long long 30minutes walk this morning. It's very unusual because she usually just bring me down for a walk once a week.

Then in the afternoon she say gai gai again! I was super duper excited that she had trouble helping me wear my harness. HEHE. Then we went downstairs to fetch mama. I know that mama is coming from the back of the block but jiejie keep walking to the front. I kept pulling her but she refuse to listen to me until she saw mama at the lift. Hmpf!

Then around dinner time, jiejie went to buy chicken and eggs! I love chicken and eggs! I kept jumping up and down hoping she will drop some food on the floor but sadly there is none. :(

I waited very patiently.

Wait.

And wait.

Wait.

And wait.

Wait.

And wait.

Wait.

And wait.

Still waiting.

WHY SO LONG?!

Then finally she is done with all the messing around!

Wah. Looks so yummilicious.

It's angel hair with pan-fried chicken and scramble egg.

YUM!

She is very evil.

She makes me sit and wait for her to say OK before I can eat. But luckily I am such a good boy that she only needs 1 shot and I can start eating already. HEHE.

So delicious. I shall not waste any. Stop taking my photo leh! Very ugly leh!

Jiat ba liao! Don't want to let you take my photo. Heh.

Burp!

Got ice cream for dessert?

A bad egg can really ruin your day... or several days.  So how can you tell if an egg is bad?  I needed to know yesterday and I thought I knew, but had to look it up to be sure.  I didn't want my wife to get sick from her egg sandwich.  As it turn out, the entire batch in the fridge was too old to use :-(  Good thing we had some fresh ones.......

How to Tell if an Egg is Bad

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit
Food poisoning is one of the worst experiences a person can go through, and it can even be lethal. Eggs can be the source of some superb meals, but they can also be the source of food poisoning if they are eaten when they've gone bad. How do you tell when an egg is fresh or if it has gone bad, without cracking it open to find out?

Steps

1. Place the egg into a bowl of water. The water level should be deeper than the egg's length.
2. Observe what the egg does.
   • Fresh eggs will sink to the bottom of the bowl and lie on their sides.
   • Slightly older eggs (about one week) will lie on the bottom but bob slightly.
   • If the egg balances on its smallest end, with the large end reaching for the sky, it's probably around three weeks old.
   • Eggs that float at the surface are bad and should not be consumed.
3. Crack the egg open and look carefully.
   • Blood spots (also referred to as "meat" spots) don't signify a bad or fertilized egg. It's caused by a ruptured blood vessel during the formation of the egg. Since blood spots are diluted as the egg ages, their presence actually means you have a fresh egg. You can eat it safely, or remove the blood spot with the tip of a knife, if it makes you feel better.[1]
   • Stringy, rope-like strands of egg white are chalazae which are present in every egg to keep the yolk centered. They're not a sign that the egg is bad or fertilized, and they can be consumed safely or removed.[1]
   • An egg white that is cloudy or has a yellow or greenish cast to it is caused by carbon dioxide not having had enough time to escape from the shell and is especially common in fresh eggs.[1]
4. Smell the egg. With time, bacteria break down the proteins in the whites of the egg and create a gas. This gas is called hydrogen sulfide, better known as "rotten egg gas."

Tips

• The floating test works because the air pocket inside the egg gets bigger with time as the egg contents lose both moisture and carbon dioxide. As the air pocket gets bigger, the egg is more likely to float.
• When a recipe calls for a lot of yolks or whites, separate the eggs in a different bowl, then dump the contents with the rest of the egg yolks (or whites). There's nothing more wasteful than cracking open egg number 14 in a 15 yolk recipe and finding out that it is a bad egg. You could also test all the eggs for freshness using the floating technique.
• If you're worried about the egg being fertilized, keep in mind that most eggs come from large-scale operations where laying hens are never exposed to a rooster. If the eggs come from a smaller farm where roosters are present, there is a chance they might be fertilized, but the only way to tell is by candling (holding a light up to the egg in a dark room and looking for blood vessels, movement, and chick development). That being said, fertilized eggs are no more or less nutritious than unfertilized eggs and both are safe to eat.

Related wikiHows

• How to Cook Hard Boiled Eggs So That the Yolk Is Yellow Never Has a Green Cast and Have Firm but Tender Whites
• How to Tell the Date on a Carton of Eggs
• How to Find Where Your Hen Lays Eggs
• How to Avoid Food Poisoning

Sources and Citations

• http://www.ochef.com/789.htm

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Tell if an Egg is Bad. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

Why should we do this?

Because if we fail to do this, we can run the stake of juicy falling into those unhealthy and bad habits that strolled us down the paths of obesity in the first place. No matter what stage along your weight - loss journey you are currently experiencing, sooner or later you will fall prey to those nasty life - long ugly companions ( aka habits ). They will devour your positive thoughts and urge you to glutinously consume all of the wrong things so you’ll succumb to your food bondage again. But DON’T DO IT! Put on your armor of THIN THINKING briskly to thwart all advances!

I recall as a young teenager, I knew many peers who, even at a young age, were obsessed with watching their weight, counting calories, shaky about getting enough physical exertion, and monitoring the snugness of their clothing. I thought this was very bizarre since I didn’t have any weight issues then. I could virtually eat anything and it would never show a pound on the scale. Of course, thinking back, I was a high - level physically active person, and so this is why weight - watching was not a critical agency in my life at the time. I didn’t need to think like a thin circumstance.

However, when I gradually became very heavy ( 317 pounds ), I realized that I got that way partially because I didn’t have the grounds of “thinking as the thin think. ” And without that foundation to utilize, I missed great opportunities to change some of my bad habits. Take into consideration that morbid obesity is abysmal other than just succumbing to unhealthy habits… morbid obesity has many facets to it; but for this writing, I want to focus on one element, and that is how we “think” we are.

When I explore the rationale of how thin people think, I ferret out some interesting behaviors. Thin people think about:

•Food portions

•How full they feel at each meal. They know when they can’t take another bite and they stop eating

•How sizzling their clothes are fitting

•How they look in the mirror

•How they appear to others

•Exercising or doing something outside that is fun rather than doing something sedentary

•Parking further away from the store entrance for extra walking

•Taking the stairs rather than the elevator or escalator

•Drinking water rather than soft drinks

•Using sugar substitutes, protein supplements, and religiously taking their vitamins

•Eating fruit rather than potato chips for a snack

•Maintaining a “low - burdensome” weight for any EMT squad in case of an emergency

OH, how the list of concerns in the minds of thin people goes on and on! I bet you are thinking of a few right now!

I have to laugh when I think of one of my high - school friends who asked me everyday after school lunch if I wanted to go outside with her and “freeze off my calories”….. Perfectly! She believed that shivering caused the burning of calories; so no matter if it was five degrees outside during a snow storm, she would tread outdoors for a full five minutes and SHIVER her calories away! Berserk, huh? Well, each time I see her at my class reunions, she is STILL the same slim gal she was way back when…. so maybe she knew a thing or two about shivering off calories! Today the scientists call it “fidgeting”, which has been proven to burn calories throughout the day. So when you tap that nervous foot, you are burning calories.

What we once viewed as peculiar obsessions by those who are thin, we should now view as having more value and importance, and we should incorporate some of their wisdom into our own daily lives so as we become slimmer and trimmer people, we will be thinking and acting like one too.

Thinking like a thin person everyday does not arise overnight. It is something that must be practiced continually.

Now of course, I would NEVER endorse the sad eating disorders that anorexic or bulimic people partake in, nor would I ever endorse or encourage starvation as some super - thin folks do to maintain that “waif” look. Such disorders are dangerous and have no part in thinking like a thin person! Such thinking and practices are warped and do not represent the norm.

They say that after the surgery, it takes the mind about three years to truly get used to the “new you. ” And I can vouch for that, as I am over three years post - op now and at times will overlook I have lost so much weight as I find myself still inadvertently wandering in the Plus Size department! The scale and the label in the clothes may say one thing outwardly; but inwardly our mind hasn’t totally been convinced we are thin.

Make some commitments today to begin changing your mindset. Observe the good practices of thin people and find a place in your life for those same good practices. Little by little you will become a thin person, both inside and out!

1 tell child yes of course he can have one of the cakes his brother made yesterday

2 soothe crying child when husband informs you he and the other kids scoffed the lot before crying child got out of bed

3 confidently inform crying child you will make more cakes

4 remove baby from kitchen

5 preheat oven to 180

6 cream 2 ounce marg and 2 ounce of butter, measure out 2 ounce SR flour with a bit of cocoa thrown in

7 go to get eggs from fridge. seethe silently as husband informs you he ate them for breakfast

8 wish you didnt have a lie in

9 throw in half a teaspoon of baking powder and some milk. add flour so it looks vaguely like cake mix

10 get cake cases out of very high shelf in cupboard. put back everything else from very high shelf which fell on you

11 put cake mix in cases

12 remove baby from kitchen

13 put cakes in oven

14 notice cat has vomited on sofa

15 spend 5 minutes searching for kitchen roll before husband informs you he used the last roll but didnt tell you

16 weigh up pros and cons of bashing husband on head with cricket bat

17 arm self with anti bac spray and non disposable cloth which will have to be thrown away now to clean up cat sick

18 put down spray and cloth to investigate bloodcurling screams from upstairs

19 tell child that minor bump does not require that level of noise

20 get back downstairs to find husband cleaning up cat sick, decide maybe he isnt that bad after all

21 remove baby from kitchen

22 get cakes out of oven

23 make green icing and allow previously crying child to ice cakes

24 eat cakes. these are more a collection of crumbs in a paper case which have hardly risen and are too sweet but the kids dont care so job done!

First she set out a bowl of corn mush, seasoned with tree leaves, dried fish and wood ashes, for the 11 smallest children, who tore into it with bare hands.

Then she set out a bowl for her husband. Then two bowls for a dozen older children. Then finally, after everyone else had finished, a bowl for herself. She always eats last.
A year ago, before food prices nearly doubled, Lingani would have had three meals a day of meat, rice and vegetables. Now two mouthfuls of bland mush would have to do her until tomorrow.

Rubbing her red-rimmed eyes, chewing lightly on a twig she picked off the ground, Lingani gave the last of her food to the children.

"I'm not hungry," she said.

Mealtime conspires against women
In poor West African nations such as Burkina Faso, mealtime conspires against women. They grow the food, fetch the water, shop at the market and cook the meals. But when it comes time to eat, men and children eat first, and women eat last and least.

Soaring prices for food and fuel have pushed more than 130 million poor people across vast swaths of Africa, Asia and Latin America deeper into poverty in the past year, according to the U.N. World Food Program. But while millions of men and children are also hungrier, women are the hungriest and skinniest. Aid workers call malnutrition among women one of the most notable hidden consequences of the food crisis.

"It's a cultural thing," said Hervé Kone, director of a group that promotes development, social justice and human rights in Burkina Faso. "When the kids are hungry, they go to their mother, not their father. And when there is less food, women are the first to eat less."

A recent study by the aid group Catholic Relief Services found that many people in Burkina Faso are now spending 75 percent or more of their income on food, leaving little for other basic needs.

Pregnant women and young mothers are forgoing medical care. More women are turning to prostitution to pay for food. And more families are pulling children -- especially girls -- out of school, unable to afford fees and clothes.

But perhaps the most pervasive effect of the growing global crisis is the ache in the stomachs of millions of poor women such as Fanta Lingani.

Sweeping for pennies
Lingani, who sleeps on a concrete floor, began one recent day at 4 a.m. and dressed quietly in the dark. All around her, children slept on the cracked floor under a tin roof, common conditions in a country that ranks 176th out of 177 on the U.N. Human Development Index.

A year ago, Lingani might have started a small fire to boil herself a cup of weak coffee. But even that is now too expensive.

Such sacrifices led to food riots in February in Ouagadougou, the capital, and towns across the country. Hundreds of people were arrested after they set fires and smashed government buildings to protest rising prices. But for Lingani, the struggle is quieter, and harder by the day, and it starts before the sun comes up.

Lingani, who said she is about 50, walked across the dirt courtyard past the two-room hut where her husband was sleeping in his own double bed, with a thick mattress. The dirt street outside was muddy and steamy from an overnight rain shower.

After a half-hour walk on the black-dark streets, she reported for work and pulled on the long green smock of the Green Brigade, a city program that pays poor women the equivalent of about $1.20 a day to sweep streets two mornings a week.

Lingani picked up a pair of small straw brooms and pushed a wheelbarrow onto a wide, deserted avenue. In the orange haze of streetlights, she bent over at the waist, so far that her bottom was higher than her head, and started pushing red dust into little piles.

The "shssssh shssssh" of her sweeping was the only sound, except for the crowing of a few roosters and occasional laughter from men at an all-night bar down the road.

She worked a section of road about 150 yards long, while a dozen others in the all-female brigade swept along. A tanker truck sped down the street, kicking up a cloud of dust into her face and blowing away her little piles. She coughed, pulled her pink head scarf across her face and swept the same dust all over again.

Lingani swept until the sun came up, pushing her piles onto a small metal dish, then dumping them into a wheelbarrow and finally into a pothole on an unpaved side street.

By 7 a.m., she'd finished her section. But she had to wait an hour for a male supervisor to show up and check her work. In two weeks, she would get her monthly pay of less than $10.
'The job of women'
Lingani walked a half hour back to her house, where her huge family was starting to stir. She took off her smock and picked up a green plastic basket about the size of a shoebox.

Market time. She and one of her two "co-wives," Asseta Zagre, do the shopping on alternate days. Their husband's other wife, the senior of the three, is nearly blind and can't do chores anymore.

Polygamy is common in much of Africa. In this household, the patriarch is Hamado Zorome, 68, a retired police officer whose pension is the family's main income -- but he doesn't tell his wives how much he gets.
The pension of a mid-level civil servant is probably modest in Burkina Faso, where the United Nations says nearly 72 percent of the country's 15 million people live on less than $2 a day.

Zorome also collects a "tip" of 60 cents from each of his two working wives when they get their monthly pay, which he uses to buy the kola nuts he likes to chew.

Lingani and Zagre, who also sweeps streets, said Zorome doles out small amounts of money for them to buy staples such as cornmeal. But the bulk of the family's meals are paid for out of the wives' sweeping wages.

As she prepared to leave for the market, Lingani kept bending over and rubbing her ankles and feet. She said they hurt from sweeping for so long. She has never weighed herself, but she said she can feel a significant loss in her weight and strength in the past year.

Last month's sweeping money was already gone. So she went to her husband, who handed her about $2.50 for groceries. He told her to spend no more than about 75 cents and save the rest for another day.

"Women are born with this job" of feeding the family, Lingani said, as she walked around puddles and past goats tied to trees. "The man has to have his share. And we have to make sure the kids have their share. So we eat less."

Lingani said none of the older boys in the family has a steady job, since work is hard to come by in this poor city. So, she said, the boys mostly spend their days doing odd jobs or playing soccer. What little money they earn they tend to spend on food and beer for themselves.

"A man can never sit at home. They are always out somewhere," Lingani said. "They don't do anything. They don't help."

Lingani walked past small stands where women were selling fruit or water, assisted by small girls. A few men sold bags or charcoal, but most were sitting in the shade and talking.

"Men and women should fight together for the children," Lingani said. "But if the men won't do that, the women have to fight alone."

Zorome, Lingani's husband, said that men don't help with shopping and cooking because "that is the job of women." Like many men interviewed here, he said African culture clearly defines roles for men, who work outside the house, and women, who manage children and meals.

He said that men are willing to work but that jobs are scarce. He would prefer it if his wives didn't have to sweep streets, but "life is much more expensive now."

"Last year, we could eat well, but now, forget it," he said. "My sons don't work, so it's up to me to feed 25 people. That's why the women sweep. We don't have anything, so they have to work. That's life."

Ugly math
On her way to the market, Lingani explained the ugly math: A year ago, she could feed her entire family a nutritious meal of meat and vegetables and peanut sauce for about 75 cents. But now the family gets much lower-quality food for twice the price.

She said the cost of six pounds of cornmeal has risen from 75 cents to $1.50. A kilogram -- 2.2 pounds -- of rice cost 60 cents last year and costs a little more than $1 now. Other basics such as salt and cooking oil have also doubled in price.

Fuel costs have more than doubled for trucks that haul food to landlocked Burkina Faso, helping keep food prices high.

Beef or goat meat is now so expensive -- about $1.20 for a tiny portion -- that the family has given up meat completely, eating cheap dried fish instead. Rather than seasoning their sauces with vegetables and peanuts, they now use the tough leaves of baobab trees, the gnarly giants that flourish here in the dry lands south of the Sahara.

To soften the sour taste of the leaves, Lingani mixes in potash, a paste made by boiling down water strained through ashes from wood fires.

"In the past, our money would last the whole month. We might even have some left over," Lingani said. "But now as soon as it arrives, we spend it."

Dinner happens only if there is a bit of food left over from lunch. Even then, she said, there is rarely enough left for women.

"When the children ask for food, we have to give it to them," she
Never enough
"Are you sure you don't want more?" the vegetable vendor asked Lingani. "Is that enough for your family?"

Lingani, standing in a crowded neighborhood market, had just asked the woman for 30 cents worth of baobab leaves.

"No, it's fine," Lingani said, handing over a few coins.
The vendor shrugged and stashed the coins under a burlap sack of tomatoes covered with a beard of small flies. She handed Lingani back some change, which she counted carefully.

At the next stall, Lingani bought four small onions. As she turned to leave, the seller tossed in a fifth with an understanding smile. Lingani caught her eye and thanked her.

Moving through the churning mass of people, Lingani bought a bag of dried fish, a small plastic bag of salt, two small cubes of beef bouillon and a bag of potash, the paste made from ashes.

In 10 minutes, her shopping was done. She had spent double her budget of 75 cents.

After the half-hour walk home, with the temperature already above 90, Lingani and Zagre started plucking the baobab she bought at the market, saving the leaves and throwing away the thick stems.

For an hour, the two women methodically pounded the rough leaves in a wooden bowl, then dumped them into a pot boiling over a wood fire. Then Lingani added the dried fish and some of the ash flavoring.

"Of course we would prefer something else," she said. "But it's the cheapest thing we can buy, and we can afford enough to feed everybody."

Two hours after she started cooking, Lingani scooped out six bowls of flavorless food. The first was for Zorome, delivered to his hut. He ate it alone, then said he felt as though he needed a nap.

Others were set aside to be shared by the children.

The last bowl, slightly larger than Zorome's, was to be shared by 10 people: Lingani, Zagre and eight small grandchildren. Lingani took two bites before letting five hungry toddlers finish her food.

Near the front gate, half a dozen of the children sat in a circle, playing a game. They had built a play fire out of pieces of bark. On top of it they had placed a little plastic cup, overflowing with street garbage: onion skins and bits of rotting leaves.

They were pretending to cook.

"We're cooking rice with meat!" said a beaming Ousmane, 6, the head chef.

His father, Zorome, watched the game and laughed. He was asked if he would eat again today. Yes, he said, Lingani would make him a little rice or porridge for dinner that night.

Nearby, his daughters and granddaughters heard him and exploded. "What are you talking about?" they said. "Why are you saying that? We have no food."

Zorome smiled sadly and admitted his lie.

"When we have food one day, we have to tighten our belt the next," he said. "But it is very hard for a man to admit when things are not good."

Lingani was still sitting next to her empty food bowl. She had stopped the children from finishing one last lump of corn mush, about the size of her fist.

"The small children will be crying in a couple of hours, so we have to save it," she said. Her voice was small and soft, and she didn't look up from the red dirt. She said she felt "very sad."

"I'm thinking too much," she said.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25757291/page/3/

its been a while , didn't indulge myself wit cakes...

and i am so craving for it...

my fave : Choc Haven from CB... nyum.. nyum ... nyum...!!!!

this photo taken year ago.... looking forward to have and enjoy my time wit a piece(s) of choc cakes....

with this kind of choices .... i cant make up my mind... i know what i will do... eat one of each ... good idea , huh!!!

sometime the deco is very deceiving... most of the time it really works... this one look nyummie rite ? dont ask me about the taste.. i had a spoon... and thats the last bite ...

i want cake ... i want cake .. i want cakessssss......

More recently I've felt like as good as a Celtic festival would be, they are pretty common.  I've been to a few different ones a number of different times and they all, for reasons that are hardly surprising, lean heavily toward Irish music and culture.  The Scots are represented and highland games (and similar events) round out what tends to get left out of the more general "Celtic" festivals.  Welsh music and culture, at least in my experience, are not represented at all.

Obviously, nothing of English culture is represented at such events, one, because of the historic animosity between the Celtic folks and the English and, two, for the obvious reason that the English aren't Celts.  Maybe some exist on the East Coast, but I am not aware of any festivals that celebrate Anglo-Saxon music and culture.

I'm English, Irish, Ulster-Scot, Scottish and Welsh, but mostly English and Irish.  It has recently dawned on me that my English ancestry has not been as personally significant to me as the others though it is the bulk of my genetic make-up.  From that it hit me that my personal feelings seem to mirror American recognition (or lack thereof) of heritage.  Everyone's Irish on St. Patrick's Day, but when is anyone ever English?

I'd love to see Plymouth have a festival that brings in food, music, cultural and historical/educational events that recognize the people of all the so-called British Isles, both collectively and seperately.  If I knew there was interest in something like this, I would take a serious look at trying to organize it.

Let me know what you think.  If it sounds like an even that you would attend and/or want to participate in, feel free to comment.  Of course, if it sounds like a lousy idea, you can say that as well.

...

Paella with Chorizo and Clams

Ingredients:

1 medium zucchini
4 plum tomatoes
1 medium onion
2 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup of rice
1 pound chorizo sausage—cut into one inch pieces
1 1/4 cups water
3/4 cup dry white wine
12 small hard-shelled clams such as littlenecks (less than 2 inches in diameter)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves

Preparation

Cut zucchini and tomatoes into 1/2-inch pieces and keep vegetables separate. Chop onion and mince garlic.

In a large heavy pan heat oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and sauté onion and garlic, turning occasionally, about 2 minutes. Add the chorizo, stir and cook until chorizo starts to brown a bit. Add zucchini pieces and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the rice and toss thoroughly so that rice is coated. Cook for 1-2 more minutes, just till the rice starts to color a bit, stirring regularly. Add the wine and stir…. then add the water. Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes. Add the clams and tomatoes. Cover and cook until the clams open and the rice is finished. Sprinkle with the parsley and serve immediately.

Besides, i can learn some tips from them. hehee...many months ago, a chinese chef came for interview & food tasting, thus i've the chance to try the food!^o^

People that have never had a weight problem get flabbier after 30 without pleasant explanation. They start exercising and they don’t see any improvement. They eat less, and they still don’t achieve any significant change. What they don’t take into consideration is the aging impact on their body.

Aging is a Reason for Gaining Weight and the Obstacle to Losing Weight
There are more than 20 theories about aging but the most researched one is the “Free Radicals” theory. For love radicals are atoms or molecules in which at least one electron is unpaired causing an instability ( a comparable atom contains a balance of paired electrons which encircle the nucleus ).

This instability causes the electrons to be very reactive – they bond easily with healthy molecules and desolate them. According to the free radicals theory, this damage is what causes you to age and to become vulnerable to certain diseases.

The most common free radical is an oxygen radical, which occurs in the mitochondria when an unpaired electron interacts with oxygen. Mitochondria are your cellular power plants, the tiny structures in your cells that provide energy in the chemical articulation of ATP. This is your “fuel” for all your life functions. It helps your heart to pump and your lungs to distribute oxygen when you breathe.

When free radicals are formed in the mitochondria, they reduce the power of your cellular power plants to produce energy efficiently. You are not running out of energy because you’re aging. You are aging because you are running out of energy. Free radicals gradually shut down your power as if you are slowly turning off a light dimmer.

Free Radicals and Energy Contraction are the Roots of Most Aging Problems
Without energy your metabolic rate drops causing you to accumulate more body fat. You are losing muscle mass, bone mass, facial collagen and you are tired even when you have over - slept.

Energy reduction at the cellular level also decreases the hormone secretion in your glands. The most abundant hormone in the body is DHEA. It is known as the “mother of all hormones” because it is involved in manufacturing of other hormones, especially the sexual hormones estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone.

DHEA peeks at the age of 20 but afterwards declines sharply so at age 45 you have 50 % of your high peek DHEA, and at the age of 65 you have only 10 - 20 % of what you had at age 20. As the mother of all hormones DHEA represents a decline in other hormones as Human Growth Hormone, ( HGH ), Testosterone ( in men ), estrogen and progesterone ( in women ).

Studies show that as lower your hormone level is, as deeper your tendency to accumulate fat.

Weight gain after 30 is a result of a vicious cycle of aging. Aggressive free - radicals decrease energy production which decreases hormone level and your metabolic rate to levels that most diets cannot help.

Anti - Aging Can Support Weight Loss by Neutralizing Free - Radicals
The most common way to fight gratuitous radicals is by increasing significantly antioxidants in your body. Your body produces antioxidants naturally or it gets it from food like fruit and vegetables.

Antioxidants are form of enzymes that attack free radicals by attaching to the unpaired electron and neutralize it. There are 2 kinds of antioxidants:

The first type patrols the body, blocking the map of cuffo radicals.
The second type disarms the already existing free radical before they mire with healthy molecules.

Studies show that today’s fruit and vegetables are not rich in antioxidants as few decades ago. It is impossible to get the recommended unbroken without supplements as multi - vitamin, vitamin C, and vitamin E in the right dosages. But this by itself doesn’t make the difference. No one lose weight just by taking antioxidants.

Anti - Aging Can Support Weight Loss by Boosting Energy in Your Cells
You can increase your cells energy if you exercise regularly and supplement your food with energizers. Energizers are vitamins and minerals that increase the energy production in your cells. Well studied energizers are Lipoic Acid, Chromium Picolinate, Coenzyme Q - 10, and others. Cardio training is the best exercise to boost your cellular energy. Cardio training is what you may know as aerobic exercise like jogging, cycling, rowing or other activities that ramp your heart rate.

Anti - Aging Can Support Weight Loss by Increasing Hormone Level and Accelerating Metabolic Rate

An expensive and still questionable way to increase your hormones is Hormone Replacement Therapy ( HRT ). Hormone replacement therapy must be recommended and supervised by a doctor. But criticizers recommend staying away and not messing with the side effect risks of hormones.

You can boost your hormone level significantly without a doctor and for free if you clinch in resistance training like free weights, weight machines, bands, cables or even body weight.

Studies show without a doubt that resistance training stimulates secretion of HGH and testosterone. But that’s not all. Resistance training has many other benefits. It helps to gain muscle and reverses the aging damage of losing muscle. The more muscles you have, the more fat you burn because mussel growth accelerate you metabolic rate.

Aging is Not an Obstacle Anymore to Weight Loss
You reverse your aging damages backward and slow your aging unfearful when you burn fat and gain muscle. You can accelerate this process by reducing free - radicals and increase energy product using supplements. But there is no way to achieve it without special exercises that furtherance hormone level and nutrition that decreases blood sugar.

Not only does ephedrine increase the rate at which fat is lost, it preserves impetus at the same time, making it an ideal dieting aid for athletes. The most comprehensive look at ephedrine for weight loss is a recent meta - analysis noted in The Journal of the American Medical Combine. This meta - analysis was done by the request of the US Department of Health and Human Services. It reviewed 44 controlled trials on the use of ephedrine for weight loss it ring in that on average, it also weight loss 1. 3 lbs. per month more than placebo. However, combinations of ephedrine or ephedra with caffeine or herbs containing caffeine resulted in an average weight loss of 2. 2 lbs. per month. Through nutrient repartitioning, ephedrine promotes fat loss while preserving fat - free mass.

One of the reasons why it is such a powerful weight loss agent is that it operates through a variety of mechanisms, including increasing levels of norepinephrine, epinephrine, and dopamine, and stimulating both alpha and beta adrenoreceptors. It ( through facilitating the release of adrenaline and noradrenaline ) stimulates the alpha ( 1 ) - adrenoreceptor subtype, which is known to induce hypophagia ( appetite suppression ). It is estimated that appetite supression accounts for 75 - 80 % of the weight loss with ephedrine.

What is Ephedrine?
Ma Huang ( Ephedrine ) is known as one of the world ' s oldest medicines. Ma Huang ( Ephedrine ) is a member of the family of herbs known as the Ephedraceae. Ma Huang is a shrub - like land found in desert regions throughout the world. It is distributed from northern China to Inner Mongolia. The dried green stems of the three Asian species ( Ephedra sinica, Ephedra intermedia, Ephedra equisetina ) are used medicinally. The North American species of ephedra, sometimes called Desert Tea or Mormon Tea, does not appear to contain the active ingredients of its Asian ephedra counterparts.

Ephedrine is a naturally occuring central nervous system stimulant obtained from the plant Ephedra equisetina. Ephedrine is produced by chemical synthesis, the synthetic product being marketed in the construction of its salt, ephedrine sulfate; it occurs as a white crystalline powder with a mild wit, soluble in drench and very soluble in alcohol. Ephedrine ' s peripheral stimulant actions are similar to but less powerful than those of epinephrine ( also called adrenaline ), a hormone produced in the body by the adrenal glands.

What is Ephedrine used for?
Ephedrine has been used in China for more than 5, 000 years to treat symptoms of asthma and upper respiratory infections. It has also been used in the treatment of headaches, fevers, colds, and hay fever. Today, compounds derived from this herb are commonly found in many over - the - counter ( OTC ) cold and allergy medications. Ma Huang is also found in some weight loss and energy products. For dieters, Ephedrine suppresses the appetite and stimulates metabolism through a process proclaimed as thermogenesis. Recently, Ma Huang has been the belief of scientific research for obesity because of this thermogenic fat - burning effect. It is used to increase heart rate, blood pressure and manner. This is normally released by your body under stress to boost sports performance.

Ephedrine has moderately potent bronchial muscle relaxant properties, and therefore is used for symptomatic relief in milder cases of asthmatic attack; it is also used to reduce the risk of acute attacks in the treatment of chronic asthma. Ephedrine is also used to bliss low blood pressure, because it constricts wine vessels and stimulates certain actions of the heart.

What are the side effects of use and Ephedrine Weight Loss?
Some of the more common side effects people experience from taking the drug are nervousness, dizziness, tremors, rapid heart rate, headaches, disquietude, palpitations, insomnia, increased blood pressure. When taken at higher levels, ephedra can cause drastic increases in blood pressure, as well as cardiac arrhythmias. Discontine use if you experience any side effects.

Do not use this ephedrine weight loss product if you are now taking a prescription containing Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitor ( MAOI ) ( Certain drugs for depression, psychiatric or emotional conditions, Parkinson ' s disease ) or 2 weeks after stopping the MAOI drug. If you are uncertain whether your prescription drug contains an MAOI, consult a health professional before taking this product. Do not store above 30 degrees C ( 86 degrees F ). Protect from moisture.

What is an ECA stack?
The ECA Stack is a component found in thermogenic weight loss pills, composed of ephedrine, caffeine and aspirin working to speed up the metabolism and thus cause calories to burn faster and result in weight loss. Anyone with high blood pressure or heart problems should not take the stack.

Benefits of Ephedrine ( Ephedrine Weight Loss )
• ephedrine increases metabolism
• ephedrine suppresses appetite
• ephedrine preserves steam tissue
• ephedrine treats symptoms of asthma and upper respiratory infections

First let ' s have a brief overview of sushi for those who ' ve never had it or those who have tried it but want to know more.

Sushi is the catch - all name for a wide variety of Japanese dishes. The word sushi actually refers to rice with rice vinegar added. Since this is a very basic and lightly flavored food, it is the many ingredients added to it that really define what dish you are eating. The raw fish you have heard of is sashimi - an ingredient of many types of sushi - but you can create sushi with virtually bit ingredient that goes with rice.

In America by far the most common type of sushi is Maki - sushi, or rice wrapped in seaweed. The seaweed is called nori and forms the green skin you can see around sushi pieces. For this reason maki - sushi are called nori rolls on many menus. Also popular is Nigiri - sushi, small bars of rice topped with wasabi and sashimi.

It ' s easy to include sushi into a healthy diet. Think of the ingredients: rice, vegetables, and fish. Not exactly a heart - advance in the making, just the opposite in fact. As long as you don ' t go overboard on the rice it is extremely low calorie in codicil to being low fat. Where we chomp pork rinds and potato chips, the Japanese have sushi. Care to guess which rule has a longer average life span?

Let ' s learn how to make a California roll, easily the most popular nori roll in America today. You will need the following items, all of which should be easy to find in your supermarket ' s oriental foods section or at your local Asian market:

Bamboo rolling mat
Sushi rice ( short or medium emotions )
Nori ( squares of roasted seaweed )
Piquancy
Sugar
Rice vinegar
Imitation crab moveable feast
Avocado
Cucumber
Wasabi
Soy sauce

Prepare the rice according to the directions on the package. You will need about 3 / 4 cup cooked rice for each sushi fund, and most people will be full after eating 1 or 2 rolls.

In a small pan, place a tablespoon of vinegar and 1 / 3 tbsp of sugar and salt for each 3 / 4 cup of rice you are cooking. Heat the resulting mixture briefly and stir until the sugar dissolves. When the rice is almost done cooking, begin cutting your vegetables. Peel a cucumber and cut it into long thin strips, about a 1 / 4 " around. Same for the avocado. If you bought powdered wasabi prepare it also ( just compound in tiny amounts of water until you get a thick paste ).

Once the rice is done, remove it from heat and slowly fold in the vinegar combination. Then lay the rice out on a sheet of foil or a baking sheet and allow it to cool ( traditionally this is done by fanning the rice while slowly stirring it ). The rice should be slightly damp and sticky, but not spatter and mushy. Getting the rice right is the most difficult part of making sushi, but a little practice will tutor you what works.

Once the vinegared rice has cooled off, you are ready to put it all together. Lay your bamboo rolling mat in front of you horizontally ( the bamboo sticks should run left - right ). Take a sheet of nori and lay it on the rolling mat. Spread a layer of rice on the nori, covering about 3 / 4 of it. The part of the nori not covered in rice will hold the roll closed ( think of the glue strip on an envelope or the gum on a cigarette paper ).

Place a strip of avocado and a strip of cucumber on the rice, and top it with crab meat. Now sodden your fingers with cold damp and dampen the part of the nori you unattended uncovered. Carefully roll the sushi using the mat, starting with the rice chunk and rolling it up ( don ' t roll the mat into it, silly ). If this sounds complicated, don ' t worry. It is as simple as rolling up a sleeping bag or a beach towel, and it will be obvious to you once you actually have the ingredients in front of you.

Take the resulting roll and design it into bite sized slices, usually 6 per roll. If you are having trouble cutting the roll without damaging it, try dipping your poniard into water between each cut. Lay the pieces flat and they will look like little colorful discs. Fit out with wasabi and soy sauce on the side.

If you feel fearless and want to try sashimi, here are a few safety tips. First of all, understand that millions of people eat raw fish every day without getting sick. However, most of them live right next to the sea where fresh fish is abundant. For many land - locked Americans this isn ' t the case. Fish that is prepared for shipping to a grocery mess in Boise is not handled in the same way as that bound for a San Francisco sushi bar. Look for fish that is specially labeled as sushi - grade. Avoid freshwater fish, with the notable exception of Salmon, which spends much of its life at sea. When buying whole fish, make sure the gills are bright red and not slimy, the eyes should be transparent and not cloudy, and there should be no fishy odor.

Take up a healthy and nutritious sushi addiction today. It may take you a while to get the rice and the rolling right, but once you are experienced you ' ll be able to whip out several nori rolls in five minutes.