Thoughts on food and beverages – Part 31

You are what you eat. This statement rings so true when you actually learn what you are eating. Obesity, mood disorders,cancer, ADD/ADHD, skin conditions etc, I could go on forever, but many of these conditions are a condition of the foods that we eat.

Take a look at the list of ingredients and see how many preservatives and colors are added to our every day prepackaged foods, now do a search on each and find out how many are naturally derived. The human body is an amazing machine which is finely tuned from our caveman days, but compare what you eat now to what we did then you’ll start to see why the human race is slowly but surely being killed out by the foods we consume today.

Every person needs to be informed on what they are actually consuming, and always remember everything in moderation.

Thoughts on food and beverages – Part 53

Eating is something you can’t ever control.Especially when your overweight. We all try to eat smart.Counting the calories on snacks and especially brownies is hard.What you need to do is go on a BALANCED DIET.A diet that is not to lose weight,but to stay healthy.Studies show the United States is number one in producing unhealthy snacks. All teens need to know that obesity is very bad.So everyday Execise is good. Doctors say no diet is good for any child or teen,but when it comes to obesity…The only good diet that I think everyone should do is a Balanced Diet.Those machines that show that you need to lose weight and diet pills are the most bad things you can do. So anyone thinking that there overweight or “fat”,have to eat right and stay fit. Protein shakes

and energy bars are good, But there not used to lose weight. I think losing weight is not good to do. South Beach diets and diets that you can’t eat for the rest of the day are bad.Just a message saying: don’t ever do that. Eat right,stay Fit.Execise and play outside for 60 minutes.

Thoughts on food and beverages – Part 14

I have to say I used to eat WAYYY too much. But I have come to the realization that we are really eating ourselves to death when we buy a dozen donuts and consume them right here and now, or eat an enormous plate of food and then go back for seconds and thirds. Is food really worth the bloating, the weight, the physical ailments that beset overweight people? I think not.

Now I eat pretty normally. I use a few tricks like a smaller plate to make it seem like there is more than there is and visualization, seeing myself growing fatter and fatter if I eat too much food and seeing myself growing thinner and thinner when I eat correctly.

I am not a doctor or a nutritionist but I think people need to think about what they eat and how much they eat. When they do this type of conscious thinking they WILL eat less and more healthy foods.

Try it the next time you are tempted by that candy bar or ice cream or steak and potatoes, or whatever your passion is.

Thoughts on food and beverages – Part 48

What did I learn during my first year of college? Food. I discovered how bad food could actually taste and how to really appreciate good, even mediocre, food. I hate to burst your bubble high school seniors, but for most of you, the dreaded cafeteria food isn’t going to get any better. Oh yes, the menu items will change and initially the new variety of foods will astound you, however, if you are the least bit calorie conscious you will soon discover why you have been warned about the “freshman fifteen.” Most of the food court choices are so highly caloric that one meal a day can satisfy the calorie count for a normal young adult between the ages of 18-20. Also, more often than not the food tastes as if the only seasoning the cooks are aware of is salt-and lots of it! Thus, one’s only recourse is the dessert bar-a wonderful array of cookies, pies, cake, ice cream and cobbler. Yet when you stand there with the pie server or knife in hand trying to decide if you could actually eat nothing but dessert for supper, a bright neon sign from above seems to be flashing FRESHMAN FIFTEEN, TWENTY, TWENTY-FIVE !

Is there a solution? Yes, there is a way out of this nightmare; it’s called a microwave and it will become your best friend. If it dies you will probably cry and immediately consider taking out another student loan just to buy a replacement. You see, Ramon noodles, spaghetti-Os, and even canned vegetables can be a better meal than what the cafeteria offers. Oh, and popcorn is a must have during late night study sessions. If you become a microwaveaholic, there is actually a website with microwaveable meal recipes. This website will teach you how to cook a full three-course meal or even bake in your wonderful microwave.

So don’t give up hope college-bound kid. Instead, go to Wal-mart and buy a microwave! Stock up on applesauce, peanut butter, pickles, and Jell-O, but stay away from perishable items (you will never remember they are in your frig until you can’t figure out where the awful smell is coming from.) Occasionally, when you do go out for dinner, make sure you get a take-home box. You can even offer to take your dining companion’s leftovers back to the dorm as well. And girls, if you have a date, make sure he takes you to a NICE restaurant, that way if the date flops, at least you will have the memory of a fine meal to sustain you.

All in all, freshman year is a wonderful life-changing experience, but why should you have to suffer from malnutrition or become overweight in the process? Take my advice and plan ahead. Make out your grocery list, hand it to your mother and don’t give another thought to the dreaded cafeteria fare. Instead, start studying for the next SAT; you’re going to need a good score and the grant money to buy that microwave!

Thoughts on food and beverages – Part 26

Wonderful Winkler!

MASTERCLASSES by top Chefs are always enlightening and although I

have trained at CIA (Culinary Institute of America), I always believe

what Socrates said, namely, “The only true wisdom is to realise you

know nothing.” On 19 April, 2007, I went to attend the Culinary

Masterclass by the only 3 Michelin Star Chef at the 11th World

Gourmet Summit in Singapore. Singapore aspires to be the culinary

Mecca of Asia and is succeeding to a large extent. Many tourists like

to attend the World Gourmet Summit events in Singapore because of the

many top Chefs and celebrities that take part. It was held in the historic Fullerton Hotel housed in what used to be Singapore’s General Post Office.

Chef Heinz Winkler was the youngest Chef to get 3 Michelin Stars at

the tender age of 31 in 1981. He was also awarded the

Bundesverdienstkreuz by the German President in 2001 for his services

to German gastronomy. Friendly and unassuming Heinz has his own

restaurant and hotel in Aschau in Germany. Chef Winkler began his

class, speaking in German, with Oliver, Fullerton’s Austrian Director

of Food & Beverage translating. His first dish was Carpaccio of

Salmon & Scallops with Lime Dressing. Raw salmon and scallops from

the USA drizzled with a very simple yet invigorating dressing of olive oil, lime

juice, salt, pepper, freshly grated lime and lemon zest typified his

“cuisine vitale” which aims to provide good food with fresh

ingredients of the best quality so as to make the person who eats it

healthy. During his demonstration, The lady moderator kept asking

irrelevant and irrational questions like “What kind of scallops are

these?” and “Can you use lemongrass as a herb?” which wasted time and

distracted the Chef. An attractive well dressed lady attending the

Masterclass got so incensed that she put her hand up, and asked the

moderator to stop asking questions and to just let the Chef explain

and demonstrate the dishes which was what everyone really wanted.

Unfortunately, it only had limited effect.

Chef Heinz then demonstrated how to make Crepinettes of Veal

Tenderloin with Morels. He seasoned the veal and then made a paste of

butter, cream, parsley, minced chicken, tarragon, mint and basil

which he used to cover the veal. Next, he used Caul Fat or Pork Net

which is the lacy membrane around the intestines of the pig to

lovingly wrap the veal into little parcels. Heinz sauteed the veal

for 3 to 4 minutes

Thoughts on food and beverages – Part 44

Food has always been fundamental to my life, but I find that the part food plays in my life changes, as I do.

When I was small my parents owned a catering business. The morning after a big function we would sneak out to the kitchen and see what tantalizing left-overs we could find. Pavlova for breakfast, at age 8. What more could any child want. I don’t think I even knew what I weighed then. It never occurred to me (and it shouldn’t have).

During my teenage years food was controlled by the need to fit it. I rarely ate at school or in front of people, it wasn’t the done thing. As 16 yr old’s, we would sneak off to the bedroom and eat bags of chips and chocolate. Then be guilt ridden and exercise twice daily and eat lettuce leaves for a month. Then repeat the same cycle over and over. And if we gained a kilo, oh the humiliation.

During my early twenties I ate to survive. In between running a business, having three babies and looking after a husband (my 4th child), I didn’t really have time to think about what I really wanted to eat, I made sure my kids had vegetables every night and that was that.

Now, mid thirties are encroaching. My kids are getting older and are deciphering their own likes and dislikes. Food has become like an old friend to me. We have a fantastic circle of friends and have regular ‘get-togethers’. The kids are all off playing. We sit outside, under the stars and listen to the various games in progress, the kids are full of life. The adults are happy, nibbles are on the table. Dips, cheeses, crackers, social food. The night gets cooler, we bring out the warm food. Sticky marinated chicken, pepper steak, potato cheese bakes, garlic bread. We eat until we are full. No guilt this time. Age has some advantages.

The kids are getting tires now, we spread blankets out and put a movie on for them. The younger ones cuddle up to the older one’s. The house is quiet.

Coffee is put on, hot, strong Italian coffee, laced with the latest liqueur my husband has bought. Dessert is spread on the table. All homemade because we live too far from shops. Caramel tarts, mocha chocolate cake, Pavlova. My childhood memories return. But this time they are re-written and now accompanied by my life’s true friends. People who have seen me at my best and my worst, and still come back again. As our kids sleep, tired from play, we have second helpings of dessert. Laughter fills our quiet rural neighborhood. Everyone must know we have visitors tonight. We tell stories and laugh till our faces hurt. The plates are dirty, the dishes are piled up, and I don’t care. The food is finished, but the happiness remains.

I have finally found a healthy spot for food to fit into my life. Right alongside my friends. Full bellies, full hearts, full lives.

Thoughts on food and beverages – Part 49

Etiquette

Here, I would like to talk about how we eat and drink, what is deemed acceptable and what is not. Firstly, I must point out that it is sometimes acceptable to eat with fingers and this will depend on the type of occasion and the type of food provided.

In restaurants, we may find several sets of cutlery which should be laid out in order of which to use first. For example, if we are to have a three course meal, there will be three sets of cutlery laid out with the cutlery for the first course on the outside and working our way in to the desert cutlery which should be placed closest to the dish.

Knives will be on the right, forks on the left and spoons directly above the dish and good etiquette is to use knives and forks in the same hand as they are placed although this is not essential as a clean diner using the “wrong” hand is more acceptable than a messy diner using the “right” hand.

The correct cutlery should be used for the designated course ie. should a starter dish require a spoon, this will be a smaller one placed at the top most position while the dessert spoon, the larger one placed directly above the dish and underneath the smaller spoon, should be the last item to be used.

During the meal, it is polite for the head of the table – likely to be the father for a family meal or a company director for a business mean – to pour drinks which will usually be wine. The type of wine should depend on the meal. For example; full bodied red wine for red meat dishes or dry white wine for fish dishes.

If you need to use the bathroom during a meal, you must always ask others to excuse you and go only when they have done so.

With a meal involving more than one course, good etiquette requires that each person waits until the last person has finished before having the dishes cleared and continuing on to the next course. Also, once a meal is completed, it is polite to wait for everyone to finish and for all dishes to be cleared away.

Usually in restaurants, there is no reason to eat with fingers although some foods, such as oysters, require you to do so.

When in any other situation whether at home or in a cafe, the rules will usually be more flexible but you should still use the correct cutlery for the meal and a few rules which apply to any situation are:

1 Do not speak with you mouth full. Having a conversation over dinner is fine as long as you speak between mouthfuls.

2 Use napkins when eating messy or “sloppy” foods. It does not look good, wherever you are, to complete a meal and walk out with a stained shirt.

3 There is no reason to make a noise while you eat. In order not to do this, take small mouthfuls and do not take more than one mouthful at a time.

The only time it is acceptable to eat with fingers is when eating sandwiches or other food which has been designed with the intention of being eaten with fingers.

When in fast food restaurants, it may be “common” to eat everything with fingers but do not be afraid to ask for cutlery should you prefer. As mentioned previously, a clean person doing something “wrong” is better than a dirty person doing it “right”.

Warehouse Control Systems for Food and Beverage Sector

According to Jerry List, vice-president of QC Software (www.qcsoftware.com), “First we have to understand the core competency of the Warehouse Control System (WCS). The WCS evolved from the Warehouse Management System (WMS) due to the fact that the WMS was just trying to do too much and technology just could not keep up. Routing, sorting and processing cartons through a conveyor system are very different than tracking inventory and orders. In the food and beverage arena it is imperative (a central to quality control) for goods to be picked, packed and shipped in an expeditious fashion due to the spoilage factor. A WCS must be able to process cartons efficiently avoiding any recirculation in the process of processing thousands of cartons an hour.”

Manufacturing journalist Thomas R. Cutler contributed to the current issue of the International Food and Safety Quality Network (IFSQN); the feature titled, “WCS Expands to Food & Beverage” details the decision-making process often conducted by food and beverage distributors and manufacturers.

According to Cutler, “There is a significant shift between (Warehouse Management Systems) WMS and WCS (Warehouse Control Systems) in the area of merging local data warehouses into an enterprise data warehouse. There are suites of software products that provide the tools necessary to efficiently and economically operate a warehouse or distribution center.”

Traditionally, a Warehouse Control System (WCS) executes instructions provided by an upper level host system, such as an ERP (enterprise resource planning) system or a WMS system. True Tier 1 WCS software provides advanced management capabilities including inventory control, resource scheduling and order management. The best-of-breed WCS systems are modular in nature, easily configurable, platform independent, with a scalable architecture to satisfy the needs of any size warehouse.

Unlike a typical WMS software solution, WCS directs real-time data management and interface responsibilities of the material handling system as well as provides common user interface screens for monitoring, control, and diagnostics.

The focal point for managing the operational aspects of the material handling system, WCS provides the critical link between the batch-time data host and the real-time Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) material handling system.

The PLC coordinates the various real-time control devices to accomplish the daily workload. At each decision point in the distribution process, the WCS “determines” the most efficient routing of the product and transmits directives to the Equipment Controllers to achieve the desired result. The decision-making process is often controlled by two separate utilities, the Sort Manager and the Route Director.

WMS systems are designed to manage information; they are planning systems versus execution systems, yet it is fair to say that the WCS is the MES for the warehouse because it directs the tasks.

The solutions provided by QC Software enables companies to streamline their warehouse operations with the lowest total cost of ownership in the industry ensuring increased corporate profitability.

Thoughts on food and beverages – Part 1

A loaf of bread ,a jug of wine and thou. It might have satisfied the “thous” of yesteryear but not anymore. Front up with a loaf of bread and wine cask of “vino de la plonk ” and your “thou” is likely to tell you not now . Not tomorrow. Not ever.

These days if you want to impress your “thou” it requires an expensive restaurant meal and some incredible wine ,like a chardonnay pinot noir, that you spend hours practicing the pronunciation of but still get wrong when you order it. At the conclusion of the meal you fall off your chair when the check is presented and the tip alone is all you wanted to spend. All you can think of on the way home is how many bakeries and wine vats you could bought with the amount of money you spent. However I suppose if your “thou” was suitably impressed then it was all worthwhile as long as she can remember the one time you took her to a restaurant after ten years of marriage.

Where would you be without the vast array of fast food chains? Where else would you find real food and real beverages overloaded with sugar at a fraction of the price of a restaurant meal?

That’s where you can get back to basics of food and drink consumption. Never mind all the high class shenanigans requiring you to use knives ,forks and champagne flutes. In a fast food chain you can imitate centuries of dining by eating with your hands and drinking from disposable cups in much the same manner as a medieval English feast where you gorged your self ,drank from a wine glass and then hurled the glass into the fireplace. These days you still get people gorging themselves but in the absence of a fire place they simply leave the containers scattered all over the table.

Barbecues these days can be somewhat likened to a medieval feast. You have the meat being roasted over a fire while your guests drink copious amounts of alcohol, although it would be in poor taste to hurl the beer or wine glass at the barbecue before the meats were eaten. It is important though to make sure that your guests are suitably intoxicated before serving the food. You do not want them to criticize the quality of the meat and variety of preparation from well done ,over done , charred or burnt beyond all recognition. If they are going to throw anything let them at least get home. It’s there they can throw things in the privacy of their front lawns and gardens like, for instance ,the contents of their stomachs.

Really if I do have any serious thoughts on food and beverages I like to think back to the days when I could afford to go a fine restaurant. To be honest, now that my children are all now self supporting I can now afford to take my wife out whenever we feel like fine food and beverage.I still like to dwell and swoon over the menu and have managed to pronounce a wide range of wine varieties.

My thoughts do dwell sometimes on how my bachelor son ever survives with his his idea of food and beverage but that’s another story. He is quite content with a “few slices of stale bread” so as to speak , and a six pack of beer. He doesn’t worry too much about a “thou.”

Thoughts on food and beverages – Part 60

Drink To Your Health! Drink Soothing Therapeutic Teas!

Do you feel stressed? Would you like to try a natural, delicious aromatic way to help ease common ailments? Why don’t you try therapeutic teas! They have been around since Ancient Times, and have helped people all over the world to ease dozens of different maladies. Some of the more popular ones are discussed here.

Chamomile Tea is probably the best known and most effective medicinal tea used. A nineteenth century poem said, “To ease the body’s pain, the Lord sent chamomile”. This tea obviously must have been very important to the people of that time. It’s anti-inflammatory and antispasmodic properties were highly valued, and still are today. This tea has been used to help with stomachaches, sore throats, cramps, flu and coughing, and even insomnia!

When buying the chamomile flowers to make the tea, look for German Chamomile. These flowers contain the highest concentration of the essential oils that give chamomile its healing powers. To prepare the tea, use 1 teaspoon of chamomile flowers to one cup of water. Boil until just starting to bubble, then take the tea kettle off of the heat, and let the brew cool slightly. Don’t steep the tea for more than 5 minutes. Enjoy the healing effects and natural taste of this tea regularly! (Warning, if you are a person who is allergic to such plants as ragweed, you should avoid using chamomile).

Peppermint is grown by many gardeners for its wonderful, fresh minty fragrance. But you can also use this plant to make a tea to help prevent flatulency, alleviate headaches, and ease irritable bowel syndrome. Liver and gall bladder functions can also be stimulated be drinking this spicy tea. Make sure you inhale the aroma of the peppermint! If you have acid reflex, you probably should avoid this tea as it could worsen your symptoms. But for most of us, this tea is a healthy addition to the diet.

To prepare peppermint tea, simply pick some leaves from your garden and let them dry. Take 1 tbsp. of the dried peppermint leaves and pour 1 cup of boiling water over them. Let steep for about 10 minutes. To sweeten the tea, you can add some honey or brown sugar. You can also purchase peppermint tea bags from your grocery or health food store if you don’t grow the mint in your garden.

The dandelion is a very beneficial plant that grows wild in most parts of the world. We tend to think of it as a weed growing in our lawns, but it can

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