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I’m working on the new book, tentatively entitled “Arlo & Janis after Dark,” and here I am giving away the merchandise. Yes, production of the new book is behind schedule, but I think it’s going to be a lot of fun. And yes, it’s mostly old material, but if you’re worried that you’ve seen a lot of it already, think how I feel.
387 responses to “‘Oft Go Awry’”
Jackie,
Not sure of all the factors involved, but the desire of entrepreneurs and their marketers, and their displeasure at official standards and required nutrient content labels just might be factors. The medical community is concerned, and all of us are paying for some of the added med. expenses, and lost worker time and efficiency. The obese victims and their families are also paying in terms of misery, self-image, lost longevity, etc. Back in the ’80s and ’90s, when Elaine and I took several tours overseas, American tourist groups typically stood out, on average, from average leaner groups from elsewhere. Unfortunately, it seems contagious.
Another tragedy is that, because of natural selection, indigenous and other groups that had more precarious, unpredictable diets than had in the last few centurie become true in many European and North American Caucasian populations, had evolved insulin metabolism that was better able to utilize carbohydrates whenever they were available. That’s great, no?
Well, yes and no. While I was still of reproductive age, in my 20s-40s, under food deprivation conditions, I’d have been at a disadvantage vs. a local American Indian male given identical food availability. I’d more likely have starved and had no offspring. He’d have more likely survived and reproduced. But natural selection does not possess foresight.
Both he and I, however, have plenty of carbohydrates available, and his culture combines with that availability to yield obesity. My pancreas is doing very well, thank you. His, however, is worn out, and he has diabetes, or is dead. But he likely has more offspring than I, and grand offspring. We see this, on average, among American Indians, native Hawai’ians, Afro-Americans, and other groups favored by natural selection for a past regime of food availability. Add all the cultural factors, and marketing and such, and we have a dietician’s nightmare, which results in a human tragedy.
There are humane scientific solutions, but how likely are we to use them?
Peace,
This is one of my favorite songs for this time of year: “To Drive the Cold Winter Away”, performed by Owain Phyfe and the New World Renaissance Band. https://youtu.be/jXpLJIFli44
Beautifully said Mark.
I like prime numbers, they appear prettier to me. I hope ’17 has hopeful impact on us all.
Jackie, you’ve proven will-power to yourself many times. For as much as a faceless poster can care, I care less about the lipids you may see in the mirror. It is the blood chemistry numbers of low-calorie intake that worries me more. But you have more current information here than I do. Balance in all things, slow and steady wins the race. More inane platitudes. Stay healthy my friend.
Ok Villagers…I am out of here for awhile. Need to meet phone repairman in an hour.
Jackie, I sent you an email…..
My dearest friends here in the Village….thanks for being my cyber friends, and may your Christmas be filled with family, love, joy, and peace.
I’ll try and check in when I can……
GR 😉 as always
Morphy, I no longer do those low, low calorie numbers any more. I shoot for 1000 to 1200 nowadays and I add nutrition anywhere I can, sneaking in low calories for taste, appearance and fiber, vitamins. Breakfast was oatmeal, peaches, raspberries, almonds. Real ones with canola butter.
Lunch was 420 calories of cheese potato soup with Hatch peppers, corn and low fat Polish sausage, tiny amount bacon bits, real ones. Added chicken broth for half water. I eliminate sodium where I can, fat where I can and try to add protein, fiber, whole grains, vegetables where I can.
Dinner tonight will be a salad and I use salads that have a calorie count on entire salad including dressing. When I beef them up I measure and add the calories in.
My problem is not lack of knowledge. I have that and the skills to use what I know, the cooking and measuring equipment. Sometimes the ambition is lacking or .motivation.
What bothers me are all the obese people I see. Yesterday I stopped in to take gifts to my beauty salon girls. They are not fat but one is chubby cute. Looked around and realized everyone there was fat. Not chubby, fat.
Go to Chinese restaurant, everyone there is obese except my friends who own it. Go to nail salon, same story, just Vietnamese girls are tiny. Go to Walmart and it looks like packs of elephants.
My obese mother in law said that she liked coming here because everyone else was fat as well. I think that is the answer, if everyone else is, why be different?
So I guess Florists and Bartenders are going to need, at minimum, their Masters in Psychology and Counseling. However, my Mom was an RN and the last year of her life she was a nurse at a local Mental Health Clinic (patients stayed overnight but not too long). She had no training in counseling, but the mother of 7 kids. She was a natural.
My favorite job skill to hire to work in my flower shop were Crisis Hotline, suicide prevention phone volunteer and first responders, police, firemen, ambulance drivers. I am not kidding.
But the mothers of large families, especially boys, we’re very capable. I remember one of first big weddings we did and one of my designers taking the ring bearer aside and telling him if he touched the bridesmaid bouquets one more time she was going to spank him.
Jackie, I knew you had the knowledge. If I recall, you are monitoring some numbers anyway. In the general case, maybe less yours, sudden or sharp cuts can be dangerous. For a contrasting special case consider a Sumo wrestler, a 3,000 kcal/day ( half again more than peak adult male ) would be a starvation trigger.
But as I noted, you have the best information for you.
Steve, sheepskins not given for hard knocks. But practical experience can be priceless. Seven should be considered a Maternal Doctorate.
Post above would be clearer by adding one word in the last four lines: ‘favored by natural selection for a past regime of unpredictable food availability.’ Peace,
Thinking back over past weight and fat issues, I have a lifetime of body abuse including many starvation diets. Most under view of “fat doctors” or obesity clinics. Only a few tried to teach you how to survive and eat a maintenance diet.
Most medical programs used liquid shakes which gave you low calories and basic nutrition needs. Or very restricted meal plans which did same thing. Weight Watchers is only one that tried to teach.
Well, Richard Simmons did as well and the diabetes control diets stress nutrition. Those were best and most livable diets that taught.
I keep wishing I had bought that Mississippi Weight Watcher’s franchise back in Hawaii when Jean Niedich offered it to me. I weighed 107 pounds when I got pregnant and size 5 and 7 clothes.
Of course my daily meals about then probably ranged from 300 to 500 calories per day, I did not follow a healthy diet.
Richard Simmons was under-appreciated by the wider culture. (may be a pun there) His clownish antics were an easy target of mockery. Instead of recognizing them for the marketing technique they were.
But he allowed obese or weakened people to believe exercise was for them, too. Not just the California girl hot bodies. And reached a larger audience than Charles Atlas or the juice man, Jack LaLanne. Today Show appearances helped.
Trip down memory lane just now. Daughter is hosting party tomorrow night and called for her dad’s favorite easy pate’ recipe. Have been through four very old and dusty cookbooks. I got an allergy attack from dust and no recipe yet.
Found all those wonderful oyster recipes I used to cook in New Orleans and Houston. Had forgotten Oysters Casino but remembered Rockefeller.
Funny note about me substituting buying bras for fattening food. I just got notice company had shipped Creme’ Bralee. Do not know if typo or that is name?
Oysters Bienville too. Bienville, Rockefeller and Casino. Four each flavor and share them or eat them all.
And stuffing, soup, chowder, pan fried, battered, poor boys. That is food porn.
I hadn’t known Oysters Bienville, thank you for that. When prepared, do the shells release like mussels do?
Morphy, I usually baked mine in small ramekins (more sauce possible) or small oval baking ceramics and put several oysters in oval dish under sauce for appetizers, served with buttered toast point for dinner parties.
I used scrubbed shells too for baking which all involved jarred oysters. However I do not believe baking in she’ll releases that mussel. I think you must cut before cooking so guest can eat easily.
Best Rockefeller recipes do not use spinach but watercress. I will look up.
First cookbook said spinach, parsley, onions, and bacon, buttered bread crumbs.
Second says butter, chopped parsley, celery, scallions, garlic, fennel, watercress, Pernod and buttered bread crumbs
Third says spinach, scallions, celery, parsley, garlic,, Haldeman head lettuce, Worcestershire, anchovy paste, Tabasco, Pernod and buttered bread crumbs.
Have never prepared oysters, and thought they were made of sterner stuff. Thanks for the tip.
Another fond movie memory I cannot name at the moment, has Rita Hayworth and two friends of long standing always looking for ‘Poy-earls’ in their lucky ‘Oye-stears’ using mo-jo and hand jive.
All four cookbooks said to cut muscle when opening shells.
The recipe two is more like what Mike made on real oysters in she’ll because I remember how hard anchovy paste was to find.
I also made a version of this using chopped oysters in a spinach parsley watercress mix that resembled the spinach artichoke dip they have on menu at many restaurants now. Put it in chafing dish with toast points to scoop with.
Mike got his recipe direct from Antoines in New Orleans. The restaurant was a major account of his.
Oooo, third recipe for me please. The time that I was a smoker required stronger flavors to make an impact. My taste buds are back, but the craving remains.
I keep two dozen cleaned oyster shells in my pantry, for preparing Bienville and Rockefeller.
Some years ago, I was a Suicide Prevention Hotline telephone volunteer. For about two years, until I could tell I was starting to burn out. Never realized that could get me a job in a flower shop. 🙂
Jackie: I know this isn’t the pate recipe your daughter is looking for but it’s an interesting option for non meat-eaters. I got it from the late Norm Schwartz; he and his wife Millie owned The Deli in Winter Park – long gone but still missed.
“Vegetarian Chopped Liver”
1 lb. green beans
1 large onion
3 hard-cooked eggs
1 slice stale pumpernickel bread or pumpernickel bagel
1 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
¼ tsp granulated or powdered garlic
Cook green beans with seasoning, al dente. Grind with onion, eggs, bread. Mix well. Season to taste.
Put me down too for wanting that oyster recipe!
Oh, all the talk about oysters makes me want to be in New Orleans area again. Lived there from 1982-1994.
Oysters Rockefeller I I
24 OYSTERS
1 CUP BUTTER (knew that was coming)
1/3 cup fine parsley
1/4 cup fine celery
1/4 cup fine scallions
1/2 clove garlic minced
2 cups chopped watercress
2/3 cup minced fennel
1/3 cup soft breadcrumbs minced
1/4 cup Pernod.
Salt and pepper
Put all the raw ingredients into saute pan with butter and cook about 3 minutes. Put all into food processor or blender until pureed. Spread evenly to edges of sheLloyd and .Bakr in 450 oven about 4 minutes