Food and Drinks are Social Pleasures

By Steve Francis


Two of the things in this life that none of us can do without are food and drinks. We must have food and drinks to survive but they also play a major role in our social lives. Interactions such as family gatherings, dating, or just sitting down with a friend for a drink or a cup of coffee. And how many business deals, both large and small, have been consummated over a lunch or dinner? The answer is "countless." Restaurants provide the ambiance for social gatherings and business meetings. After all, a great many of our parents had their first date in a restaurant, and got to know each other over food and drinks. Had they not done so, then some of us might not be here today.

In the different countries all over the world, with all of our cultural differences, food and drinks are what bring people together. In Hawaii they have the Luau, Germany has Oktoberfest, Russia has Easter Feast, Mexico has Cinco de Mayo, and your own home town has the police officers at the donut shop. Imagine what life would be like if we ate just because we had to. There would be no festivals, no galas, and very few social gatherings. Of course, we would still see the police officers at the donut shop because.....well , just because.

Let's face it. We just love to eat. We have taken great pains to insure that our food will always taste scrumptious, and is readily available. Gourmet food is a good example. We can even buy gourmet food gift baskets. And take it from one who knows, they are a special treat. As a matter of fact, getting a food gift basket for someone is a good idea. Come to think of it, getting one for yourself could be an even better one.

Being a RitzyShopper you have at your fingertips restaurants, gourmet food, food gift baskets, and drinks such as wine and tea. Take a peek and let your appetite guide you.

By the way, I just couldn't resist kidding the police just a little bit. I have a police officer in the family and have a great deal of respect for the people who put their lives on the line everyday so I can sit here and write this article. Thank you.

Food And Alcohol At Parties

By Victor Epand


I am hosting a 50th BD party in Sept. and there will be approx. 50 people there. I cannot afford to cover the expense of all the alcohol which will be consumed and was considering asking every person to bring something alcoholic to share, sort of like a community bar. I will then have a bar person handling all the alcohol. Is this appropriate? Will some be insulted? BTW, I am catering the party with food and music as well. Answer: It is perfectly right to ask guests to bring what alcoholic beverage they would prefer. Simply state on the invitation: Soft Drinks and Set ups served. Bring alcoholic beverage of your choice. I would avoid the community bar idea due to confusion. With the above plan you can provide nice labels so the bartender can keep track of what belongs to whom. Perhaps some will be insulted, but then they might be insulted if you had no alcohol served or a cash bar or whatever you do in that vein.

We are planning a birthday party for 30 people. How much finger food and booze do we need for this party? Liquor is calculated at approx one ounce of the hard stuff per hour, or one glass of wine or beer per hour. So if the birthday party has 30 guests, and runs for three hours, you need approx 90 ounces of booze or 4 cases of beer etc. That assumes you invited no drunks or alcoholics and everybody is drinking. If you intend to set up the classic "bar" and serve a full selection of mixed drinks, you'll need at least one bottle of each liquor that is popular in your area...Scotch, gin, vodka, rye, bourbon etc. Then you'll need Ginger ale, 7UP, club soda, coke etc for mixers. If you intend to get fancy and offer Margaritas and Sloe Gin Fizz type drinks, hire a caterer and just tell them 30 people, they will know what to bring. If you serve only Beer, it is common to have a popular American Brand, now-a-days a lite beer, and an import or "label" beer. 2 cases of each.

Finger food, about 2 ounces per guest. So cheeses cut into cubes, for instance you'd need about 2 lbs of each (Cheddar, Colby, Swiss etc) Veggies the same 2 lbs, cherry tomatoes, celery etc, Crackers -- 2 one lb boxes of each, dips -- 2 tubs each etc.

For the Birthday Cake and Ice cream, you can go by the advertised serving size. Although they will stuff their faces with the finger foods, people don't want to look like they are pigs at dessert time, so they will accept a small slice of cake and a single scoop of ice cream. Just check the side of the box at the store, and buy, cut or scoop out as many pieces as the label says you should get.

Figure also that you'll need at least 90 of all the plastic cups and plates and napkins and such. Your guests won't re-use them, and they usually go back to the table twice.

Important Information Regarding The Crucial Connection Between Food And Diabetes

By Tim Gorman


Food is a very important subject for diabetics. But it is not always easy to know what is best for you. There is a lot of different advice about what is or is not good for diabetics. The best person for the diabetic to ask about diet is their doctor, but there are some simple and easy to follow guidelines that will give you a general idea as to what might be a good diet for a diabetic.

Fresh fruit and vegetables are good for most people and this is also true for diabetics. Eating a good variety of these will make a good basis for a healthy diet. Contrary to what some people think, diabetics can eat grains and carbs with whole grains and carbs are usually thought to be the best.

Lean proteins are a good choice for diabetics as these keep the amount of fat in the diet down. Weight gain can be a problem for some diabetics. Fish is also a good choice, two or three times a week is good for most people. Dairy products again are generally better if they are low fat, but there are some very tasty low fat dairy products around.

Another protein that can make a good addition to the diet are beans and lentils. Even if you are not familiar with them, they are easy to cook with and can be very tasty. Drinks are generally taken without extra sugar. Diet soda drinks are very useful, as they do not contain any added sugar.

When cooking with oil it is generally better to use oils rather than solid fats. These fats can contain trans fats that are not very good for the diabetic and most oils contain much lower levels of these. But if you are eating a good healthy diet based on fresh fruit and vegetables then you are not likely to be using so much fat in your cooking.

One of the main things that can ruin a good diet is eating too many snacks. A lot of snacks can be very bad and often contain a lot of sugar, salt and fat. Diabetics should always see a dietitian or their doctor to find out what is the right diet for them, as they will be able to give the best advice. Keeping to a good diet is not always easy but can be very good for you and tasty as well.

Food and Digestion - The Reason You Should NEVER Drink Cold Drinks

By Bob Dorris

Do you drink ice water... or have drinks straight out of the fridge?

There's a saying in Chinese medicine that goes: "Above all else, protect your digestion." By "digestion", they mean processing of both FOOD and FLUID.
Think about this...

If you aren't processing foods properly, you aren't turning food into BLOOD and ENERGY ("Qi," as the Chinese call it) for your organs to function properly - so your organs are literally "fatigued" and can't perform their jobs well.

Your heart can't function. Your lungs can't function. Your kidneys, bladder, liver, gall bladder, stomach and intestines are all "fatigued" and can't do their job.

And, your immune system doesn't have the energy to protect you from cancer, colds, flu, radiation, etc.

And that's just the problems with not processing foods. If you're not processing fluids properly...
...fluid collects in your tissues (Chinese medicine calls this condition "Dampness".)

This fluid ultimately congeals, and becomes a condition called "Phlegm" (this includes, but is not the same as, having phlegm or mucus.)

This "Phlegm" leads to obesity, depression, urinary infections, dementia, seizures, cysts and tumors, sinus headaches, allergies, all breathing problems like sinusitis, asthma, COPD, and a host of other problems.

Furthermore... the processing of food and fluids includes elimination... so you will have problems with constipation, diarrhea and urination.

*************Sidebar****************

If you look through my website you'll see that
all the diseases listed there have improper eating as one of the main causes of that condition.

In some cases, the problems come directly from the food itself. But, in most cases, the problem comes from how the food negatively affects your digestion, with the weakened digestion then leading to the disease condition.

************************************

So, how do cold drinks damage your ability to process food and fluids?
Here's a simple analogy...

When you put water on the stove, it moves faster... there's more activity.
When you put water in the freezer, it slows down (freezes)... there's less activity.

Cold decreases activity. Heat increases activity.

Chinese medicine describes the act of digestion as a warm process. Energy (and life itself) is warm. When we are dead, we're stone cold dead...

It has been shown through thousands of years of observation in China that, if we drink chilled or cold liquids, we decrease our digestive activity.

We hurt this warm process of digestion (cold negates heat).

FIRST OF ALL, this causes food and liquid to be digested poorly. Similar to when your car can't completely combust fuel, food isn't digested properly and you're left with a "sludge" (which, in Chinese Medicine, is called "Stagnant food" and/or "Phlegm".)

That "sludge" is often the root cause of problems such as a weak immune system, weight gain, fatigue, cysts, allergies, sinusitis and certain types of headaches.

SECONDLY, warming up the cold fluids consumes energy (heat), leaving you with a net loss of energy.

THIRD, your weakened digestion now can't produce good quality energy from the food you eat, leaving you with less energy for your organs to function properly...

...do you get the picture? You can (and will) end up with nearly every disease imaginable.

What to do about this?

You might be lucky enough to have strong digestion and not feel too affected by cold drinks. Consider yourself blessed. But, if you're already in a somewhat weakened state...

...drinking COLD drinks might be one of the "straw's" that breaks the camels back. Here's my advice:

If you have ice water with your meals, stop.

If you drink your drinks cold from the refrigerator, stop.
Drink no more than a teacup of room temperature or warm water (or green tea) with your meals.
If you eat at restaurants, tell the waiter "No ice, please!"

One the biggest offenders is the ice water you get out at the restaurant. Just before eating a big meal, you put out your "digestive fire" (read that as DAMAGE your digestion) with that freezing cold water. Big mistake!

Iced drinks really aren't good for anybody. Nature didn't intend for us to frequently drink cold or frozen liquids. Refrigerators and freezers are extremely recent in terms of the history of human diet.

Not to mention, there's just not a lot of refrigerators out there in nature!

*** Think about the implications of cold foods here, too. Obviously, they're equally damaging. ***

It may take some getting used to, but drinking room temperature or warmer water is a good first step toward being healthier.
If you'd like to discover more ancient wisdom from Oriental medicine, visit http://www.natural-health-remedies.net/ where I discuss the little-known but effective treatments that work in my own natural health clinic.

Food and Metabolism

By Terje Ellingsen


Which food should you eat and which drinks should you drink to increase your metabolism and thus increase your weight loss? Is there a connection between food and metabolism? Actually there are many types of food and drinks that increase your metabolic activity. We will describe a few foods that surely could be incorporated in a fat burning diet. Why not start with them?

Green Tea has proven to increase metabolism. This has been showed in quite a few studies now, and most conclusions are that this drink seems to raise metabolic rates with fat loss as a result. It also contains significant antioxidant components, which protects you from heart disease, stroke and even cancer. Add this to is a metabolism boost, and you'll get real value for your money.

We all know that lean muscle mass increases metabolism. The more muscles the higher metabolic rate. Protein builds your muscles. If you add about 5 grams of protein per pound of your body weight, you'll cover your daily need for protein.
There is a drink that your should consume less of if you want increased metabolism. Research has showed that alcohol may suppress your body’s ability to metabolize fat. When drinking alcohol, your body metabolises fat more slowly than without when having a meal. So slow down your alcohol intake.

These were only a few tips of what to eat and drink to increase you metabolism. Start here and follow more tips later.

Spanish Food and Drinks: Tapas, Gazpacho, Paella, Cava, Sangria, and Rivers of http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifRed Wine

By Ofer Shoshani


Spanish food and drink – Spanish cuisine, if you will – is quite different from how it may be perceived in the United States. In fact, when most Americans think of Spanish food they tend to think of dishes that hail from Mexico rather than Spain. Tacos, tostadas, enchiladas and such are, however, wholly Mexican creations and the tourist will be hard pressed to find them in Spain unless Taco Bell manages to open a franchise there.

Like most things in modern Spain, traditional Spanish food tends to differ based upon the region that it comes from. The Southern city of Seville, for example, offers cuisine that is reputed to be very delicious while also being very simple to prepare. Here you’ll find the cold soup Gazpacho, which is a vegetable cream that includes tomato, cucumber, garlic, paprika, olive oil, and vinegar. This is usually served with bread or even with tomato-bread.

In the Northern region of Navarre you may find many specialties of meats and fish, with one original recipe consisting of a delicious trout stuffed with cured ham. Many dishes here include the local beans Pochas de Sanguesa, and of particular interest are the vegetables like asparagus and Pimientos del Piquillo, a mild red pepper dish. This Region is also famous for his Tapas.

In addition to traditional regional fare, the nation of Spain does have some delights that are enjoyed nationwide. For instance, many like to snack on quick Tapas, prepared bite sized snacks that may include pieces of fried squid or octopus, spicy sausage, cheese, squares of fruit, or even sweet candy with almonds. Tapas is literally everywhere in Spain and is often enjoyed during siesta as opposed to a full meal. Prices for Tapas vary slightly from place to place, but it is often a very inexpensive treat. In some places you can get a Tapa for as little as one Euro and in others that same one Euro will get you a glass of red wine and a Tapa. No wonder many Spanish stop at the local bar, for a meal.

Another well-known Spanish food is Paella (pronounced paeya) delicious mixed dish that consists of rice combined with many different types of meat and Seafood. Paella, is perhaps the most famous dish to come from Spain and, although it originates from Valencia, it can be found and enjoyed pretty much everywhere in the country, from the north to the south.

Spanish drinks are not quite as varied as the foods, but there are some particularly enjoyable specialties. Spain, like France, is a wine-drinking country and is famous for its various forms of Sangria, a sweet red wine that is combined with any number of other wines, liquors, and fruits. Sangria recipes differ based upon who is doing the mixing, so it’s not uncommon to find sangria that includes apples and bananas in one bar or restaurant and one that contains grapes, white wine, and oranges in another. Tinto verano is very similar to sangria, and is very popular at the south, were it is drunk during pestival. Wine is available everywhere in Spain and costs very little, starting for 1 euro for a glass. The wine loving tourist will have little to complain about when visiting Spain. Moreover, the prices of alcohol are cheaper in Spain that in any other western european country.

Spanish wines differ from region to region but most share two common traits: they are delicious and very inexpensive. The region of Catalunya, for example, offers wondrous Red wines from Peralda, Alella, Priorat and Tarragona, and the famous sparkling wine known as Cava. The region of Galicia offers several fine wines as well. Here you will find the remarkable Ribeiro, and other favorites include Fefinanes, Betanzos, Rosal, Valdeorras, Ulla and Amandi. Talking of Wine, you can't escape Rioja, which come from a region with the same name and is a lovely, greattasting, inexpenssive popular wine. They even have their own Wine festival in the end of summer, where red wine is splashed everywhere.

It is important for the tourist, visiting Spain to note that Spanish libations are typically much stronger than those they may be accustomed to in the US. In fact, a Spanish drink may be as much as three times stronger than a similar drink made at home. Some experts advise that the visiting American count three rounds for ever one actually ordered. Also popular with the Spanish and visitors to their country are Horchatas, which are frozen drinks made with milk and a variety of crushed and chopped nuts. Heralded for both their taste and the fact that they are rich in vitamins, Horchatas are enjoyed in every area of the country and differ only slightly from region to region or recipe to recipe. In the hot summer, their popularity is on top.

Coffee and hot chocolate round out the staple of Spanish drinks. These are enjoyed daily by most Spaniards, including children who often receive chilled coffee topped with ice cream as a treat. Coffee and hot chocolate are often drunk for breakfast and lunch and are enjoyed with churros, a pastry that is comparable to a fritter. Many tourists, however, complain that the Spanish coffee taste more like the american mild one, and not like the rich french/italian coffee.

Discover Mijares Mexican Restaurant In Pasadena California

Mijares Mexican Restaurant in Pasadena, California is extremely well known for two things, their margaritas and their all you can eat Sunday champaign buffet brunch, both of which are excellent. This restaurant has been around for what seems like forever and has developed a crowd of very loyal patrons.

Although it is justly well known for it's Sunday buffet, this is a good place to dine in at any time. The atmosphere is casual, relaxed and friendly and their prices are very reasonable.

Every once in a while someone will tell me that the food here is not authentic Mexican cuisine (most of these people, by the way, are not Mexican or Hispanic and have never been to Mexico). When I ask them why they feel that the food is not authentic, they say that the food is not spicy or hot enough. They say that Mexican food is very hot because of all the chili that is added during cooking. Well, I have news for those people, not all Mexicans like their food extra spicy and many that do enjoy it hot like to add their chili while they are eating. Every Mexican that I know who has eaten here likes the way the food is prepared and likes the chilis and salses that are served with the food. My son, who is one half Mexican, likes his food hot, the hotter the better, yet this is one of his favorite Mexican restaurants.

I have been a fan of Mexican cuisine since I met my wife in 1966. I do not like hot or very spicey food but I do like well prepared food with good flavor. While there are some Mexican restaurants that I prefer over Mijares, none of them are in Pasadena. Some people I know drink that much in free champaign and mimosas. If you are not that much into Mexican food the buffet also has eggs, hash browns, bacon, ham and delicious ribs. Their omelet chef makes excellent omelets and definitely doesn't stint on the ingredients. If you are into Mexican food they serve menudo, fajitas, various types of tacos, enchiladas, carnitas, rice, beans and more. They have a nice variety of desserts including flan and plenty of fruit.

Mijares has a fairly small but well stocked bar.
Mijares Mexican Restaurant is a family owned restaurant and is located in it's own hacienda style building at 145 Palmetto Drive, Pasadena, California. It has plenty of free and valet parking except on Friday and Saturday nights when it seems as if almost everybody in the San Gabriel Valley is there partying, eating, drinking margaritas and listening to mariachi music. The telephone number for Mijares is 626-792-2763.

Slumming in Los Angeles; Mexican Food for the Poor in Pocket, But Rich in Taste
Mexican Food: Muy Barato
When I moved to Los Angeles in 1992, I had a roommate named Lynn. Lynn was a man who would drink two beers, matriculate to several lines of cocaine, and then culminate the evening with a perilous motorcycle ride across Hollywood to El GRAN BURRITO on Virgil Avenue. There he would order and consume a burrito, taco, and horchata. Go to El Gran Burrito, knucklehead.” I might just as well have asked my inebriated Irish roommate with the feminine name, but it seemed wiser to inquire about Mexican culture from a Mexican person. In any case, I listened to Celso and boarded my roommate's motorcycle. For $4, I ate the “Lynn Special”: a burrito carnitas, a carne asada taco, and a large Styrofoam cup of horchata. My pursuit of great Mexican food in Los Angeles had commenced. El Gran Burrito was discovery #1.
• The Burrito.
The ideal burrito is the al pastor, filled with marinated pork, and complimented by rice, beans, cilantro, and onions. EL TAURINO on Hoover Street serves an al pastor burrito that is "primo" to the Greek gyros and the Armenian shawarma. Like the gyros and shawarma, El Taurino’s marinated al pastor is sliced from a crispy chunk of meat on a rotisserie, and then rolled into a big tortilla with the aforementioned ingredients. Like any great burrito, the beans are whole, not refried. The slender pieces of meat crunch and melt as you masticate. The al pastor at EL TAQUITO MEXICANO, located above the 210 freeway in Pasadena, relies less on texture than marinade. The meat is saturated in a dense sauce that resembles the wonderful rendang dish of Indonesia. The flavor is smoky and juicy, with taste and texture augmented by grilled onions.
YUCA'S, a tiny hut located in a Los Feliz liquor store parking lot, exemplifies the regional cochinito pibil burrito of the Yucatan region of Mexico. By definition, cochinito pibil is a young, pit roasted pig. While verifying the age of a pig subsequent to pit roasting is regrettably beyond my know-how, I’ve many times contemplated the age issue as the tender meat slowly dissolved in my mouth. If young is good, than Yuca’s cochinito pibil is a puerile beast. Speaking of young meat, I brought my two sons to Yuca’s after a morning of forced sprints up a Silverlake staircase, and had the honor of watching them shed tears over a burrito. Asada devotees heretofore, the tomato influenced pork juice that dribbled from their possessed lips changed their ways.

• The Huarache.
In the world of attire, a huarache is a sandal. In the culinary world, it is a flat, crisp, chewy, sandal-shaped slab of masa. At EL HUARACHE AZTECA in Highland Park, a huarache is topped with meat, cilantro, and crumbled bits of white cheese (cotija, me thinks). I usually request al pastor or chicharrones on mine, but all sorts of flesh suffice. Chicharrones, deep fried pork skin with unhealthy doses of fat and meat attached (kind of like a chunky rendition of bacon), are normally sold ala carte in panaderias. Tendon reminds many people of Jell-o, just chewier. The contrast of crunchy and chewy, juicy and dry, create a sensation deliciously unique in Mexican cuisine.

• The Tamale.
There are almost as many tamale vendors in this metropolis as there are burrito trucks. Some people swear by Liliana’s in East L.A., while loyalists in El Sereno love The Tamale Man. It’s all good stuff, but I tend to spend my tamale money at East L.A.’s LA MASCOTA BAKERY. The rojo is filled with pork in a red salsa, and the verde is chicken in a green salsa. The rojo at La Mascota consists of several tender pork chunks that one dreams about finding in a carnitas burrito. The cheese in the queso tamale is soft, rich, and permeated with green chile. The masa that encases the contents is dense and flaky; it feels light, yet it firmly holds its load (mmm!) without crumbling apart.

• The Gordita.
What can’t you do with masa, the Mexican wonder dough? At ANA MARIA'S, a food stall at Grand Central Market, they mold the masa into flat, grilled cakes that they split and stuff with so much stuff, it’s like eating a taxi cab with an endless supply of clowns… but even tastier! This is a gordita. It’s basically meat, beans, cilantro, salsa, and a crema that tastes like the tzatziki with which the Greeks douse their gyros. The best meat here is the carnitas, which are oily, stringy, and plentiful, like a pulled pork sandwich. Between the meat, beans, and fried masa, a $2.50 gordita can assuage and punish an empty stomach for hours.

• The Hot Seafood.
There are many consistently solid mariscos restaurants in Los Angeles serving variations of fried and grilled fish, and I’ve yet to decide upon one as being transcendent. SENOR FISH has a very nice scallop burrito, and seafood quesadillas that are remarkably excessive. VIA MAR, in Highland Park, is an inexpensive, ordinary mariscos stand that serves one extraordinary item. Their langostino burrito is filled with buttery, sautéed crawfish, green peppers, and rice. The langostino meat is the nearest thing to the taste of lobster. The succulent pieces detonate in buttery bursts of indulgent gratification. For value and consistency, the SIETE MARES chain of mariscos restaurants may very well be the best in Los Angeles. Go to the taco stand for fish and shrimp tacos, burritos, and ceviche tostadas. The restaurant is a good place to sweat over a big bowl of siete mares soup, or a plate of fried or grilled fish with rice and beans.

• The Cold Seafood.
Ray’s is the legendary pizza joint in New York City that was voted “Best Pizza” a few decades ago. Soon afterward, dozens of Ray’s Pizzas popped up throughout Manhattan, leaving the neophyte unsure as to the location of the original Ray’s (Original Ray’s also being a frequently repeated pizzeria name). I think the original is on 11th Street & 6th Avenue, but I can’t prove it. It’s kind of like the “Tommy’s” & “Tomy’s” scenario in Los Angeles, or the Mexican seafood trucks that line Figueroa Boulevard alongside Sycamore Grove Park in Highland Park. La Mar Azul serves seafood cocktails (cocteles de mariscos) and several variations of ceviche on tostadas. The cocteles are fresh, inexpensive, and generous of portion. The ceviche (raw, citrus marinated seafood) tostadas are sublime. You can order abalone, pulpo (octopus), camarones (shrimp), jaiba (imitation crab), or mixta (combination of all the above). The meat is heaped upon a bed of rich creamy, cilantro laden sauce (sour cream? mayo?) that combined with the cool seafood is ineffably tasty. The crisp, salty, foundation of the tostada effectively supports the substance.

• The Taco.
Get a burrito, silly. If the burrito doesn’t quite fill your tank, or you’re an anti-beanist, then purchase a taco for supplemental succor. Any of the aforementioned burrito joints can make a tasty and efficient taco.
Soon after I discovered El Gran Burrito, it moved west to Santa Monica Boulevard and Vermont. Success changed the size of El Gran, but it didn’t alter the substance. It’s still an inexpensive dump serving great food to patrons wondering in off the street. Much like my children cry over Yuca’s pibil, I still blubber over my El Gran carnitas burrito. Wah!

• LOCATIONS
1. Ana Maria's/ Grand Central Market, 317 S. Broadway
2. El Gran Burrito/ 4716 Santa Monica/ 323-665-8720
3. El Huarache Azteca/ 5225 York/ 323-478-9572
4. El Taquito Mexicano/ 467 N Fair Oaks/ 626-577-3918
5. El Taurino/ 1104 S Hoover/ 323-738-9197
6. La Mar Azul/ Sycamore Grove Park, Figueroa Street between Ave. 45 & 49
7. La Mascota Bakery/ 2715 Whittier/ 323-263-5513
8. Senor Fish/ Alhambra, E Rock, L Tokyo, S Pasadena
9. Siete Mares/ Silver Lake, Lincoln Heights, Whittier, etc...
10. Via Mar/ 5111 Figueroa Boulevard/ 323-255-4929
11. Yuca’s/ 2056 N Hillhurst/ 323-662-1214

German Culture: The Hows And The Whys

Germany has a rich cultural heritage. Before the late 19th century, Germany was a collection of individual fiefdoms and regions. This history is reflected in the country's cultural diversity.
Why Should I Learn About German Culture?

The reasons for learning about German culture and German life are the same as for learning the culture of any language group. Learning German language and culture is useful to:

• broaden personal knowledge
• increase career prospects

Learning about German culture is also essential for those who travel to Germany on business. There are many courses designed to help business people learn cultural customs and language • relating doing business in Germany. meetings
• negotiations and deals
• telephone conversations
• travel vocabulary
• money and banking
• the business environment

How Can I Learn About German Culture?
One of the best ways to learn about German culture is to travel in Germany. Study in Germany allows students to appreciate German culture from the inside. Not only will people learn the German language from native speakers, but they will have the chance to share social and cultural events with native speakers of German. This is an excellent method of learning about German culture and language.

What Do Courses In German Culture Cover?
Courses in German culture will cover areas such as history, geography, music, dance, literature and the arts in general. Other aspects of German culture include food and drink. Studying German culture is a key aspect of learning German, as language and culture go hand in hand.

Other Options For Learning German Culture
Another way of learning about German culture is to take part in an exchange program. This makes it easy to learn everyday language for daily communication and provides an inside view of German culture. Some students taking German in other countries find this a useful addition to their language courses. Those students may choose to teach their native language in return for the chance to live in and travel through Germany.

Once you have learned about German language and culture, you'll be ready to travel not just in Germany but in countries such as Austria, Switzerland, and parts of the US and South America where German is still spoken.

A. I Love German Wine and Food - Launching a Series
This article will launch our new series, I Love German Wine and Food. You may be aware that we have written more than two dozen articles in our first series, I Love Italian Wine and Food. This series will continue this labor of love, but for German wine and food.

Let’s start with a few statistics about German wine. In spite of the fact that Germany has a small wine acreage, only half that of the Bordeaux region of France, Germany is the world’s seventh largest wine exporter. Germans drink about five times as much beer as wine, and perhaps surprisingly drink more red wine than white wine. Germany produces about two thirds of the world’s Riesling wine, including much of the finest.

We are going to look at thirteen wine German regions,in alphabetical order they are: Ahr, Baden, Franken, Hessische Bergstrasse, Mittelrhein, Mosel, Nahe, Pfalz, Rheingau, Rheinhessen, Saale-Unstrut, Sachsen, and Württemberg. We’ll talk about the wines and the foods that characterize the region. We are keeping our eyes open for wines from all regions of Germany. In general, the articles in this series (except for the present one) will include our unbiased tasting report on a wine. We will taste the wine with food, including several main courses and at least one imported cheese, German if possible. In our Italian series the wines that we tasted varied in cost from $6 to $38, but were mostly in the range of $10 to $20. We intend to apply approximately the same price range for the German wines, but don’t be surprised if the price range drifts somewhat upwards.

Our wine tasting will be flexible with respect to regions, prices, and wine styles. First rule, all wines that we taste and review have been purchased at the full retail price. Second rule, if we are unhappy with a wine, we will let you know. Now back to the subject of German wines.

Wine Classification.
German wine classifications are complicated. To a large extent they are based on the wine’s sugar content. Wein simply means wine, a wine made from a blend of grapes grown outside the European Union. Tafelwein means table wine; it may be blended from grapes grown in different European Union countries or a wine made in one EU country from grapes harvested in another EU country. Deutscher Tafelwein means German table wine. This category and the following one, Landwein, now represent less than 2% of the total German wine production. Since we are tasting a Deutscher Tafelwein, we probably won’t bother to taste a Landwein unless the Deutscher Tafelwein pleasantly surprises us. That’s one of the things we love about tasting wine, while we do have preconceived notions, we can’t be sure until we actually try the wine. And now for the higher level classifications.

Qualitätswein Bestimmter Anbaugebiet (QBA) means a quality wine from one of the thirteen specified wine regions. About one third of German wine is QBA wine, a percentage that is rapidly declining. Its grapes usually have not fully ripened and so these wines allow the addition of sugar during fermentation, a process known as chaptalization. By law, QBA wines have a minimum alcohol content of 5.9%, less than half the alcohol in most of the Italian wines we reviewed. Such a low alcohol content leads to poor shelf life.

Qualitätswein Garantierten Ursprungs (QGU) means a QBA wine with a well-defined taste. It is harder to obtain the QGU designation than the QBA designation. Qualitätswein mit Prädikat (QMP) means assured quality wine. About two thirds of German wine is QMP wine, a percentage that is rapidly increasing. This important classification is subdivided into six classifications described below. Unlike QBA wines, the presumably higher quality QMP wines may not be chaptalized. In order to understand the following classifications within the umbrella QMP classification, we have to discuss the Oechsle scale. The Oechsle value effectively measures a wine’s sugar content which depends on its specific gravity (weight relative to pure water). Pure water is given the value 1000. Kabinett QMP wines were first defined in the early 1700s. Their minimum Oechsle value varies from 67° to 85° depending on the grape variety and where the grapes were grown. Kabinett wines are made from grapes that haven’t fully ripened. Kabinett wines are usually not very sweet.

Spätlese QMP literally means a wine made from late-harvested grapes. In real terms Spätlese wines are made from ripe grapes. Their minimum Oechsle value varies from 76° to 95° with a potential alcohol content of 10% to 13%. While 10% alcohol is a low value compared to most non-German wines, 13% alcohol is a common value. Spätlese wines tend to be sweet with harmonious acidity.

Auslese QMP wine is truly a late harvest wine. It is made from grape bunches left on the vine after the Spätlese wine grapes have been harvested. Auslese grapes must be free of damage and disease, and yet the wine laws permit machine harvesting. Their minimum Oechsle value varies from 83° to 105°, giving them a potential alcohol content of 11.1% to 14.5%. Many producers make Auslese wines only in special vintages. These wines tend to be complex. Beerenauslese QMP is a sweet, botryised wine made from shriveled, individually selected grapes. Their minimum Oechsle value varies from 110° to 128°, giving them a potential alcohol content of 15.3% to 18.1%. The minimum required alcohol content is 5.5%. The lower the alcohol level, the higher the sugar level. These wines are very sweet and quite complex.

The frozen grapes must be pressed before they defrost. If everything goes right the final product is spectacular, among Germany’s finest sweet wines. Their minimum Oechsle value varies from 110° to 128°, giving them a potential alcohol content of 15.3% to 18.1%. In fact many Eisweins are similar in Oechsle value to Trockenbeerenauslese wines described next, but have a very different flavor profile.

Trockenbeerenauslese QMP, abbreviated as TBA, wines are produced from botrysized, shriveled grapes, individually picked from the vine. The minimum required alcohol content is 5.5%. These wines are very dark and so thick and syrupy that they must be sipped.

We will try to taste at least one wine from as many of the thirteen wine regions as possible.

B. I Love German Wine and Food - A Deutscher Tafelwein
You may remember that German wine classifications are quite complicated. To a large extent a wine’s classification is based on it’s sugar content. Suffice it to say that the lowest level German wine is table wine (actually an even lower level is described in our article I Love German Wine and Food – Launching a Series, but we promised not to mention it again and we intend to keep our word.) Deutscher Tafel Wine (German table wine) comes in slightly better than table wine. Originally we had no intention of reviewing these plebian wines, but when we saw one for sale in a local wine store we figured why not give it a chance. In the world of wine, as elsewhere, pleasant surprises can happen. Before reviewing this wine let’s recall some details of German wine classification and then talk a bit about Deutscher Tafelwein in general.

Landwein is a Deutscher Tafelwein from a specific area. Qualitätswein Bestimmter Anbaugebiet (QbA) means a quality wine from one of the thirteen specified German wine regions. About one third of German wine is QbA wine, a percentage that is rapidly declining. Qualitätswein mit Prädikat (QmP) means assured quality wine. About two thirds of German wine is QmP wine, a percentage that is rapidly increasing. QmP wines may not be chaptalized and must come from a well-defined area. These wines are divided into six subcategories, described in the Launching… article. Of the thirteen German wine regions only the two biggest, Rheinhessen and Pfalz, devote more than 10% of their wine production to table wine. Of course, when you talk about German table wine, you’re talking about Germany and not a specific region. So much for generalities, let’s see how the Deutscher Tafelwein actually turned out.
OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.

Wine Reviewed
Schmitt Winzertanz 9% alcohol about $8 (1 liter bottle) No vintage year
Let’s start with the marketing materials, which are a lot shorter than usual. Light straw color; apple, pear, and citrus aroma, off-dry peach flavor, medium body and finish. Serving suggestion, serve lightly chilled with pork chops and apple sauce. I’m not really pleased that the label mentions no vintage year. Anyway, this bottle has a cute label with peasants dancing near wine barrels. The first pairing was with a commercial shepherd’s pie, perked up a bit with Thai Chili Sauce. The wine was quite pleasant, even if short and not complex. It was a bit sweet. I didn’t taste everything that was promised me, but broken wine promises are not restricted to low-priced offerings. The wine went well with dry, thin biscuits containing slices of almonds and pistachios.

I next paired this wine with cold salmon filet accompanied by a red (surely because of ketchup) mayonnaise sauce and pearl onions, and a tomato, cucumber, and red onion salad. The wine retained its fruit and was moderately long, but a bit thin, I don’t really recommend this Deutscher Tafelwein with such a high quality salmon dish, but it wasn’t bad, especially for the price. In the presence of a nut chocolate cake the wine was refreshingly acidic.

The wine was appley and had a moderate length. I guess it is what you call a quaffing wine.
The final meal consisted of fried chicken breast strips, accompanied by green beans and rice. In this case the wine was fairly weak.
The Winzertanz was pleasant with a ripe French camembert cheese, handling it better than some of the more expensive wines that also accompanied this cheese. After I paired the wine with four meat dishes and two cheeses the bottle was still more than a third full. I don’t plan on finishing the bottle; I want to move on to other wines. But frankly, in some of my tastings the Winzertanz did a lot better than another, much more expensive wine. If I’m with a bunch of people who don’t want to spend a lot on wine and we are ordering simple food, I’ll be glad to drink this wine.

Commodities and Our Food

Many times people who trade commodities will overdo media hype about negative weather that may destroy crops or cause a low yield that year. Meaning there will be fewer crops available for sale and therefore supply and demand dictates prices to be higher. Therefore people buying these commodities that have an important need are willing to pay more so they are not caught short without. Finally the person who’s actually going to use the products in production (in the case of Agricultural products) ends up buying what they need.

Some of the speculators who bet on margin make an incredible about money in a very short time. And some loose so much money to they cry, jump out of buildings or may never recover. Others would say, it artificially elevates the price to a cost un relative to any sense of reality. And that the end price of the makers of Gray Pupon in France is higher than if they bought the mustard seed from the corporate farmer himself. McDonald's buys its potatoes from corporate farmers in Idaho not the commodities market; therefore it limits its exposure to price gouging that might have occurred by using the commodity exchange to get those potatoes. Starbucks is doing the same thing, but instead of having partnerships and coffee beans, they are all of in-house. Its Starbucks owns the partnerships they grew the coffee then they might have a conflict of interest for their stockholders. Because they would be dictating the price of the coffee at the partnerships been sold to Starbucks. If they paid a little more than normal for those coffee beans, so the coffee plantation can expand by better production facilities and upgrade then Starbucks funneled money to those partnerships, that should have either paid in dividends, shown as profits or retained earnings. By doing that their stock price would go up and shareholders would be better served short-term.

Food and Drink - What to Expect in Costa Rica
A traditionally mild, not over-spiced cuisine, the Costa Rican food has absorbed influences from the Caribbean, South America and Europe into its culinary cauldron. Many dishes are simple with the staples of rice and beans tending to form the basis of most rural cooking. Costa Rican’s are also heavily dependant on locally grown fresh produce, particularly members of the squash family including courgette (or zucchini), zapallo and chayote (known as the “Christophine” throughout the Caribbean). The most famous dish of Costa Rica has to be “Gallo Pinto” (literally translated as “spotted rooster”), a dish brought into the country by Nicaraguan immigrants. The dish consists of rice, coriander, onion and black or red beans and is often served for breakfast or lunch. “Casado” is a similar dish consisting of rice and beans, served with pork, steak or chicken and usually accompanied by a small portion of salad and fried plantains. This dish is customarily served as a dinner and is widely available throughout Costa Rica and can provide tourists with a hearty, low-cost meal.

The influence of nearby Mexico can also be seen in Costa Rican cooking – the use of corn tortillas and “gallos” (resembling a soft Mexican taco), are extremely popular. Locals stuff their “gallos” with a vast array of different fillings, usually a combination of diced meat, vegetables and spices. In terms of fish, Costa Rica has a plentiful supply of abundant fishing waters. With 212km of coast along the Caribbean Sea and a whopping 1,016km along its Pacific coast you would expect to find the country saturated with well-priced, extremely fresh fish. Unfortunately most of the fish is exported elsewhere so whilst fish is still readily available in Costa Rica and usually very fresh, the prices can be a little high, especially when compared to the island’s staples.

If you’re wondering what to wash it all down with then the drink Costa Rica is most famous for is indubitably coffee; the nations largest export alongside bananas. Costa Rican’s drink a lot of coffee; it tends to be strong and served with milk. Most of the best stuff tends to be exported so expect the quality to vary throughout Costa Rica from the sublime to the pretty awful. Don’t be surprised to find it served alongside your dinner as well. Other favourite local drinks are “Horcheta” (a cinnamon flavoured cornmeal drink), “Agua Dulce” (a sweetened water based drink usually served at breakfast) and the typical lunchtime drinks “refrescos”, which consist of liquidized fruits mixed with either milk or water.

Wine is not such a good option, locally produced stuff is a definite no-no and imported stuff tends to be pricey with the exception of wines coming from Chile or Argentina.

How Not To Gain Weight At Christmas

The summer holiday season is over in the northern hemisphere; the days are shortening; and the nights getting longer and cooler. While you cling on to any remnant of summer you can find, through the odd warm day, the remaining summer flowers, and the holiday snaps you are now having printed, the remorseless progression into autumn and winter will continue.

For those of you who are overweight or borderline weight, you are now entering the danger zone. Autumn spills into winter and the winter holiday season, and the holiday season brings with it a lure to binge on all the traditional foods of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year. So, as your outdoor activity is likely to decline, and your indoor activity likely to include lifting a lot of food and drink to your mouth, but not otherwise increase, it is a period of the year when you will be in danger of tipping your weight over the edge or up the scale.

If you are on, or should be on, a weight loss diet, or are on the brink of needing one, then now is a great time to take stock and plan ahead with fortitude. By being prepared for the diet battle of the Christmas holiday season, it can be a battle you will win with comfort. Once the summer holiday period is over, you have 3 months to get ready for the winter holiday season.

Prepare Your Mind For The Onslaught of Gluttony
Ask yourself, why on earth should you change so drastically over a few short weeks, especially over the Christmas holiday? Is it not possible to maintain a good diet through the whole of the winter, without spoiling your Christmas? Much of any potential weakness will come from habit, peer pressure, boredom and stress. Inevitably, you will not be so encouraged into outdoor activities once the days cool down and the nights lengthen. From September, plan a regular yoga session, or other form of relaxation and meditation, that will help strengthen your resolve, and set you apart from peers in terms of individual mental strength. You will slowly assert your individuality in a way that will help you sail through the holiday season without succumbing to external pressures. During meditation sessions, give regular attention to your diet. Not just your short term diet but long term, beyond Christmas. See yourself happily on a healthy diet all year; not just healthy, but a diet that you enjoy. Your Christmas diet can then just merge into that; the holiday season can be similar to the rest of the year without taking away from your enjoyment.

Get To Know Your Favourite Diet Foods
It will depend of course what sort of diet you are on, but even if you are calorie counting, as the weeks pass you can prepare in your mind, or even on paper, all the treats that are a normal part of Christmas festivities yet very healthy.
1. That Christmas turkey is not off the menu in most cases; lean white meat is likely to be acceptable. And is turkey not the symbol of Christmas lunch in some countries?
2. All the vegetables that go with the turkey can be delicious if you buy good quality and cook them well. Why not set your mind on organic vegetables only for the holiday season? That may seem an indulgence cost wise, but better to indulge in that than junk foods.
3. Fresh salmon is great for special occasions; how about fresh Scottish salmon delivered to your door. A treat, but one that should not damage your diet.
4. Salads with a difference can be healthy but still a treat.
5. Aim to have plenty of fruits around the house during the Christmas period. Want to indulge as it's Christmas? What about your favourite fruits, something you regard as a treat? Can they not be fitted in to the Christmas spread?
6. There are a variety of nuts which make delightful snacks. In fact, my favourite food of all, and always a Christmas treat in England, is cashew nuts. Keep lots of nuts around the home too over the holiday period.

Really, there is an enormous amount of scope to make your holiday food a treat for you and those around you, without overflowing the tables with fattening foods. Mix in your mental preparations with the food selection, and over the next couple of months you will have a vision of a non-gluttonous, non-fattening Christmas indulgence.

Keep Up Summer Activity Levels
Be aware of that fact, and plan regular exercise sessions throughout the winter. Walking part of the way to and from work, or to the local stores, or taking the dogs on longer walks; all these things can contribute to your weight control, and make you feel better. If you feel better, coupled with your mental strength, keeping your weight down over Christmas will not be as difficult as you might have thought.

Planning Your Christmas Party
Christmas party planning can be a difficult task regardless of whether you are planning a home or office party. There are plenty of Christmas recipes that are simple and inexpensive to create that will give revelers good food and leave you time to concentrate on other factors like stunning Christmas decorations.

As well as making sure you have bought enough Christmas party supplies (you can never have enough alcohol at a Christmas party) you should consider presenting each of your guests with a little gift. Christmas history is steeped with the giving of gifts and the party favor is no different. There are plenty of Christmas party favors available that you may want to consider. As a general rule men love gadgets and women love beauty products, but everyone loves humor.

Good Christmas party ideas will include Christmas party games such as pass the parcel with forfeits. Instead of wrapping a present in each layer of paper, you can use forfeits. A combination of good food and drink, enjoyable party games and a party favor will make your Christmas party one that all your guests will remember.