Table Manners Part 1

I would like to share a short story with you today that explains why I decided to include the topic of “Table Manners” on my blog. Last week, I traveled with my daughter to Gardner Webb University for her scholarship interview. The trip was pleasant enough concerning the weather, the hotel was ok and the different sessions held at GWU were very informative. At midday all participants and there company were invited to have lunch in the cafeteria. The menu consisted of a mixed salad that included broccoli florets and cucumber slices, sweet potato casserole, corn and red pepper mix, baked chicken, breaded smoked pork chops, rolls and biscuits and butter. At the table awaited each guest a glass of ice tea and iced water. Each table seated eight persons and each was nicely decorated.

At our table we enjoyed the company of a GWU student, two other scholarship applicants and three parents. Everyone appeared well educated and ready to tackle their plate. And that is how two people at our table approached their food – they tackle it. It was a family consisting of a mom and her daughter. Mom started by gripping the fork as if she held a spear in her hand. Her fist was tightly clenched around the handle of the fork. She then proceeded to lift fork to mouth and “Oh no”, she chewed with her mouth open. When mom cut some of her food she handled the knife in the same manner as the fork, tightly clenched in her fist. The daughter used fork and knife in the same manner. Thankfully, she chewed her food with her mouth closed. However, when it came down to eating her corn, she chose to utilize the dessert spoon. The daughter took it a step further and used her fingers to push the corn onto her spoon.

Well, I thought to myself that all these young people want to become successful participants in the great game of life. Thus, this little lesson in table manners, because you never know who is watching you when you eat in public and with whom you may end up sitting at the dinner table one day.

Part 2

What drink goes with my meal?

What flatware do I use first?

How do I use the flatware correctly?

What do I do with the napkin?

How do I show that I am finished with my meal?

Brown Soup -Braune Suppe

I love to cook. It is what I have learned, not when I was a young child or even a teenager in my parents’ home, but when I was a young adult in need of a vocation, and the one in my chosen field was unattainable to me at the time. Besides cooking I also enjoy reading and surfing the web. My passions have let me to find some wonderful recipes and other useful information.

Today I would like to share a German recipe with you. I found it in a book written in 1785 by a woman who started out writing down her recipes and household managing techniques for a friend of hers who had lost her mother and was not skilled in the “art” of leading a household.

Note: From the reading I gathered that these two women had “employees” such as cooks and other help to work with and for them.

Brown Soup

Cook a few pounds of beef to make a broth, than take a few pounds of beef from the leg, cut it into hand sized slices and beat it with the back of a knife until tender. Melt butter in a casserole over the fire and add the sliced meat. Cook it until it is very brown. When it is cooked add beef broth, root vegetables and seasonings. Let it cook, drain it (into another pot) and let it sit to collect the fat off the top. Add savory pancake stripes, slices of roasted rolls or herbs.

Weight Gain and Sleep Apnea

Weight Gain and Sleep Apnea:

Being overweight or obese is one of the main risk factors for obstructive sleep apnea, but the connection doesn’t stop there. Most sleep apnea patients carry at least a few extra pounds, and doctors stress diet and exercise as part of their treatment, but getting back to a healthy weight can be difficult.

Gaining weight can bring on sleep apnea …
After the birth of his daughter and a hectic year of studying for the California bar exam; Mark Yanis let exercise and nutrition fall by the wayside. Soon he had gained about 20 pounds, always felt run-down, and was having trouble sleeping through the night. (http://www.health.com/health/condition-article/0,,20189371,00.html – 02/2011)

To me this issue begs the question: Which came first, the weight gain or the sleep apnea?

I am the mother of two wonderful children. One is my beautiful and smart 17 year old daughter and the other is my handsome and equally smart little 7 year old son. When I was pregnant with my daughter, I had gained a considerable amount of weight. However, once she was born and I had gotten used to the new daily routine in my life, I lost the baby fat rather quickly. Although I was not as thin as a stick anymore, by now I had filled out just in the right places, according to my husband. And yes, I was up during the night for the first 4 month to feed and take care of my child. We moved into our first house and made friends with our new neighbors. When our girl was old enough we enrolled her in a daycare center and I went back to work on a full-time basis. When she was ready to become a Kindergartener I switched jobs and started working part-time.  This left me with plenty of time to go to the gym for an hour or so.

Now let’s fast-forward to when I had my son.  I was pretty much the same, at first. I gained the appropriate amount of weight. He was born and I lost quite a bit of that baby fat. He, too, was one who slept through the night in only a few months time. However, slowly but surely the weight-gain started. Other circumstances that change were the loss of my husband’s job, the sale of our beautiful home and a move from one state to another.

What had changed?

First, I was about 10 years older when I had my son than when I gave birth to my daughter but more importantly, many other factors in my life had changed as well.  My husband found a new job which required him to get up very early in the morning. He, on occasion, needed thought some extra encouragement to get up. It was too easy to ignore the alarm clock. Just hit the snooze button and take in a few more minutes of that state of comfort and warmth the covers provide. So often times it was up to me to keep on telling him to get up, a process that could take up to one hour. I had even asked him once why he just not set the timer for an hour later rather than just being bugged by the alarm and eventually his wife to get out of bed. His reply was that he needed that hour to “wake- up”.

This situation added a very significant factor to my weight and sleep problem. I had to get up at a set time to get the children ready for school. I made sure they got on the bus or I took them to where they had to go and then I would work at my part-time job and after that I came home to clean the house. All the while I was so tired and I all I wanted to do was SLEEP, but I could not. I had to get ready to pick the children up from school, supervise their homework assignments and prepare dinner. This feeling of low energy and general sluckishness provoked me to eat. When I ate something I would have the energy to get through the rest of the day. Sometimes I ate after dinner because it would be the only time I could have to myself and do something I enjoy and for that I needed energy. Thus a vicious cycle had started.

If you are overweight I want you to think of what you believe it is that has a hold on you and your possibility of weight loss.

In my next post concerning weight gain/weight loss I will give you some ideas that might work for you in combating this health issue.  Don’t forget – We are all different, and what might work for one person does not necessarily work for others.  I will compile a significant amount of resources so that the greatest number of people can receive benefits from following this blog.

 

 

Welcome

Hello everyone,

The purpose of this blog is to bring you exciting information about food. Here, I will post recipes from around the world, recipes I have invented myself and links to new and innovative ways to prep food. I will also prep meals and give you a breakdown of the cost per meal. Just for good measure, I am going to throw in some weight loss options and give you an idea of what is actually in your food.

I hope you will enjoy my blog and I encourage you to leave a comment, ask questions and post requests.

Happy cooking  from your personal Chef – Sandra