Jim and I have been going on big trips ever since we got married almost 28 years ago. Most of our traveling has been in the US, but we’ve now made three international trips together. Back in the summer of 2018 we spent a blissful three weeks in France to celebrate our 25th anniversary (one year late). I was struck with a number of tips and ideas that don’t show up in regular travel books or are given a slant with which I don’t agree. So I decided to write a brief travel book of my own, spelling out some of these unconventional ideas. Jim has recently revised it and gotten it up as an e-book on this site and as a paperback and Kindle edition on Amazon. I’d encourage you to get a copy if you’re planning any type of trip, even if you’re not going to Europe. My emphasis is on that area because that’s where we’d just gone, but my ideas are widely applicable. There’s an appendix with tipping info for most of the countries in Europe; I don’t have anything about tipping in, say, Japan, but that’s the sort of thing that’s easily accessible online. Who’s going to tell you, though, to:
Planning
The Case for Making Food INconvenient
Today I’m sharing another one of my Astoundingly Obvious Observations (AOOs): The more conveniently available food is, the more you’ll (probably) eat. I’ve talked about this idea before, but its truth has been brought home to me even more strongly of late as I’ve kept my intake of sugar under control. Keeping sweet items and other snack foods out of the house means that I can’t just grab a handful of something if the urge hits.
The Falsity of “Don’t Allow Yourself to Get Hungry”
Just back on Monday from a lightning-like trip to North Carolina to celebrate the 80th birthday of a family member. Such a nice time! Once again, as I mentioned back in May, much of that time was spent eating in restaurants—or at the party itself, of course. I tried to be very conscious of the time between meals, as no sooner had we finished one session than we started talking about the next: “Where are we going for dinner?” “What are we doing for lunch?” Also, the inevitable “Are we going to Goodberry’s?”
Reception Recipes–Mini Cupcakes and Savory Cookies
What’m I making for this Friday, the last post-concert reception for the year? I’m so glad you asked! We have a very spring-y theme: “April Showers Bring May Flowers,” and I’m so excited about making adorable little cupcakes plus some savory cookies. The sweet items will be very small, made in my mini-cupcake tins (of which I have six). I’m not going to worry too much about the sugar content of anything, and I do plan to sample some. They are going to be so cute! And people love my Cheddar cookies. I will have a visual and textural contrast to those with some pepper-Parmesan biscotti, an item I’ve made before that went over well.
Bake Sale Bashing
Hello everyone! Watch for the name and design of these blogposts to change sometime over the next few weeks. You’ll start seeing “Respect Food Roles” as the title of the blog and the header will change to something food-related. I’m excited about the new content that I’ll be publishing. So don’t be freaked out if things look different soon. I’ll tell you exactly when the change will take place so you’ll know what to look for.
A Watery Happiness Hack
Yes, I know. We’re all so tired of being told to drink lots of water. And there’s plenty of evidence out there that the whole thing has been somewhat overblown. The original standard of eight glasses of water a day came from a paper written back in the 1940’s, and references to that study usually don’t include its caveat that much of the needed water comes from food. Also, other liquids besides water count. So if you drink orange juice (which you shouldn’t be doing, as it’s just sugar water, but never mind), or coffee, tea, or other beverages, all of those count as water. (Contrary to a very silly idea that circulated for awhile, coffee doesn’t cause you to excrete more water than was in the coffee to begin with.) The current state of medical advice is that your body will tell you if you need water, because guess what? You’ll feel thirsty.
It Ain’t About the Money, Honey!
A number of years ago I read an article in the Washington Post Magazine (attempts to track it down online have been unsuccessful) about expensive weddings. The highlight of the story was the description of a couple who spent $100,000 on their special day—and this happened at least a decade ago, when a $100,000 wedding was really a $100,000 wedding.
Don’t Make Food into an Idol or an Addiction
I just finished lunch a little while ago. a totally scrumptious bowlful of lentil-and-vegetable-and sausage salad with my homemade creamy Italian dressing. I enjoyed every bite. And now, if I’m wise, I’ll consider myself to be off the eating bandwagon until dinner, at which time there will be another good meal, perhaps some spinach lasagna with whole-wheat pasta. Or we might go out, it being Friday night and all.
True Desire Leads to Action
You know what got me started on this whole blogging thing? My son’s cancer experience. I knew there were lots of people who wanted to keep up with developments, and I found it very therapeutic to write it all down. So I went ahead and did it. This website had been up for months, but I hadn’t felt compelled to do much with it because I had no true focus, no true desire, just a vague idea that I needed to publicize my book. Suddenly, though, I had a real story to tell. Once I got started I realized how desirable it was to write these entries. And I kept going. To this very day.
The Future Will Become the Present, Part II
Yesterday I wrote about my failure to enjoy the process of preparing for an event in the future. Today I want to look at another mistake that I often make: failing to prepare adequately for that future because of procrastination. I don’t think there’s ever been a meal or reception I’ve prepared that included everything I’d planned. At some point of the procedures I realize that there’s no way I can get everything done and so something gets cut. Usually it’s not a problem, but I have to say that it probably would have been good to include the breadsticks in Tuesday’s dinner. I tend to vastly underestimate how long it will take to prepare the menu. I think I have plenty of time when I don’t. The future has arrived, and I’m not ready.