Hey Honey, Be Careful What You Eat

Over the years, I’ve always put honey in my diet – I consider it a super food in fact. I have a few special recipes I use that include honey. Word has it that if you have allergies and you eat the local honey at the beginning of the season, you will become immune from the local pollen which affects those allergies. This is well known and it works very well.

Not long ago, an acquaintance sent me some information from a viral email about the Honey we eat; “Does Honey Contain Botulism? Honey may contain botulism spores which can lead to botulism poisoning. There are some areas in the US where the possible contamination of honey with botulism spores is higher due to the soil. Soil contains botulism spores/bacteria and the flora that bees use to feed on grows in that soil. Honey is mostly consumed in raw form and is typically not pasteurized, sterilized or radiated. Even pasteurized honey can contain botulism spores and shouldn’t be given to children under the age of 12 months.” Continue reading “Hey Honey, Be Careful What You Eat”

Everybody Poops – What Your Poop May Be Trying to Tell You

I have to admit up front, this is going to be the crappiest article I’ve ever written.

You see, as I was walking my dogs Marty and Rosie the other day, it occurred to me that poop plays a huge role in my life. I’m not afraid to admit it. I pick up after my dogs every day, I scoop my cat’s litter box every day (OK, not EVERY day, but it certainly feels that way), and I talk with my clients about their bowel movements. In fact, while I was in India this past summer, poop was actually the number one topic of conversation between my colleagues and me, as we compared notes on who had diarrhea and who was still healthy. I even remained on “poop watch,” for several weeks after my return to the States, making sure that everything was OK (and thankfully, it was!)

So, if you are a pet owner, parent, health care professional, or world traveler, you probably know what I mean! Continue reading “Everybody Poops – What Your Poop May Be Trying to Tell You”

Do We Want Genetically Modified Food?

I have been to several conferences and meetings this week where there has been a discussion on genetically modified (GM) foods. With the current food shortages and rising food prices there has been a focus on whether we in Europe in order to improve yields and efficiency should grow GM crops. Whenever I try to have a balanced discussion on GM foods, I find it almost impossible and because I am a food scientist people often ask me questions such as:

What is genetically modified food?

How do we know if we have eaten it, or meat from an animal that has eaten it?

Should food be labeled so that we can make the choice if we want to eat it or not? Continue reading “Do We Want Genetically Modified Food?”

How an Experienced Lic Agent Can Help You to Get the Right Insurance Plan

Introduction

Life Insurance Corporation is a part of Indian life right now. An LIC agent will offer life insurance in all forms. They have you covered right from when you start earning to the day you get ready to invest in a car or a house to the day you get married to the day your child is born to the day you retire and ultimately die.

LIC becomes a part of your life in a number of ways. It is helpful in a number of ways and the two prime reasons are security and savings which have been merged to create the concept of Secure Savings. It becomes very important if you have a family and they might need money after your demise for their survival.

Continue reading “How an Experienced Lic Agent Can Help You to Get the Right Insurance Plan”

Antoine’s Recipe A Culinary ‘Scoop’ – Steak Robespierre

It’s a shame the gourmet’s of the world don’t unite to present an annual award to the Best Restaurant Of The Year.

I felt this shortcoming rather acutely some weeks ago when some of us gourmets – hearty eaters always refer to themselves as gourmets – were sitting around drooling on our bosoms.

The favorite indoor sport of those who enjoy good food is recalling Memorable Meals at famous eateries.

I opined that Antoine’s of New Orleans has to be ranked with the leaders because of its Steak Robespierre.

“Steak what?” demanded my incredulous companions, as learned eaters are wont to do. “Who ever heard of that dish? You’re putting us on.” Continue reading “Antoine’s Recipe A Culinary ‘Scoop’ – Steak Robespierre”

Incredible India and Pushkar Journal

We arrive to the land of 1000 languages and 1000 gods. At the Intercontinental, the women in my group are welcomed with marigolds and branded with the typical red dot on our foreheads. This hotel is an oasis of luxury in a polluted city of 14 million people.

Two days are spent touring Delhi. The obligatory sites include Gandhi’s Tomb and many UNESCO World Heritage Sites. No where else have ancient traditions blended with the modern on a scale so evident as in Delhi. Fat sacred Brahma bulls block traffic creating delays. In this Hindu land, cows rule. Dogs, monkeys and children cross at their own risk.

I love spiced food and begin each day with a 3 alarm-curry breakfast. We head by coach for Rajasthan, the beautiful desert state where cows are replaced by camels. The air is sweeter and everything more colorful. Here is a microcosm of all that India is.

The people are genteel with a humility if spirit and still light up at the sight of foreigners. We continually wave through our windows to those who stare with curiosity and seem to say, “why have you come here?” As a fan of the third world, this place has been on my dream list for years. I now vividly enter that element of travel that provides me astonishment. Continue reading “Incredible India and Pushkar Journal”

13 Funny Travel Insurance Stories – Lucky For Some, Less So For Others!

Cheap travel insurance has a reputation of being quite a dull area to work in. While it does have its dull routine moments, just like any other job, these are made up for by the occasional inspired funny travel insurance stories you hear. It’s hard to say how many of them are either exaggerated, hugely embellished or just plain made up, but I still found a few of these travel insurance stories made me laugh while I was researching this article, and that’s good enough for me.

Here’s 13 funny travel insurance stories. While 13 is traditionally an unlucky number, a fair few on this list will consider themselves very lucky to be covered by understanding travel insurance companies! The remaining ones who were turned down will no doubt have learned an invaluable life lesson! Continue reading “13 Funny Travel Insurance Stories – Lucky For Some, Less So For Others!”

Four Ways to Keep Your Food Safe

There is an old English saying “Food cooked with passion and served with love tastes divine.” Trust me, it is true even today! Every food enthusiast (like you and me) is well aware that the soul of any good recipe resides in the right blend of spices and fresh natural ingredients. But we might sometimes miss upon an even more important ingredient while cooking food, and which more often than not tampers with the soul of our recipe. Yes, I am talking about food safety & hygiene. One has to be very careful while handling food and maintain the highest level of hygiene and food safety in our kitchen and home.

Food contamination can occur at any stage, be it harvesting, processing, preparation, storage or transportation. Foodborne diseases are often common where low standards of hygiene are used. According to data released by World Health Organization, every year foodborne disease causes almost one in ten people to fall ill. These diseases can be deadly especially in children. Continue reading “Four Ways to Keep Your Food Safe”

Daal Ka Dulhaa and Tamatar Nimona Ki Dulhan

I was sitting with Dr.Alka Srivastava,Head Of Department of Chemistry) at our College. She was sharing various delicacies prepared at her home at Banaras-the Land Of Gods and Banarasi Sarees (Varanasi).She was narrating her childhood experiences at Varanasi and how different kinds of dishes were prepared at her home. I heard the following dishes like Ghujaa, Daal Ka Dulhaa, Matar Nimona, Faraay, etc. That was the beginning for my introduction to the WORLD OF BANARAS FOOD. I started browsing various websites in order to know about these dishes which were exclusively new for me.

I was completely mesmerized by the dish called “DAAL KA DULHAA”.The literal meaning is “THE BRIDEGROOM OF THE LENTILS” (this is the name of the dish and especially prepared from Bengal Gram). The method to prepare it is easily available on some of the blogs on Banarasi food. I was impatient and tried my own hands in its preparation and learnt it. I do not know the reason why it got its name. However, my mind was pondering on something else!

Continue reading “Daal Ka Dulhaa and Tamatar Nimona Ki Dulhan”

A Brief Introduction to Artificial Intelligence

We all know that Siri, Google Now, and Cortana are all intelligent digital personal assistants on various platforms (iOS, Android, and Windows Mobile). In short, they help find useful information when you ask for it is using your voice; you can say “Where’s the nearest Indian restaurant?”, “What’s on my schedule today?”, “Remind me to call Mom or Dad at eight o’clock,” and the assistant will respond by finding information, relaying information from your phone, or sending commands to other apps.

AI is important in these apps, as they collect information on your requests and use that information to better recognize your speech and serve you results that are tailored to your preferences. Microsoft says that Cortana “continually learns about its user” and that it will eventually develop the ability to anticipate users’ needs. Virtual personal assistants process a huge amount of data from a variety of sources to learn about users and be more effective in helping them organize and track their information. Continue reading “A Brief Introduction to Artificial Intelligence”