Boxers vs Briefs

Click Here to Learn More About Spartan UnderwearAnyone who has been concerned about male fertility has heard the advice about this.  It has become so important to the issue and widespread as a concern that it can even enter conversations that have virtually nothing to do with fertility.

Well, who knew there was even more to the story?  Evidently there is … or at least the Spartan brand of high tech underwear wants you to believe it and be afraid about not only infertility but cancer and even Alzheimer’s disease.

Watch the USA Today video here.

We Americans love to be frightened.  You already knew about cellular radiation and must remember all the fears about brain cancers.  Now many stick a blue tooth device in their ear so they can talk …

I don’t have to tell you how many times I thought the person was talking to me but were talking to someone on the phone I could not see.

But, notice the fear about Wi-Fi radiation as well.  Let’s see if they can tie that to cancer and Alzheimer’s disease.   I can certainly imagine that the news media will pick this up and advertise the evening news with the question … Does Wi-Fi cause cancer?  News at 7!

Who knew?  Oh, and please do check out their tag line buried in their web page just under the fold: Visit the Spartan website.

Maybe it is Time to Change the Recipe

chefSusan and I recently had dinner with two professional chefs who have literally toured the world cooking for the rich and famous.  What made it special was they cooked for their wealthy employers’ families as well as their special guests, so the range of food styles and subtleties were enormous. And the stories they tell are fascinating.

Perhaps it was silly of me to offer to prepare dinner for them, but I did.  It was a simple meal.  Some cheese and crackers and then some grilled sea bass prepared over conversation as we got to know them.  They were both gracious as we ate … not sneering at my simple approach.

We listened intently to their stories.  They had been everywhere and cooked just about everything.  One was trained in France so I asked if they had seen the movie, The 100 Foot Journey.  They had not, but they remembered seeing the trailer.

That movie is the motivation for this blog.  In it, Hellen Mirren (the French restaurant owner with huge renown) proclaims to her student from India that he shouldn’t change a recipe that is 200 years old.  He quips:  “Well, maybe 200 years is long enough!”  He added some spices from a foreign culture.

Maybe it is time we all listen to that advice in our approach to regulation, politics, and so many other aspects of our lives.  Something to reflect on.

 

 

Trashy Meals

blue-apron-waste
 Michelle Rial / BuzzFeed News

One of our friends recommended that we try Blue Apron’s “DIY” home prep meals. The idea of enjoying a few minutes preparing dinner together seemed almost romantic, and the fact that you didn’t need to go find this or that was especially appealing, so we tried it.

The meals were great, and we learned how to prepare dishes that otherwise might be intimidating or tedious given how unusual some of the ingredients are and hard to find in your local grocery.  But, I was appalled by the amount of trash these meals produced, especially the enormous cooled and insulated box they come in.  I just hauled the huge assembly to the curb and hope it will be hauled off.

I believe this is going to come back to haunt this industry … and probably pretty quickly.  Yes, it is good that we don’t throw away as much food in the preparation steps because there is only the amount of each ingredient we need to prepare the meal … so food is less likely to rot in the fridge.  But, the amount of plastic, paper, and who knows what is in those giant gel ice bags …

So, I went online to see if I am the only one thinking this way, and of course, I am not.  Here is just one rather well written article on the subject: BuzzFeed Article

I wonder whether the rest of the world has it right.  We just need to slow down…stop at the local butcher, baker, and candlestick-maker and just get what you need for that day’s meals.  After all, your fridge will simply not hold much.

P.S. Some of you who know will also spot the trick here.  By recommending friends to Blue Apron, you get more free food.  My mind quickly went to the potential Ponzi scheme available here.  Join all the food delivery clubs get your reduced cost trials and then free food by recommending your friends.