Michelle, our belle

Found in The New York Times:

Michelle Obama’s Agenda Includes Healthful Eating

By RACHEL L. SWARNS

Published: March 11, 2009

In her first weeks in the White House, Michelle Obama has emerged as a champion of healthy food and healthy living.

It’s impressive how our First Lady Michelle, America’s belle (couldn’t resist), is tackling the nation’s health. Her message to all of us is simple: live healthy by eating in moderation and being active. At a time fraught with vicissitudes, it might seem rather shallow to think about our waistline when truth to the matter is that physical health correlates to mental health. According to the 1996 US Surgeon General’s Report on Physical Activity and Health, being active can lead to better mental health (1996 does sound outdated, but the report still holds true). More than ever, we must think about taking care of our physical health. Countless studies tell us that the benefits are enormous: increased energy, more “positive” moods, more self-esteem, etc. Who wouldn’t want a piece of that all-over good feeling?

What I like most about our First Lady’s message is that health isn’t about eschewing meat from one’s diet or eating only a particular food group but by eating in moderation (“all things in moderation”, a quote we can thank Greek/Roman playwright, Terence, for). Coming from someone who shunned meat for over a decade, I understand too well that the answer to good health is not due to shutting out meat.

So as homage to healthy, moderate eating, here’s a quick and tasty lunch/dinner comprising of Ryan’s favorite foods: broccoli, cheese, and bacon. (Although not my favorite foods; I love cheese, I can’t say the same for broccoli and bacon. I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m prejudice when it comes to food, besides there are other vegetables and meat products I like more). In any case, here’s to everyone’s good health!

Have you eaten?

I often hanker for Korean food which consequently leads to Ryan and me paying a visit to Seoul Hot Pot, a popular Korean restaurant in Redmond.  Given my newfound interest in Korean cuisine (newfound because it has only been 1+ year of consistent hankering), imagine my glee when I befriended a Korean international student in my gen chem class.  My glee turned to exaltation when SungYong offered to cook for us.  Needless to say, we accepted the gracious offer, invited the chap over, and allowed him use of our kitchen to prepare the good eats.

Bob un mug ut u yo?  In Korea, their “How are you?” loosely translates to “Have you eaten?”  I don’t know about you but I take that greeting as an indicator of how serious they are when it comes to food and eating.  Though one could say, “But then so many other cultures are serious about food.”  I say to that one, “That’s true. But then again, can you think of another culture that greets by asking if you’ve eaten yet?” Imagine being asked if you’ve eaten instead of the usual “how’s it going?” or “how are you?”. The Korean greeting strikes me as something of a trigger for a conversation avalanche. I, for one, will likely keep talking after having answered the question. After all, who doesn’t like talking about food? All right, that’s a hypothetical question. No responses necessary, thank you.

Without any more rambling, here’s a photographic tale of SungYong hard at work making Jap chae and Dduk gook.

Jap chae- potato starch noodles with vegetables and ground beef seasoned with soy sauce and garlic

 

 

Dduk gook- soup made with beef, sliced rice cake, and beef broth, garnished with scallions and eggs

Black rice

Pan-fried beef (I must admit that my bulgogi marinade did not pass the taste test.  It needs to be sweeter according to Sung. I suppose next time, I won’t be so stingy with the sucrose.)

Pan-fried chicken (This one too, unfortunately.  It looks like it’s going to be “practice, practice, practice” for me.  No doubt Ryan will benefit from the fruits of my labor. Naturally.)

 

 

 

A Bitter Surprise

When I’m visiting my parents’ home I get pulled into watching the telly when anyone in the household is viewing their favorite show. Thus it was while watching Jeopardy with Kat when I encountered a commercial encouraging viewers to eat and/or drink products with high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). What hogwash will viewers see next?

Brothers

Party

Two Bites

If you’re curious to learn more about the ads and see for yourself what all the commotion is about check out sweetsurprise.com. I don’t know how long ago the commercials hit the air waves but I’ve come upon blogs descrying the ads as being foul. I can only concur since my instant reaction to the first ad (Brothers) I saw was righteous indignation. Given the dates on the blogs I found, it appears that the ads were released sometime in September.

New High Fructose Corn Syrup Ads: Not So Sweet

High Fructose Corn Syrup Ads Sour Parents

High-Fructose Corn Syrup: Not So Natural After All

Truth About high Fructose Corn Syrup

The Real Truth About High Fructose Corn Syrup

The Truthiness About High Fructose Corn Syrup

Pro-HFCS Ads: Do They Bother You?

High Fructose Corn Syrup mob tries to take down our own Doug Aamoth

High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) is Bad For You

 

I am pleased to come across high numbers of negative response to the ads. It shows how far health officials and proponents have come to educating the masses about the truth behind certain ingredients (amongst other things that health advocates have done to educate the public) and how effective their methods were/are. Here’s a salute to all the physicians (especially those whose studies appeared in countless medical journals), nurses, nutritionists (shout out to one of my heroines Marion Nestle), health educators, dieticians, and individuals who voiced their concerns, delivered the facts with aplomb, and persisted to fight the good fight despite the ruthless opposition.