On a "happy food" rambling

Earlier this week I caught up with Chef Michael by phone. He was on a three day rest down at Rehoboth Beach. We didn’t talk long, but he did indicate that life in the kitchen had not been pleasant of late. My advice, such as at was, and in retrospect, unsolicited, ( a character flaw, I often provide advice and analysis whether or not it is actually sought) was not very helpful. I should have simply listened, perhaps a grunt of compassion and a wish for him to enjoy some peace on his three days off. Stress in the workplace does not always need a lifestyle change to relieve. A little peace and relaxation, rejuvenation of energy is all that’s required.

Next time we talk I will ask if he was able to reenergize and get back on even keel.

I have found that most of the extra stresses, pressures and negative interaction that I experience in my work place usually happen when there is something going on in my world outside of work. Conversely, going to work has also provided a peaceful oasis away from things going on outside. Focusing on work related tasks allows me to shut off thinking and dealing with whatever’s going on elsewhere.

When work or the work environment or the people worked with; is what is causing the stress, anxiety, tension what-ever, going-to and being-at work can be a real drag on the psyche.

I have no experience in the food service business. I have, however watched many episodes of “Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares” and “Hells Kitchen” so my level of knowledge can be judged from that background.

Before Chef Michael had discovered that the culinary arts was where he would focus career wise, he was in school studying photography and in need of a part time job. The job he came up with was making sandwiches. He told me that when he made the sandwiches he would add an invisible smiling face. (As I remember, the face would be drawn in olive or vegetable on the bread before the sandwich was wrapped up.) He said that the happy sandwiches made his customers happy when they ate them. Some may have even told him that they came to his counter for lunch because his sandwiches made them happy.

I think the concept is entirely feasible. It seems to me that Gordon Ramsey, who on his television program seems to foster stress and anxiety in the kitchen in order to force production and quality according to his formulas, will be putting out great tasting food that will leave the diner feeling stressed and anxious. I have left restaurants feeling stuffed and uncomfortable, even not having eaten all that much. I may have been taking the stress and anxiety from an unseen kitchen away with me.

If I had a restaurant, I think I would want an open kitchen. Not on behalf of the diners but for the kitchen staff. I think some level of interaction between the producers and the consumers, even if it is only visual, will impact the product. It seems that in a closed out-of-sight kitchen the producers, focused only on production-to-formula, loose the connection with the real purpose of their work which is to make the consumer happy.

On the Beijing Olympiad

I have ignored, as much as I can, the Beijing Olympics. Ignoring them totally is impossible as they receive front page coverage instead of being relegated to the sports pages where they belong with all of the other professional sports news.

There was a time when I enjoyed watching the amateur Olympic competition. The decision, however, to employ professional athletes to compete on behalf of the United States put an end to amateur athletics. Therefore, now we have professional national teams competing for national glory. The bluster about the Olympics being non-political is hogwash. Amateur athletics disappeared when it was decided that the US amateurs could not compete on a level playing field with the athletes from the Russian, and East German Armies. The commies were cheating, their athletes were supported by the state, so it was decided that the US would use professionals and “show ‘em by god” that our culture, government and people are better because we win more medals.

There was an opportunity that the end of the cold war would end the nationalistic focus of the games but it didn’t. We gloated when the former USSR athletes were representing independent Balkan and Caucasus countries changing the makeup and strength of the Russian team. The East German super race athletes were absorbed into Germany with it’s laissez-faire attitude toward everything sports and nationalism except the FIFA World Cup. Our nationalistic view of the games simply increased, as our money bought more medals.

I don’t begrudge the competitors, but their place is in the realm of entertainment nothing more. Actors, musicians, professional athletes; are media worthy and able to sell advertizing but that’s it. Entertainment is only entertainment. To Level the value, when an actor wins an Academy Award or a musician wins a Grammy, we should be taking national credit for their accomplishment raise the flag and play the national anthem.

On "Welcome Back Big Bear"

The world with only one superpower really was not working out all that good. Besides, its damn expensive to be the only superpower.

WELCOME BACK RUSSIA. Thanks to the price of oil and, perhaps, some other commodities good old Mother Russia is back and balance is restored. The world hates a superpower (jealousy and all that). With two superpowers, however, the hate gets divided, relieving some of the pressure. Further, if half the world lines up behind Mother Russia, that’s half the world the US won’t have to police any more.

With Russia as the bad guys again we won’t need to invent WMD type reasons to go to war. We need a rival superpower like the good old Ruskies to keep leaders like DimWit and Weak Heart from going off and committing war just because they feel like it.

The threat of consequences goes a long way in preventing stupidity.

I feel bad for the Georgians and I hope they don’t go the way of the Afghanis after a Russian invasion. ... But... "if yer gonna poke the Bear in the eye with a stick, you gotta expect he’s gonna reach out and swat ya pretty good.”

On Feng Shui

This post is not a Feng Shui how to guide, although I may do one in the future. Instead I will just ramble a little about what I think about Feng Shui and how I believe it simply works.

One does not have to “believe” in Feng Shui. It is not a religion. All one needs to do is apply the principals and live life as before. Allowing chi (the natural energy of the universe, again you don’t need to believe any thing about chi, its not a deity, its simply energy which does not require worship to act in your favor) to energize your home or your body in a beneficial way, will positively affect the major areas of your life.

By moving your stuff and placing various objects and colors in a manner that enhances the attraction and flow of beneficial chi, while controlling or negating negative chi, will benefit the various aspects of your life.

It seems as though the physicists or on the verge of identifying the sub atomic particles that may be chi. Perhaps they have already been identified. Quarks anitquarks, and leptons could be chi, or perhaps there are yet to be identified, energy particles a step or two smaller than quarks and leptons that are chi.

“Quarks are the building blocks of protons, and neutrons, but not electrons. There are six kinds of quarks. There names are: up, down, strange, charm, bottom, and top. They are in order from lightest to heaviest in weight. All quarks have antiquarks. They are opposites of quarks. Quarks have positive charges, while antiquarks have negative charges. There is also another type of matter that makes up atoms. They are called leptons. Leptons are similar to quarks. Although some leptons are larger than quarks, and some are smaller. The most well known lepton is the electron. The other types of leptons are tau, muon, and neutrinos. Tau and muon leptons have some electrical charge, and are heavier than electrons. Neutrinos have very little charge, and very little mass. They are very difficult to find. Neutrinos are so stable, that when they pass through the atmosphere, they don't react with anything.”

The universe is entirely composed of atoms, which are in turn composed of smaller particles which we may find are also composed of even smaller particles. When we get down to it the universe is entirely composed of sub atomic energy particles – chi.

The ancient practitioners of Feng Shui, somehow, knew this and developed an understanding through trial and error of how to channel the energy that is not trapped in an object (chi) to their benefit. – Feng Shui.

Practicing Feng Shui in our previous home in New York and our home in Florida,
has resulted in beneficial transformation, for the better, especially in the areas where we concentrated on improvement.

Inukshuk

Inukshuk; not just piles of stones but figures holding spirit, sacred meaning and direction.

The word “Inukshuk”(pronounced In-OOK-Shook) literally translates into “stone man that points the way”.
These stone figures were placed on the temporal and spiritual landscapes. Among many practical functions, they were employed as hunting and navigation aids, coordination points, indicators, and message centers. The Inuit also constructed a stone figure called an Inunnguaq which means 'in the likeness of a human.' In addition to their earthly functions, certain Inuksuk-like figures had spiritual connotations, and were objects of veneration, often marking the threshold of the spiritual landscape of the Inummariit -- the Inuit who knew how to survive on the land living in their traditional way.

In addition to marking "the way" these First Nation Stone Totems are also used as;
- A symbol of respect --- for a person.
- A symbol of appreciation --- for the magnificence of the land.
- A symbol of honor --- marking a place of spiritual significance.

An Inukshuk can symbolize the close connection and harmony between the people and the land and the balance between the people and nature.

The photo is of my first Inukshuk. It is on the "Thousand Stone Farm" of Dick and Nancy O'leary in Andes (Catskill Mountains) NY.