Saturday, September 22, 2007
Mid-Autumn Festival Legend
A long time ago, according to a famous Chinese legend, the earth had 10 suns circling it, each taking its turn to illuminate and warm it. One day, all 10 suns appeared together, and the combined heat resulted in a terrible drought. To save the world from imminent destruction, China's famous archer, Hou Yi, shot down 9 of the suns. He became a hero and the Emperor presented him with the most beautiful woman in the land, Chang Er, to whom he married. The Emperor also rewarded him with a magic pill containing the elixir of immortality.The curious Chang Er discovered the pill and consumed it in her husband's absence. She transformed into a fairy and drifted to the moon, leaving the grief-stricken Hou Yi behind. His longing for Chang Er so touched the hearts of the deities that they allowed the couple to meet the 15th day of every 8th month in the lunar calendar.
Thus, the Mid-Autumn Festival is celebrated on this day each year. As the full moon is round in shape and the word 'circle' (yuan) is synonymous with the word 'unity' in Chinese, the Mid-Autumn Festival is heralded as a time of harmony and blissful family reunions.
Mooncake is a Chinese pastry traditionally eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Typical mooncakes are round pastries, with a thick filling usually made from lotus paste and surrounded by a relatively thin crust (baked or snow skin). The mooncake may contain other ingredients in its center such as salted duck egg yolks or even chocolate truffles. Traditional mooncakes have an imprint on top consisting of the Chinese characters for "longevity" or "harmony". They are usually eaten in small wedges accompanied by Chinese tea.
Mooncakes are also associated with the overthrow of the Mongol invaders in the 14th century. The story goes that Chinese revolutionaries planned to revolt against the government on the fifteenth day of the eighth month. This message was passed around hidden in moon cakes amongst the people who subsequently rose up and overthrew the oppressive tyrant.
Labels: Food
Penseur 4:44 pm
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Monday, May 14, 2007
Delicious Cakes
Alright I have to admit that I have never tried the so-called famous Lana cake, or at least I didn't know it was Lana cake. Tried it at a friend's baby birthday party and I fell for the tasty spongy chocolate cake which doesn't make me feel sinful after eating it
Apparently the owner Violet Kwan has been in the business for decades and personally bakes some of the cakes. They do not deliver and require advance notice for your orders. I am also unable to find a website for her cake shop, so it is indeed a very traditional brick and mortar business
Lana Cakeshop is at 36, Greenwood Avenue
Tel: 6466 5315, 6466 8940
Awfully Chocolate is also famous for its chocolate cake. As in its name, they specialise in sinful Chocolate flavoured cakes. They have a number of branches all over SG
Awfully Chocolate is at Cluny 501 Bukit Timah #01-05 Cluny Court
Tel: 6469 0565
For cheesecake lovers, Getel serves variety of cheesecake from Cookies & Cream to Raspberry. They deliver for free above certain orders and the prices of their cakes are quite reasonable. I have tried them a number of times and my colleagues like their cheesecake too.
Getel Cakes is at 17 Jasmine Rd Tel: 62821310
There are definitely more to add to the list :)
Apparently the owner Violet Kwan has been in the business for decades and personally bakes some of the cakes. They do not deliver and require advance notice for your orders. I am also unable to find a website for her cake shop, so it is indeed a very traditional brick and mortar business
Lana Cakeshop is at 36, Greenwood Avenue
Tel: 6466 5315, 6466 8940
Awfully Chocolate is also famous for its chocolate cake. As in its name, they specialise in sinful Chocolate flavoured cakes. They have a number of branches all over SG
Awfully Chocolate is at Cluny 501 Bukit Timah #01-05 Cluny Court
Tel: 6469 0565
For cheesecake lovers, Getel serves variety of cheesecake from Cookies & Cream to Raspberry. They deliver for free above certain orders and the prices of their cakes are quite reasonable. I have tried them a number of times and my colleagues like their cheesecake too.
Getel Cakes is at 17 Jasmine Rd Tel: 62821310
There are definitely more to add to the list :)
Labels: Food
Penseur 2:16 pm
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Thursday, May 10, 2007
Butter or Margarine?
This is interesting:
Margarine was originally manufactured to fatten turkeys. When it killed the turkeys, the people who had put all the money into the research wanted a payback so they put their heads together to figure out what to do with this product to get their money back. It was a white substance with no food appeal so they added the yellow coloring and sold it to people to use in place of butter. How do you like it? They have come out with some clever new flavorings.
Margarine was originally manufactured to fatten turkeys. When it killed the turkeys, the people who had put all the money into the research wanted a payback so they put their heads together to figure out what to do with this product to get their money back. It was a white substance with no food appeal so they added the yellow coloring and sold it to people to use in place of butter. How do you like it? They have come out with some clever new flavorings.
DO YOU KNOW..the difference between margarine and butter?
Both have the same amount of calories. Butter is slightly higher in saturated fats at 8 grams compared to 5 grams. Eating margarine can increase heart disease in women by 53% over eating the same amount of butter, according to a recent Harvard Medical Study.
Eating butter increases the absorption of many other nutrients in other foods. Butter has many nutritional benefits where margarine has a few only because they are added! Butter tastes much better than margarine and it can enhance the flavors of other foods. Butter has been around for centuries where margarine has been around for less than 100 years.
And now, for Margarine..Very high in trans fatty acids. Triple risk of coronary heart disease. Increases total cholesterol and LDL (this is the bad cholesterol) and lowers HDL cholesterol, (the good cholesterol) Increases the risk of cancers up to five fold. Lowers quality of breast milk. Decreases immune response. Decreases insulin response.
And here's the most disturbing fact.... Margarine is but ONE MOLECULE away from being PLASTIC..This fact alone was enough to have me avoiding margarine for life and anything else that is hydrogenated (this means hydrogen is added, changing the molecular structure of the substance).
You can try this yourself:
Purchase a tub of margarine and leave it in your garage or shaded area. Within a couple of days you will note a couple of things:* no flies, not even those pesky fruit flies will go near it (that should tell you something)* it does not rot or smell differently because it has no nutritional value; nothing will grow on it. Even those teeny weeny microorganisms will not a find a home to grow. Why? Because it is nearly plastic. Would you melt your Tupperware and spread that on your toast?
Labels: Food
Penseur 4:58 pm
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Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Correct Way of Eating Fruits
This has been going around, but a very good reminder:
We all think eating fruits means simply buying fruit, cutting it and just popping it into our mouths. You will benefit much more if you know how and when to eat.
Fruits should be taken in an empty stomach…not as dessert after the meal as is often done.
If you eat fruit like that, it will also serve a major role to detoxify your system, supplying you with great deal of energy for weight loss and other life activities.
Fruit is the Most Important Food
Let’s say you eat two slices of bread and then a slice of fruit. As fruit digests faster than bread, the slice of fruit digests quickly and is ready to go straight through the stomach into the intestines, but its passage is blocked by the bread which takes longer to digest…
In the meantime the whole meal ferments and turns to acid. Consequently, when the fruit comes into contact with the food in the stomach and digestive juices, the entire mass of food begins to spoil.
So it is better to eat your fruits in an empty stomach or before your meals!
You have heard people complaining – every time I eat water-melon I burp, when I eat durian my stomach bloats up, when I eat banana I feel like running to the toilet etc – actually all this will not arise if you eat the fruit in an empty stomach. The fruit mixes with the putrefying other food and produces gas and hence you will bloat!
Graying hair, balding, nervous outburst, dark circles under the eyes all these will not happen if you take fruits in an empty stomach.
It is incorrectly presumed that some fruits like orange and lemon are acidic and will enhance acidity in the stomach. Research however shows that all fruits become alkaline in our body.
When you need to drink fruit juice- drink only fresh fruit juice, NOT from the cans.
Don’t drink juice that has been heated up. Don’t eat cooked fruits because you don’t get the nutrients at all. You only get to taste. So stop making ‘durian porridge’ if you want nutrients. Cooking fruit destroys all the vitamins.
Eating the pulp or whole fruit is far better than drinking the juice as the fibre is good for you.
If you should drink the juice, drink it mouthful by mouthful slowly, because you must let it mix with your saliva before swallowing it.
A 3-day ‘Fruit Fast’ is a very simple and effective way to cleanse and de-toxify your body. Just eat fruits and drink fruit juice throughout the 3 days and you will be surprised when your friends tell you how radiant you look!
During the ‘Fruit Fast’ you can eat different fruits at different times, although occasionally mixed fruit salad would also be permissible and more interesting.
If you have mastered the correct way of eating fruits, you have the secret of beauty, longevity, health, energy, happiness and normal weight.
We all think eating fruits means simply buying fruit, cutting it and just popping it into our mouths. You will benefit much more if you know how and when to eat.
Fruits should be taken in an empty stomach…not as dessert after the meal as is often done.
If you eat fruit like that, it will also serve a major role to detoxify your system, supplying you with great deal of energy for weight loss and other life activities.
Fruit is the Most Important Food
Let’s say you eat two slices of bread and then a slice of fruit. As fruit digests faster than bread, the slice of fruit digests quickly and is ready to go straight through the stomach into the intestines, but its passage is blocked by the bread which takes longer to digest…
In the meantime the whole meal ferments and turns to acid. Consequently, when the fruit comes into contact with the food in the stomach and digestive juices, the entire mass of food begins to spoil.
So it is better to eat your fruits in an empty stomach or before your meals!
You have heard people complaining – every time I eat water-melon I burp, when I eat durian my stomach bloats up, when I eat banana I feel like running to the toilet etc – actually all this will not arise if you eat the fruit in an empty stomach. The fruit mixes with the putrefying other food and produces gas and hence you will bloat!
Graying hair, balding, nervous outburst, dark circles under the eyes all these will not happen if you take fruits in an empty stomach.
It is incorrectly presumed that some fruits like orange and lemon are acidic and will enhance acidity in the stomach. Research however shows that all fruits become alkaline in our body.
When you need to drink fruit juice- drink only fresh fruit juice, NOT from the cans.
Don’t drink juice that has been heated up. Don’t eat cooked fruits because you don’t get the nutrients at all. You only get to taste. So stop making ‘durian porridge’ if you want nutrients. Cooking fruit destroys all the vitamins.
Eating the pulp or whole fruit is far better than drinking the juice as the fibre is good for you.
If you should drink the juice, drink it mouthful by mouthful slowly, because you must let it mix with your saliva before swallowing it.
A 3-day ‘Fruit Fast’ is a very simple and effective way to cleanse and de-toxify your body. Just eat fruits and drink fruit juice throughout the 3 days and you will be surprised when your friends tell you how radiant you look!
During the ‘Fruit Fast’ you can eat different fruits at different times, although occasionally mixed fruit salad would also be permissible and more interesting.
If you have mastered the correct way of eating fruits, you have the secret of beauty, longevity, health, energy, happiness and normal weight.
Penseur 11:09 pm
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Friday, March 16, 2007
10 Foods For Longevity
Tomatoes .. A major source of the antioxidant lycopene that reduces the risk of cancer by 40% -- notably prostate, lung and stomach cancers -- and increases cancer survival. Tomato eaters function better mentally in old age and suffer half as much heart disease. Concentrated tomato sauces have 5 times more lycopene than fresh tomatoes, and canned tomatoes have three times more than fresh
Olive Oil .. Shown to help reduce death from heart disease and cancer. Recent research shows that heart-attack survivors on a Mediterranean diet had half the death rates of those on an ordinary low-fat diet. Olive oil is also high in antioxidant activity.
Red Grapes , including red grape juice. Red grapes have moderate antioxidant power, while purple grape juice has four times more antioxidant activity than orange or tomato juice. Red wine (not white) has about the same antioxidant capacity as purple grape juice or tea. French research shows that drinking red wine in moderation increases longevity, but excessive drinking has the opposite effect, so limit to two glasses per day. Drink grape juice.
Garlic .. German researchers have found that garlic is packed with antioxidants known to help fend off cancer, heart disease, all-over aging, and prolong cancer survival time. Let crushed garlic "rest" for about 10 minutes before cooking to preserve disease-fighting agents.
Spinach .. Second among vegetables only to garlic in antioxidant capacity and is also rich in folic acid, which helps fight cancer, heart disease and mental disorders. New University of Kentucky research shows folic acid may help prevent Alzheimer's disease. Eat both raw and steamed for best benefit.
Whole grains .. A University of Minnesota study suggests the more whole grains you eat, the lower your odds of death by 15%. Whole grains contain anticancer agents and help stabilize blood sugar and insulin, which may promote longevity. Whole-grain "dark" breads, cereals such as All Bran, and "old fashioned" oatmeal are an excellent source.
Salmon and other fatty fish. Contains high amounts of omega-3 fat that performs miracles throughout the body, fighting virtually every chronic disease known. Without it, your brain can't think, your heart can't beat, your arteries clog, and joints become inflamed. You need one ounce a day, or two servings of salmon, sardines, mackerel, herring or tuna per week.
Nuts .. A Harvard University study found that eating more than 5 ounces a week can cut heart-attack deaths in women by 40% and help prevent deadly irregular heart beats in men. Almonds and walnuts lower blood cholesterol. Most of the fat in nuts is the good-type monounsaturated and/or omega-3. Unsalted nuts are best.
Blueberries .. High in antioxidants, Tufts University researchers say a half-cup of blueberries a day can retard aging and can block brain changes leading to decline and even reverse failing memory.
Tea .. Green or black tea has equal antioxidant benefit. Harvard researchers found that one cup a day can cut heart disease risk in half, whilst Tufts University shows that made from loose tea or tea bags, instant or bottled tea has little effect.
Olive Oil .. Shown to help reduce death from heart disease and cancer. Recent research shows that heart-attack survivors on a Mediterranean diet had half the death rates of those on an ordinary low-fat diet. Olive oil is also high in antioxidant activity.
Red Grapes , including red grape juice. Red grapes have moderate antioxidant power, while purple grape juice has four times more antioxidant activity than orange or tomato juice. Red wine (not white) has about the same antioxidant capacity as purple grape juice or tea. French research shows that drinking red wine in moderation increases longevity, but excessive drinking has the opposite effect, so limit to two glasses per day. Drink grape juice.
Garlic .. German researchers have found that garlic is packed with antioxidants known to help fend off cancer, heart disease, all-over aging, and prolong cancer survival time. Let crushed garlic "rest" for about 10 minutes before cooking to preserve disease-fighting agents.
Spinach .. Second among vegetables only to garlic in antioxidant capacity and is also rich in folic acid, which helps fight cancer, heart disease and mental disorders. New University of Kentucky research shows folic acid may help prevent Alzheimer's disease. Eat both raw and steamed for best benefit.
Whole grains .. A University of Minnesota study suggests the more whole grains you eat, the lower your odds of death by 15%. Whole grains contain anticancer agents and help stabilize blood sugar and insulin, which may promote longevity. Whole-grain "dark" breads, cereals such as All Bran, and "old fashioned" oatmeal are an excellent source.
Salmon and other fatty fish. Contains high amounts of omega-3 fat that performs miracles throughout the body, fighting virtually every chronic disease known. Without it, your brain can't think, your heart can't beat, your arteries clog, and joints become inflamed. You need one ounce a day, or two servings of salmon, sardines, mackerel, herring or tuna per week.
Nuts .. A Harvard University study found that eating more than 5 ounces a week can cut heart-attack deaths in women by 40% and help prevent deadly irregular heart beats in men. Almonds and walnuts lower blood cholesterol. Most of the fat in nuts is the good-type monounsaturated and/or omega-3. Unsalted nuts are best.
Blueberries .. High in antioxidants, Tufts University researchers say a half-cup of blueberries a day can retard aging and can block brain changes leading to decline and even reverse failing memory.
Tea .. Green or black tea has equal antioxidant benefit. Harvard researchers found that one cup a day can cut heart disease risk in half, whilst Tufts University shows that made from loose tea or tea bags, instant or bottled tea has little effect.
Penseur 12:04 am
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