Antipasto means before
the meal and is the Italian equivalent of appetizers (not a
salad or fried foods served by many Italian-American
restaurants). It is a platter of meats, cheeses, raw or cooked
vegetables, olives and bread. The antipasto platter is pretty
much the same as a charcuterie platter. Both involve dry, cured
meats and garnishes. Antipasto is served at room temperature and
incorporates many colors, textures and flavors to stimulate all
of the senses before the main course.
Antipasta is an erroneous colloquialism for antipasto, a
mistranslation of before the pasta.
Antipasti (antipasto plural) are a simple assortment of meats,
cheeses, and vegetables.
Charcuterie is the French equivalent and means cooked meat. A
platter of good-quality cooked and dry-cured meats, sausages and
pâté with various garnishes like bread, olives, nuts, dried
fruit, crackers or baguette bread, jelly or jam. Cheese was not
typically included, but is now often added.
Incidentally, pepperoni is entirely American.
Feb 14, 2020
Pig Crisis
China is now the world's largest producer and consumer of pork
at 57 metric tons a year, more than half of the pork eaten on
the entire planet. Pork is perhaps the most important commodity
in the country. A sudden decrease in supply, and increase in
price could not only cause mass civil unrest, but also increase
the inflation rate.
The Chinese government has built up strategic reserves of bacon since the 1970s, and although the exact number of emergency pigs is hidden in state secrecy, experts estimate the National Pork Reserve holds hundreds of thousands of metric tons, both in the form of frozen meat and live hogs.
Chinese, Vietnamese, and Korean pork stock has been getting wiped out. There is no vaccine or treatment. US pork sales to China have doubled, while European pork prices have reached a six-year high.
Due to a 2019 outbreak of African swine fever, China is culling millions of pigs, and is at risk of wiping out a quarter of the world's pork population. To combat the shortage, the government opened its pens and its fridges, releasing several thousand pounds of frozen pork from its reserves in an attempt to help meet demand.
The Chinese government has built up strategic reserves of bacon since the 1970s, and although the exact number of emergency pigs is hidden in state secrecy, experts estimate the National Pork Reserve holds hundreds of thousands of metric tons, both in the form of frozen meat and live hogs.
Chinese, Vietnamese, and Korean pork stock has been getting wiped out. There is no vaccine or treatment. US pork sales to China have doubled, while European pork prices have reached a six-year high.
Due to a 2019 outbreak of African swine fever, China is culling millions of pigs, and is at risk of wiping out a quarter of the world's pork population. To combat the shortage, the government opened its pens and its fridges, releasing several thousand pounds of frozen pork from its reserves in an attempt to help meet demand.
Men and Stockings
Stockings are another clothing material that switched genders.
Men have been wearing them since the 9th century. Men of the
upper class generally wore white or colored stockings while
poorer men only wore black.
They are exclusively worn by women these days. Women started wearing stockings in the 18th century. For the unaware, stockings (also called hose) are those close-fitting clothes that cover the feet and part of the legs. A variant of it is the pantyhose, which is a combination of stockings with panties. Men never wore pantyhose. To avoid confusion, stockings, pantyhose, tights, and breeches all belong to a category of clothes called hosiery.
Things slowly changed between the 16th and 20th centuries when stockings switched from being a masculine item to feminine. The period is even called the “The Dark Ages of Tights” for this reason. By the 19th century, stockings had become so closely associated with women that men stopped wearing them completely.
They are exclusively worn by women these days. Women started wearing stockings in the 18th century. For the unaware, stockings (also called hose) are those close-fitting clothes that cover the feet and part of the legs. A variant of it is the pantyhose, which is a combination of stockings with panties. Men never wore pantyhose. To avoid confusion, stockings, pantyhose, tights, and breeches all belong to a category of clothes called hosiery.
Things slowly changed between the 16th and 20th centuries when stockings switched from being a masculine item to feminine. The period is even called the “The Dark Ages of Tights” for this reason. By the 19th century, stockings had become so closely associated with women that men stopped wearing them completely.
Vegan Snacks
According to the PETA web site, the following are the top vegan
snacks.
Duncan Hines Chewy Fudge Brownie Mix
SkinnyPop White Cheddar Flavored Popped Popcorn
Airheads
Cracker Jack
Spicy sweet vegan Doritos
Fritos
Fruit by the Foot
Kettle Brand Potato Chips (sea salt and vinegar)
Lay’s Potato Chips (barbecue and classic)
Nature Valley Crunchy Granola Bars
Ritz Crackers
Ruffles Original Potato Chips
Sour Patch Kids
Wheat Thins
Hershey’s Syrup
Ore Ida Tater Tots
Pringles (original only)
Nabisco Oreo 100 Cal Thin Crisps (Oreo cookies are not vegan)
Jell-O Cook & Serve Vanilla Pudding & Pie Filling
Duncan Hines Chewy Fudge Brownie Mix
SkinnyPop White Cheddar Flavored Popped Popcorn
Airheads
Cracker Jack
Spicy sweet vegan Doritos
Fritos
Fruit by the Foot
Kettle Brand Potato Chips (sea salt and vinegar)
Lay’s Potato Chips (barbecue and classic)
Nature Valley Crunchy Granola Bars
Ritz Crackers
Ruffles Original Potato Chips
Sour Patch Kids
Wheat Thins
Hershey’s Syrup
Ore Ida Tater Tots
Pringles (original only)
Nabisco Oreo 100 Cal Thin Crisps (Oreo cookies are not vegan)
Jell-O Cook & Serve Vanilla Pudding & Pie Filling
New FedEx Scam
I try to keep informed about new scams and this is just one more
to watch for. Users will receive a text message informing them
that their purchase has been shipped via FedEx. Users are then
given a link that they can click to track their shipment, but
when they click on it, they are taken to a fake Amazon page that
offers a reward to complete a survey.
If in doubt, type the tracking number into google search and it will tell you if the number is legit or not.
Then in order to claim the reward, users are required to pay for the shipment of their reward by entering their credit card info, which will ultimately result in ongoing monthly charges of $98.95. There are many red flags in this scam to begin with, such as being redirected to a rewards page instead of FedEx’s website. Also, the rewards page has been designed to look like Amazon’s website, but the site does not belong to Amazon. If you do receive such a notification, mark as spam and delete it. Caveat Emptor.
If in doubt, type the tracking number into google search and it will tell you if the number is legit or not.
Then in order to claim the reward, users are required to pay for the shipment of their reward by entering their credit card info, which will ultimately result in ongoing monthly charges of $98.95. There are many red flags in this scam to begin with, such as being redirected to a rewards page instead of FedEx’s website. Also, the rewards page has been designed to look like Amazon’s website, but the site does not belong to Amazon. If you do receive such a notification, mark as spam and delete it. Caveat Emptor.
Brain Scans
Many of us have been subjected to different types of scans in
the hospital. Attached to this email is a picture of the various
machine representations. It makes it easy to see why different
machines are used to picture different parts of the brain, or
body, depending on what the doctor is looking for.
More Myths Debunked
Water-induced wrinkles are not caused by the skin absorbing
water and swelling. They are caused by the autonomic nervous
system, which triggers localized vasoconstriction in response to
wet skin, yielding a wrinkled appearance. This was theorized to
have evolved to give ancestral primates a better grip in
slippery, wet environments, but a 2014 study showed no
improvement in handling wet objects with wrinkled fingertips.
Hair care products cannot actually repair split ends and damaged hair. They can prevent damage from occurring in the first place, and they can also smooth down the cuticle in a glue-like fashion so that it appears repaired, and generally make hair appear in better condition.
Eight glasses or two to three liters of water a day are not needed to maintain health. The amount of water needed varies by person including weight, activity level, clothing, and environment (heat and humidity). Also, water actually need not be drunk in pure form, but can be derived from liquids such as juices, tea, milk, soups, etc., and from foods, including fruits and vegetables.
Sugar does not cause hyperactivity in children. Double-blind trials have shown no difference in behavior between children given sugar-full or sugar-free diets, even in studies specifically looking at children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder or those considered sensitive to sugar.
A vegetarian or vegan diet cannot provide enough protein for adequate nutrition. Typical protein intakes of ovo-lacto vegetarians and vegans meet and exceed requirements. However, a vegan diet does require supplementation of vitamin B12 for optimal health.
There is little evidence that obesity is related to slower resting metabolism. Resting metabolic rate does not vary much between people. Weight gain and loss are directly attributable to diet and activity.
Breakfast is not the most important meal of the day. Many of the studies about the benefits of breakfast were funded by Kellogg's, and showed correlation, not causation.
Hair care products cannot actually repair split ends and damaged hair. They can prevent damage from occurring in the first place, and they can also smooth down the cuticle in a glue-like fashion so that it appears repaired, and generally make hair appear in better condition.
Eight glasses or two to three liters of water a day are not needed to maintain health. The amount of water needed varies by person including weight, activity level, clothing, and environment (heat and humidity). Also, water actually need not be drunk in pure form, but can be derived from liquids such as juices, tea, milk, soups, etc., and from foods, including fruits and vegetables.
Sugar does not cause hyperactivity in children. Double-blind trials have shown no difference in behavior between children given sugar-full or sugar-free diets, even in studies specifically looking at children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder or those considered sensitive to sugar.
A vegetarian or vegan diet cannot provide enough protein for adequate nutrition. Typical protein intakes of ovo-lacto vegetarians and vegans meet and exceed requirements. However, a vegan diet does require supplementation of vitamin B12 for optimal health.
There is little evidence that obesity is related to slower resting metabolism. Resting metabolic rate does not vary much between people. Weight gain and loss are directly attributable to diet and activity.
Breakfast is not the most important meal of the day. Many of the studies about the benefits of breakfast were funded by Kellogg's, and showed correlation, not causation.
Peanut Butter Fact
Americans eat 500 million pounds of peanut butter a year, enough
to coat the floor, of the Grand Canyon.
Feb 3, 2020
Happy Friday
"The person who risks
nothing, does nothing, has nothing, is nothing, and becomes
nothing." ~ Leo F. Buscaglia
Go ahead, take a risk and be happy, especially on a Happy Friday!
Go ahead, take a risk and be happy, especially on a Happy Friday!
Groundhog Day Origin and Candlemas
On February 2, 1887, Groundhog Day, was celebrated
for the first time at Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney,
Pennsylvania. According to tradition, if a groundhog comes out
of its hole on this day and sees its shadow, it gets scared and
runs back into its burrow, predicting six more weeks of winter
weather; no shadow means an early spring.
Groundhog Day has its roots in the ancient Christian tradition of Candlemas, when clergy would bless and distribute candles needed for winter. The candles represented how long and cold the winter would be. Germans expanded on this concept by selecting the hedgehog as a means of predicting weather. Once they came to America, German settlers in Pennsylvania continued the tradition, although they switched from hedgehogs to groundhogs, which were plentiful in the Keystone State. I am hoping for no shadow.
Groundhog Day has its roots in the ancient Christian tradition of Candlemas, when clergy would bless and distribute candles needed for winter. The candles represented how long and cold the winter would be. Germans expanded on this concept by selecting the hedgehog as a means of predicting weather. Once they came to America, German settlers in Pennsylvania continued the tradition, although they switched from hedgehogs to groundhogs, which were plentiful in the Keystone State. I am hoping for no shadow.
Super Bowl Name Origin
Very
interesting that the Super Bowl name is from former Kansas City
Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt, inspired by a popular '70s toy: the
Super Ball. For its first three years, the game had been called
the world championship. Then Hunt saw his daughter playing with
a bouncy ball and asked her what it was called. The rest is
Super Bowl history.
Incidentally, the NFL pays no halftime appearance fee. The only thing the organization pays for is the expenses for the band and its entourage. Also, Joe Montana won all four Super Bowls he played in and he never threw a interception in any of them.
Incidentally, the NFL pays no halftime appearance fee. The only thing the organization pays for is the expenses for the band and its entourage. Also, Joe Montana won all four Super Bowls he played in and he never threw a interception in any of them.
About vs. Approximately vs. Around
Will not go into all the other
uses for these words, just enough to highlight the difference in
use between them.
“About” is a word that means reasonably close to. About means reasonably close to, it is a guess or an estimate. We can use it to talk about quantity. About does not stress the closeness to accuracy that approximately does.
“Around” also means reasonably close to. We also use around in casual informal situations. We can use around with numbers and quantity as we did with about. We use this for time as we saw with the word, about. So, for time, we can say, “I will be there around 7:00 p.m.” “I will be there around breakfast time.”
The difference between about and around is largely a matter of preference: about is more common in British English and around in American English.
“Approximately” means reasonably close to something else so we use it, again, to make an estimate, to make a guess. However, approximately is usually used in more formal situations. It is more natural to use approximately in formal situations. If you use “approximately” in an informal situation, it might sound strange.
Approximately has fairly limited uses. Around and about, however, have a few other functions to consider. When you are making guesses, when you are making estimates, especially for quantities or time, in most cases, about and around can both be used.
“About” is a word that means reasonably close to. About means reasonably close to, it is a guess or an estimate. We can use it to talk about quantity. About does not stress the closeness to accuracy that approximately does.
“Around” also means reasonably close to. We also use around in casual informal situations. We can use around with numbers and quantity as we did with about. We use this for time as we saw with the word, about. So, for time, we can say, “I will be there around 7:00 p.m.” “I will be there around breakfast time.”
The difference between about and around is largely a matter of preference: about is more common in British English and around in American English.
“Approximately” means reasonably close to something else so we use it, again, to make an estimate, to make a guess. However, approximately is usually used in more formal situations. It is more natural to use approximately in formal situations. If you use “approximately” in an informal situation, it might sound strange.
Approximately has fairly limited uses. Around and about, however, have a few other functions to consider. When you are making guesses, when you are making estimates, especially for quantities or time, in most cases, about and around can both be used.
Dolly Parton Facts
On January 17, 2018 it was announced that Dolly holds two
spots in the Guinness World Records 2018 edition: One for Most
Decades With a Top 20 Hit on the US Hot Country Songs Chart and
the other for Most Hits on US Hot Country Songs Chart By a
Female Artist with a total of 107.
Silicon vs. Silicone
They are almost spelled the same, but are pronounced different
and are two different things.
Silicon is a hard brittle element found in sand and used to make microchips.
Silicone is a rubber-like material or liquid, used in things like cooking utensils, sealants, and breast implants. See what I did there?
Silicon is a hard brittle element found in sand and used to make microchips.
Silicone is a rubber-like material or liquid, used in things like cooking utensils, sealants, and breast implants. See what I did there?
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