Daily Loaf

“Dear Dream Momma, I have been a member of a dream analyses group for 10 years and I am half Norwegian, my mother being completely Norwegian and with many relatives in Norway currently. Here is my dream:

I dreamt my mother and I were together and we met my father, who appeared to be with a younger woman. At first my inner reaction (towards the woman) was defensive and “who are you”? As the dream progresses I realize she is some kind of companion/friend/ soulmate.

We are invited (mom and I) and we go with them to this place, like some magnificent hotel, far, far away from anything (not earthly or earthbound). It has a golden/glow/light to it. As we enter, so do others and they all seem beautiful, happy, laughing, serene, at peace. This man seems to be Dad, (but more evolved, “together”, comfortable in his skin). There was talk of what we would be eating….beef vs fish. He said it would be fish. It was understood we would leave and come back later for dinner as they the others would rest or take some sort of break. It did not make sense to me to leave as it was so far away…..and then to come back for dinner?

My mother and I drove away in a car, it was invisible, but a convertible. wind was blowing through our hair. it wasn’t like driving a car, it was like flying or moving through space and there was an ethereal feeling. Thank you.” (sic)

I’d like to remind you and my readers about a big-time rule in dream interpretation. Rule number one is: Don’t literalize the dream. This rule seriously applies to this dream. So, if we follow that rule, what have we got?   Read the rest of this entry »

Israel is becoming a surprising food Mecca (yes, I enjoyed writing that). Israelis enjoy traveling and are demanding higher food quality and variety when they arrive home. That, combined with an influx of peoples from all over the globe, has started a food renaissance that makes eating in Israel a surprising joy.

Standard Middle Eastern fare has become anything but. Instead of just one “Middle Eastern” food experience, there are many wonderful variations. The Jews from Arab lands brought their own method of cooking and regional dishes with them when they moved to Israel, like summaq salad from Iraq; a lamb stew called harira from Morocco; fatoush, a salad made of eggs, olives, bread and lettuce from Syria; maraqa, a ragout of quince and lamb from Tunisia; as well as the more commonly known hummus, pita, and kebab each made with a slight variation in honor of the country of origin of the maker. There is care in the preparation of the food, and I — who tend to not like the hummus that I’ve had in America- couldn’t get enough of it in Israel.

What really surprised my food educator husband was the quality and variety of the less traditional food. Read the rest of this entry »

It turns out that not only is fish a great source of Omega 3 fatty acid, fish is easily fortified with pharmaceuticals that treat anything from high blood pressure or the risk of unwanted pregnancy to high cholesterol and bipolar disorder. How, you ask?

Waste waster treatment plants used to be called sewage treatment plants but no one wanted a sewage treatment plant on the banks of their river so we began calling them “Waste Water Facilities”. Waste water facilities do well at allowing the human waste collected for treatment to reach a neutral state of organic activity with out the spectrum of bacteria and viruses that are present in raw sewage. Treated sewage is used many ways, some of it is processed beyond the “treatment” stage by breeding worms in it and then capturing the discharge from the worms to use as organic fertilizer; what happens in Orlando, and other cities in Florida, is that this worm step is not taken — the treated sewage is released into the river. Read the rest of this entry »

This was one of my spontaneous concoctions on a Saturday night.  I did not have the urge to have a night on the town so I stayed in to experiment with a recipe.  I picked up some butterfish fillets from Sayroo`s Bakery along with some fresh wheat buns and I figured I could put together a fish dish of some sort but could not settle on a definite plan of action. My palate further complicated me when I stopped into Whole Foods and saw a mozzarela made right here in Florida.  So there I was in no man`s land craving fish..and cheese!  However I am never at a loss in the kitchen.

I quickly lit some coals; Read the rest of this entry »

Groovisions – a Tokyo-based design firm known for some pretty fantastic artsy graphics — put together a video for the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries that showcases that country’s dependence on foreign food imports. Seems dry, doesn’t it? Until, of course, you catch the bouncy technified soundtrack and watch little Sims farmers and families bouncing to the rhythm.

It also happens to be one of the best illustrations of how the Western diet is transforming nations across the world into fat, poor slobs like us. Catch it after the break — Read the rest of this entry »