Once upon a time, nutrition used to be just food – an energy provider for our body. Food was a non-issue. You ate what your parents cooked or what you could afford to purchase. Lately, nutrition and food have become one of the most exciting and controversial issues of our lifestyle. We have become curious about new dishes, old and unique ingredients, modern cooking options, and new chefs. Thus, the food that was a daily necessity became, with time, an issue by itself. From being almost transparent, it turned to be the most easily photographed and published object (Instagram, Darling?) Continue reading What kind of nutrition is the best for us?
What is more refreshing on chaotic times than our wardrobe?
What could be more exciting on these crazy days than our wardrobe, or more inclusive, fashion! After all, there is no other concern at hand; everything is already well! The world stopped in its tracks. More and more countries are closing their gates, and citizens lock themselves in their homes like dogs in their kernels. The whole world is undergoing an emergency regime following the outbreak of the incurable corona disease. Will it also change fashion as we have known it before? Continue reading What is more refreshing on chaotic times than our wardrobe?
What is the healthy nutrition that prefers fresh food?
From infancy, we are told that “Food is the fuel of the body.” We must have a healthy diet so that the body can turn it into energy. It was a thorough and straightforward explanation that was indisputable. The food was what our parents (mostly mothers, Darling) served us. If you didn’t want to eat what was on your plate, there came the immortal phrase: “If you don’t eat, I’ll send for a Policeman.” What exactly will the policeman do was left to the imagination, but it was clear that food was an important thing. There was also a straightforward demand for the quantity: “A good girl leaves an empty plate.” My kids solved all those problems by throwing down to the dog, who was sitting under the table, everything they didn’t want to eat or finish – but the plate was empty (as if I cared). That behavior paved the road to turning food into a significant issue in our lives. Continue reading What is the healthy nutrition that prefers fresh food?
My dream vacation to the Scandinavian Fjords
Sometimes dreams come true. No, I did not reach over the rainbow, nor did I get a Nobel prize. I was not elected as the president of the USA, and I did not break any Olympic record either. Those have never been my dreams. As a practical person, my dreams are modest. One of them derives from a pre-digital era object, the calendar. Every year we waited expectantly, before the new year started, for the new calendars. Big companies like banks, insurance agencies, and fashion chains, handed it out for free, for advertising purposes. However, the calendars were adorned with large picturesque and exotic scenes from around the world. Continue reading My dream vacation to the Scandinavian Fjords
Portugal two central towns – Lisbon and Porto
The two main cities of Portugal are Lisbon, the capital, in the south, and Porto, which is “the capital of the north.” The distance between them is three hours by car. Portugal looks like a small country on maps, especially when it is side by side with Spain. And yet, it is the eleventh country in its size in Europe, 4.5 times bigger than Israel. Its geographical landscape is mostly mountainous, except for the coastal strip. The Azores and the Madeira Islands are part of Portugal. However, we did not try to catch as much as we could. We preferred a slow hike that leaves a taste of more.
Continue reading Portugal two central towns – Lisbon and Porto
Vietnam – a country in conservation, not a war zone anymore
Vietnam is imprinted in many minds as a war zone. Pictures of frightened Vietnamese fleeing bombed houses and villages, the jungles in which the Vietcong hid (the guerillas,) the images of the American captured pilots, the story of John McCain. Thus, the idea of visiting Vietnam seemed odd to me. Who would want to visit such a place? But as I began looking into the matter in-depth, I recognized that today’s Vietnam is different from the image left by the prolonged war (16 years long, Darling). Even Senator McCain came back to Vietnam, not to mention the things you only see in Vietnam and which are worth the visit.
Continue reading Vietnam – a country in conservation, not a war zone anymore
How was New York in September?
New York is not my most preferred city. You might say that I have a cognitive bias against it, a well-known phenomenon in psychology and behavioral sciences. It is human tendencies to think in specific ways, that causes false judgments and perceptions. Even intelligent people are biased and tend to create conclusions suiting their preferences rather than objective thinking. I discovered that prices are skyrocketing in New York in September and keep rising as the time approached. Why didn’t I check what events are scheduled in New York in September, as I did when we planned to visit Key West? I know how to deduce: I drew the right conclusion in the episode of the knocks in the middle of the night and changed hotels?
How did the “wealth” of information become a load?
The digital age carried on its wings the “wealth” of information. In the past, data was available only to professionals, and we, simpletons, would listen and abide by their instructions without objections or a second opinion. If the Doctor said that the child’s sores were mosquito bites, we would accept the verdict lovingly or sometimes, grudgingly. The skeptics will ask what could be done so that it would not be so itching. The hysterical ones would update the Doctor and tell him that there’s a child in the kindergarten who had these sores and is now hospitalized. The Doctor would patiently answer the questions, reassure the parents, and they will leave happy. As the Internet came to be, parents became Doctors. They visit the doctor to confirm their diagnosis and receive some treatment for it. Continue reading How did the “wealth” of information become a load?
Are we all “little women?” Or were they not really little?
October 2019 marks the 100th Anniversary of Louisa May Alcott’s book publication “Little Women.” The “#me too” campaign, which set out a year ago and is yet very much alive today, raises many gender-related questions despite the counter-reactions from both males and women. The primary question is, are we still the same “little women” that the book refers to? Or maybe they were not so “little”?
Continue reading Are we all “little women?” Or were they not really little?
The things you only see in Vietnam and which are worth the visit
“There are things you only see in Vietnam,” told me our guide as he saw my eyes widen in surprise as we emerged from the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and I saw the museum shop. In place of the stylish shops that we are used to, we saw a large market stall caring the inscription “Museum shop.” The “shop” is an example of the uniqueness of Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh, Uncle Ho by the locals, is considered the father of the nation. His big dream was to attain independence. He succeeded in ousting the French and establishing the Democratic Republic in the northern region of the state. Though he was a modest man, the Mausoleum, about twenty feet high is huge and luxurious. He asked that his body will be burned and the ashes will be scattered upon three hills: in the north, in the center, and the south. And yet, in the mausoleum, the embalmed figure of Ho Chi Minh is displayed. There is no telling whether this is a wax figure, or the human being himself. At the exit of the site is the “museum shop,” a typical Vietnamese store!
Continue reading The things you only see in Vietnam and which are worth the visit