Keep Calm and Carry On: The Diary of Foodie and Gourmet

After a brutal summer of organic chemistry, I was granted a two week summer vacation before fall classes begin. *Ugh* For those two weeks, I decided to come home and get away from the craziness. The first week of my vacation was spent at home relaxing and running errands. I got to just veg, which was wonderful, and I got to spend a lot of time playing with my cat, Jiji. I missed her very much and she is just super cute. Sure, she has a tendency to rip bunnies to pieces and then I have to clean up the aftermath, but hey, she’s a cat and that’s what she does….right? (I have asked her not to do it, but she just doesn’t want to listen!) Jiji loves to play with feathers Anyway, the second part of my vacation (which I am still enjoying) has been spent away from home. For the first half of week two, my family and I traveled to New Hampshire to spend a couple days with friends. It was absolutely amazing and I am really sad that it flew by so quickly! When I was grow...

Last week, I finally made it to the movie theater to see Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters. I don’t care what anyone says, I LOVED IT. I loved the film, I love the Percy Jackson franchise, I love the Rick Riordan books, and I cannot wait for the next book ( The Titan’s Curse), to be made into a film! For those who may be unfamiliar with Percy Jackson, allow me to briefly explain. Percy Jackson is essentially Harry Potter , but the magic has been swapped for ancient Greek mythology. The protagonist of the series, Percy Jackson, is a demi-god and son of Poseidon --- god of the Seas. Percy lives at Camp Half Blood and is often accompanied by his best friends, Grover (a satyr) and Annabeth Chase (daughter of Athena). These three, along with a variety of other characters, go on quests and do everything in their power to stop the return of the evil Titan, Kronos, who is trying to resurrect himself and overthrow Olympus. (He’s got a bit of a grudge against his sons --- Zeu...

Like many Americans, I was taught growing up to eat everything on my plate. Food left behind was treated almost like a crime, so from a young age, I learned to clear my plate of everything. Sometimes this meant eating, even if I was full, or not even considering the status of my stomach and just packing it in. Not necessarily a good thing… This has gotten me thinking recently: is the idea of clearing your plate really a good thing? It’s true that there are starving people in the world and needless waste is a terrible thing, but is stuffing yourself silly just to have a clean plate any better? Sure, it depends on portion sizes, of course. If you don’t have much food on your plate, then clearing it without feeling sick is easy, but what about those of us who tend to overeat and thus force ourselves to eat more than we need and/or want? In that scenario, surely we are doing more harm, than good? Now, I didn’t start thinking about this out of the blue, but rather, ...

A few months ago, I began to religiously watch a British show called "Supersize vs. Superskinny." I have known about this  show for some time and would watch it sporadically on YouTube, but for the first time, I watched the whole show (6 series) in sequence. Wow. As corny as this sounds, my life has been changed. I don't think I've ever been so enthralled and educated by a television programme! Now, you're probably rolling your eyes at the statement, "changed my life." I don't blame you. If I were you, I'd be thinking, "oh please! That's ridiculous." --- But it's true. I have begun to adopt a new attitude towards food and have done my best to begin to change my lifestyle based on the show, and you know what, it's working for me. This show has given me a new perspective on healthy living and has even helped me find a new passion --- nutrition. Before I continue, let me explain the premise of the show to you, i...