by Loti | Apr 18, 2013 | Animals, Food, New Zealand
New Zealand. Green Lipped Mussels. Very pretty and it turns out really good for you, too. Unfortunately they are endemic to New Zealand, meaning they only grow in the coastal waters of New Zealand. No where else. They are, however, exported to many countries including the U.S. If you have a dog and feed him/her Greenies, then you may be enhancing your dog’s diet with powdered green lipped muscles. The Joint Care Greenies are made from the mussels and have been shown in studies to help alleviate signs of arthritis in dogs. Cool! And if they help our dogs, wouldn’t the same go for us humans? Well, yes. In limited studies, freeze dried green lipped mussels have helped people with improved joint mobility and pain (you can buy them in capsules and no, this is not a recommendation for them). They are very high in Omega 3 and may rival fish oil some day. But the great thing about these mussels-they are one of the most environmentally friendly of any food we can eat. They are grown from wild spat (mussel seed harvested from seaweed washed up on the beach) on long ropes suspended in the ocean. They eat plankton so no feed is needed and they have zero impact on our environment. So next time you are in a restaurant, look for these beautiful, healthy for you mussels. I know I will!...
by Loti | Mar 28, 2013 | Food, Insects, Thailand
Thailand. Poor silkworms. In order to leave their cocoon, they must bore a hole thru the exterior of their little nests which damages the silk threads making up the cocoon. So they get boiled before they can escape. Which leaves a lot of dead silkworms. So what to do with all of them? Well of course, you eat them (at least in Asia). Here, they are seen in a food market in Northern Thailand.They are a rich source of protein, fiber, minerals and vitamins. I must confess, we didn’t try them, but they apparently are bitter and pop in your mouth. Maybe next time. One order of bird drop soup and a side of silkworms. What is fascinating, at least to me, is silkworms are extinct in the wild. Because of selective breeding and a diet of mulberry leaves exclusively, they exist only in captivity to use in silk factories. This makes them one of only two domesticated insects in the world. And they may be one of the most environmentally friendly and healthiest food sources. With minimal carbon impact, they supply silk threads for our clothes and food for our nourishment. Truly an astonishing little worm. I wonder if I can order some from Amazon? ...
by Loti | Mar 22, 2013 | Animals, Food, Thailand
Thailand. Frogs for sale in a Northern Thailand market. I guess if I had grown up eating frogs instead of chicken, I wouldn’t be so put off by the thought of eating them. But wait, that may be a really good thing. How so? Frogs are amphibians (another cool word) living on both land and in the water, unlike reptiles that only live on land. And frogs are one of the most rapidly disappearing animal on Earth due to over harvesting and disease. Some reports indicate we could see up to one third of all amphibians go extinct in our lifetime, which would be the largest mass extinction since the dinosaur and have serious environmental impacts. Just think of all the Mosquitos they eat! Some are taking action. France has banned the collection and sale of all native frogs due to a declining population. Unfortunately, at the same time, they increased their imports making them one of the largest frog importers along with Belgium and the US. Most frogs are imported from Indonesia including Thailand, severely putting the frog populations at risk in the export countries. In the US, the famous San Francisco restaurant, Gary Danko, removed frog legs from their menu in 2010 (I have eaten there once and it was fabulous) and Wegman’s, the grocery chain, removed them from all their stores due to the environmental impact. So next time you are offered a frog leg, think twice. It is the small choices we make every day that make a difference. ...
by Loti | Mar 13, 2013 | Animals, Birds, Food, Thailand
Thailand. Here we are back in the Andaman Sea looking at one of the many caves appearing in the limestone karsts. The caves are home to a bird species, of the swallow family, who builds its nests high inside the dark caves. And somebody has to harvest the nests since they are highly prized by the Chinese for making bird nest soup. You can see one of the bird nest gatherers in the photo along with some of the bamboo scaffolding they use to climb up to the nests. This goes on my list of most unique jobs ever. The nests are only woven by the male birds and made of bird saliva so in essence, bird nest soup is the same as eating steamed bird spit (yummy). But don’t cringe as bird nest soup is one of the most expensive animal products consumed by humans. The gatherers live in the caves for up to a month at a time and most are heavily guarded to prevent theft. Luckily this guy appeared friendly as he waved at us. And on an interesting note, a synonym for gatherer is magpie, another bird friend who we know recognizes him/herself in the mirror. So the world comes full circle. ...
by Loti | Mar 5, 2013 | Food, Thailand
Thailand. I always heard Pad Thai had too many calories, too much salt but I never really investigated it until arriving in Bangkok. This is the way Pad Thai is served at The Oriental Hotel where we stayed. Really delicious. So what is in it? Well fish sauce, tamarind paste, red chilies and rice noodles, with cilantro, lime juice, chopped peanuts, bean sprouts and maybe some protein and dried shrimp thrown in. All things I regularly have in my house. Not! And Pad Thai was voted the #5 food in the world by 35,000 people in a CNN poll in 2011. Interestingly, Rendang was voted #1 and cheeseburgers were way down the list at #30. Rendang??? I have so much to learn as I have never even heard of this exotic food from Indonesia and I consider myself to be fairly well travelled. So I tried making Pad Thai at home, finally locating the tamarind paste at Whole Foods, and it was really good. A restaurant portion of Pad Thai comes in at a whopping 900 calories, but my at home version was about 350 calories. The American Heart Association even recommends Pad Thai as a healthy option when eating Thai food. So just watch the portions and enjoy....
by Loti | Feb 25, 2013 | Food, Malaysia
Malaysia. My favorite time on the Orient Eastern Express train was tea in the late afternoon served by our butler, Paul. The tea was always hot and perfectly brewed. What I didn’t realize, tea is the most popular beverage in the world behind water. It has been served for over 5000 years and has tons of documented health benefits including helping lower heart disease and blood pressure, prevent tooth decay, help in weight loss and help shrink cancerous tumors. And all tea, whether black, green, oolong or white, comes from the same plant. It is just a matter of the way the leaves are processed that make each tea different ( I didn’t know that either). The most expensive tea experience in the world? Well for $200 a cup you can have tea fertilized by panda poop ( I am not kidding. It has been certified by the World Record Academy). Or for $813 a couple you can have high tea at the Cliveden Hotel outside London. Not only do you get tea, but truffles, caviar, one glass of Dom champagne and chocolate cake trimmed in gold leaf. A true bargain!...
