Kitchen Conundrum

Welcome to Athens, Or Who’s Arm Is In My Bag?

by

Greece-51Thursday night I boarded an overnight flight on Lufthansa from JFK to Frankfurt where I would be changing planes to begin my Greek adventure. I have flown other foreign airlines and I have to say, they are really a no frills carrier.  The seats are rather cramped, and the food was just not very good at all.  It might come a shock, but yes, I like airline food, well, some of it anyways. The lentil and wheat-berry salad on Air France is divine! But food on my flight was rather disappointing and tiny portions. (Why do I only get a quarter of a brownie and half a strawberry? Such a tease!)  Well, it didn’t matter much, because eating at midnight with your eyes falling shut is not so much fun anyways.

During my rather lengthy lay over, I discovered the most amazing thing at the Frankfurt airport- the SHOWER room. That’s right! For a mere 6 euros you can have an entire hot shower room all to yourself with towels, shampoo, body wash, and even a blow dryer! It was the best 6 euros I have ever spent! Thankfully I had packed a change of clothes in my carry-on so I didn’t even have to put back on the grimy, smelly clothes I took off. They went in the front pocket of my laptop bag to be dealt with later. This, as it turns out, was a saving grace…(more on that in a minute!)

So I boarded my flight to Athens, an hour late, exhausted, unsure of exactly what time or what day it was. I felt completely disheveled, but happy to be clean. And of course, terrified. (I really hate flying and exhaustion just exasperates it to the nth degree!) My seat mates were really awesome though! I always sit on the aisle and in the middle was a delightful Swedish woman and by the window a charming young Canadian man. We spoke the entire way here. It was really great to hit it off and have so much in common with people you just met. But better still, they kept me sane during my silent panic attacks and I owe them a tremendous lot of gratitude!

I left them both at the baggage claim and went in search of the metro. Knowing that I have limited funds, the thought of taking a taxi, although incredibly appealing, was just not in the budget. They are very, very expensive here!  Any cash I have needs to be spent on FOOD! (and snow globes for the kids.) The metro is brand new, clean and gets you everywhere in the city. Plus it’s really cheap!

I figured out how to work the kiosk and got my ticket. It was quite simple. Then I actually saw the young man from the plane and we interpreted the metro map and determined that we were traveling in the same direction for most of the trip. Near the end, we would split off and take the same train line but in opposite directions. It was great to have a travel buddy for my first metro experience. Especially since I had a few large bags with me which screams “tourist”!

The ride on the metro from the airport to the center of Athens is about 25 minutes and costs just 8 euros. Its a real bargain versus the taxi charge.

We changed trains at Syntagma station. It seems this station is the hub for several of the lines. It is also the one to be the most careful and prudent at. No sooner did I leave my new friend, and attempt to board the metro with bags in tow, did I turn to see a man with his arm in the front pocket of my laptop bag that was atop my large duffel bag that I was dragging onto the train! He had a jacket covering his arm, but it was elbow deep in my bag with my dirty clothes beginning to spew out from it! It happened so very, very fast and then he was gone! And sadly, so was my dirty underwear. I am not sure if they fell out or if he took them by mistake thinking they were my wallet. Whatever the case- Welcome to Athens!

 

Today’s travel tip #1– You should learn the language of the airlines you are flying. The attendants will go on for 20 minutes in their native tongues, but when it comes time for the translation to English, it will be all of 2 minutes.  I am missing out on something there! I am sure the native speakers are having warm chocolate chip cookies and milk somewhere in the back, while if I’m lucky, I’ll be told what channel the in-flight entertainment is on.

Today’s travel tip #2– Divide and conquer! Never keep all of your money together. Divide it up into several different spots that are the least likely to be found. Of course, you’ll have to remember that you slid that 20 euro into your toothbrush holder before you put your wet toothbrush back.

 

 

 

 

At Your Next BBQ Or Beach Outing, Take This Into Consideration- Drowning Doesn’t Look Like Drowning

by

DSC_2800Drowning is a Silent Killer.

Summer is here and it’s time to head to the pool and to the beach. Or maybe you are going to someone’s house for a BBQ. It’s common that before you go, you check to make sure you have enough liquids, lots of snacks and good things to eat and enough (hopefully) sunscreen. But are you prepared for an emergency?  Sure, you have band-aids, and bug repellant, but are you prepared for a drowning, or a near-drowning incident?

I actually learned this a few years ago, and it really has stuck with me and I remind myself of it every year. And while it’s not really food related. Unless you hold to the old adage, “No swimming for 30 minutes after eating”, I felt it was important enough to share here as well. File this under Life- and perhaps Travel.

Drowning doesn’t look like drowning. If you think that drowning involves wildly flailing arms and loud screams for help, you should think again. Because you are dead wrong. Drowning doesn’t look like you think it would look. It doesn’t look at all like it does in the movies or on TV. There are very few warning signs. In fact, most drownings occur when people are no further away than 20 feet.

According to the CDC, the statistics are staggering. More than one in five people who die from drowning are children 14 and younger and for every child who dies from drowning, another four received emergency department care for nonfatal submersion injuries. Drowning is the second leading cause of death among children in this age range.  And, worse still, drownings are the leading cause of injury death for young children ages 1 to 4, and three children die every day as a result of drowning! The sad part? Drowning is preventable. This doesn’t just apply to children, but to adults too.

I’m going to share here part of an excellent article entitled “It Doesn’t Look Like They’re Drowning” featured in the Coast Guard’s On Scene Magazine (Fall 06, Page 14) written by Aviation Survival Technician First Class Mario Vittone and Francesco A. Pia, Ph.D.  It was written for the Coast Guard Search and Rescue team, but everyone can benefit from this knowledge.  There is a lot of bold and red, because it’s really that important to pay attention to. And bold and red seems to get people’s attention as much as slowly braised barbeque brisket does.

In the article, they describe the typical Instinctive Drowning Response as follows:

(The “Instinctive Drowning Response” are actions that represent a person’s attempts to avoid the actual or perceived suffocation in the water. The suffocation in water triggers a constellation of autonomic nervous system responses that result in external, unlearned, instinctive drowning movements. Commit these to memory!)

1. Except in rare circumstances, drowning people are physiologically unable to call out for help. The respiratory system was designed for breathing. Speech is the secondary or overlaid function. Breathing must be fulfilled before speech occurs.

2. Drowning people’s mouths alternately sink below and reappear above the surface of the water. The mouth of a drowning person is not above the surface of the water long enough to exhale, inhale, and call out for help. When the drowning person’s mouth is above the surface, they exhale and inhale quickly as their mouth starts to sink below the surface of the water.

3. Drowning people cannot wave for help. Nature instinctively forces them to extend their arms laterally and press down on the water’s surface. Pressing down on the surface of the water permits drowning people to leverage their bodies so they can lift their mouths out of the water to breathe.

4. Throughout the Instinctive Drowning Response drowning people cannot voluntarily control their arm movements. Physiologically, drowning people who are struggling on the surface of the water cannot stop drowning and perform voluntary movements such as waving for help, moving toward a rescuer, or reaching out for a piece of rescue equipment.

5. From beginning to end of the Instinctive Drowning Response people’s bodies remain upright in the water, with no evidence of a supporting kick. Unless rescued by a trained lifeguard, these drowning people can only struggle on the surface of the water from 20 to 60 seconds before submersion occurs.”

Here are some Signs of Drowning to watch for the next time you’re swimming with your kids or others:

Head low in the water, mouth at water level
Head tilted back with open mouth
Hair over forehead or eyes
Eyes glassy, empty and unable to focus
Eyes closed
Hyperventilating or gasping
Not using legs or not kicking
Body is vertical and upright
Trying to swim in a certain direction but not making any progress
Trying to roll over on the back

Here are some Prevent Drowning Measures you can take:

Be Aware

Keep your eyes open and watch your children (or your friends)! Do not leave them for a second unattended around water. This is the most important thing you can do to save your child’s life. Even when things seem ok, they may not be. A good way to make sure is to ask your kid or the person you’re swimming with if he or she is all right. If they are rather still, do not answer or have a blank stare, then you may have less than 30 seconds to get to them! As any parent knows, kids make noise in the water. If they are not making noise, find out why and get them out of the water ASAP. One thing I do with my girls, that I actually learned as a SCUBA Rescue Diver is to make a “BIG OKAY” sign with my hand on my head and my arm outstretched like the letter “O”.  They can see me and my “BIG OKAY” from wherever they are in a pool and do it back to me. When they do that, I know that they are okay. If they don’t do it, I then hop in the water and go get them. Every time we go to the pool or the beach, I remind them to make the sign, so I don’t have to drag them out of the water.

Learn CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation)

Are you up to date with your CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) accreditation?  If you aren’t, go and learn and get recertified every two years. CPR can help a child stay alive with little or no brain damage.

Life Jackets are a “MUST!”

You wouldn’t let your child go un-seatbelted  (hopefully!) in the car so don’t let them go unprotected in the water either. Make sure kids wear life jackets every single time they are in and around natural bodies of water, such as lakes, rivers or the ocean, even if they know how to swim. This goes adults too. Just wear the life jacket. It looks good on the wave runner.

Fence the Pool and Cover It

If you have a home pool or are at another person’s home that has a pool, be sure that it is fenced in. Every pool should have a four–sided fence, with self–closing and self–latching gates around the entire pool.  And make sure the pool is covered when not in use. If it’s an above ground pool, make sure the ladder/steps are inaccessible to children.

Don’t Drink and Swim

Ok, you can swim up to the bar, but don’t over do it and drink water too. Swimming and alcohol doesn’t mix. Add the strong sun and you have a recipe for disaster or a really, really bad sunburn.

Learn To Swim!

The American Red Cross gives very cost efficient swimming lessons at a pool near you. Take advantage of their classes.

I hope that you and your family and your friends have an awesome, safe Summer filled with laughter and joy and lots of good food!

BlogHer Food ’11 Recap, Ari in the ATL

by

DSC_9079Having  just returned yesterday from spending the weekend at the Blogher Food conference in Atlanta I wanted to share some of my experiences and tips I learnt while there. First I have to say, it was so great seeing and hanging out with some newly met friends (Food Blog Camp ’11) and meeting many more new ones- you know who you are!  You really made my weekend and I thank you!

Secondly, there was so much to learn. By the end of all the different sessions our heads were spinning with all the useful information and great ideas, which we couldn’t wait to implement as soon as we got home. There were several sessions to choose from and while I wished there were a way to be in more than one session at a time, I participated in the ones covering writing, social networking, taking your blog mobile, branding, and photography. Happily, the others are actually transcribed on the BlogHer website, so I can go back and read the ones I missed!

Each presenter was really wonderful. They were knowledgeable and incredibly generous with their experiences and I learned a great deal of useful tips.

Here are just a few of the many I picked up-

When Writing:

– Dive right in, use literary devices

– Drop your reader into the middle of the story, but don’t keep it a mystery too long- get the reader involved right away

– Use good active verbs. Adjectives and adverbs can weaken a story; all of your action lay in the verbs.

– Be descriptive, use words that sound like the action; plunk, clatter, plop, whoosh

– Write well – Edit Well

– If you are facing writer’s block, lower your standards. Don’t become paralyzed by perfection.

– No echoes, don’t repeat descriptive words

When Using Social Media:

– Do something good and the people will come

– It’s about community and connection

– Don’t market. If you sound like an ad, it turns people off.

– Be personal and personable!

– An email newsletter is the most personal form of Social Media

– Authenticity is the key. Be who you are, not who your followers want you to be or who you think your followers want you to be.

Branding your Blog:

– Have a consistent voice. Brand = Voice = Identity

– Writing like someone else is unsustainable, find your own voice

– The most important part of your site is your voice, not the design or the font

– Design is not branding

– Don’t hire someone to find the brand for you, you have to know it yourself

– Start with your work, the brand will come

And finally, some Photo Tips:

– Get a tripod, even a cheap one will make a big difference in your shots

– Use a remote shutter release or a self timer for longer exposures when using a tripod to eliminate shakes

– If using studio lights, turn off the room lights

When the sessions were over we turned our sights to the food part of the conference. It was BlogHer Food, afterall.

We took a field trip to the Sweet Auburn Curb Market and experienced the local produce and Southern fare.

I would be remiss not to mention Mary Mac’s Tea Room and their Goodwill Ambassador, Jo Carter for the tasty classic southern food and the back rub.

At Holeman & Finch Public House we had an amazing dinner Saturday night, with special thanks to our waiter, Luke who guided us all through our culinary expedition.  I ate “parts” of animals I hadn’t tried before and while I was a bit hesitant, it was actually quite delicious. But for the record, fried rabbit liver still tastes like liver!

Thank you to Susan of DoughMesstic, Brandi of BranAppetit and Leslie of The Hungry Housewife for RockHer, the great Welcoming party at the Hard Rock Café Thursday night and to Tasty Kitchen for their fabulous party at the Ritz Carlton Friday night. They were both a lot of fun! And a huge thank you to all of the conferences sponsors who gave us lots of awesome products and samples and fed us well.  The deep fried turkey was a favorite!

The question I was asked most often over the weekend was what it was like being one of the few men at BlogHer.  All I can say is- what’s the problem being one of the very few men in a group of several hundred women?  I couldn’t find any, everyone  and everything was fantastic.