Daily – Page 41 – Sugar And Spice… Among Other Things

Beyond the “C”

Posted on March 1, 2019February 11, 2019 by Sugar and Spice..... Among Other Things

What connects Camellia sinensis, Coffea seeds, Kola nuts as well as the yaupon holly leaves, Amazonian holly guayusa leaves. The common factor is a simple but bitter, white crystalline purine, a methylxanthine alkaloid compound popularly consumed globally as “Caffeine”. The growing role of “caffeine” related beverages is evidenced by the celebration of March as the National Caffeine Awareness Month” by foodimentarians globally.

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Like the two sides of a coin, caffeine has its’ own merits and demerits. Primarily playing its’ role as a central nervous stimulant as well as inhibitor of two major enzymes, phophodiesterase and adenosine; caffeine of coffee, tea as well as the medically available pure form has its’ indicated uses and merits.

From treating to preventing major diseases in neonates (like bronchopulmonary dysplasia, apnea of prematurity) as well aiding asthmatics in reducing their exacerbation; caffeine aids in reducing fatigue, drowsiness and improving coordination and reaction time. Imagine the endless night shifts, cramming before exams, pulling all nighters before the term exams in university and aiding to stay awake during classes after late night events; caffeine was always a life saver. In moderation, caffeine aids in reducing depressive symptoms as well as suicide idealizations.

“It was a pleasant cafe, warm and clean and friendly, and I hung up my old water-proof on the coat rack to dry and put my worn and weathered felt hat on the rack above the bench and ordered a cafe au lait. The waiter brought it and I took out a notebook from the pocket of the coat and a pencil and started to write.” Ernest Hemingway

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Not just students or night shift workers, for the gym goers, caffeine helps in improving their endurance, aids weight loss as well as increase the training or exercise volume. Moderate consumption of caffeine reduces dementia and Alzheimer’s risk, neuroprotective for Parkinson’s patients, reduces liver fibrosis and cirrhosis as well decreases risk of throat, mouth, colon and skin cancer.

On the other hand, more than 400 milligrams of caffeine intake has been associated with health risks ( Health Canada limitations) while toxic doses are in the range of ten grams or more of caffeine (50 -100 coffee cups with 80-175 mgs of caffeine per cup). Adverse effects of caffeine have a physical as well as psychological manifestation. In the former group would include raised blood pressure, headaches, increase gastrointestinal motility, increase bone loss in postmenopausal women, stained teeth, increased eye pressure in glaucoma patients, loss of essential minerals like iron and calcium as well as decreasing collagen synthesis i.e. more wrinkles.

“As long as there was coffee in the world, how bad could things be?” Cassandra Clare, City of Ashes

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From a psychological viewpoint, increase caffeine can lead to addiction, mood swings, dependency, anxiety disorders, tremors as well as irritability and sleep less nights. For the pregnant women, balancing the daily intake to two or less cups of coffee ( less than 200mg ) helps to reduce the caffeine induced pregnancy complications.

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Caffeine consumption, highly depends on the way and reason we take it. From a simple homemade coffee to the “calorie laden coke” (laced with additional compounds) or the simple morning and evening ritual of tea, caffeine intake can be regulated. The more carefully we regulate the caffeine intake, the longer we can enjoy the merits than be affected by their demerits.

“Adventure in life is good; consistency in coffee even better.” Justina Chen, North of Beautiful

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Daily, Food, Quotes

Of Wine and Flavours

Posted on February 26, 2019January 29, 2019 by Sugar and Spice..... Among Other Things

“Wine is a living liquid containing no preservatives. Its life cycle comprises youth, maturity, old age, and death. When not treated with reasonable respect it will sicken and die.” Julia Child

Made initially from fermented grapes, wine is one of the alcoholic beverages that is most widely used accepted. Historical evidence of the earliest known traces of wine are from Georgia as early as 6000 BC. Although there is evidence of a similar alcoholic beverage being consumed earlier in China around?7000 BC. The 6,100-year-old Areni-1 winery in Armenia is the earliest known winery as evidenced by archaeological remains. Additionally besides being a leisure and recreational drink, wine has its’ own religious importance as well as culinary and artistic value.

“The discovery of a wine is of greater moment than the discovery of a constellation. The universe is too full of stars.” Benjamin Franklin

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From the early wine, as the human civilization expanded southward, westward and into the Mediterranean, the wine grapes spread. With sea and road travel, cultivation of wine grapes spread throughout Western Europe. With each new region that was planted, the grapes slowly mutated and adapted to their unique environments. The slow divergence and evolution over thousands of years resulted in the incredible diversity of the wine varieties of today.

“A gourmet meal without a glass of wine just seems tragic to me somehow.” Kathy Mattea

Wine have now been popularly divided as the Old World Wines, named after the region where the grapes grow and the New World Wines, frequently named after the type of grapes used. To keep matters simple, wines can be broadly classified as Dessert wines, Red, Rose, White or Sparkling. Ranging from dinners to celebratory as well as medicinal purposes, each wine is specific for their type.

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“Accept what life offers you and try to drink from every cup. All wines should be tasted; some should only be sipped, but with others, drink the whole bottle.” Paulo Coelho

Popularly wine is made from grapes, but other fruit wines especially berries, gooseberries and apples, aren’t far behind. In fact, Mead or honey wine was produced in ancient history throughout Europe, Africa and Asia and was known in Europe before grape wine. Other starch-based “wine” like barley or rice wine (sake) are closer to beer based on the alcohol concentration. Gearing up for the next winter season, now would be an ideal time to start the preparation for homemade wine. For a start, beginning with the local fruit, (like Indian Gooseberry here) would be best. The longer it ferments, the better the wine.

“Age appears to be best in four things; old wood best to burn, old wine to drink, old friends to trust, and old authors to read.” Francis Bacon

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Christian, Daily, Family and Society, Stories Around the World

The Omnipresence of God

Posted on February 24, 2019December 5, 2018 by Sugar and Spice..... Among Other Things

Modernization, technology, education and learning have been evolving over the years to the extent that the shades of grey have been frequently increasing, marring the areas of black and white significantly. For the present generation of children, the distinction between right and wrong isn’t easy. Very often they fail to understand what truth, Faith and true values of humanity encompasses. The easiest way to ensure that a child walks on the right path is to make him aware of the ever-loving presence of His Faith and above all, to know that God will guide him to know the difference between the right and the wrong.

Source:https://vk.com/monahos

“Mom, how to live in order to constantly feel God’s omnipresence? ..” one boy asked his mother,”I did not quite understand this lesson.”

“I will explain it to you this way,” the mother replied, “as I heard myself as a child. Listen! Live, my child, always as if you always see God before you.
Do not do anything that you would not like to have a witness to the Lord.
Do not say anything that you would not say out loud to God.
Do not write anything that you would be ashamed to show God.
Never go wherever you hope to see the Lord.
Do not read such a book, about which you would not want the Lord to ask: “Show me her.”
Never spend your time so that you can be afraid of the question: “What are you doing?” – or the words: “Shame on you!”

( Source: From the book of Archpriest Arseny Tsarevsky “Lessons on the law of God”)

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Daily, Food

Trend of “Break-the-Fast”

Posted on February 23, 2019January 18, 2019 by Sugar and Spice..... Among Other Things

“Breakfast is everything. The beginning, the first thing. It is the mouthful that is the commitment to a new day, a continuing life.” A. A. Gill

After the regular morning tea or cup of joe; the bustle of the day starts off with “breakfast” what was previously known as “morgenmete” (Old English) i.e. “morning meal”.On the wintry or cold February mornings, there is nothing more delightful than being warmed by breakfast; which is maybe why the month of February has been dedicated to warm breakfast.

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The ancient man, from the Neolithic age believed in the concept of baking cereals and consuming them in the morning, especially among peasants as light repast to start the day’s labour. While the Ancient Greek (ariston or akratisma) and Rome (jentaculum or ientaculum) carried on this tradition, the morning meal bacme more lighter, giving way to a more rich midday meal.

Towards the Middle Age, breakfast was frowned on by the nobility believing it to be a meal for the lower or working class. Yet towards the 15th and 16th century, with the introduction of meat and caffeine as well as tea; the morning repast became a necessary indulgence for the nobility as well. From then on breakfast time encourages one to indulge in a heavy or light glucose intake for the day depending on the mood.

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From the continental breakfast to English breakfast or simply pancakes, waffles, dosa or muffins; the variety of food served at breakfast can never be termed boring. And for those of us who dread cooking in the mornings, there’s always a warm bowl of cereal or cupcakes to kick-start the day.

“All happiness depends on a leisurely breakfast.” John Gun

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Daily, Family and Society, Quotes, Reflections

Over Time

Posted on February 22, 2019December 7, 2018 by Sugar and Spice..... Among Other Things

With the advent of technology and innovations, the old adage that “old is gold” doesn’t hold true in every scenario. For instance, the Internet Era and the World Wide Web have brought a hoard of information and data to our fingertips with its’ own share of pros and cons. The “gadget era” has revolutionized the art of cooking, communication and even decor.

Yet as we grow older, we discover certain things are like wine and cheese, antiques and fine art. The longer we treasure, maintain and nurture them, the more priceless they become. Human behaviour as well as relationships often fall into this category.

“If we take care of the moments, the years will take care of themselves.” Maria Edgeworth

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Over time as we grow older, we begin to better understand silence, read between the lines and peek into the souls of people. It comes with experience to those who are open to life and learn from the lessons as well as situations that we encounter. Slowly we learn to appreciate time, memories and moments. We begin to approach life cautiously, slowly and with respect learning to speak soft, touch gently and embrace warmer. We learn to thaw the frozen hearts person with the warmth of our experiences. We would have learnt from the bitterness of loss and the joy of gaining, thereby helping us to understand the inner silence of others has we encounter.

“The greatest gift you can give someone is your time because when you give your time, you are giving a portion of your life that you will never get back.” Anonymous

Over time we learn to treasure and respect relationships. Turning aside flamboyance, superficiality and grandiosity and instead focusing on nurturing the kindness, respect, love and sincerity which become the main measures by which we choose our close circle. Over time as we become wiser, we discover the beauty of life to make our own niche into the world we were born into.

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Daily, Life, Personal Musings, poetry, Quotes, Work

Countering Murphy’s Law

Posted on February 21, 2019December 5, 2018 by Sugar and Spice..... Among Other Things

“Life is simple. Everything happens for you, not to you. Everything happens at exactly the right moment, neither too soon nor too late. You don’t have to like it… it’s just easier if you do.” Byron Katie

If anyone has been subject to Murphy’s law that states that “whatever can go wrong, will go wrong” would know how it feels when things start going out of hand. And when all the wrongs start happening at once, it turns into a huge disaster. The reality is there are days like Murphy’s Law and then there are days worse than them.

Everybody has to deal with tough times. A gold medal doesn’t make you immune to that. A skater is used to falling down and getting up again. Dorothy Hamill

The hilarious part is when we turn back and look over the events after a long period of time, at times the realization strikes that things could have been even worse. These “bad days” are best faced with a heavy dose of humour laced with a tinge of irony. For losing time and crying over them for long, would simply dim the light of the better days to come. The best thing would be to keep going and handling the ball from our court.

You’re going to go through tough times – that’s life. But I say, ‘Nothing happens to you, it happens for you.’ See the positive in negative events. Joel Osteen

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And maybe just stand on the other foot,
And instead of coffee, take and drink juice …
And turn your usual steps
In the direction where there will be more good …

And on this day, do everything wrong:
Put from end to beginning of the number,
And the most insignificant trifle
Fill with kind and high meaning.

And to do what no one is waiting,
And to laugh, where so much wept,
And a feeling of hopelessness will pass,
And the sun will rise where the rain has been falling.

From the circle of fate,
Take and jump out of the station unknown …
You will be surprised – the world is completely different,
And life is unexpected, and more interesting.

Rus Svyataya

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Christian, Daily, Life, Stories Around the World

Combining Our Thoughts

Posted on February 20, 2019February 20, 2019 by Sugar and Spice..... Among Other Things

“….. but I shall toss my head and have nothing to say to them. Forgetting all about the pail, and suiting the action to the word, she tossed her head. Down went the pail, all the milk was spilled, and all her fine castles in the air vanished in a moment!” (Source: The Milkmaid and Her Pail, Æsop’s Fables, translated by V. S. Vernon Jones (London: W. Heinemann; New York: Doubleday, Page and Company, 1916), pp. 25-26.)

While some of us may heard of the fable of “The Milkmaid and Her Pail”, others may have read of similar tales of other variants like Bidpai’s “The Poorman and the Flask of Oil”, “The Barber’s Tale of his Fifth Brother” from The 1001 Nights and the Jewish story of “The Dervish and the Honey Jar”. Essentially all these resonate the moral of ” Don’t count your chickens before they are hatched.” Yet these fables bring to my mind, the dangerous turn of our thoughts and dreams which turn from being simple to lofty leading to depression, anxiousness and the unending pursuit for “the pot of gold” harming our health, mental peace and happiness in the process.

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For instance, we all have suffered from depression, nerves, anxiousness, worries, stress at some point of time. What do all these have in common besides harming our mental peace and happiness ? They all arise from a combination of thoughts. We ponder of something that is yet to happen, guess the course of events and combine one thought, then the other and then the third and so on and so forth. We are all puzzled on how everything will happen or what will happen in one way or another. In the end, the result surprises us as the Lord arranges things in a different way. In such a scenario, what was the point of experiencing the nerves and depressing or worried thoughts?

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” (Phillipians 4:8)

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When the thoughts of darkness surround us and surface to mind, turning to His Word helps to dispel the darkness and ward off the despair. When we turn to our Faith we destroy speculations and loftiness. As said in the Psalms, “When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, Your consolations delight my soul.” (Psalm 94:19)

On another note, we need to plan and foresee to achieve certain goals for the future but pure conjectures, speculations and lofty thinking don’t help our dreams but rather, crashes them putting them on hold. Learning to distinguish between thinking, planning and pure “counting of chickens before they hatch” is what life and experience teaches us.

“For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12)

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