#PITTA MY MOST LOVED
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Are you a starter or desert type of person?
You mean if I prefer starters to deserts? For me, the thing about eating deserts right after the main course is that... since my stomach is full and my palate full of salty tastes, most of the time deserts don't hit as right. I prefer to have a bit more space to eat, and be able to enjoy the desert as it is. That is, if I'm served something I like, I will eat it, but with not as much excitement as if I ate it an hour or so afterwards.
Now, when it comes to starters... the thing is that Greek starters are good. The first thing that comes to mind, probably the most common starter dish in mainland Greece: French fries with tzatziki (yogurt - plain yogurt, not yogurt "sauce" - with garlic and trimmed cucumber) which is just... *chef's kiss*. Whoever thought first of that combination is a genius.
You can dip a lot of stuff in tzatziki - as you see in the pic, someone has dipped a piece of pitta bread, which is the second most common thing to dip in it, but french fries are inarguably the best choice.
Then there's stuff like zucchini "balls". Like meatballs, but made of zucchini instead of meat.
They can also be made of tomato,
mushed chickpeas (like falafel, I guess)
and then we can get a bunch of vegetables and salads in general. Aubergines, peppers (the long ones, we call them Florinis here), fried tomatoes, pretty much anything goes.
... Maybe my view of "starter" meals is very different due to our cuisine. When you go to a Greek traditional restaurant/taverna, you don't get a starter meal per person eating. You get a bunch of them, and we put them in the middle of the table and share, and it's only the main course that's separate for each. Probably the once and only time I've had an actual "starter" was when I went to a non-traditional restaurant in Istanbul and had tomato soup for starter. That one was great, lol.
So yeah, even though I love desserts, when in such a setting I prefer the starters. They're easier to digest before the main course, they come in a bigger variation (compared to what dessert options most Greek restaurants offer), and it's fun to be sharing them with the people around the table.
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don't be shy, tell us the ice skating incident
intj: *grins* ah yes the ice skating incident *looks towards infj* well it all started on a wintery saturday morning in the holidays
infj: damn was it a Saturday? today is a Saturday too. anyways, it was a lovely morning, no thanks to my impending hang out with intj. after some impromptu hot (extra hot) chocolate (bought at this little hole in the wall-esque place that i never noticed so ty to infj for that) , as you may guess, we went ice skating. intj and I had both not gone ice skating in quite some time, but ngl it was showing a little more on intj
intj: ah yeahh..i was rather unsteady on my skates so needed smth to hold on to - obv cant rlly hang on the wall the entire time so I was forced to hold on to infj or more accurately her hand while skating (we both suffered that day)
after a while we get into the rhythm of things , skating round and round the christmas tree when at some point we start messing around and infj tries to push me over (fails) so I try the same (and succeed) but well... I kinda forgot I was holding on to her so before I could let go she grabbed on to me on her way down and so I ended up falling crash on the ice and hit my head pretty solidly. So now I'm there all disoriented (idk what happened next ngl- went a bit hazy) but I remember we came out of the rink shortly after AND THEN INFJ ATTACKED ME AND HIT ME WITH A ZIPPER IN COLD BLOOD and then we went to get breakfast at this little cafe , i had pancakes and infj had a halloumi pitta spread thing(?) and then we went to a bookstore but I was still feeling kinda weird so we called it a day there (turned out I got a mild concussion but j had to sleep it off so all good)
infj: EXCUSE ME THERE WAS NO WAY I PROPERLY TRIED TO PUSH YOU OVER you were like a baby deer trying to find its legs so that would have been both cruel and successful. I also honestly did not mean to make you fall even after you pushed me I very much remember this but anyways. I ALSO DID NOT ATTACK INTJ WITH A ZIPPER I mean if I was gonna attack her it would be with something more effective like a ice skating boot but no I just uh threw her jacket at her and it hit her in the most unfortunate possible way…. umm. so. in the hazy bit I was asking you too many questions about how much it hurt and probably said something stupid like would you like some ice even though we were in a ice rink and then we waddled off the rink counter direction to the skating direction. also I thinkkk I got eggs on toast possibly poached not sure though. anyways yes otherwise most of intjs details remain accurate and indeed
That is the ice skating story aka the time I gave intj a mild concussion
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Daily Mail: Beyoncé spends nearly £2k on Nando's as her huge chicken order is revealed
I will admit I love nando's I have some of the sauce in my cabinet right now
Best wing I never had! Beyoncé spends almost £2k on Nando's takeaway for her entourage as singer's HUGE chicken order is revealed during UK leg of Renaissance world tour
Published: 19:45 EDT, 21 May 2023 | Updated: 20:05 EDT, 21 May 2023
Beyoncé has spent nearly £2,000 on Nando's on Saturday as she continued the UK leg of her Renaissance tour.
The hitmaker, 41, treated her crew to the flame-grilled peri-peri style chicken restaurant ahead of her gig in Murrayfield, Scotland.
The Crazy In Love singer ordered 110 chicken burgers, 90 pittas and nine chicken thighs tallying up a bill of a staggering £1,800.
Making sure her full crew could eat something, Beyoncé catered the full range of spices from the restaurant and vegetarian options.
Instead of keeping under the radar by using a fake name for the order, the superstar's team used her actual name.
Wow: The hitmaker, 41, treated her crew to the flame-grilled peri-peri style chicken restaurant ahead of her gig in Murrayfield, Scotland
Earlier in the week the Single Ladies star turned up the glamour when she posted a collection of Instagram pictures that showed her rocking a diamond-studded black minidress alongside Jay-Z.
Beyonce and her dapper husband – who just put down $200 million to buy California's most expensive home – are in England to launch the UK leg of her blockbuster Renaissance world tour.
Beyonce's post needed no caption as she simply posted the gorgeous pics and showed off the details of her dazzling look.
With her lustrous hair styled down in curled waves, the Formation songstress wore shimmering pink eyeshadow and a glossed pout.
She flaunted her cleavage in the low-cut off-the-shoulder design and carried a matching handbag.
The Cuff It hitmaker's flashy post came right after she dropped a surprise remix of her hit track America Has A Problem featuring Kendrick Lamar.
The remix's original dance beat is he same, but Lamar's rapid-fire verse comes on quick and strong in the new version.
Beyonce kicked off her UK dates with an almighty bang earlier this week as she stormed the city's Principality Stadium with a slew of megahits and a host of incredible ensembles for the heaving audience of 74,000 fans.
Hungry: The Crazy In Love singer ordered 110 chicken burgers, 90 pittas and nine chicken thighs tallying up a bill of a staggering £1,800
Thoughtful: Making sure her full crew could eat something, Beyoncé catered the full range of spices from the restaurant and vegetarian options
Amazing: Instead of keeping under the radar by using a fake name for the order, the superstars team used her actual name
Her full setlist boasted a host of her smash hits, including Formation, Run The World (Girls) and Love on Top, opening with a stratospheric mash-up of Dangerously In Love, Flaws And All, and 1+1.
Her looks comprised a host of incredible numbers, including glittering catsuits and epic metallic corsets and barely-there mini dresses by a slew of designers including Alexander McQueen, Loewe and David Koma.
Proving a stage spectacular takes hard work, and it has been reported that Beyonce travels with a body double who steps in during rehearsals to show the star what her dances look like from an audience perspective.
While famed for her energetic performances, the mother-of-three has been decidedly more restrained during her shows lately, taking more breaks and opening the show with a series of ballads.
Despite fans being upset by the lack of dance moves, the megastar is wowing critics with her Earth-shattering show.
The Guardian's Malcolm Jack gave it a five-star rating and The New York Times' Alex Marshall praised the singer for her LGBT positive performance.
Beyonce's Renaissance World Tour could out-earn Taylor Swift's phenomenally successful Eras Tour by a whopping $600million, Forbes has revealed.
The Crazy In Love hitmaker's first solo tour in seven years is battling Swift's 52-date concert tour, which broke Ticketmaster records with a single day's sales of two million dollars.
However, Queen Bey's 41-date tour, which ends in North America in September, could potentially gross $2.57 billion from tickets alone – smashing The Eras Tour's $1.9 billion projection.
#Beyonce#Bey bags Nandos#Beyoncé spends nearly £2k on Nando's as her huge chicken order is revealed#Nandos#Nandos Chicken
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Discovering New Ingredients on a Plant Based Diet
Ok, so I was ready to start cooking. Looking through recipes there were plenty of foods I recognised and others I didn't know about yet. There were things like pasta, potatoes and pitta breads. Some of the lovely carbs that I know well. I have been a keen cook for most of my life but I was learning there was so much more to the plant based pantry. I intend to break down my findings for you, in a not-too-factual sounding way.
When I thought about plant based meals I had visions of lots of porridge and many things with chickpeas in them. Yes there are oats and also the chickpeas but let me tell you a bit about what else I have discovered.
We'll start with one of the absolute basics and a favourite in our home: the humble Tofu. Made from soybeans it is a source of complete protein, rich in calcium and magnesium and low in calories. Reasonably priced and available almost everywhere it is a very useful ingredient. Tofu doesn't have a strong flavour of its own so we can go to town and dress it up with our favourite herb and spice mixes, simple soy sauce or a mouthwatering marinade. Used in stir fries and curries it holds it shape and texture really nicely. It can be fried, baked, scrambled, grilled, breaded, crumbled and sautéed but don't let these suggestions limit you. It really is as simple as opening the pack, giving it a little rinse and patting it dry with some kitchen paper or a clean dry towel and you are good to go. It does not need much cooking, just a warming through, so it can be added closer to the end of the making of a curry for example and for this I would chop it into bite size chunks.
I would encourage you to try cooking a dish using Tofu as your source of protein and see how you get on. Adapt a recipe and give it a go. A personal favourite of mine is to scramble the Tofu (crush the bite sized chunks with the back of a fork), add mixed dried herbs and a pinch or two of turmeric, sauté in a pan with a little sunflower oil and serve on some hot buttered (I use Flora plant-based) wholemeal toast for a tasty weekend breakfast.
My main aim with this blog is to demystify the Plant Based diet and I'm looking forward to sharing more with you next time.
#dairy free#family#healthy#plant based#what vegans eat#vegan#veganism#breakfast#tofu#firm tofu#plant based protein#plant based ingredients#plant based breakfast
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When it comes to Layla Abbot Lauder, there are no mathematical formulas that can accurately identify how she managed to capture the zeitgeist. Her role in Netflix's teen adventure drama Outer Banks, which quickly became one of the service's most-streamed shows, gave her a blast.
Now she announces her new clothing brand @setactivelyn. “I try to show a sophistication that can be found in academic pieces. My focus is on being able to include everyone in this field.” Before he was scouted by a modeling agency eleven years ago and made Los Angeles his home of sorts, the theaters Lauder frequented as a child were often empty. This gave her a kind of private experience with her mother. That would make you feel things
Dreams were closer. Beyond the commercial work, beyond the advertisements and the smaller roles, Hollywood would open up to her. And the moment manifested itself on the set of the dark comedy series Vice Principals.
The Netflix show took off in a way she didn't expect. Not surprisingly, she found herself in the middle of several dating rumors; she remembers a line of fans outside her hotel during the Glass Onion tour that spanned several continents. Then the anxieties came to the surface. “You see numbers, you see social media, and that in itself is wild, and love is hard to understand,” concludes Lauder.
Written by Luna Sparganalli
Production by Lola Pitta
Photographed by Lily Wren Sallow.
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What is Ayurveda?
WHAT IS AYURVEDA?
Ayurveda (pronounced ai-yr-vei-duh) is an ancient Indian holistic science that encompasses herbal supplements, nutrition, exercise, and other lifestyle practices to create complete balance in one’s body, mind, spirit.
Ayurveda, the knowledge of life (Ayur = life, Veda = science or knowledge,) embraces the school of thought that disease can begin with an imbalance or stress in your consciousness. It is also based on the principle that the mind and the body are intrinsically connected, therefore, ayurveda involves expanding consciousness in order to regain balance of the mind and body. This rapidly growing alternative medicine is much more than a way of diagnosing illness, rather it is a way of life to become more radiant and joyful.
What are my doshas?
Ayurveda was established 5000 years ago with the foundation that every person has three driving life forces, called doshas, that determine unique mixtures of mental, physical, and emotional characteristics. These are the Vata (air), Pitta (fire), and Kapha (earth) doshas that each contain a myriad of the five elements of space, fire, water, earth, and air. Identifying your doshas will allow you to achieve a more harmonic life as you learn to balance them.
Each dosha controls different body functions. One typically presents stronger than the other two in each person. It is believed in Ayurveda that any health issues you may encounter are linked to your own balance of doshas.
VATA
Elements: Air and space
Primary Functions: Movement, communication
Vata dominant individuals tend to be quick thinking, slim, and fast-paced. They are vivacious individuals who are constantly moving, spiritually minded, overly tactile, and love nature. Vatas are susceptible to anxiety, dry skin, and feeling cold. These types learn quickly, but may have a poor memory, gain weight toward the middle of their bodies, and have an irregular appetite.
The vata qualities are clear, dry, light, mobile, cold, rough, and subtle. In the body, Vata commands breathing, cell division, and circulation, as well as the large intestine, bones, skin, ears, and thighs.
IN BALANCE: Vatas in balance are energetic, learn easily, focused, fall asleep easily at bedtime, balanced in digestion, and have good circulation with an even body temperature.
OUT OF BALANCE: The most likely to lose equilibrium, vatas out of balance are likely to experience fatigue, anxiety, forgetfulness, lack of focus, constipation, poor circulation with cold hands and feet, and difficulty falling asleep.
PITTA
Elements: Fire and water
Primary Functions: Digestion, transformation
Pitta dominant individuals are ambitious, competitive personalities with medium to strong builds. Pittas are perfectionists, focus well, and gain weight evenly or toward the bottom half of the body.
They are susceptible to anger, oily skin, inflammation, and heartburn. These types have a steady digestion and appetite, overheat easily, sleep well, and have great memory.
The pitta qualities are hot, mobile, liquid, oily, sharp, and light. In the body, pitta oversees hormones and the digestive system, as well as the small intestine, stomach, sweat glands, skin, blood, and eyes.
IN BALANCE: Pittas in balance have a glowing complexion, good vision, steady digestion, stable body weight, sharp intellect, and are content.
OUT OF BALANCE: Pittas out of balance can experience a lot of anger, irritability, hot flashes, eye troubles, rashes, and acne. They may also experience heart disease, stomach ulcers, and arthritis.
KAPHA
Elements: Earth and water
Primary Functions: Cohesiveness, structure
Kapha dominant individuals are tranquil, grounded people with solid body frames. They are patient, hard-working people who love the arts, food, warmth, and material possessions. Kaphas are susceptible to laziness, disliking cold weather, and sleeping a lot. These earthy types have well developed bodies, steady appetites, and soft, supple skin
The kapha qualities are soft, stable, smooth, slow, cold, heavy, dense, and sticky. In the body, kapha governs strength, immunity, and growth, as well as the chest, lungs, and spinal fluid.
IN BALANCE: Kaphas in balance are affectionate, courageous, generous, stable in temperament, and strong. They experience steady digestion and body weight, deep sleep and good long-term memory.
OUT OF BALANCE: The least likely to lose stability, kaphas out of balance may experience greediness, procrastination, inflammation, slow digestion, obesity, diabetes, depression, and respiratory issues.
Where do I start?
If you’re wondering where to start your ayurvedic journey, here are three simple steps to begin.
Take the quiz to learn your dosha
Understanding your principal natures will allow you to make discoveries about your body and behavior. Learn if you are in or out of balance with this quizand identify herbal remedies, nutrition, and lifestyle modifications to find or maintain equilibrium.
Start a morning and nighttime routine.
Establishing a routine in the morning and evening will allow your body and consciousness to find consistency. This stability creates radical change through regulation of the body’s biological clock, digestion, and food absorption, as well as self-esteem, peace, and longevity. By gifting yourself balanced discipline, you will create freedom for your mind, body, and spirit.
Schedule an Ayurvedic consultation
Sit down for a consultation with an ayurvedic practitioner to receive a comprehensive uncovering of your root ailments. A holistic view of your lifestyle, health history, and behavior are taken into consideration. Your practitioner will curate a personal treatment plan that may include herbal supplements, lifestyle changes to tackle emotional stressors, and other remedies.
Ayurveda can feel overwhelming at first. Take it one step at a time. If you’re ready to learn more about ayurveda and are interested in treatment, visit harmonyok.com to schedule a consultation today.
Source URL By: https://bit.ly/3qvnB1X
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Being Fat
I’ve been fat most of my life. When I turned six, mom left me at home with dad and grandma to go for english-learning adventure in Texas and El Paso, New Mexico, which was just before the marvelous and memorable start of grade one.
All the kids brought their new school bags to show off and fill them up with whatever was placed on our desks. Crayons and workbooks, gel pens and exercise books, ton of commercial pamphlets and a timetable… She complimented all the kids on these colorful fancy bags and I was like “I’ve got a plastic bag today. And I ain’t going all the way back for my school bag, cuz it’s far and I don’t give a shit about how posh y'all are. But you can bet I’d win this competition with a margin.” All the parents laughed but I knew my value.
However, the key thing about this new school was it’s kitchen. Cause the chef was a star. I never knew about his budget or anything, but I could tell that his food came from fresh ingredients and was made with passion. And they always gave me extra when I asked. Sometimes even the meat. And I loved that and enjoyed it, which was the issue. Nobody cared that I was overeating and becoming circular in shape.
By grade two, I was overweight and after changing schools then, the other kids began with the remarks that make a kid feel insecure. I was the fatto. And in spite of my returned mom trying to help me fight it, it remained that way allthe way through primary, secondary, and high school.
Entering university and engaging in culinary practices followed by busy schedule caused by volunteering on events organized by world-class sport associations, keen to do whatever it took to give everyone the sponsor-provided refreshments in addition to feeding those who paid them excruciating fees for broadcasting rights, it didn’t get better. And I’m not even talking about my first year in Plymouth, working in a restaurant so that I could afford to pay rent, only to come home and cook some more.for myself. I grew to over 100 kilograms and my BMI was quickly approaching the morbid obesity threshold set at 30.
That’s when I started taking things into my own hands, reducing quantities of food intake over the following holidays and adopting the stomach-full-of-veggies diet complemented by no-yeast rule. From what I’ve read and experienced, this is the number one best method of weight reduction and maintenance, in addition to being wallet friendly.
Just by some pitta, small pack of ham, entire iceberg lettuce and a sixpack of tomatos. Maybe add coarse mustard to spice it up. And make good dinners. Like 2-eggs-whole-cauliflower fry-up with half baking potato on the side. Or fish and brocoli stew with some whole grain pasta? Lentils with tomatos and onions topped with boiled egg! Baked beans with a chop-up of leftover vegetables and toasted pitta and turkey rice burrito are also great option.
Add my 2 kilometers of swimming per week and you get mere 70 kilograms of Mattved. Easy. And long-term. I lasted until last autumn, two whole years!
Then, the whole cancer thing came about, followed by lung infection colostomy and all that jazz, rendering me back at above-100 weight. Is that entirely caused by the condition? I don’t know. But the politically correct approach is to respect it, feel sorry about me, and blame my medical state. And that’s bullshit, because the core of it is my inability to take care of myself. I failed and I’m disappointed with myself.
Hopefully, I’ll change this again after the colostomy reversal. Using the same method. Anybody wanna join me? I promise, it feels great to anchor your BMI within the norm. Even if you prefer tails of the normal distribution in any other aspect of your being.
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lemon, titans, violet rose :D
Lemon: Pasta with tuna and cheese but, since I answered this on the last one, a secret bonus: cream crackers with butter and Bovril, as well as taramasalata and pitta bread, are very nostalgic for me.
Titans: I tend to wake up late, but I do enjoy a slow morning. That said, I'm more of an evening person overall, so relaxing evenings win for me.
Violet Rose: I love older houses, and it'd be cool if I lived somewhere with stained glass windows. My grandparents lived in a beautiful Victorian house until a few years back and I'd love to live somewhere like that. If ever I buy a house (improbable but a man can dream) I really want my mum to make at least one window for it. I'd want to have a lot of space for a garden. Maybe go posh mode and have, like, a pretty flowers garden and then an orchard/food growing garden. Bedrooms with en suites. I don't really mind how many bedrooms as long as it's +1 the amount necessary. Kitchen and living room separate. A dining room would be nice for having friends round, so I guess I'll throw it in because we are talking a dream house. Most importantly of all, I would want a biiig workroom with lots of natural light and a big cutting table and a big rack with fabric and haberdashery stuff!!! And shelves for, like, miscellaneous craft bits. A couple of different workbenches, maybe. And there'd be lots of art on the walls and stuff. If we're going to really really wild with the dream house, I want an indoor swimming pool. I know that doesn't fit the vibe of the rest of it but I really love swimming and if it's indoor then it doesn't matter what the weather's doing. Maybe a personal gym, as a treat. Oh, and it would have a library!! Very important!!!
#ask game#I'll be thinking of other important things in my dream house for the next week but hopefully I've covered it
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top five snack foods
i love snacking thank u sm for asking °3°
a cup of tea with a plain biscuit to dip in it!!
spicy crisps (potato chips) hehe..i absolutely love crisps that are made of dried(?) vegetable the most like beetroot!! but they are expensive and hard to find </3
fruits!! i am very picky abt texture tho hhh
oh i rly like small toasted pieces of pitta bread dipped in hummus!!
a kitkat. DJJDJ or any biscuit really i love crunchy food
ask me my top 5 anything!!
#is a crumpet a snack. if so i love crumpets so much DJDJJD not to b a stereotypical brit with my tea and crumpets tho#pls tell me ur fave snacks if u feel like it i’m so nosy :>#also the best biscuit to dip in tea (for me) is a rich-tea biscuit….delightful#kazanswers#ask game
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daydreams, freckles, buttery for the soft ask 😊
Sorry bestie I fell asleep before I could answer this 😅
daydreams- if you could be anything or anyone, who would you be?
I like who I am tbh, I wouldn't want to be a whole other person (this is what happens in your 30s kids, you learn to love yourself). but I would like perhaps to be a bit more organized and productive!
freckles- most-worn article of clothing?
I am definitely a jeans and t-shirt and trainers kind of girl! I get a lot of use out of my elio tribute sweater too, I would love to wear it to a race someday 🥺
buttery- favorite snack?
hummus and pitta bread! 🤤
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How do people in Greece cook their pasta dishes that would make Italians disturbed?
What are your favorite dishes, pasta or otherwise related to your country?
Well, first of all, we overboil it. What an Italian would consider overboiled pasta, a Greek would consider al dente. They'd probably consider we're ruining it, both in texture and in flavour.
But also, the Italian way is to make the sauce with water from the pasta and then add the pasta into the sauce for the last boil. We don't do that either. We just cook the pasta, strain it and throw away the water, sprinkle the pasta with some oil, then back into the pot. We make the sauce separately, and when it's done we pour it over the pasta, not in the pot, but in every plate separately.
It's just a bit funny to me because Italy is so close, and we've had lots of Italian influences especially on the west part of Greece where Venetians had ruled, but when it comes to cuisine we completely missed the mark (don't tell them Greeks make carbonara with cheap bacon and whipping cream instead of prosciutto and eggs... and though I grew up with the first, I tried the original when I visited Rome and like. There's simply no contest).
The one thing that would make migrating to a better country would be that I'd have issues saying goodbye to Greek foods... or at least the way we cook them. Some of my faves:
Strapatsada (tomato and eggs)
Pastitsio (it's like moussaka, only with thick pasta instead of aubergines and potatoes)
Lentil soup
Chicken soup with avgolemono (whisked egg and lemon poured in the broth while it's boiling)
Gemista (tomatoes and green peppers - occasionally other vegetables are used, like zucchini and aubergine - filled with rice and herbs, sometimes with added ground meat or - in my area - raisins)
Spinach with rice
Feta saganaki (feta cheese wrapped in fyllo and sprinkled with sesame and honey. it's exquisite)
And of course, the one, the only, pitta gyro.
Like, look. Italians have a passion for making pasta and pizza right. Greeks have a passion for making pitta gyro right. I don't care how many calories or cholesterol it has. I devour it.
Most of those dishes, along with the majority of Greek dishes, are made with tomato and/or tomato sauce (in pastitsio, for example, we prepare the ground meat in tomato sauce. Lentil soup has tomato sauce, and most boiled vegetables are prepared with tomato sauce added in the mix). And we have the ideal climate for tomatoes. Same way Italian pizza is terrific in the summer, because they make great tomatoes and that boosts the taste of the sauce, Greek dishes have a thicker, fuller taste in the summer when we use fresh tomatoes instead of greenhouse grown ones. And the northern you go, the less likely it is that you'll find tomatoes with such rich taste, even in their warmest season. And our good tomatoes and how well and often we use them is something I really love about Greek cuisine.
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Do wellness retreats really make you well?
Are you someone who is going through FOMO of not attending a wellness retreat yet? Well, let me share my thoughts with you, as I have been to not one but two of such retreats.
At some point, we all have read beautiful articles of these retreats showcasing exotic pictures of Yoga poses facing the sun, in the backdrop of mountains, amidst lush green lawns. Sometimes we have watched some attractive videos posted on social media by those who have visited & our need to experience one increases by the day. Further to add to our FOMO we find our friends raving about such wellness retreats they have visited. NOW !!!! what more would you need to plan one……...
Thanks to the Covid times, there was no travel abroad so my husband gave into my wish & I felt lucky to visit Atmantan, a wellness retreat near Pune. And just in a couple of months on my 50th birthday I grabbed yet another opportunity to visit one of the most luxurious retreats, Vana near Dehradun.
After visiting both retreats, I realised, they all follow a similar ritual. You have a doctor’s consultation on arrival, your vatta-pitta-kapha is checked, body mass index, weight, blood pressure, medical history is taken. Based on these parameters there may be some specific foods that are not allowed, some quantitative restrictions for those who have any issues.
For the fit ones, there aren’t any external restrictions, what matters is self-monitoring.
To talk about the food, it is extremely healthy. There are multiple choices; gluten free, dairy free, vegan, nut free & what not. The point is it may be healthy, but it’s in plenty. It’s not FREE but it is FREELY AVAILABLE. The onus was on me to not get carried away with the widespread indulgence.
Then there is this mammoth task of selecting the massages & treatments, scrubs, facials, mud therapy, oil therapy & so on. Everyone takes a package wherein you can opt for one or more treatments a day. The spa menu is generally elaborate, sometimes confusing too. At first glance it’s very exciting & if you read the benefits written below, for a minute you start believing all your minor health issues would disappear.
There is also a huge timetable where they bombard you with multiple options of fitness activities. It’s like a therapy supermarket; right from nature walks, yoga, pilates, several types of meditation, music therapy, dance class, zumba & the list is endless. YOU CHOOSE WHAT YOU LIKE!!!!
Imagine spending the entire day just pampering your body. Initially I was overwhelmed. Who wouldn’ t love luxury? Who would not like to be pampered? And then you have this awesome tag line: YOU DESERVE THIS. I was enjoying all of this at that moment. I felt fabulous after the treatments. I was relieved of my neck pain, stiffness of the joints. Every nerve was released. I was quite ecstatic.
But to my surprise, Gosh!!!! all the knots & pains were back in a day. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the rest of my retreat along with some introspection, some thoughts.
The routine in these places is too fancy. It is a playground of luxury for the body. I started questioning myself; our sages have discovered ultimate health & bliss in absolute basic conditions, harsh weather, very little food & most of it - raw. Whereas the modern world offers new indulgences, labels it as wellness, packages them so well & creates a desire in our hearts.
So, the point being you have to work your damn muscle every single day to keep it strong. It is you who will have to do your cardio, yoga, stretching exercises regularly for your flexibility & strength. And above all, you have to train your mind to believe in the self-healing power of the body. That’s all. These external dependencies are just another way of enjoying life. These resorts are just one more avenue to indulge, pamper & spoil yourself.
Having said this, there are several people who may have benefitted from these health stays. For chronic cases of diabetes, high blood pressure, for obesity issues, people have generally got good results. But for someone like me who is healthy & already into a healthy lifestyle, these wellness retreats were a luxury holiday.
Now I am not here to simply bash these retreats but it’s time to pause & think. For wellness of the mind & the body do I need an overdose of massages & treatments & cleansing. Do I need so much food? Do I need a glass of wine each day? (So, there are some wellness retreats that permit one glass of wine every day). It's like one goes to a place of worship for his own satisfaction, he does not get salvation by visiting any temple on earth. So, can one attain wellness by visiting a wellness retreat? No!!!! it is for your own satisfaction. Nothing is going to change in a 3, 5 or 7 day retreat. We better get this clear in our heads. Personally, I think being healthy has to be your daily gameplan.
It has been rightly said by Sravani Saha Nakhro, “ A healthy lifestyle is the most potent medicine at your disposal.”
If people with unhealthy lifestyles just come to detox at these places, in that context a wellness retreat is reverse of the right thing to do.
Despite whatever I am blabbering above, it would be unfair on my part to make any generalisations. People’s behaviour is not just black or white. We all have shades of grey. What matters is one must know what we are going for? For wellness or for luxury?
On a lighter note, the tourism industry must be complimented for discovering this niche of holidaying. The healthy getaways have really, really marketed “WELLNESS” very well.
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I HAVE A VERY STRANG HC! So like Chihiro really likes pita bread. There is no support for it yet for some reason it makes sense in my brain? It doesn’t go stale that fast, and it is delicious warm. And Chihiro deserves delicious warm and cozy bread to eat while programming : )
Hey anon!
Hahahaha I love it! And I freaking LOVE pitta bread! Its the only real bread I can have without my stomach dying and so I'd LOVE to give it some love!
Once again, he/him pronouns for Chihiro in this AU. Please be aware of this!
Thanks for the ask anon! Sorry it took so long!!
***********************
• Chi spends a lot of time programming.
• Like. A LOT.
• He's constantly coming up with a new system to improve someone's life, or something to share with his friends.
• Hell, sometimes just because he can!
• And he loves his talent. So freaking much.
• So much, in fact, that he sometimes forgets to eat.
• His dad tried to counter this by buying him a fridge, but d'you think he remembers to stock it up?
• His friends become quite worried and resort to buying him meals to eat.
• Never ACTUALLY getting thanks until the next day - Chi's a little shit when he's coding!
• Nothing REALLY stands out - not savory food, anyway.
• The boy will ALWAYS react to donuts or chocolate.
• But savoury? Meh. Forgettable.
• Until the glory that is pitta bread.
• It's Hiro's turn on feeding duty - the guy who has no regard for what he shoves in his mouth to eat.
• And he turns up with some healthy thing (that of course Taka recommended) in one hand.
• And a kebab in the other.
• He hands the healthy food over, leaning over to see what Chi's working on.
• And the warm, comforting smell of pitta bread wafts into Chi's nose - lighting reactions in his brain that don't trigger when he's in the zone.
• Poor Hiro has NO CHANCE to save the pitta before Chi's snatched it and shoved it in his mouth.
• 'That was miiiine...'
• 'More please.'
• 'But I got you...'
• 'MORE!'
• Hiro has to go back to the kebab shop and order five more pitta breads. JUST pitta bread. Toasty warm.
• And Chi wolfs them down eagerly - spouting a thanks before continuing.
• With this revelation, his friends make sure to stop off and buy him a couple of warm pittas as an addition to the meal.
• They even convince him to start filling his fridge...
• With pitta bread.
• THE BOY IS OBSESSED - pitta bread has become his go to meal for long nights of programming.
• Of course, with the amount of bread he's now consuming, he has to work out more to stay in shape.
• But does he care? Not a bit.
• One year for his birthday, Hiro has no idea what to get him so convinces the kebab shop to give Chi a year long deal for free pitta bread.
• (He gave one of his famous fortunes as a dealbreaker - and the fortune was actually correct!)
• All Chi had to do was flash a special voucher in their shop and they'd know what to do.
• Most people thought that was a lame idea.
• Chi nearly cried with happiness.
• It DID come with the caviat that he would have to make sure to eat properly (Hiro made sure to declare it after much pressure from Taka, of course).
• And it worked - Chi was forced to leave his mancave every night to go make himself some food.
• And as a special treat once a week, he'd head out to grab his freebie.
• Returning once more to his room, snuggled in his duvet and staring at the screen, nibbling on the warm, comfy goodness that is the pitta bread.
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Cast your spell on Stretch Marks
If you are a fan of Harry Porter, you will know using the vanishing spell : Evanesco for any object to disappear, Well, you can pick up your magic wang for I have similar spell for vanishing the most unwanted marks on woman’s body during pregnancy. Yes - the stretch marks.
Stretch marks are indented streaks that appear on the abdomen, breasts, hips, buttocks or other places on the body. They're common in pregnant women, especially during the last trimester but some woman can feel itchy as the skin expands from their second trimester.
Though there are many cosmetic stretch marks cream available in the market, I am cautious of using anything that is remotely related to anything non-natural.
Hence I discovered my own magic spell that worked wonders for clear and moist skin.
The spell is a three letter word : O I L
The Sanskrit word for oil, sneha, means love. Being saturated with oil is believed to have a similar effect as being filled with love.
Using oil as daily self care practice known as Abhyanga in the ancient Ayurveda can avoid stretch marks. Abhyanga is a massage that’s done with warm oil. The oil is applied on the entire body, from the scalp to the soles of your feet.
You can use various types of oil - plain base oils depending on your dosha or can infuse herbs for maximum benefit.
Oils according to your body type
If you are uncertain on what body type you are - please refer to Dr. Vasant Lad’s website to understand three different doshas according to ayurveda.
Vata Body Type:
Use base oil as Blackgram oil, organic sesame, almond, avacado and olive oil. These oil are warm and lubricate the delicate vata system providing vitality and vigor.
You can also blend some herbs into the oil - ashwagandha, bala, and passionflower. The certified organic herbs nourish and ground vata,
Pita Body Type:
Base oil can be ghee, sesame or sunflower infused with cooling herbs like brahmi/gotu kola, guduchiand manjistha. These herbs are traditionally used in Ayurveda to address pitta by removing excess heat while relaxing the tension associated with pitta.
Kapha Body Type:
Again, base oil can be safflower, sweet almond, or flaxseed oil with infusion of punarnava, chitrak, calamus, and rosemary. This energizing blend of herbs is activating and mobilizing, vital for balancing kapha.
It is also said that during pregnancy Kapha dosha is increased in the body. So mixing herbs for Kapha and vata was idle for me. Ojas (pronounced oh-jas), or “primal vigor,” is the pure essence of the Kapha dosha and the water element and maintaining Ojas in pregnancy is key to healthy child birth. Abhyanga helps reducing stress as woman relaxes and ultimately revitalize ojas.
Other oil infusions :
waterhyssop, turmeric, lotus root, basil, cloves
To infuse your own oil:
Warm 1 cup carrier oil in a small saucepan. Add the herbs. Mix and remove from the heat. Cover the saucepan. Let sit for 24 hours.
Strain the herbs with a cheesecloth. Store in an airtight container.
You can also buy pre-blended oils at massage supply stores or Ayurveda spas.
Surya Spa in Santa Monica creates infused oil exclusive to you and your body type - https://www.suryaspa.com/
The key here is consistency - if you are religiously performing self massage is key to soft skin and moist skin. “A dry body, like a dry stick, breaks easily.”
Here is the general technique for self-massage: Pour 1/2 cup oil in a clean copper (preferred) oil warmer, i prefer to use copper oil warmer - can be found on Etsy: https://etsy.me/3FKB2xI or simply soak the bottle of oil in hot water.
You can learn the technique of self massage shown in the video below:
youtube
Be gentle on your stomach while massaging. You can choose to leave oil on your stomach without any massage if it feels more comfortable to you.
Remember : Listen to your body !
For an enjoyable self-massage, follow these tips:
Make sure the oil is warm but not too hot.
Take your time on each body part.
After massaging your soles with oil, be careful when walking. The oil could make you slip.
Do an abhyanga self-massage daily for optimal results.
Benefits
Massaging oneself does not only provide moisture but also helps you maintain your blood pressure and promotes lymphatic drainage.
It is my secret to non swollen feet even at 8 and half month of pregnancy and normal or sometimes low blood pressure. (Its ok to be low blood pressure during pregnancy, alarm bell goes off only with high blood pressure)
I will also write a separate post on essential oils which provides information on specific time to use certain essential oil in pregnancy.
Other Reasons for Stretch Marks
Stretch marks can also occur due to lack of vitamins in the body. Have your prenatal vitamins along with balanced meal. Also sudden increase in weight can also cause skin to expand dramatically - so don't eat for two but eat enough calories for normal consistent weight gain that is prescribed by your ob gyn or mid wife. Cdc also has a detailed guidelines on weight gain and trackers for different scenarios.
Get lot of sunshine but be careful of dehydration. Hydration is big during pregnancy.
Cleansing
GRANDPA PINE TAR SOAP
I would swear by this product as it has worked so well with me.
Cleansing body with pine tar soap has been huge help in avoiding any itch on the stomach. Key is NOT TO RUB the scrub your skin. Instead gather foam by rubbing on soap with loaf and than dropping the foam on skin. Do not rub with loaf or scrub directly on your skin as your skin is very thin and sensitive esp. on and around stomach.
Here is the link if you are interested - look at the reviews, you will know why this is a raving product for pregnant woman: https://amzn.to/2YNg0NV
Some of the other products that I live in day and night :
1. Coconut oil. I keep coconut oil near sofa, on my bed side, in bathroom - every possible corner of house where I chill - it is so important to oil your body whenever you can - yes whenever !
2. Aloe Vera : First two trimester of my pregnancy were in summer and aloe vera was so soothing on skin. It also helped me cool down when i had heat flash.
3. Kokum Butter - I made kokum butter at home by whipping it with castor oil and few drops of lavender oil. This is my to-go cream for bed time. My husband gives me wonderful relaxing foot massage at the end of the day with kokum butter. Kokum butter applied on sole of your feet also helps you sleep better. You can apply these mix any where on body - its high on vitamin E and high on anti oxidant.
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true love
Hubs sat down to watch eps 1-5 of WandaVision with me tonight. Needed me to tell him who the main characters were before we got started, but made it all the way through and said he looks forward to seeing the rest.
So, either it’s true love because I make my grownup of a husband stop and embrace the fantastical/get entertained OR it’s true love because he’ll jump into even the most obscure & deliberately confusing things that make my heart go pitta pat. Or both. Probably both.
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