Nourish the Thought

Your Five Senses - The Economy

 

It seems as though every day there is news about the economy, higher fuel prices & food costs.  And it’s usually not good news.  In fact, last week, the government raised its projections for how much the price of food will go up this year to five percent. This means a typical household may soon pay about $350 more for the same cart of groceries.

It seems more and more people are beginning to look for ways to save, without giving up those little indulgences many of us are accustomed to. 

So how are you dealing with the effects of the economy?  Going out to eat less and cooking more meals at home?  Brown bagging it to work?  Still going out, but ordering from the value menu? 

Your Five Senses - Lady's and Gentlemen, the Mangosteen

As of July 23, 2007 the FDA lifted the ban on the Mangosteen, but its actually been around longer.  This strange and mysterious fruit from the South Pacific is starting to find its way into more mainstream beverages.  The credit for first opening the eyes of the American public was a Utah based company that introduced Xango, a beverage consisting of Mangosteen juice.  Before then the Mangosteen was only being served as a dessert delicacy in high end fine dining establishments.  Even then restaurants had to source the fruit through a Puetro Rican company that handled small volume orders.

The debate is being waged in the scientific community as we speak about the health or non health benefits for the Mangosteen.  The arils or seeds are said to have a high amount of Xanthones, which has anti-cancer properties.  The mangosteen's arils only contain one of the qualities of the so called "Superfruits, that being Xanthones. Mangosteen's rind however has several properties.  People in the South Pacific have used the rind for anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal and antiseptic reasons for centuries.

Whether or not it is found to have "Superfruit" qualities, the Mangosteen has made its splash among the health conscious public and we will continue to see more and more food and beverage products contain this mysterious and much debated tropical fruit.  We encourage you to go out and try a Mangosteen flavored drink and send back your thoughts and a picture of that drink so we can share with everyone.

Your Five Senses - Recycling

Today I am feeling socially conscious.  Yes, I am the person in the office that prints off more documents than I probably should, but I prefer to read and markup documents with a pen.  Just my style.  I am, however, aware of the impact of all my printing, so I do my best to recycle paper at the office.

At home is another story.  My husband and I do not recycle, but the more I read and research the topic of sustainability, corporate social responsibility and plain old recycling, the more I think I need to get with the program.

Being socially conscious is all the buzz and I know of food companies that are committed to environment practices and I know of people that are loyal to recycling, but I also wonder how many people talk the game, but don't walk the game.

So let me know how you are supporting the environmental cause.

To complete this whole thought, I wanted to include this image and short descriptor as an example of social consiousness and perhaps as inspiration.

Feed up with the vast amount of food people waste, Vogels created SPROUT, a small-scale restaurant concept that recycles absolutely everything not consumed.  In his attempt to create a zero-waste establishment, the Dutch design student went as far as using coffee grinds and herbs to create plates and bowls.  This fully compostable collection has since been dubbed Wasteware.

Your Five Senses - Your Last Supper

Recently I came across the book, My Last Supper: 50 Great Chefs and Their Final Meals / Portraits, Interviews and Recipes by Melanie Dunea. The author wrote to 50 famous chefs and asked them to describe their last ideal meal.  I found some of their responses to be surprising and as distinct as the chef themselves.  And the Vanity Fair - style portraits only add to the work.  Each revealing the personality of the chef.  I mean, who wouldn't expect Anthony Bourdain to pose nude, except for a strategically placed butchered leg bone.

As I flipped through it I couldn't help but wonder what my last supper might be.  Would I choose something daring & unfamiliar or would I turn to my favorite comfort foods, either homemade or restaurant favorites.  Giving this more thought, my only question might be how many courses am I allowed?

So, if you had to describe your ideal last meal, what would it be?

Your Five Senses - Pizza Goes Green

"Saving The Earth One Pizza At A Time"

This is the tag line for a relatively new pizza company called Pizza Fusion.  Micheal Gordon and Vaughan Lazar started this upscale gourmet pizza parlor in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida a few years ago with the mantra of serving pizza in it's purest form.  This company is completely dedicated to as they call it "sustainable business". 

Pizza Fusion was built literally from the ground up on the idea of being environmentally conscious.  The concrete is composed of 30 % recaptured industrial concrete, drywall is made from 95% post-consumer content, ceiling panels are 74% recycled aluminum cans and 24% post industrial metals.  They are offsetting 100% of their energy usage with the purchase of renewable wind energy certificates, and what I think is the coolest way they are "green" is their delivery vehicles are hybrids.

Now let's get to the pizza; Pizza Fusion presents a 75% organic menu, featuring an eclectic offering of gourmet pizzas, sandwiches, salads, desserts and organic beers and beverages. With 20 organic and 14 natural topping options running from arugula, sun dried tomatoes to wild caught Key West shrimp.  The beverage selection is comprised of Boylans natural sodas, Naked Juices and Butte Creek Brewing's organic brews among others.  Pizza Fusion has something for everyone who is earth friendly.

So, in honor of Earth Day (April 22) please send any natural or organic businesses in your area, and we would be happy to showcase those on this blog.

Your Five Senses - New Nike kicks

I think a road trip to Japan is in order; as one very hip sneaker has been released oversees by Nike - but unfortunately it has not made its way to the U.S.  I thought my Steve Madden's and Josef Seibels were pretty stylish...but they may take a momentary back seat.          

These Wingtips rock!  A patent leather wingtip design on a sneaker; who woulda thunk it?  These have a lot of style and allow you to show your personality; dress em up or dress em down - they would be sure to get attention.  Looks like they have the comfort and quality of Nike and the edge of something unique.

In a recent online article; Lauren Arvonio, a spokeswoman for Mindset Media, said sneaker buyers were more likely to fly by the seat of their pants.  "It is often said you can tell a lot about a person by the shoes they wear, and now we have some hard data to back that up," Arvonio told Reuters.  I get the whole shoe thing - and these would definitely make a personalized statement.

Mindset Media, a media company that examines personality traits of different consumers, found that people who buy more than three pairs of sneakers a year are 61 percent more likely to have the qualities of a modern leader.

These qualities were defined as having ideas and vision, and a style with others that is both inclusive and decisive.  The survey of 7,500 people, using market research group Nielsen's online panel, found multi-sneaker buyers were 50 percent more likely to be very assertive and 47 percent more likely to be spontaneous.

I don't know about you, but I could wear the heck out of these.  Or at least until another cool look was discovered (although I am in the 1 to 2 pair of sneakers per year range).  What is the coolest shoe, shirt, hat, piece of jewelry or funky accessory that you own or have seen?  Let's see if we can compile a group of personal style pics that would make any shopaholic envious.

               

Your Five Senses - Coffee or Soda in the Morning?

As I was flipping through this magazine, the ad to the left really resonated with me.

Drinking soda has been apart of my adult life morning ritual.  Not drinking coffee.  I cannot function if I don't have my soda of choice in the morning.  And finally, an ad that speaks to that.  Because for me, there is nothing better than that cool (somtimes downright cold) refreshing caffeinated beverage down the back of the throat.  Something I'm sure coffee drinkers might not get.

Turns out I'm not alone.  Consumption of soft drinks at breakfast has nearly doubled in the past 15 years, while coffee consumption at breakfast has fallen nearly 25%.*

So what does your morning ritual consist of, coffee or soda?

*The data is specific to drinks with meals, eaten outside the home.