Friday, July 31, 2009

Chicago says, “Walk the Walk”

Nearly 3,000 readers have voted in the Chicago Tribune online poll asking, “With the nation’s obesity crisis worsening, some advocates say it’s increasingly critical for health care workers to “walk the walk” and serve as role models. Do you agree?” An overwhelming 75.1% of readers reported “yes”. And, I agree.
In the nutrition world, I expect to be judged by my patients based on my weight status. This makes sense to me, and it’s only fair. When I worked at Rush University Medical Center for a summer, I recall seeing the masses of doctors and nurses outside smoking. Let’s just say I didn’t think highly of their actions. Same goes for staff at my current job. While completing my dietetic internship, even a respiratory therapist in a nursing home missed a code blue because he was out on a cigarette break. Oh, the irony.
The article uses the non-health related example of finances. Financial advice may not be best sought by a CPA who had just filed bankruptcy. Duh. But for doctors and dietitians, for example, what’s the goal? Perfection?
The article opens in talking about Sharon Salomon, a Phoenix-based Registered Dietitian. She says that while she teaches clients how to eat right and lose weight, she would use the word “fat” to describe her own physique. Professional deal-breaker? Surely to some, and I can’t blame people for discrediting a professional unable to live-up to their own advice.
As for myself, I don’t claim to be the epitome of health or nutrition, but I do practice what I preach: moderating the bad and always working to increase the good. When I encourage patients to consume more fruits and vegetables, I affirm this by saying that we ALL need to eat more fruits and vegetables, as it’s difficult for ANYONE, myself included, to consume 5-9 of those babies a day! Being healthy is very difficult, and today’s day and age creates an environment in which temptations are impossible to always dodge.
I commit to being a role-model for patients, family, friends, and loved ones. While I’m not perfect, I do make a conscious effort each and every day to make it a healthier one.
[1]. Deardorff, Julie. Weighty Issue Rages in Surgeon General Debate. Chicago Tribune. July 28, 2009.

Cornelius Gallagher, working in Long Island


July 31

Remember Cornelius Gallagher, the former chef of Oceana and a Food & Wine Best New Chef (class of 2003)? He left Oceana in 2006 and took a good job at a catering company to start raising funds for his own restaurant.
Well, I ran into him recently at an Australian beef luncheon, and he now is corporate chef for a Long Island company called the Bohlsen Restaurant Group, which owns Prime in Huntington, H2O in Smithtown, Tellers in Islip and Beachtree in East Islip.
He says they’re now working on opening an Italian place called Verace, in East Islip, slated to open this November or December, and one of those big-box Asian restaurants (you know, like Buddakan, Tao, Buddha Bar etc.) in Babylon, which they hope to open by the end of next year. They haven't picked a name for it yet.
He looked well.
The picture in this blog entry is a screen capture from an article I wrote about Neal in 2006. This link ought to work if you’d like to read it. If it doesn’t, let me know.

Sushi and cinema.


On Tuesday, I went to Estepona and we had lunch at a japanese restaurant call Yamato, were you can eat in a buffet and they cook the food for you at the moment. We had tuna maki sushi, and salmon and tamago suchi; gyozas, yakitori chiken... it was really nice; I love japanese food and we had a lovely time. I went with paula and Cris, two friends from my office... I want to repeat very soon!

Gyozas, so delicious!


This week I've been alone at home, and it was all very quiet; the only bad thing is that here is SO hot... 43ºC!! yes! Yesterday we had 43ºC!! I hope today it would be a little bit colder...

On Wendesday I had lunch with Rose, Jose and Jairo, "The Lisbon Team"; I cooked chiken curry, it was delicios! i'm pretty good cooking curry! Then, at night, we had a henna tattoo workshop. It was my first time making this kind of tattoos, but it was ok.

And yesterday we went to the cinema just for seeing "Up", the new Pixar's film. Its WONDERFUL, right now it's my favourite Pixar's film ever... so cute and beautiful!

I was wearing a black and white lolita skirt by Anna House; Little red ridding hood t shirt by Stradivarius, black socks by Macmillan Alice and my white tea party shoes by Secret Shop. And almost all the accesories were made by myself with clay; I'm pretty good on it, do you like them?



Bonus picture nº 1: Rose & me making the freak in a very small carrousel.


Bonus picture nº 2: My Mando Diao's t official shirt! I love it!


And tonight we´re going to Fangoria (it's a disco at Jerez) for a party!! I'll make pictures!

Enjoy your friday!