Garlicious!

First, it was bulgar wheat. Then pomegranates. Now BLACK GARLIC is gonna ROCK your world. It's the new "in" food, but not according to me (because I have yet to try it).

The Washington Post recently wrote an article about the flavorful little bulb and its rise to the top of the food-fad hierarchy. Luckily, I suppose if this new member's going to be the next best thing to "Special K Protein Water," at least it has a heavy bag of health benefits.

People are eating it up, not just literally. Type 'black garlic' into google and the search is endless. Blackgarlic.com is the company that first show-cased black garlic, facilitating its migration from South Korea to the western world. Black Garlic Inc. was formed last year in Hayward, California. As the sole manufacturer and supplier in the United States, the company has a nice monopoly. Restaurants have been demanding this root veggie and food bloggers, alike, are raving about it.

According to the Washington Post, the taste is sweet with licorice, the texture chewy. The pungent garlic flavor isn't as strong in this species, which I can see being a great way to have your garlic and eat it too :)

... Depleted

Mrs. Willette chit chatted her dentures,
the diet pop she drank didn't quite quench her.
Edema in her arms, ankles and hands,
normal saline solution dripping,
meeting her body's demands.
Raspy voice and snorting cough,
hypertensive pressures,
sounds the korotkoff.

Nurse Hatchet comes in with her crocks and cropped hair,
"how you feel today," she asks, as her patient stares.
Mrs. Willette blinks, shifts her weight to the side,
and with much labor in her voice, she replied...

"I HATE CILANTRO"

There are 40 groups on Facebook devoted to bashing cilantro, one of which was quoted in the WSJ (2/13). Scientists are interested in this seemingly innocuous little herb, now causing riots on the internet. There is a clear divide: some find it refreshing while others label it as, "soapy, rotten or just plain vile."

I don't like it, myself. Sometimes I think chefs use the "freshness" in the herb to mask the taste of spoiled fish. UGHH! Just writing that makes me sick.

La Rondine

I just saw La Rondine, which wasn't my favorite opera but it was still very good. Yet another story of attainable then unattainable love, excessive in its use of the superlative, and overflowing with emotions that people tend to repress in our current day. The opera was more modern as compared to the others I've seen. I prefer the traditional ones best -- the lavish costumes and explosive music (and explosive-looking singers). I was sad to see that there weren't any overweight or obese singers in La Rondine. There's a noticeable difference: the music trumps their voices, whereas, larger bodies may be able to project louder tones.

Mushrooms may Lesson the common Grapefruit/Drug Interaction

Regarding a recent, unrepeatable study, mushrooms may be able to help counteract the "grapefruit/drug" interaction.
Doctors advise patients not to eat grapefruit with certain medications (usually heart) because the normal dose of the drug can be enhanced with the consumption of grapefruit juice. This is because grapefruit carries a class of compounds that inhibit the liver enzymes that the body needs in order to eliminate medications. If grapefruit interacts with such drugs, the normal drug dose can be absorbed in toxic amounts.

But researchers have found that eating mushrooms can counteract this effect. When they mixed grapefruit with an inedible fungus, they found that the mushroom absorbed the compounds that were responsible for the grapefruit/drug interaction.

This research could be useful for future nutrition plans. Specifically, many seniors enjoy eating grapefruit, which is rich in vitamin C and fiber. For many, it could be the only source of citrus and vitamin C they receive, since their diminishing taste buds recognize the sour and/or bitterness of the fruit better than other fruits. Seniors are also on many common medications that interact with grapefruit. If researchers develop a safe compound that is shown to reduce the grapefruit/drug interaction, health-care providers won't have to denounce such a healthy food. And grapefruit can be set free from her little prison :)

Source:
WebMD (2/3)