The Art of Kindness

(Japanese Kanji for "Kindness")

During a recent conversation with a friend, I was reminded that kindness should be a way of being and not a goal. Goals are always entangled with self-interest, even the good ones. We can have compassion and act with kindness when interacting with the people we feel pity for, with strangers, people we perceive to be in great need such as disaster victims, starving children in other countries, etc. What I was reminded of was how easy it is to forget to be kind to the people we love, the people in our daily lives, those we live with and those we interact with on a regular basis. Our conversation wasn't about either one of us, but more about the general state of the world, the economy, the news, and we agreed that if there was more kindness in our daily lives, perhaps the world would be a bit lighter. And so I offer the following words of wisdom collected from here and there since they explain the idea of kindness far better than I can:

"The Wise Woman's Stone"

A wise woman who was traveling in the mountains found a precious stone in a stream. The next day she met another traveler who was hungry, and the wise woman opened her bag to share her food. The hungry traveler saw the precious stone and asked the woman to give it to him. She did so without hesitation. The traveler left, rejoicing in his good fortune. He knew the stone was worth enough to give him security for a lifetime. But a few days later he came back to return the stone to the wise woman. "I've been thinking," he said, "I know how valuable the stone is, but I give it back in the hope that you can give me something even more precious. Give me what you have within you that enabled you to give me the stone."

Author Unknown

Wise Quotes:

"No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted."
-Aesop

"We Make a Living by What We Get, We Make a Life by What We Give"
~Churchill


Namaste'

Breast Cancer Month Art

I spend a fair amount of time searching the Internet and other sources for what I think is interesting art - or at least interesting ideas about art and food, and occasionally I'll throw in my own pieces. I'm particularly happy when I find something that has made a positive statement about or is in honor of something potentially devastating. So it was nice to see what Cashmere Toilet Paper does each October in honor of breast cancer awareness.

We're all familiar with the pink ribbon and many of us wear it proudly. Here's an interesting twist on the theme, although not good in a rain storm. Beginning in 2004, Cashmere decided to embrace the concept of couture.

My personal favorite

Yes! It's made entirely of T.P.!

.....and then we have...

So take a look at Cashmere here

They are doing a wonderful thing, and you can view all six years of their creations. Lots of fun.

Namaste'

The Art of Eating II

I've kicked the TV habit. Now I'm addicted to food blogs, good ones........and in my search I came across TasteSpotting The online subtext is "a community driven visual pot luck". And is it ever. The site is updated multiple times throughout the hour.


They have created an amazing resource for recipes and blogs, all in one place. All food types are represented. People submit their dishes with mouth watering photographs and when you click on the photo you are directed to their blog/website. Sample photos are below, although you'll have to visit the site to see the blogs and recipes - and when you get into each blog, you'll be spending time, looking around......as I have.

Crusty country bread topped with goat cheese, fresh sauteed spinach, and finished with a lightly fried egg. Simple and yummy.

Acorn squash risotto with toasted seeds and fried sage leaves. Have you ever had fried sage leaves? Wonderful.

Dark chocolate, caramel, vanilla, cinnamon, and chopped nuts dessert dip - for all those Halloween treats.

Whether you're a cook, an eater, or a voyeur........happy food drooling.

Namaste'

The Art of Eating

M.F.K. Fisher didn't know what a shirataki noodle is, and perhaps you don't either, which is why I'm blogging about this wonderful little food.

Real foodies will know that The Art of Eating is a collection of essays by M.F.K. Fisher (1908-1992). She was one of America's best known food writers - ever. It is largely autobiographical, and includes commentary and recipes from her life and travels and is, in my opinion, a damned good read. Whether you cook or just love to eat, take a glance. The narrative is far more important in this book than the recipes.

But when M.F.K. Fisher was eating and writing, shirataki noodles were non-existent, at least the tofu shirataki was. For those of us following a low-carb diet due to weight loss or, in my case, diabetes (I'm still not on meds....diet controlled so far), or gluten intolerance, giving up pasta, rice, and potatoes can be devastating. For me, it's been pasta - until now.

Nothing beats a plate of pasta but it can spike your insulin and cause havoc for foodies with gluten intolerance. And nothing compares to really good quality pasta. Tofu shirataki is close, not perfect, but close enough for me. Finally, I have something to slap bolognese sauce on. House Foods is the brand I use.

Photo courtesy of House Foods

They are in your local supermarket wherever they stock cold foods, tofu, and those interesting little bits of odd health food hot dogs, etc. (and if not, ask for them) or you will find them in all good health food stores. Here are the stats on tofu shirataki noodles:

Water packed in plastic, not freezable

2 servings per 8 oz. package

20 calories, 3 grams carbs, 2 grams fiber per serving (you can eat the entire bag!)

No cholesterol

No sugar

Gluten free

Vegan

Dairy free

10% calcium

Tofu shirataki comes in three styles: Spaghetti, Fettuccine, Angel-Hair

I think these were originally designed for use in Asian dishes but I've had them with my mother's bolognese sauce recipe and they are really good. As I said, finally I have something to put the sauce on because I'd grown accustomed to just eating it as is. I've made the noodles with garlic, olive oil, and pecorino romano. And shrimp. And chicken. The endless possibilities. So its up to you to be creative and check the tofu shirataki link above and search out recipes. You truly are limited only by your imagination.

The one and only drawback is this: they aren't made from semolina so they do have a slight textural difference. Whether its the liquid they are packed in or the way they are made, something gives them an Asian aroma, that hard-to-pinpoint fishy aroma but all you need to do is rinse them well and stick them in boiling water for no more than 2 minutes. And the texture has been described as rubbery. However - however - who cares? Get over it! It's better than no pasta at all and you can adjust to just about anything when you have to or, at least, I can.

They are divine in soup, and if you have children they're a healthy alternative in mac and cheese. So, while I won't really endorse a food, I would like to encourage you to try these because they're good, inexpensive (and aren't we all trying to trim a bit of fat in all areas?) and they are quick to prepare.

If you do try them, be fair, do a good job in your kitchen, be creative, and let me know what you think. If you're a true foodie, you will find a way to love them because they are a viable opportunity to have "pasta" without guilt and, as Martha would say, "it's a good thing".

Namaste'

A Good Laugh, Maybe

Finally, a bit of a chill in the air. Although, being Los Angeles, who knows? Next week could be hot again. But here we are, closed windows, the extra comforter on the bed, and the cat needs winter activities now that the back door is closed at dark.

I'm thinking she has that covered. She's resourceful. And so am I.....

I never promised you high art. And I do say in the About Me section "I write about what makes me happy, and sometimes what makes me crazy in a good way....". Well, Thursday and Friday were bizarre days for me, not so much bad, more confusing so I needed a good laugh.

Since I really believe that everything in life can be viewed with art in mind, I've been looking around the www. for some funny things and a site I'd forgotten about is noisebot.com which is a T shirt website. Funny T shirts...really funny T shirts, and some are kind of edgy so if you're offended easily don't look but if you're not and you need something to smile at that doesn't require heavy thinking then take a look....made me smile....here's a few samples...no comments from religious folks please...because this is one of my favorites ...and then the next...and so on...not all talent needs to hang on a wall or cost a fortune. T shirts have long been an excellent canvas for many ideas and visual effects. These are some of the best, in my opinion...

Really, you just don't know....if we can have a South African luge team, maybe the disciplines had an ice hockey team. There's no evidence that they didn't have fun. And for the health nuts in the crowd....

See? Isn't that "sweet"? Makes you feel all good inside, yeah?

_________________________

And for those of you who really enjoy politically incorrect stuff, here you go:

.....tee...hee....

OH COME ON, ITS FUNNY.....Cannibalism has kept many tribes alive!

Smile....just because the world is a mess doesn't mean we have to be.

Namaste'