Chain- A Way Forward

A consumer revolution is taking place in India as people change their eating habits and shopping patterns. While fresh foods have long been a staple, more people are putting a premium on speed and convenience. Supermarkets and shopping malls are cropping up everywhere, and sales of consumer-ready frozen foods are burgeoning, from ice cream and frozen entrees, to vegetables, fruits, sea foods and meats.

To meet this rising demand, manufactures and retailers of temperature sensitive products must move their perishable foods quickly, while emphasizing quality, safety, reliability, and traceability. This is a real challenge in a country where the cold-chain infrastructure still needs a lot of work to be done. India’s cold chain infrastructure is fragmented, under funded, and scrambling to keep up with soaring demand. The need of the hour is to address these concerns immediately.

The frozen food distribution is still not stabilized as most of the companies are still finding it difficult for service and are adopting the most rudimentary method of delivery of frozen/chilled foods to the trade. This, basically means that the integrity of the cold chain is being compromised. However, at this moment, the focus seems to be on survival and most of the companies are first interested in building volumes before they can provide high-class facilities for distribution of frozen/chilled products.

We at SNOWMAN, are now looking at expanding our network in terms of scale and reach if we are to compete at the domestic or international level. Our focus is to provide every requisite cold chain related solution to the customers but seeing the opportunity in F&V sector, definitely our focus would be more towards fruits and vegetables sector in the days to come along with new avenues like temperature controlled pharmaceutical products etc.

We are eagerly watching the prospects of large corporate like Reliance, Bharti, Aditya Birla Group, Mahindra & Mahindra , TATA and ITC etc to formulate and implement their retailing plan which will immensely benefit the cold chain industry. In my opinion, the cold chain industry will automatically grow as soon as the organized retail starts fully in place. All other difficulties will get resolved in due course of time. However basically what we need, is the consumer walking into a retail store and looking for chilled/frozen food products. This is the day when the cold chain industry will start moving forward and we have already seen the glimpse of it.

Certified Organic vs Fair Trade Certified

The title of this article is disturbing. The concepts of Organic and Fair Trade are very important to building (rebuilding) a sustainable society. The good news is that the certifications are not mutually exclusive and actually complement each other nicely.

First, a word about certification. In our current market, third party certification is essential to both organic and fair trade. As the market for both fair trade and organic grows many businesses would rather change the definition than to change their practices. We are seeing this now in the fair trade coffee market place. As time goes on a search for fair trade coffee is more and more likely to turn up non-certified “fair trade” coffee, which is most likely just a marketing rouse to attract ethical customers. In a recent search of ebay for fair trade coffee 90% of the results were not third party certified, and upon further examination most looked very suspect. We have seen this already in the organic market. How many products marketed to organic consumers are actually certified? Companies have greened their names but not their practices. Without non-biased third party certification of organic or fair trade we are left to trust self interested parties who will only profit from that trust. So look at the labels a product caries, look into the requirements of that certification and make an informed decision. Know what labels you trust and know the ones that you feel are deceptions. With fair trade Transfair is currently the only certification agency, so look for the fair trade label.

The concept of growing organic is essential to the preservation of our environment. Herbicides, pesticides and fertilizers seep into the ground polluting our groundwater and it also runs off the fields and into local water resources. When forest are cleared for the planting of fields much of the topsoil is eroded and transported in nearby streams to the nearest lake where it deposits the sediment, filling up the lake. Working with the environment to prevent this erosion, organic coffee farmers preserve the fertility of the land by growing coffee in the shade, where coffee was meant to grow. This shade grown coffee provides the migratory birds with habitat and is thus called bird friendly. The concept of organic goes beyond protecting the environment and extends to protecting the the people who work in the fields. Many of the chemicals used in farming have been shown to cause cancer as well as many other health concerns. These concerns are multiplied when a person is repeatedly exposed to the sprays, like the farmers. How many lifelong farmers labored to provide our society with food and are now suffering from cancer (my grandfather is one of them)? Some studies have shown that organic methods even protect those who eat the fruits(even after they are washed), and also protect locals who drink the water.

Fair trade certified works in the opposite direction. First it ensures that the people are being paid and treated fairly. When it comes to fair trade coffee certification, “fair” has an objective definition through the certification requirements of Transfair. The coffee farmers are paid a fair trade premium (currently $1.26/lb) to ensure that they have money to invest in their community infrastructure. The money supports the families through health care, education, and through providing the needed capital to improve equipment and methods of harvest so that they can compete in the open market. Fair trade goes beyond community and family support and extends to protecting the environment. One of the requirements of fair trade certification it that a premium is paid for organic coffee, currently a full 15 cents more per pound than just regular fair trade. Many fair trade farmers have switched to organic methods and are now actively restoring the rain forest in order to receive this premium. They are not doing so grudgingly either, they understand that the rain forest is their heritage and want it to be restored. They don't want to expose themselves and their families to toxic sprays when they can make a living otherwise. This explains why more than 80% of coffee certified as fair trade is also certified organic.

So why ask the question which is better when you can have both? Well there is plenty of coffee out there labeled as organic but not fair trade. The environment is being destroyed by some farmers out of what is seen as economic necessity. Organic is great, but by itself it is not sustainable, we must ensure that the people who grow it are properly compensated otherwise they are put in an economic position which lends itself to decisions with negative environmental consequences. Families that provide us with quality organic products deserve financial security. Fair trade does not compete with organic but it does make sure it is fiscally sustainable for the producers, thus ensuring future supply in our current economy..

This is why the fair trade model works. First it ensures the financial security of the farmers through fair prices, access to non-predatory loans and capital needed to market and sell their goods. Then it guarantees them a premium for environmentally friendly practices, which many times leads to conversion of conventional fields to organic. This model has been working for coffee and has now expanded to tea, chocolate and even some tropical fruits.

The results of fair trade have been amazing:

* Organic methods are being used and taught
* Community infrastructure is being built/rebuilt
* Clean water
* Erosion control
* Children in school
* Quality products through quality methods
* Adult education
* Secure families
* and sustainability

Next time you buy organic coffee or tea make sure it is also fair trade certified by Transfair. Request that your local grocer carry fair trade fruits when they are available.

Mercury Content Of Fish

We all know that adding fish to our diets can help increase our body’s ability to repair itself, as well as its ability to burn body fat and keep our energy up, but it’s important to choose fish that’s also going to improve your health as opposed to silently poisoning you… Being exposed to too much mercury can cause memory loss, tremors, neurological difficulties, advanced aging, decreased immune functions, and death. But how is all this mercury getting into our body? Well here are the top 4 places that contribute to the levels of mercury in our body (not in any specific order): Vaccines (past and present) Dental fillings The environment And Fish We’re going to focus on fish right now because that’s the prime source of mercury in our diets. When coal is burned, inorganic mercury is released into the air and eventually ends up in our lakes, rivers and oceans. There, bacteria mixes with it and transforms it into methylmercury which is easily absorbed by fish (especially large or fatty fish), and is also easily absorbed by us when we eat those fish. The good new is that our most recent studies indicate that the human body naturally rids itself of mercury over time – assuming we stop ingesting it long enough for our body to do what it was made to do, and to help the process here’s a list of fish that naturally have a low, medium and high level of mercury: High mercury: Mercury levels differ from one species of fish to the next. This is due to factors such as type of fish, size, location, habitat, diet and age. Fish that are predatory (eat other fish) are large and at the top of the food chain, and so tend to contain more mercury. Fish that contain higher levels of mercury include: Shark Ray Swordfish Barramundi Gemfish Orange roughy Ling Canned or fresh tuna Mackerel Grouper Tilefish Chilean sea bass Moderate mercury: Alaskan halibut, black cod, blue (Gulf Coast) crab, dungeness crab, Eastern oysters, mahimahi, blue mussels, pollack. Low mercury: Anchovies, Arctic char, crawfish, Pacific flounder, herring, king crab, sanddabs, scallops, Pacific sole; tilapia, wild Alaska and Pacific salmon; farmed catfish, clams, striped bass, and sturgeon.

My thoughts on food today

What happened to the old days where you would rotate your crops from year to year, eat food you could grow yourself in the country you live in and having fruit and vegetables only when they were in season? Today when you walk down the isle of any supermarket, certainly in England, you can buy ANY fruit and vegetables at ANY time throughout the year. People want to buy only food that is perfectly shaped, and if the food is not available in England, it gets imported. If a tomato is not red enough to their taste, it is thrown away, rotten, used as animal feed or just wasted. This is the sad reality of the society we are living in today. Coming from South Africa myself, the great thing is that you still have all this. If you walk into a supermarket, you buy what they harvested. If it is not apricot season, you can’t buy it, you have to wait. This is great, because it teaches our children to look forward to something, get excited about the simple things in life, not always demanding, know their country, their seasons and depend on the outcome of the crops. If you don’t have good rains or enough crops, you don’t eat. These days they do import if there is a shortage, but in general, the cost of importing is far to great. Luckily South Africa is a net exporter of fruit, vegetables and crops like maelies and sunflowers. Having only seasonal fruit and vegetables to work with, encourages you to use your imagination, be inventive and daring when it comes to cooking! You make sure to spread all activities throughout the year and plan your menu, including your desserts, by season. In my mother’s house we basically had a routine of how things were done. December is summer holidays and everyone, including the children and parents, had off. Almost all the companies are closed over December, so it worked out very well with the children’s holiday falling at the same time as their parents. In our house we would bake cookies and cook lots and lots of jam! Apricot season is from December and we have halve of a great big apricot tree from next door, hanging over to our side of the house. My sister and I would pick the apricots from the trees, eat a lot of it in between, and take the remaining to the kitchen so my mother could make some jam! She made a large amount of jam, enough to last us all the way through to next year December! By doing this, you could use up the fruits you could not finish eating, and enjoy it throughout the year. We would do exactly the same with the figs in our garden and enjoy the grapes, apples and peaches as they were in season. It was amazing to just step out of our back door and having all these great fruits on our doorstep. Imagine only having to step outside to find the necessary ingredients to bake a great tasting traditional South African dessert like "malva" pudding. Make the best of what you have, try and eat fruits and vegetables that are in season and live healthy.

Caviar – Environmentally Friendly Options And How To Serve

Salted roe of sturgeon and other varieties of fish are popularly known as caviar. It is a delicacy used as a spread or garnish and with hors d’oeuvres. Caviar is a deviate of the Persian word Khag-avar which means “the roe generator” referring to roe of the sturgeon.

There is good news for environmentally conscious American citizens who also happen to be connoisseurs of caviar. Now new varieties of caviars are available which are produced from paddlefish and sturgeon farmed in the US. They taste good and at the same time are environmentally sustainable. The development of American caviar also addresses the worries of consumers and culinary experts about the decline of sturgeon in the Caspian Sea.

Caspian Sea Sturgeon is the major source for the caviar needs of the world. Sturgeons produce the famous beluga. Due to illegal trade, pollution, over fishing and habitat loss, there is a severe down spiral in the population of sturgeon in the Caspian Sea.

SeaWeb, Pew Institute for Ocean Science and Natural Resources Defense Council of University of Miami is urging the American consumers to support American caviars as a better alternative and to safeguard the endangered species of the Caspian Sea.

The caviars from Missouri and California are prominently supported by consumers, renowned chefs and media organizations.

Jacques Pepinand and Rick Moonen who are leading chefs of New York’s Restaurant RM and San Francisco’s Traci des Jardins of Jardiniere removed Caspian Sea caviars from their menu and replaced them with American caviars in an effort to help the environmental groups protecting the Caspian Sea sturgeons.

Most of the party givers would like to know how much caviar should be bought for their party. It depends on the number of guests attending the party and how the caviar is going to be served. With every ounce of caviar, you can serve 8 to 10 guests. Quarter teaspoon or less of caviar can be used for garnishing purposes. With caviar on top of an appetizer and to enhance the taste of caviar predominantly, use half a teaspoon.

Caviar should not be opened until it is needed. Leftovers should be promptly covered and stored in the fridge to be used within a couple of days.

If the taste of the caviar is to be retained, do not freeze it. When you freeze the caviar the roe membrane of the caviar gets toughened and the flavor is altered. If you do freeze it, slowly defrost the frozen caviar in the fridge for at least a day or two before you serve. Caviar should be refrigerated at 28 to 32 degrees by putting the tin in the meat shelf or surrounding the bowl containing caviar with ice.

More Concerns About Milk

Have you heard about the big milk controversy? Outspoken spokesperson for The Vegetarian and Vegan Foundation, Heather Mills McCartney (soon to be x-wife of singer Paul McCartney) is bringing the dangers of modern milk to attention of the press. "As Heather Mills McCartney speaks out about the health problems associated with dairy products, physicians and nutritionists with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) are urging U.K. consumers to try an experiment: Eliminate milk and other dairy products from their diet for three weeks to experience firsthand the health benefits of a dairy-free diet," according to a PR Newswire release. Although I don't agree with a lot of what Heather Mills McCartney believes, I do agree with the the facts. Homogenized pasteurized milk causes many health problems. Despite the fact that the dairy industry, with their money and power, want you to think otherwise. The problem isn't with milk. Dairy products have been a major part of many cultures’ diets for thousands of years. Many people and races throughout history have lived almost solely on milk and dairy products, and have been extremely healthy for it. But the dairy products we have in our grocery stores now are very different than the dairy products consumed by people in the past. The problem today is how we get our dairy products and how they are processed. Modern dairy cows are exposed to hormones, antibiotics, and pesticides, and fed a diet of high-protein soy and grain based feed instead of traditional grass feeding methods. And then the milk they produce is homogenized, which alters the organic structure so the cream will blend into the milk. Unfortunately the new smaller fat particles don’t work well in our bodies, and can get into the blood stream. There is a very high correlation between countries that drink homogenized milk and the rise of atherosclerosis. Pasteurizing milk is heating it until it is a dead food with little or no benefit to us. It is robbed of its enzymes and many of its vitamins. Today’s milk is know to cause allergic reactions in many individuals, because of the lack of enzymes needed to process the milk in our bodies. Enzymes are killed when they are heated to temperatures over 120 degrees F. The modern milk produced now is something highly processed and unnatural. If that isn’t enough, when they make 1% and 2% milk, they add non-fat dried milk to these products to lower the fat percentage. Non-fat dried milk is ultra-processed, which oxidizes the cholesterol. Rancid (oxidized) cholesterol and fats are also what promote heart disease. Dried milk contains a very high nitrite content as well. You will be hearing more and more about the dangers of modern milk. If you want safe healthy milk, try organic, raw milk from grass fed cows. Raw milk still has all its nutrients and enzymes, and many people have found it helpful for allergies, asthma problems and other health conditions. My challenge to you is instead of eliminating milk products for three weeks, switch to organic raw milk products for three weeks. Once you try it, and experience the benefits and taste for yourself, you won't go back to the imitation grocery store stuff! For more information on the benefits and safety of raw milk visit the site at http://www.realmilk.com. This article may be freely copied as long as it is not modified and this resource box accompanies the article, together with working hyperlinks.

Cardiff Pinacle award new contract to Missing Ingredients

Cardif Pinnacle has awarded Missing Ingredients- the Crown Group’s Business and Industry Caterer, a one year rolling contract to provide catering services from July 2005 across its four sites in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire.

The contract has an estimated annual turnover of £300k, of which Rushes Restaurant makes a major contribution, will require 11 new MI team members to operate over the four sites.

Cardif Pinnacle was formed in 1971 and is established as a leading supplier of financial services and investment products. MI won the contract from a local catering company who operated over only two of Cardif Pinnacle sites.

MI will be providing a comprehensive catering service at each site to over 600 staff. One of the sites to receive a MI makeover is Rushes Restaurant and Café Bar, a popular, high street style venue offering speciality coffee, caesar salads, baguettes and mouth watering main courses, such as sausages infused in mash potato and organic vegetables.

An additional Cardif Pinnacle site that MI will be responsible for was not previously providing a catering facility, yet Cardif Pinnacle expressed a keen desire to do so. ‘New Horizons’ will now offer ‘Grab’n’ Go’- a brand from MI’s Deliverance Range to include freshly made sandwiches, paninis and a selection of snacks and drinks.

MI competed against four other caterers, including Compass Group, to gain the contract which will see the company design, develop and build the new catering facilities. “We came in with realistic pricing levels and innovation,” explains MI's Managing Director Sean Valentine. “MI has the reputation of Midsummer House, a two Michelin star restaurant, which is regarded highly in terms of focus on quality and an excellent place to train chefs. “

For more information about the catering services Missing Ingredients could provide for your event please visit thier website at:

Catering Service

Lunch Means So Much More Than Fast Food

Lunch is the forgotten stepchild of the meal day. We spend a fair amount of energy planning dinner, and we (sometimes begrudgingly) spend some energy making sure we eat breakfast. But more than one of us has looked at the clock at noon, realized we are hungry and then scarfed down whatever was available and easy. Too often, that means fast food, vending machine food or – for some people – nothing at all. And this is truly unfortunate. Nutrition experts tell us again and again that eating three meals and two snacks a day is the surest path to good nutrition and a balanced diet. And even if you are eating lunch, a hamburger and fries doesn’t get you very far on the path to good nutrition. So, how do you change this? Lunch is a tough one for people who work outside the home. Sure, you can pack leftovers from dinner, but what if there aren’t any or you didn’t like dinner in the first place? Making a sandwich and adding some fruit sounds easy, but that’s just one more thing to do in the morning and if you’re in a rush, it’s one of the first chores you’ll discard. Here are some tips to bring lunch back into focus on busy weekdays: *Do plan for leftovers, if possible. If you like what you’re making for dinner and think you wouldn’t mind having it for lunch tomorrow, set aside some before everyone else gets fed. Put it into the fridge and your family will never know a portion of the entree is missing. Best of all, you’ve already done the work. Add a piece of fruit and yogurt and there’s lunch tomorrow. *If you must have fast food, stay away from fries, most hamburgers, anything breaded and fried and most salads. Yes, I said salads. Sure, you’ll get some nutritional content from the lettuce and all the other goodies on the salad, but the dressing might have as much as 30 grams of fat in it, most of it saturated fat. Stick with light dressings or even keep a bottle of dressing in the fridge at work. Otherwise, stay away from fast food salads (and they’re never that good anyway). Try a grilled chicken sandwich, sans fries. *If you’re out and about running errands and get hungry, stop at 7-11, and grab a bottle of milk, some trail mix or a granola bar and a piece of fruit. It might not be gourmet, but it will get you through to a small snack later and then dinner. *Keep lunch items at work. There are many things you can keep in your desk that are shelf stable and still healthy. How about tuna packets and crackers? How about some fruit in its own juice? Nuts, trail mix and granola bars are all good choices. Stay away from sodium-laden canned soups and noodle bowls. Not only can they provide you with more than the maximum sodium you need for one day, they also won’t provide the complex carb and protein boost you need to get you through the afternoon and keep you from stalking the vending machine later for an unhealthy snack.

Cantonese Regional Cuisine

Easily the most well-known of the Chinese regional cuisines, Cantonese cuisine comes from the region around Canton in Southern China. Simple spices and a wide variety of foods used in cooking characterize Cantonese cuisine. Of all the Chinese regions, Canton (Guangdong province) has the most available food resources. Its proximity to the sea offers a veritable marine cornucopia to be added to its dishes, making possible such delicate matings as Seven Happiness, a dish that includes shrimp, scallops, fish and lobster along with chicken, beef and pork. The light, delicate sauce, quick cooking and subtle spicing allows the natural flavors to shine through rather than being overwhelmed and blending together.

The spices used in Cantonese cooking tend to be light and simple: ginger, salt, soy sauce, white pepper, spring onion and rice wine. For many who are used to the more rich, spicy and complex flavors of Hunan and Szechwan cooking, Cantonese cooking may seem bland – but the subtle blends of flavor and aroma are created by the hand of a master chef.

All Chinese cuisine takes far more into account than the flavor of a dish. Chinese cooking is a presentation of texture, color, shape and aroma with even the name of the dish contributing to its overall presentation. In true Oriental fashion, a meal is poetry, with every part of it contributing to the overall effect. Chinese courtesy demands that a guest be treated with honor, and to present a guest with anything less than perfection is the height of rudeness.

As an honor to guests, freshness is one of the ultimate ‘ingredients’ in Cantonese regional cooking. In many restaurants, guests can choose their meal from a seafood tank in the dining room. It’s not unusual for a patron to be brought a live fish or crab at the table as proof of the freshness of the meal about to be prepared. Vegetables are likewise fresh, crisp and sweet, and the quick cooking methods preserve each flavor separately to play against the others.

Light sauces with subtle seasonings bring out the natural sweetness of seafood – but the Cantonese chef will only use the very freshest seafood in those dishes. For ‘stale’ seafood, Cantonese cuisine offers thick, spicy sauces meant to mask the characteristic odor of fish. Pungent/sweet dishes like sweet and sour butterfly shrimp might be served this way.

There are few Cantonese desserts that are indigenous to the region, though many restaurants serve a mango based pudding or tapioca. Most meals are served with plain boiled rice, and accompanied by either tea or rice wine.

Wherever in the world you are, you’re likely to find restaurants that serve Cantonese cuisine. It has been carried across the world by emigrants from the Quangdong province, and its light, delicate flavors are easy on the Western palate. To truly appreciate it though, takes more than the taste buds. Cantonese cuisine is a treat for the eyes and the nose as much as for the mouth. Appreciate it.

More Advantages on Buying a Aluminium Bar Sool

For many years aluminium has been used in the construction of many styles of furniture everything from a café chair to a bar stool. In a lot of ways, aluminium is the ideal substance for anything that needs to be lightweight, strong, and easy to work with in the manufacturing process. In comparison to wood plastic and a lot of metal style bar stools aluminium hold the lead for light weight, durability, and accessibility to others. As with everything in the manufacturing industry, cost is a major thing and is this issue that has the biggest determination over the overall price at the end. So with this point in mind it would be worth mentioning how this point help will help the consumer in 2 ways. First reason is, because aluminium is so easy to produce and the cost to the manufacturer in low, the customer never really has to pay extra for a bar stool, it does not unjustifiably increase the end product's price. The second would have to the shipping costs, because aluminium is so much lighter than any other metal that would be used to make bar stools or even wood the shipping costs would be less. Unless you can find a good deal and get free shipping then the heavier materials that some bar would cost an absolute fortune to ship especially if is to be shipped over seas. Another advantage that aluminium makes doable is its ability to copy the polished stainless steel effect. Stainless steel is a far heavier and more costly metal, both of these points will mean increased costs on such items as barstools. Since aluminium can be made to closely match any other metal on th market and if you consider that point, is there any reason that that you should ever choice a heavier metal for your bar stool. From the barstool manufacturer's perspective, aluminium is an attractive metal for all the reasons listed above, mainly for its design applications and many weight properties.

Can Pizza Actually Be Healthy For You?

This article may come as a surprise to you, especially if you follow a healthy and nutritious diet...

It's about pizza, the weakness of many people including me. I love pizza- always have. I make sure I eat it in moderation, but it's still one of my favorite foods.

Now there’s good news for pizza lovers.

According to Men's Health magazine, research concludes that pizza can be good for you. It’s important to point out, however, that we're talking about real pizza- not the kind you get from Pizza Hut, Dominoes or the frozen food section of your supermarket. By real, I mean pizza made with real crust, real tomato sauce and pure olive oil.

According to Men's Health, scientists writing in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that eating pizza can reduce your risk of a heart attack. In a 4-year study of nearly 1,000 Italians, those who ate pizza at least once a week were 30 percent less likely to experience a heart attack than the folks who didn't partake of the pie.

This is contributed to pizza's cardio protective ingredients, including olive oil and tomato sauce. And here’s a way to make the pizza even healthier: top it with vegetables, part-skim cheese and use whole wheat crust. You’ll then have a meal that is actually good for you.

Can you get this kind of a pizza in a pizzeria? You might be able to find some that offer whole wheat crust, but I doubt you’ll find any that offer part-skim cheese. What you can do is buy the ingredients at your local grocery store and make the pizza yourself. Speaking from experience, this can be a fun thing!

Enjoy the experience of making your own pizza and savoring a nutritious meal. After all, feeding your body with nutritious meals is the number one thing you can do for better health.

National Prawn Company - Antibiotic-free quality shrimp and prawn farming aquaculture seafood producer

As a result of research and development that began more than two decades ago, National Prawn Company has completed phase one of a $350 million "modified extensive" shrimp farm on the Red Sea, 150 kilometers south of Jeddah. The $200 million first phase resulted in eleven farms and 2,800 hectares of ponds with projected production of 13,500 metric tons of whole shrimp a year. Phase two will add fifteen more farms and 3,500 more hectares of ponds capable of producing 17,500 tons a year. National Prawn Company follows the codes of conduct and methods of production outlined under the United Nation's definition of "Sustainable Development". It produces antibiotic-free shrimp with no hormones and no preservatives using eco-friendly, sustainable shrimp farming methods. It uses low stocking densities and settling ponds to protect the local aquatic ecosystem. NPC's product line is currently marketed locally and internationally under the brand name "Al-Watania" and other brand names. Work Force: More than 2,000 employees from 25 countries. Broodstock: Specific pathogen-free, specific pathogen-resistant Penaeus indicus in its twenty-fourth generation. Nauplii Production: 60 million a day. Postlarvae Production: 180 million a cycle. Processing Plant: Capable of handling 80 metric tons of head-on shrimp a day. M/S Marel/Carnitech (Denmark) supplied and installed most of the processing equipment. M/S Jonsson (USA) supplied the peeling machines and Mycon (Japan) supplied the refrigeration system. The plant is designed to process a wide variety of products from simple block frozen products to high-value ready to eat individually quick frozen and cooked products. The shrimp reach the plant in less than an hour after harvest and are processed and packed in less than six hours after harvest. The plant has a large, fully automated chill room that can hold up to 25 tons of whole shrimp as it comes in from the farms. There are three major processing lines, a head-on line with the capacity to handle two tons an hour, a headless line with the capacity to handle 1.2 tons an hour, and a peeling line with the capacity to handle one ton of raw shrimp an hour. Three plate freezers can freeze 20 tons of shrimp a day, and two spiral freezers can freeze three tons per hour. There are two flow pack machines from Sandiacre. As part of the worldwide marketing strategy, great importance has been given to the implementation of HACCP and ISO quality control systems. Feed Mill: Capacity ten tons per hour. BUHLER (Switzerland) installed the machinery and technology. Intake Pumping Station: The intake pump station was designed to create a flow of 90 cu/m/sec at a static head of 2.5 meters. It is equipped with twelve Amacan submersible, vertical pumps. The length of the intake canal is 35 kilometers! Drain Pumping Station: The return water pump station is designed for a flow rate of 90 cu/m/sec at a static head of 1.1 meters. It is equipped with seventeen Amaline submersible, horizontal pumps. The total length of the return water canal is 38.2 kilometers. Shrimp Head Powder: The offal plant processes fresh shrimp heads into shrimp head powder, which NPC sells as a feed ingredient in laminated, polypropylene bags weighing either 25 or 50 kilograms. Miles of Roads on the Farm: 157 kilometers, 57 of them asphalted. Employee Community: Furnished bachelor accommodations are provided with dining halls, relaxation facilities, indoor sports facilities, supermarkets and a mosque. Essential utilities like power, water and sanitation are available around the clock. Distribution: NPC has entered into exclusive agreements with distributors in U.S.A, Canada, Spain, Cyprus, Italy, Australia, Japan, China, UAE, Korea, Egypt, Bahrain, and Jordan. It is looking for distributors in Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Lebanon, and Tunisia. Employment: NPC is on course to implement its second phase and will be hiring people at all levels.

Can Fast Food Be Healthy?

It is possible for people to make healthy food choices even if they only have a short time in which to prepare their meals. The first thing to realize is that it is often that healthy choices do not always mean a need for two-hour meals. A person can choose healthy foods that are quick and easy to prepare at home or to pickup from a takeout place. Cities often provide restaurant guides in their telephone books that display full-page menus indicating what a particular restaurant or drive-thru offers. Many of these food vendors now include healthy alternatives to their usual fast-food selection.

At places like McDonald’s and Hardee’s, it is possible to find consumers who are concerned about their carbohydrate consumption. This has prompted the restaurants to provide other options in their hamburger choices. Hamburgers can be ordered without the bun, for example, and fruit and yogurt are included on the menu along with fresh salads. Many restaurants provide salad choices either as side orders or as complete meals. Often, a salad of fresh vegetables with chopped ham, roast beef or chicken is more attractive than regular menu items. Salads are especially appealing in the summer months because they are lighter on the digestive system.

Restaurants that feature foods in season cultivated by local farmers offer very healthy and affordable choices. Some of these kinds of restaurants will create their own recipes for healthy food options. This provides the consumer with a totally new choice and encourages them to visit the restaurant again.

If home preparation of food is preferred, the options for healthy choices increase. Visiting a local grocery store or supermarket emphasizes the number of healthy choices that are available. Fresh fruits and vegetables are more varied than ever before due to improvements in transportation and preservation methods. All types of cuisine can be prepared quickly because of the choices of fresh goods rather than frozen foods. There are numerous choices among frozen foods as well. The demand for healthy frozen dinners and other meals has increased along with demands for more variety in frozen food offerings. Any frozen food aisle in any supermarket will show as many healthy food options and poor choices. The decision is up to the individual.

People can either choose to eat a healthy diet or an unhealthy one. Time and availability of healthy choices are no longer problems for a person who is trying to eat better and healthier foods.

Las Vegas: How to Have Non Gambling Related Fun

Last month, my wife, Anne Doe, took me to Las Vegas because she had to go for a business convention. Needless to say, she writes for an guide to casinos and I hate gambling. But then, she likes it and this supports us too, so I went along without any hassle. At first I was depressed, but then as I asked around and looked around, I ended up having more fun in Las Vegas than I would have thought. And no. I did not enter a single casino while I was there. Entertainment: One of the greatest things about Las Vegas, Reno and Atlantic City (but especially Las Vegas) is the number of shows that are available. You can get to watch top class comedians like Jay Leno, Jerry Seinfeld, Ray Romano, Tim Allen and even the likes of Bill Cosby and Chris Rock. If you are into music you can watch female singers like Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Beyonc?, male performers like Phil Collins, Eric Clapton, Snoopy Dog and bands like Oasis and Bon Jovi. I could go on and on but the list is endless. If you are into magic you can watch magicians like David Copperfield do their thing meters from you. Whatever you like, you can find it here from Western music to oldies to Jazz, Rock, Heavy Mettle to Trance. All you have to do is look at the itenary offered during your visit. Food: Chinese to Japanese to Korean to Jewish and even Vegetarian and proper meat eating establishments await your every delight in Vegas. Do not opt for the cheap and oily fried dishes served for free while you play. Stop a while and take in the delightful scenery and smells of East Asian or European dishes. What is wondrous is that you get to see man's ability to mix. A real melting pot if I may say so myself. But is that all what casino cities like Las Vegas are about? Do you have to remain in the city to really and truly enjoy your stay? No. Here are some of the better attractions you must see on your visit to Vegas: Hoover Dam and the Grand Canyon: Book yourself a seat on any of the many sightseeing tours available and go and watch the architectural marvel that is Hoover Dam built over the Grand canyon which is also a grand sight to see by itself. Black Canyon is another must see as is Lake Mead which is so beautiful just because it is a body of water all surrounded by desert-like nature. Colorado River: While looking at the Dam and Canyon is from above, to see the true beauty of the river, you have to go down. The Colorado river is excellent for river-rafting and water sports, but you do not have to take part if it is not your thing. Instead just sit back and enjoy another of nature's marvels. Bonnie Springs: Who can not resist going to one of the old towns like those in the Western gun slinging movies? Your destination needs to be Old Nevada. There you can delight in an old western town right in the middle of Red Rock Canyon. They host western shootouts too so come prepared, partner! Conclusion: I could go on and on about other attractions like the theme park in Circus Circus, the Gilcrease Nature Sanctuary, the Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve and Mt. Charleston but I think you get the picture. In Las Vegas and hate gambling? Do not despair. Just go out and have some clean un-gambling fun.

Cake decorating tips and ideas

Everyone loves to eat cake, which is nicely and perfectly decorated. But due to lack of decorating skill ones wish is not fulfilled up to the maximum level. Check out for some cake decorating tips that can help to make your cake more delicious.

Cake decorating tips and Ideas


Baking cakes can be difficult but decorating them can be more challenging. While decorating a cake one has to take into consideration number of factors like flavor, texture and design of the cake. Its very important that you know from where you have to start the cake decoration. This article can help you with some useful tips that can help you on your way to decorating sweet masterpieces.

• It’s very important that you allow the cake to cool down after it is baked. Give yourself at least 30 minutes before starting to apply frosting on the cake.
• You can use a whipped cream frosting to smoothen the decorating process.
• It would be advisable to start from the corners of the cake - they are hardest to frost
• Frost the sides of the cake with lots of icing and steady hands. Start icing with thin layers before moving to the thicker ones.
• Apply dollops of icing in the corners and in the middle of the cake.
• Make sure the knife only touches the frosting part and not the cake.
• You can apply icing to the cake as necessary. Be careful not to smear the icing that you already applied.
• Use strokes to spread the icing on the cake. If the icing is difficult to spread try dipping your knife in hot water, which makes the icing spread faster.
• Style the frosting once it is applied by using a fork across the top of the cake to create a lattice effect. You can also use a knife to create swirls along the top edges of the cake.

Only With Beer Can Chicken Taste Good

Cabernet Cowboy

Meet a Cabernet cowboy named Jack. He rides the range in Monterrey County, on the 700-acre Galante family cattle ranch and vineyard in Carmel Valley, admiring the rows of vines that produce his estate grown Galante Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon and other premium varietals.

Jack Galante comes from a long line of historical Carmel residents, including his great grandfather J. F. Devendorf who founded the town of Carmel and later built the historic Highlands Inn. Since the beginning, when the Galante ranch was planted with grapes in 1983 to the development of the winery in 1994, Galante Vineyards has been rounding-up awards and accolades nationwide for their top-notch reds, to become recognized as one of the premier cabernet producers in Monterey County.

As a native Texan, I was immediately drawn to Jack and his partner Dawn, for their down-to-earth, cowboy style all blue jeans, boots and big smiles. But beyond the Texas charm are bold wines that speak for themselves, revealing hints of the heat of Carmel Valley with layers of fruit and earth.

Jack believes quality fruit is the secret to great wines. Our philosophy is to grow the finest grapes possible and let them speak for themselves through the wine. He points out that the extreme temperatures of the upper Carmel Valley (Cachagua) result in a long growing season with extraordinary hang time, producing cabernet sauvignon grapes that ripen slowly for intense, rich wines.

Seek out a bottle of the 1998 Galante Red Rose Hill Cabernet Sauvignon. The vineyard is aptly named, rising above a field of crimson roses, among the thousands of rose bushes growing on the ranch today. The wine itself is bold and rich in color, with a burst of dark berry and cherry fruits and medium tannins for a single-vineyard Cab that drinks well now, and should improve with age through 2008. Or sample the 1999 Rancho Galante, a vineyard blend of nice fruit, soft tannin that is easy drinking and pairs well with chicken, pork or beef.

As we head off into the sunset, Jack leaves us with a Galante Vineyards cowboy philosophy to remember, "Never follow good wine with water...unless you're out of good wine."

Only With Beer Can Chicken Taste Good

Only with beer can chicken taste good – a sentiment shared by passionate beer drinkers. Gourmet meals are enjoyed by many; when one thinks of the beverages served in a high class restaurant, wine comes to mind most frequently. A diner may choose a tasty liquer such as Drambuie or whiskey to enjoy with coffee after a fine meal. It brings to mind silk dresses, tuxedos, a night at the opera. Many traditionalists would be surprised to learn that beer is now on the fine dining menu. Despite its sporty, pub-crawl, keg party reputation, beer has been transformed into a chilled, foamy beverage served among the elite. It is becoming commonplace for hosts and hostesses to wonder what beer to serve with the meal they will serve their guests. On recent observation at a restaurant, I saw the people at the next table peruse a list of beers, not wine. What type of beer goes with the dishes served at dinner parties and in restaurants? There are many different types of beer: lager, ale, pilsner, brown, bock, porter and stout. How do these beers pair up with food? There are so many types of food to choose from: Mexican, Chinese, Thai, Japanese, British, German etc. The easy answer is to choose what you, the diner, believe to be a great taste match. Everyone’s tastes differ and there are enough choices to go around. For those of you who are stuck and don’t know where to begin, the following is a good place to start. One possibility is to choose a beer that matches the country of origin of the food being served. I recently went out for sushi and decided to have a Japanese beer with my tempura and maki. I have never tasted the beers from Japan before and I enjoy new experiences. I chose Kirin beer, which was a light, delicate beer ideally suited to the delicate tastes of sushi. The Kirin website (www.kirin.com) claims their beer has complimented sushi for almost a century. In Mexico and south western United States, some people like to drink chilli beer – a lager style beer that is rich, malty and roasty. This rather hot beer is the perfect match for spicy Mexican offerings such as burritos. I like to drink Corona beer with lime as it is the perfect match for natchos and tacos. British beef and Yorkshire pudding go best with a stout beer like Guinness. Guinness itself is like a meal in a glass. A hearty meal tastes better with a hearty beer. A stout beer can also be paired with other heavier meals such as lasagne, pasta, pizza and game dishes. Fish dishes demand a delicate beer mate – unless the fish is heavily battered and deep-fried. Fresh fish tastes best with a pilsner or a light lager. Fish and chips, British-style, can accompany a brown ale or a heavier lager. Chicken tastes good with almost anything and the choice of beer depends on individual tastes. Dramatic-tasting chicken dishes, such as curried or Thai heavily-spiced chicken can be paired with stronger beers like a malty amber or a dry porter. A roasted chicken might go well with a light lager or pilsner. To end a dinner, diners may want to try dark ale, cream stout, Oatmeal Stout, Double Bock or Scotch Ale. All of these beers are heavy and sweet and would taste great with cheesecake or tortes. Imperial Stout needs a dessert made with chocolate as it is quite bitter and heavy. If the dessert is light and fruity, perhaps a fruit-flavoured lambic would go well. Lambics are wheat beers produced in Belgium and some of them are flavoured with raspberry, cherry and peach. It is common sense that a fruity beer would pair well with a fruity dessert. What an amazing, unique experience it would be to invite friends over for a six-course meal using various beers for each course, pairing each dish with an appropriate beer. It would be the dinner party talked about for years to come.

Buying Full Metal Or Partially Metal Bar Stools

When ever you hear of metal bar stools, you think either standard bar stools with backrests stools with metal legs and swivel seats, or bar stools made entirely from metal with basic seats. The difference is significant, because each has advantages and disadvantages. This all depends on what the bar stools are to be used for.

Ordinary bar stools that boast metal legs with cushioned swivel seating and are set up in all kinds of settings. They are what many of us think of when we envisage early fifties cafes with stools at their bars. The seats are often vinyl. This type of bar stool is great in a retro diner or in your home or game room.

Then there are bar stool completely made from metal. These are in general made of aluminium or stainless steel. They usually have back rests, but no arms. These bar stools are very good where a heavy use of the said bar stools are expected to be used. The all metal bar stools are not the best looking stools in the world, but they don’t serve a very good purpose and being completely made of metal they are a lot cheaper to make and therefore to purchase.

Other than their bland look, one other possible disadvantage of choosing completely a metal bar stool is that the bar stool seats have no cushioning. If you have guests seated in them for more any length of time, they will find it quite uncomfortable. No one likes to sit for long on something hard and cold for very long as comfort is very important.

One solution to this problem is to buy some soft cushions can be tied to the stool or to the back rest of the bar stool. This will make people more comfortable and you will have absolute charge over the colours and patterns, making it far easier to blend the bar stools with the rest of the rooms back drop. One point to think about, the cushion on the bar stool will slide about the seat or back rest a lot so it would be a good idea to add Velcro strips or tie ropes to keep the cushions in place.

If you do choose metal bar stools, pay meticulous attention to the type of metal used. Aluminium is light, so if you expect to be moving the bar stools around a lot, that's your best option. If, on the other hand, you anticipate keeping the bar stools in more or less the same place, stainless steel or wrought iron is often the more stylish material, even though it's a lot heavier.

Petals For Your Tea

I'm sure you've heard about green teas. And you've probably have had your share of iced teas. But have you tried flower teas? Never? With the mad rush to drink green tea as recommended by every fitness and healthy living nut, it's no wonder that flower teas and its benefits are paid little attention. Let me clue you in about flower teas. Flower teas are mainly of Chinese origin. They are essentially green teas (like the ones advocated for fitness and healthy living) scented and enriched with flower oils. Jasmine blossoms are the flowers usually used for flower teas. The flowers bloom nightly and they are put in an area that is quite cool until nightfall. Just before they bloom, they are placed on heaps of dried and heated leaves of good-quality green tea. As a result, the leaves take on and absorb fragrant oils from the flowers. When the flowers and leaves heat up again, they are re-arranged for the next cycle of scenting. Ordinary flower teas are scented for only 2 or 3 times while special teas are scented for up to 7 times. For fitness and healthy living, flower teas are highly prescribed by Asian medicine. Because in addition to green tea benefits, flower teas also have benefits from flowers. In particular, jasmine tea is especially good for anti-aging, digestive problems, and as an anti-bacterial drink. First, it improves the body's defense system against diseases by boosting body immunity. Second, flower teas also raises the body's chances against cancers and heart ailments. Studies have shown that flower teas actually prevent bad cholesterol absorption by keeping the walls of blood vessels from rigidity. It also prevents mutation of cells which causes cancer. Third, it stimulates the circulatory system and heart which ensures steady supply of oxygen and nutrients to every part of the body. Flower teas' effects are not exclusive to the internal body system. These teas also prevents oral problems such as tooth decay, cavities, and bad breath. Researches show that flower teas contain flouride and tannin which improves tooth enamel. Fitness and healthy living are also judged based on healthy skin and youthfulness. Flower teas also benefit the skin by flushing toxins from the body out. Also, the flouride in it promotes better bones for good posture. Improvement of body functions also aids in preserving the body's youthful appearance. Lastly, as flower teas are aromatic, they are also good for aromatherapy. It relaxes and soothes the senses resulting in a better sense of well-being which is essential for fitness and healthy living. Why not toss that coffee and treat yourself to a relaxing flower tea experience.

Produce Powerhouses: Fruit and Vegetables that Pack a Nutritional Punch

Everyone knows that consuming fresh fruit and vegetables can help us lead long and healthy lives. But most people don't know that, when it comes to nutrition, all produce isn't created equal. Indeed, some fruit and vegetables are much more nutritionally dense than others. Given that we tend not to eat all of the fruit and veggies that we should, it's important to make sure that those we choose pack the biggest nutritional bang possible. Here are some that always come out on top: Vitamin A: When it comes to Vitamin A, which plays a critical role in many of the body's functions, including vision, bone growth, and the immune system, carrots always win the race. A half-cup of carrot juice provides 450% of the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of Vitamin A; one raw carrot will give you 175% of the RDA. Spinach, kale, cantaloupe, pumpkin, and apricots come in a respectable, though distant, second. There's only one food that beats out carrots: beef liver. Really, which would you rather have? Vitamin B6: To a large extent, Americans get most of their B vitamins from fortified cereals. The Vitamin B group is critical to many cell functions, and is instrumental in, for example, carrying oxygen to tissues. Good sources of Vitamin B6 include potatoes (35% RDA) and bananas (34% RDA). Folate, another B vitamin, can be found in spinach, asparagus, mustard greens, green peas, and broccoli. Vitamin E: Vitamin E is known for its antioxidant properties and protects cells from the effects of free radicals. Spinach and other leafy green vegetables, broccoli, kiwifruit, and mango are all good sources of Vitamin E. Iron: This abundant metal is critical in delivering oxygen to tissues, as well as in cell growth. Legumes (like beans and lentils) are great sources of iron, as is spinach. Popeye needed to keep the blood flowing to his muscles, right? Magnesium: About half of the body's magnesium is in the bones, but the other half helps keeps organs functioning smoothly, the metabolism humming along, and tissues healthy. When it comes to fresh produce and magnesium, the greener the better. That's because the molecules that give green vegetables their color contain magnesium. However, bananas, potatoes, and avocados also contain magnesium. Vitamin C: Vitamin C is crucial for a healthy metabolism and is has wonderful antioxidant properties. Although we often association the vitamin with citrus fruits like oranges, there are many other fresh fruit and vegetables that have higher concentrations of Vitamin C. Guava, red peppers, and blackberries are wonderful sources of Vitamin C, as are broccoli and kiwifruit. It's important to keep in mind that, if you want to get the most vitamins and minerals from your produce, you should eat it raw. Cooking vegetables drastically reduces their nutritional content, so if you must cook them, try stir-frying or steaming. Likewise, because many nutrients sit close to the skins of vegetables, try to avoid peeling them. Instead, give them a quick scrub with a veggie brush and some water, and eat the skins and all.

Buying Bar Stools

The bar stool has recently become one of the most sought after commodity in homes spanning the globe. What ever the design of your homes interior, there is a wide variety of bar stool designs available in shops, warehouse sales and on the net. If you take a bit of time to do some quality research you will in all probability find a good quality bar stool to meet your needs and comply with your interior design and maybe even find a good bargain as well and maybe the most practical of this would be the swivel bar stool.

As you have more than likely guessed, swivel bar stools are just bar stools that can turn in a 360 degree rotation; this allows you to change your position to accommodate almost any scenario. You can buy standard bar stools, just like to those found at the bar in a restaurant, or more unique bar stools with intricate styles. You must to make the decision in advance what you want to look out depending on the cash available; otherwise the choice open to you could prove staggering.

Think of the practical uses for your bar stool. The kind of people you will have occupying the stools and how long will they be on the bar stool once they are in through the door. If the bar stool is going to be utilized for any serious length of time, then buying a bar stool with a back rest and arms is very advisable.

Will you be able to use additional cushions on the bar stool and if not is there adequate padding in the stool itself? If you are buying the bar stools just for decoration aspect, you can pay more attention to the style than the functionality. However, if you are going to the extra cost of buying a bar stool with class, you may as well get a decent quality stool that can be used as additional seating if necessary.

Swivel bar stools can be utilized in many environments and are an extremely flexible form of seating. Many of you who choose to have them in there homes, bars, restaurants or kitchens. This can be a really good place for your family and friends to meet in the evening or after work to talk about how there day went. Bar Stools can also be used at the breakfast counter for light refreshments. Bar stools are great for any type of socializing, and they can really make your parties go with a huge bang.

This is mainly because all your guests will be on the same level whether they are sitting or standing. To often guests that feel the need to sit down are left out from conversations taking place over their heads, and the height of these bar stools remedies that problem. Bar stools are also perfect for use on your balcony, particularly if you have a solid balcony front that blocks your view when you are sitting low down.

Omaha Rules: How to Play Omaha Poker

Omaha poker is starting to become almost as popular as Texas Holdem poker in casino poker rooms, online poker sites and live poker tournaments. Omaha poker rules are similar to Texas Holdem rules. In both poker variations the dealers deals community cards, which can be shared by all the players. However, Omaha poker and Texas Holdem poker are different games and they certainly require using different strategy. Omaha poker can be played as fixed limit, no limit or pot limit. In addition, Omaha poker can be played as high or high low split. Here you can find introduction to both Omaha high and Omaha high low rules. Omaha High Rules The play begins with the player to the dealers immediate left who posts the small blind, usually the amount of half of the minimum bet. For example, in a 4/8 dollars limit game, the small blind will be 2 dollars. Then, the player to the left of the small blind posts the big blind, which is the size of the minimum bet, 4 dollars according to this example. After the blinds are posted, the dealer deals each player four face down cards, starting from the small blind and continuing clockwise. The first round of betting begins with the player to the big blind left who can choose between calling, raising or folding. If he chooses to call, he has to place a bet equal to the size of the minimum bet, if he raises, he places a bet double the amount of the minimum bet, and if he chooses to fold, he forfeits his hand. The first round of betting continues until it gets to the player who posted the small blind. If he chooses to call, he can place only half of the minimum bet, which together with the small blind will complete the amount of the minimum bet. Afterwards, the round of betting gets to the big blind who can either raise or check. After the first round of betting is complete, the dealer places three face up cards in the center of the table. These are known as community cards and this stage of the game is called the flop. After the flop, the second round of betting begins with the player to the dealers left. The minimum bet remains 4 dollars. When the second round of betting is done, the dealer places a fourth community card in the center of the casino table, known as the turn. Then, begins another round of betting in which the minimum bet raises to 8 dollars. This round of betting starts with the player to the dealers left. After this betting round, the dealer will place the last community card in the center of the table, which is called the river. The river is followed by the final round of betting with a minimum bet of 8 dollars. After the last round of betting, all the remaining players are exposing their hands, known as the showdown. Each player has to use two cards of his four cards and three of the five community cards to form the highest possible five cards hand. In an Omaha high game, the player whose five card hand is the highest wins the pot. Omaha High Low Rules Omaha high low is played exactly like Omaha high until the showdown. In Omaha high low, the pot is split between two winners: the player who had formed the highest hand and the player who has the best low hand. If none of the players has a qualifying low hand, the player who holds the highest hand wins the entire pot. Omaha high low is also referred to as Omaha 8 or better. It means that in order to qualify as low hand, the hand cannot contain any 8s or cards of higher value. The best possible low hand is called the wheel. A, 2, 3, 4, 5. Ace value can be either high or low and flushes and straights are disregarded. It sometimes occurs in Omaha high low poker game that the pot splits between more than two players. It can also happen that one player, who holds both high and low hands at the same five card poker hand, wins the entire pot.

Buying A Chrome Bar Stool What To Know Before Hand

Chrome bar stools are an excellent pick for business-related and domicile settings. Any bar, restaurant or night club that has a mostly metal or shiny interior wood look absolutely superb with a collection of chrome bar stools. Chrome bar stools also set off colourful design schemes, mainly pastels and dark, rich colours.

Most chrome bar stools come with a variety of colour seats they attribute black, raspberry, or some other deep colour to counterbalance the shimmering chrome. This style of bar stool does not typically incorporate seatbacks, but if you are determined enough you can find them easily. Swivel seats for a chrome bar stool are also the standard.
A good point to remember when considering buying a chrome bar stool is they don’t rust.

For places of industry this is exceptionally useful for when drinks get knocked over or cleaning of the stools need to be carried out, this could facilitate rust on an ordinary stool. The same applies to chrome bar stools found in the home, if the bar stools are in the kitchen say, then the legs could get a good soaking from kids spilling juice and stuff.

Another key advantage to a chrome bar stool is its durability and strength; this is of course a huge advantage for industry as stools get knocked about a lot as well in the home if you have kids.

When deciding on your bar stool from a dealer or store, be sure to sure to ask them what the bar stool is constructed of underneath the chrome.

There are 2 prime materials you are looking for, 1 is tempered steel or hardened aluminium, stainless steel will work as good but nowhere near as long standing. Copper or any other malleable soft metals will also reduce the long-term durability of the stool.
When you think about the construction of the bar stool there are several stool style u may like.

The classic chrome bar stools have no back rest, a swivel mechanism and vinyl cover, and two rings holding the four legs in position. These stools have many commercial uses, but can also add style to your home bar or game room.

If a more modern look is preferred, try pyramid style chrome bar stools. These feature legs that are angled to join the seat at one point in the centre of the seat's bottom. It's a futuristic look that goes well with many decors

Online Scams: How To Avoid Getting Fooled

Beware of the three ways of getting fooled into giving up your money through seemingly innocent money-making schemes. Scams are all around us and it can be found in every single area of life, but more so in such areas where the risk is greater such as when dealing with credit cards, bank accounts and other activities which involve sending or receiving money online. The Bank/Credit Card Email Scam: If you get an email asking you to sign up to your bank account or credit card through the email because your privacy is under danger or just to receive a free gift or something: BEWARE! Do not sign up through the internet address provided in the email. If the email does make you anxious, go to the bank or credit card site using the address you know already or through searching the search engines. How Does This Scam Work? The senders of the email know that only a very few will sign up but that is all they need. When you signed up to the bogus internet address, they got your user and password. Now its time for them to party! The Missing Millionaire Scam: If you receive an email saying that they represent a dead or missing former ruler, high-ranking official or businessman from an African, Gulf or even Russian: BEWARE! They offer you a chance to earn anything between one to five percent of ten to fifty million. And for your co-operation only. Don't get sucked into this, for though they speak of giving you money, they will receive cash and from your account. How Does This Scam Work? They will ask you for your bank details in order to transfer the cash and then they will use that to transfer a small amount. Now, once you trust them, they will ask you for more personal and secure details because they "need" that to transfer the entire sum in and out of your account. What they won't tell you is that they will transfer all the money out from your account: theirs and yours. The Make Money Fast Scam: This is the most innocent of the lot, but that is also why it is the most dangerous. These are so-called companies that advertise that if you only sign up and use their system, you will mint money. Please do not fall for such schemes. They will pay you some money but then once trust is built, they will fleece your bank account. Remember that quick money scams are the surest and fastest way to lose all your money! Conclusion: Whatever you do online, always remember that the internet is not a safe place. Treat it like you would treat any other business venture and bring up your guard. If you play it safe and check out the companies before committing, you will be able to guard yourself against losing money to crooks.

Buy A Chocolate Fountain

Some people (with little vision or desire to entertain) would be forgiven for wondering why anyone would want to buy a chocolate fountain? It all depends. If you are the type of person who invites people around then rations the food and drink and expects your guests to like it or lump it, then perhaps it’s not for you. (I’ve certainly been to those kind of parties, where the hosts were so mean you were searching for takeout on the way home!)

However if you are a generous host or hostess who wants to really send your guests away happy, then the thought that you might buy a chocolate fountain won’t seem so strange to you. Sure, the sort of person who wants to show off would also want to buy a chocolate fountain for their next party, but there’s nothing wrong with trying to make an impression on your guests.

Entertaining is just that – it’s your turn to make sure that your guests are amused, fed and watered to the very best of your ability. You might want to buy a chocolate fountain if you are planning a grand party like a wedding reception, or a retirement party or special birthday. Conversely you might want a fountain just to make a small, intimate party have that “wow” factor which will put a smile on the face of your guests.

Imagine if at dessert time at the end of a dinner party you produced a chocolate fountain and a big dish of strawberries? How great would that be? If you go ahead and buy a chocolate fountain you won’t regret it because you can use it in so many different circumstances. Once you’ve used it once, you can rest assured your guests will be hoping to see it again, so it’s probably best to buy a chocolate fountain rather than rent.

In order to obtain a fountain you can try Party Rental firms who might be selling off used ones, try a manufacturer, try local party good suppliers and also of course surf the internet in search of the bargain you really want when you go to buy a chocolate fountain.

Online Gambling is the American Dream

Every generation has dreamed of a better life for their children, and many decided to pack up the family and move to America and that is how most Americans came to be Americans. For 200 years people suffering from poverty, hunger or oppressive governments have dreamed of a better life for themselves and their families, and came to United States of America in search of the American Dream. Many people around the world have to work 18 hours a day just to make enough money to survive; to these people the American dream is nothing more then a less hard life and a better education for them and their children, and to some it is getting rich without working hard to do it. This is not much different from the mentality from an American who maybe builds houses, or works in a factory or some other type of physically demanding job that they hate, and at the end of the day they dream of winning that jackpot in an online casino. Winning the grand prize and making enough money to put a nice roof over their kids heads, put the kids in a good school, money for college. This is exactly what the American dream is about. Many Americans work 2 or more jobs a day to support their families, and have no way to get to a casino, they just do not have the time to get there. Does that mean that they should not be allowed to follow their dreams because they have to do it from home? This is like telling a new immigrant that the American Dream has been outlawed because you may squander you money trying to achieve it. What if a hard working man saved up some money and decided he wanted to open a restaurant and the government told him no, because the restaurant business is dangerous and most new restaurants fail within the first 6 months. The law making online gambling illegal is a direct blow to why most of our grandparents moved to the United States. The entire idea of the American dream is to be able to do better in life then the cards you have been dealt, just like in poker you are dealt your cards then after looking at them you have the chance to exchange your bad cards for better ones. The ability for a child from poor family to be able to get a good education and to make more of himself then the generation before him did. Many people around the world are dealt a bad hand in life, but the American dream helps them rise above it to make what before may have seemed impossible become an every day occurrence. Pure and simple the American dream gives hope to people who never expected to have hope again, and online casinos give people the same thing. The hope to improve their lives, and to deny people that chance is like putting a sign up for new immigrants to the USA saying Sorry The Dream is Over Please go home.

Senseo Coffee Maker: Making Full Flavored Coffee With Finesse At An Instant

new bread of coffee makers has come to take part in the day to day coffee drinking consumers. Gone are the days of waiting for the coffee maker to heat water and drip unto the coffee for a cup of brewed coffee plus making these where messy. Here comes the Senseo Coffee maker that could make that household coffee maker look like an ancient artifact from the dinosaur era. The acceptance of the Senseo coffee maker by the coffee consuming public has been phenomenal since it has been a long awaited design and concept. Senseo’s Coffee Maker Design Its sleek and non-traditional coffee maker design could make you give that second look when you happen to see a Senseo coffee maker at appliance stores. It has a slim and arching main body with two nozzles that resemble a futuristic teapot. Both nozzles are utilized when brewing two cups at the same time. It has a round stable base that balances its sleek body to prevent the coffee maker from tipping off. On the top portion of the Senseo coffee maker is a canopy where the Senseo coffee pod is placed and all you have to do is press the brew button and everything will be ready in less than two minutes. The base of the Senseo coffee maker is a heater that keeps the coffee cups warm. It has three color varieties to choose from including blue, white and black. Senseo’s Coffee Maker Concept The Senseo’s coffee maker mechanism is a cross between an espresso coffee maker and the common drip coffee maker. An espresso coffee maker uses pressure to squeeze out the coffee’s essential oils and flavors and the drip coffee maker does not use any pressure at all. The boiler of the Senseo coffee maker heats the water inside its water compartment and induces low pressure to the heated water for it to be injected unto the pre-packed Senseo coffee pods. In this manner Senseo’s coffee brewing is faster than that of traditional coffee makers. The pressure induced by the Senseo coffee machine unto the Senseo coffee pod causes a foam layer on the coffee that resembles the look of an espresso coffee crema. Though it falls short of the coffee crema that an espresso coffee maker does, the Senseo coffee machine still produces way better and faster coffee than that of the traditional drip coffee maker sans the mess.

Bushmills Irish Whiskey

Bushmills
Driving along the spectacular Antrim coast you can just tell that this is good whiskey-making country. Soft pasture land, small rivers, natural harbours and a people who know that good things take time. It's a land where legend and fact become easily blurred, where folk tales take on the mantle of truth. Who knows when whiskey was first made here?

Some historians claim it started in 1276, though if the story of monks taking distilling with them when they went to convert the heathen Picts is true, it could be as far back at the 6th century. Authorization was given for whiskey to be legally made in the county in 1608, allowing Bushmills to claim that it has been making the stuff since then - and laying the foundations for some mighty craic in 2008!

Bushmills is significantly different to the other two Irish distilleries and takes you back to a time when all of Ireland's whiskey only came from pot stills. There again, this being Ireland, it's also atypical of the traditional Irish pot-still style insofar as it doesn't use a mix of malted and unmalted barley. But it's not quite like a typical Scottish malt distillery as it uses triple distillation and unpeated malt - though so do Auchentoshan and Springbank's Hazelburn.

It's a complex process, as master distiller David Quinn explains. 'After distilling the low wines in the second [or feints] still we take the strong feints forward to a third distillation which gives us a distillate at around 84%ABV. The weak feints get recycled in the second distillation with the head and tails from the third. What we're doing is leaving behind the heavier aspects of the spirit and shifting the flavour balance to more fragrant, lighter, sweeter fruity character'.

The distillery is only a few miles from the Giant's Causeway, a weird outcrop of hexagonal basalt pillars that look like a monstrous pipe organ which, legend would have it, was the southern end of a bridge linking Ireland with Fingal's Cave on the Hebridean island of Staffa. In many ways Bushmills is a modern day bridge between two whisk(e)y-making cultures. 'There's a lot of the tradition of Irish pot still whiskey making here,' says David. 'But by being a single malt we're moving into the Scottish tradition. Maybe we can claim that we take the best of both traditions! On a good day we can see Islay, it's only 16 miles, so that link has always been there - maybe starting with monks like St. Columba'. In more recent times, ex-manager Frank McHardy nipped across the sea to Campbeltown's Springbank distillery - no surprise he's behind the triple distilled, unpeated Hazelburn!

Where Bushmills differs from any Scottish distillery is by being home to blends as well as single malts - most importantly the magnificent Black Bush, a blend of 5Oper cent Bushmills single malt and grain from Midleton. Bushmills follows the Irish Distillers' policy of using a high percentage of first-fill sherry and Bourbon wood, both of them wood types packed with powerful flavours. The fact that David's light distillate isn't drowned out by these big flavours is testimony to some high-class blending skills.

'Getting the correct balance is vital. You could argue that with a delicate spirit it's even more vital that you get that flavour in correct balance with the wood. It also means we have to have top-quality wood. You can spend all the time in the world making a good distillate and then lose it by using sub­standard cooperage.' This shows best in the Triple Wood, a single malt initially aged in ex-Bourbon and sherry wood for 16 years before the two elements are married together and then recasked into port pipes for up to a year. Innovative, modern, yet in touch with the past - just like David and his team.

TASTING NOTES

Black Bush
Sweet, toffee-like nose with plenty of sherry notes in evidence. The palate is silky and soft, balancing ripe malt, raisined sherry wood and rich fruitiness

Bushmills 10-year-old
Clean and crisp, with apple blossom, clover and bran. Lightly creamy on the palate, with some almond paste and gentle grassiness on the finish. Pleasant and soft.

Bushmills Triple Wood
Ripe and full on the nose. A taste of molasses, then some raisin mixed with powerful, plummy fruits. Well balanced

Buffalo Steak – Try Something New

When looking for something altogether new and unusual to put on the grill, buffalo steak has a familiar flavor that is just unusual enough to make itself memorable. Very similar to beef it has a comforting familiarity. However, it also has a certain something that people notice and will look forward to having again. Which explains why buffalo steak is becoming a popular alternative to beef.

Buffalo steak is usually described as having a sweeter flavor than beef, giving it an enjoyably distinctive taste. It is flavorful without being gamey, it is tender without being greasy, and it can be prepared just like steak. In fact, because buffalos and cows have essentially the same muscle groups, the cuts of meat are the same as you would find with beef. So, when you select a buffalo steak, you will know exactly what to expect from your meal.

However, the flavor is not the only reason to try buffalo steak. In fact, one of the best reasons to try buffalo steak is the fact that it is actually very good for you. Because buffalo is much lower in fat than beef or pork, buffalo steak is much easier on your body than other forms of red meat. Buffalo is remarkably lean for red meat, allowing people to feel much better about their selection of meat. So even the healthy crowd can feel good about choosing buffalo.

In fact, buffalo is so lean that you have to be careful with it when you cook it. Because fat is an insulator, it makes beef cook slowly. But, since buffalo is a very lean animal, the meat is very low in fat and, therefore, much healthier. Which also means that you need to be careful cooking a buffalo steak, since it will cook much faster than beef. So you should always be careful with buffalo on the grill or in the oven.

While the low fat and low cholesterol of buffalo steak is attractive, modern concerns about meat make buffalo even more attractive. Because buffalo graze on the free range, they are not as susceptible to mad cow disease as, let’s say, cows. This is because buffalo are allowed to go out onto the prairies and eat grass like normal herbivores, rather than eat cow renderings, such as regular cattle. And buffalo do not defecate in the streams and ponds where they drink, making them that much more sanitary. And, even more, they don’t require the steroids and antibiotics that cattle require, since buffalo tend to grow much larger than cows and are much more resistant to disease. Thus, buffalo are permitted to grow on their own and don’t require as many chemicals to stay healthy. Which means that buffalo steak is not as filled with chemicals as beef, making it a meat that is almost untainted by modern science.

Admittedly, buffalo steak is not the least expensive meat available. But, when you consider the fact that buffalo is a very healthy, very tasty alternative to beef, it is clearly an alternative worth exploring. So, if you are in the mood to stretch out and try something new, exciting, and well worth the effort, give a buffalo steak a try and see what a difference it can make.

Stu Unger: Rise and Fall of a Poker Genius

Stu Unger is one of the biggest superstars to have immerged from the professional poker world. Besides being a true poker genius and a three time World Series of Poker champion, Stu Unger had a fascinating life story. It was not surprising that after his death Stu was the subject of a biography and a biopic. Stu Unger lived the life of a rock star including the quick rise to fame, the drugs, the comeback and the unavoidable death at an early age. Here you can read about the life story of the legendary poker player Stu Unger. The Beginning Stuart Errol Ungar was born in 1953 to a Jewish family who lived in Manhattan on the Lower East Side. Stus father was a well known bookmaker and his mother was too ill to fight against her sons fascination with gambling. After the death of his father, 13 years old Stu had found a father figure at his neighbor Victor Romano, one of the infamous Genovese family soldiers. Stu and Romano had at least one thing in common: they both had an incredibly sharp memory, which was mainly used in poker and gin games. By that time, Stu was already an accomplished gin player who had gained vast experience in winning gin tournaments. Stu dropped out of school to become a full time gin rummy player. The Genovese family had benefited from Stus talent. In return, they provided him protection from other gamblers who found themselves offended by his harsh and arrogant playing style. The Rise As a professional gin player, Stu had managed to beat all the professional gin poker players around. According to the rumors, Stu caused Harry Yonkie Stein, one of the best players around to stop playing gin completely after beating him in a gin match. Since he was out of proper competition, Stu decided to focus on playing poker professionally. In 1976, he and his girlfriend relocated to Las Vegas where they got married and had a girl, Stephanie. In 1980, Stu won the World Series of Poker Main Event after beating experienced poker pros such as Doyle Bronson. Stu was the youngest WSOP champion in history and was nicknamed The Kid. Even though Stu won the 1981 WSOP Main Event, he still considered himself more a gin and rummy player than a poker player. After winning his first WSOP championship title, he was quoted saying that the poker world would meet better no limit players than him, but no one will ever be able to play gin rummy better than he does. At the same time, Stu had tried to use his skill to grab money at the blackjack table. Nevertheless, the casinos were not happy with Stus presence around the blackjack tables and he was constantly barred. In 1982, he was fined by the New Jersey Gaming Commission for cheating, although Stu has not done anything illegal but using his natural skill and phenomenal memory. The Fall In 1990, Stu made another appearance to the WSOP. This time, he was heavily into drugs. He was a chip leader for the first three days of the event and then disappeared. He was found lying at his hotel room, unconscious from a drug overdose. However, it did not stop him from finishing ninth and earning enough money for his future cocaine supply. The Comeback After seven years of disappearing from the professional poker circle, Stu had returned to the WSOP. In 1997, he was broke, with damaged nostrils from cocaine abuse, addicted to horseracing and sports gambling, but still in shape to beat all the new contestants and gain back his WSOP Championship title. The local media was happy to embrace The Comeback Kid, but his success did not last long. The Death Stu Unger did not attend the 1998 World Series of Poker since he could not get the money to pay the entry fee. Seven months after Scotty Nguyen won the 1998 WSOP, Stu Ungar was found dead at his motel room in Las Vegas with 800 dollars in his pocket. Apparently, he died of a heart condition caused by years of drug abuse. The Biography Read: One of a Kind: The Rise and Fall of Stuey The Kid Ungar, The Worlds Greatest Poker Player written by Nolan Dalla, Peter Alson, Mike Sexton. Watch: High Roller: The Stu Ungar Story directed by A. W. Vidmer and starring Michael Imperioli, Christopher Moltisanti of The Sopranos, as Stu Unger

The Elegant Designs Of The Wooden Bar Stool

Wooden bar stools come in lots of varieties; If you are considering buying a wooden bar stool, you have a huge range of options to blend into any style of interior at home, bar or restaurant. A few of the further admired bar stool styles incorporate: Mission, Queen Anne, Shinto, and Metropolitan. Each design is noticeably different from every other style, giving bar stool buyer an abundance of choice. Mission Stools The Mission furniture design has been up there with the best for a lot of years. With its basic lines and traditional looks, wooden bar stools in this scheme often blend in to any background. Mission bar stools feature straight angles, level seats, and back rests with numerous vertical groves, but they have no arms.. The type of wood used will fluctuate from bar stool designer to bar stool designer, but almost all kinds are appropriate. The 2 most common types of wood supplies to be used are oak and cherry. You'll find most Mission wooden bar stools are painted or darkly stained, or you can have them au naturelle. Queen Anne Stools For an complex, chic look, a lot of people opt for the Queen Anne bar stool. This style of stool boasts legs that steadily broaden at it’s base, as well as this the arms and back rests incorporate a lot of complex detailing. This kind of bar stool is perfect in the home no matter if you have generic or lavish designed furniture. One of the only things to be careful about is not to try and mesh these bar stools in to a completely different furniture back ground. Shinto Stools Shinto is a Japanese design of furniture which finds its name from the well practiced religion from the area. These bar stools are of a basic design, which include heavy wooden legs that diminish to wide ends where they meet both the seat and the floor. The seats also extend out to wider ends and over lap the legs. These bar stools are usually covered in wood stain or painted, a couple of the best colours to choose are red or a nice shade of brown. Their straightforward design makes these bar stools an excellent match for a wide variety of interiors, this probably the one of the main reason for the growing popularity. Metropolitan Stools The design focus of the Metropolitan wooden bar stools is on the arms and backrests. The arms have a very individual look that is curled around the end. The backrests boast an extravagant stylish pattern that is only found on the particular model of bar stool. The design of these bar stools are of a light frame and dark seats, the 2 shades that really compliment each other brilliantly. This style is bar stool is very fashionable, not only because the look is quite unique, but also because it blends in very well with most designs of interiors whether its formal, classic, even the more modern designed wooden furniture.

What Does K Cup Coffee Offer That Traditional Coffee Doesn’t Have?

Enjoying coffee is only the final step of a long process of brewing and selecting perfect raw materials and machines. It has long been a tradition that people get a hint of that kick that caffeine brings to drinking coffee. Freshness of the Drink A cup of coffee should be enjoyed fresh and if possible it should be as fresh as the day it was grounded. Traditional coffee making involving beans roasted and grounded at home to have that fresh flavor can sometimes turn into a disaster. Coffee beans should never be roasted too long as it can loose its natural flavor and can bring out a burnt flavor instead. When grinding coffee beans, it should be just right so as not to loose the coffee beans essential oils that bring out the rich flavor and aroma. K Cup Coffee is packed in single serving containers that go with certain coffee maker machines. The container is carefully engineered to seal in its freshness and flavor. This container also keeps out oxygen, mildew, moisture and light and keeps essential oils inside. The only time that the coffee is exposed to the air is when the spray punctures the foil that is covering the single serve drink and hot water is sprayed inside. After combining the cup with hot water, this can give you a coffee that is fresh in aroma and flavor as if it were right out of the farm. Preparing that Well-Deserved Coffee Drink Grinding and roasting can be a messy thing for traditional coffee drinkers. With all those steps to be followed in preparing a perfect drink, coffee drinkers may find it time consuming and tiring. At times, it can be a mess in the kitchen and washing all those utensils and equipment can be a hassle. K Cup Coffee is a single served coffee that carries many variants and special brewed recipes. This is an easy to prepare blend that gives the same quality of freshness and flavor as home roasted coffee. A single serving of K Cup Coffee can be done in just under a minute and brewed with the perfect preference of flavor that the consumer wants. K Cup Coffee comes with a plastic container that can be thrown away after enjoying the drink which means no need for washing or cleaning. With the wide variety of flavors that K Cup Coffee carries, you can buy every flavor you prefer to give flavor varieties to your day to day coffee experience.

Buffalo Meat - A Cut Above The Rest

For many people, nothing could be more stressful than being a meat lover and be prescribed a low-calorie diet. Meat and low calories are self-contradictory, that’s the common perception. Persons who are trying to find a low-calorie meat that could replace the kind they are used to eating would do well to consider buffalo meat.

There are many Western-themed restaurants that offer buffalo (also known as American bison) dishes. Ted’s Montana Grill, co-founded by media mogul Ted Turner, which specializes in hand-cut beef and bison steaks, has locations in sixteen states. The Buffalo Bistro and Buffalo Grill in Utah’s Zion National Park are popular tourist attractions. Customers at such restaurants can anticipate being presented with specialties like roasted buffalo or grilled buffalo with a small serving of mashed potato, buffalo burger type served like Salisbury steak with French fries on the sides, regular buffalo steak with a generous serving of raw onion toppings, and even stewed buffalo served with a large mixture of green vegetables in it.

Roasted buffalo meat is especially popular, especially in its almost-raw form. Unlike meat from other animals, bison meat requires very little seasoning to bring out its naturally juicy and finger-licking flavor. A simple preparation technique would be to score the meat only on the surface and dab it with a little salt, a little pepper and olive oil, and it’s ready for cooking. One of the advantages that buffalo meat holds over regular beef is that it takes a shorter time to cook. Just sear both sides to lock in the flavor and you’re done!

Buffalo meat is the only meat with the 3 Ts - Texture, Tenderness and Taste. The flavor is sweeter, and it is lighter and less greasy than other kinds of meat I was used to, such as cow beef or pork or chicken. Also, buffalo meat does not need any tangy gravy to bring out its naturally good flavor; that is important because gravy for meat is usually heavy on calories.

There are some interesting healthful statistics about how, in many ways, buffalo meat is more nutritious than other kinds of animals’ meat. It has around 70%-90% less fat than beef, and around 50% less cholesterol. Since it doesn’t have all those harmful fats, it has more protein, iron, amino acids and omega nutrients that a number of people are prescribed to take in the form of tasteless fish and raw vegetables. It is also eminently suitable for persons on a low-carbohydrate diet. A four-ounce serving contains no carbs, 11 grams of protein and three percent of total fat.

And the fat it contains is of the good kind, a monounsaturated fat known as omega-3 fatty acids. Adequate intake of this kind of fat has been scientifically proven to prevent heart disease and promote overall cardiovascular health. In fact, buffalo meat has been endorsed by the American Heart Association and prescribed by physicians for patients on a low-fat, low-calorie diet.

Buffaloes are grown in their natural elements in the open fields and are not given any chemical feeds or antibiotics or artificial growth hormones which are suspected of causing cancer. Since buffaloes are fed only natural grains and green grass, they have a natural strong resistance to diseases and their meat is not tainted with any harmful chemicals. In many ways, the meat of the buffalo, which feeds on nature’s grain and grass, has been graded to be far more excellent than cow, dog or chicken meat.

Today, we can enjoy buffalo steaks, soups, stews, and burgers either in restaurants or at home. Buffalo meat is conveniently available in most supermarkets and is offered by many websites. It’s a hearty, healthy, delicious, and convenient way to enjoy meat.

What’s in season in South Africa?

South Africans live from season to season, eating what the earth gives them. A variation in latitude and height above sea level as well as the effect of ocean currents causes a great variety of climatic conditions throughout the country. There are three main rainfall-regions, divided into a winter rainfall in the south western part of the country including the Western Cape, rain all year round along the southern coastal belt and a summer rainfall in the rest of the country. Rainfall varies between around 125 mm per year along the arid western coast and 1 000 mm a year on the eastern coast. Rainfall is irregular with less than 10% of the country receiving around 750 mm of rain per year. The other 90% receive less than this. The summers in South Africa are very hot with mostly cloudless days, but in the winter, only a few areas are frost-free. If you travel to South Africa during October to May (mainly) you can go to farms and pick your own fruit. Make sure you check what times they are open so you won’t be disappointed. During November you can watch out for Strawberries. December is the correct month for strawberries, raspberries, loganberries, boysenberries, cherries and peaches. In January you can pick black currents, apricots, cherries, raspberries and strawberries. February is the month for raspberries, strawberries, apricots, nectarines, peaches and apples. During the fall you can pick raspberries, strawberries, nectarines, peaches and apples and during April you can still pick some strawberries, apples and even grapes. So when can you expect to buy certain fruits? Don’t be caught out, just take a look at which fruit is in season during the year. Nectarines and plums can be bought from November through to April, while you can enjoy Apricots and Litchis between November and February. Other fruits you can enjoy during the summer months include peaches from October to February, grapes during the months of December to May, melons between January and March and mangoes from December to April. If you travel to South Africa during the colder months, you can sink your teeth into apples from March to September, oranges and grapefruit during the winter and spring months of April to November and grapefruit between April and September. If you are looking for something more sour, lemons is just the thing for you to get during the months of March to November. Easy peelers are available between April and September and my favourite, avocados, can be enjoyed from March to October of each year. Guavas can be bought in May while prickly pears are available during January and February. Pears you find most of the year, with the season running from January to October, while pineapples grow in South Africa all year round. If you love cherries, make sure you keep your eyes open. If you close it for too long, you will miss it! Cherry season is a short 6 weeks, between the months of December and the beginning of January. You can find pretty much most vegetables throughout the year. These include baby marrow, butternut squash, various types of pumpkin, green beans, various other beans, carrots, beetroot, broccoli, cauliflower, cassava, cabbage, cucumber, mushrooms, onions, potatoes, sweet potatoes, peas, spinach, sweet peppers, tomatoes, lettuce, mealies (white mealies and sweet corn, which is yellow) and many more. Potatoes are grown all over the country, so when one part has a winter rainfall and the other a summer rainfall, they transport the produce to the necessary area. Mealies are planted during November and harvested during the month of March. As this finishes, the sunflowers and wheat are planted. Make sure you know which fruits are in season so you know what to look forward to when you travel. All fruit and vegetables are filled with fibre, vitamins and minerals, so make sure you eat lots and lots of it. Enjoy!