Thales, (c. 624 BC – c. 546 BC), one of the Seven Sages of Greece, philosopher, astronomer, mathematician, “Father of Science,” might have created the world’s first monopoly… and it was all about olive oil! He “predicted olive oil demand at the right moment and became rich.” He was relatively poor before he decided to prove to his Greek neighbors that philosophy could be used to amass great sums of money. He developed what we know now in trading as “futures” and “options.”
Because olive oil at the time of Thales in the was as valuable as gold and oil are in our present day economy, Thales set out to rent all the olive presses in the Aegean Islands. He correctly “predicted that olive presses…would be needed at a specific period of time (and) foresaw a good year for olives. So he agreed with the presses owners that he would rent them at a specific time in the future, with a discount for him, something that constitutes also the first creation and use of the futures. And this is what followed next. The following year, after a very good harvest, Thales became immediately rich after controlling the olive presses price and proved to his citizens that he could easily be a good businessman if he would like to be so. So, there was a monopoly made because Thales was the owner of the Olive oil presses at a time, so he secondly applied what we today use to call as options.” (http://epochproducts.com/blog/the-first-monopoly-in-the-world-was-about-olive-oil/)
For over 5,000 years, olive oil has been an integral part of the human diet. It was probably the first “branded” product and stored in intricate and beautiful glass jars.
Today, we still value olive oil and understand that the Ancient Greeks, primarily Thales, truly understood its value. Olive oil is not only delicious, but good for us! We use it to flavor our foods, in soaps and shampoos and to heal (http://www.bioesti.com/index.php/importance-of-olive-in-ancient-greece). The olive branch is a universally recognized symbol of peace and a crown made from olive twigs still signify Olympic achievements.
Within the Hippocrates code, over sixty medical uses of olive oil can be found, the most common are mainly for healing of dermatological diseases...Hippocrates mentions that: “using oil in winter helps the body remain warm, because it stops the heat from escaping your body. In summer when you mix oil with water and rub it on your body, it nourishes it and prevents overheating”.
Plutarch in his book ‘ethics’ refers to mastitis treatment with a mixture of olive oil and water, also keeping gums healthy and teeth white. In the temple of Asklepius oil was used in order to create ointments and medicines. Olive tea and olive flowers and their leaves were used as medicine for stomach ache and for irritation of eyes.
Look for pure olive oils, taste and compare their nuances, and incorporate them in your everyday cooking. You’ll agree that good old Thales had something after all!
Friday, September 13, 2013
Reading the Tea Leaves of Tea Leaves
Tasseography
is the method of predicting our futures through interpretation of tea leaf
patterns, or, simply, Reading Tea Leaves! "The
process of tasseography stimulates the imagination to create individualized
interpretations and solutions to patterns in tea leaves. Tea leaf reading is a
fun, healthful and creative way to listen to yourself." (http://tasseography.com) I’m
going to talk about the method just a little bit for the fun of it, but my real
purpose in this blog is to discuss what to look for in quality teas.
There
are a few basic steps for reading tea leaves
•Preferably start with a white teacup and brew any loose leaf
tea;
•While the tea steeps, enjoy quiet time and relax;
•Once your tea is steeped, sip as usual except for one important
thing, use your left hand if you are right-handed, and vice-versa. As you clear
your mind and relax, find that one thought that just will not go away and focus
on that;
•When you have almost finished your tea, swirl it three times,
then put your saucer over the teacup and invert carefully discarding the
remaining liquid. Take three cleansing breaths and remove the teacup;
•Identify symbols in the tea leaves. (This is a little bit
likefinding forms in clouds!)
Interestingly
enough, as I researched this fun topic, I found that most writers were adamant
about using quality teas. Many companies that produce and sell teas do not
taste, or "cup", each shipment and the result is that sometimes there
are twigs and leaves as well as much powder in their teas. Finding companies
that are as passionate about the quality of their teas as you are about
enjoying a perfect cup is vital to your enjoyment of the time-honored ritual of
serving, drinking and enjoying tea.
Be
careful of companies that try to sell you "things" to add to your
tea. While sugars and honey might be what you like in your tea, I believe you
should taste the tea by itself to determine its quality. Some stores will sell
you tea in bulk, or package it for you from large containers. While this is a
great way for retailers to interact with their customers, make certain that
they, too, are exercising the best quality control possible. For example, how
are they handling their teas? How do they store it at the end of the day? Do
they add tea to the "end of the barrel" or do they bring the older
tea to the top?
We
used to measure out bulk teas at our store, but over the years we have become
great fans of pre-packaged tins and have opted for five outstanding companies
that have proved the quality of their teas over and over to us and our
customers.
In
short, educate yourself about the teas you purchase. Take the time to relax and
enjoythe moment. After all, this is
what tea time should be all about. And, if the tea leaves "speak" to
you in a moment of reflection, you might want to listen to your inner self!
Ana
Hernandez is the owner of All Spiced Up in Jacksonville, Florida.Visit her website athttp://spice-blends.com
You
might think that all honey is created equal, and all good for you. Not
necessarily. Most honey that you find on your grocery store shelves has been
cooked at high temperatures and filtered through tiny filters. This removes
many of the beneficial enzymes we are looking for and which are present in
naturally harvested honey. Honey is treated to extend its shelf life only in
the sense that it prevents crystallization. These processes kill many of the
honey's health benefits.
Raw
honey is collected straight from the hives and is unheated, unpasteurized and
unprocessed. This ensures that we receive all of the benefits of this heavenly
product: A natural energy-booster, a substance that helps build our immunity
system, heal wounds, help sore throats, induce sleep and might even help fight
cancer. As I did research for this blog I even found a hangover remedy (at
http://www.benefits-of-honey.com/health-benefits-of-honey.html)!
When you get a hangover from drinking
too much alcohol, combat its effects by applying honey remedy. Honey is gentle
on the stomach and contains a mix of natural sugars such fructose which is
known to speed up the oxidation of alcohol by the liver, acting as a 'sobering'
agent. Follow this recipe: 15ml of liquid honey with 80ml of orange juice and
70ml of natural yogurt. Blend them together until smooth.
Don't be
fooled by any honey that claims to be "organic." No one can
guaranteed that the bees will only work in pesticide-free flowers because bees
wander and work in a three to four mile radius from their hives. Now
that we know how totally awesome bees and honey are and how important to our
well-being, we must talk about the plight bees are facing right now. There is a lot of speculation as to
the causes for the massive loss of bee and bee colonies. Most scientists
believe it is due to a condition called colony collapse disorder (CCD). http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/13/130510-honeybee-bee-science-european-union-pesticides-colony-collapse-epa-science/ Our friend and president of Yaupon
Asi Tea, Bryon White, explains further:
Once bees reach
maturity, they generally only live about four weeks. Everything about bees is
programmed into their little brains. They are one of nature's most perfectly
designed creations. This life cycle is designed in part so that bees will not
naturally die in the hive. For the first two weeks of life, the worker bee will
perform house-keeping tasks. For the last two weeks, the bees will forage for
pollen and nectar in the field, where they will eventually die as their wings
wear out. Many beekeepers believe CCD is caused by this life cycle being
altered for some reason or another...perhaps the bees are leaving too early, and
after two weeks or so, their wings wear out and they naturally die. A big
problem with being part of a perfectly intricate design, is that if one
component is altered the whole place falls to pieces. Hence the devastation of
CCD. Another especially devastating component is the application of
neonicotinoid pesticides. These chemicals have had a brutal effect on bees,
especially in Florida, which is one of the largest honey-producing states. Some
science suggest that these chemicals are responsible for some broad-reaching
environmental impacts which sadly go far beyond their effects on honey bees.
Bryon adds: "I'm
lucky enough to have a great friend who teaches me these things. Doug McGinnis,
of the Tropical Blossom Honey Co, Inc., has been working with bees his entire
life and his company has been in the honey business for over 70 years. I'm glad
All Spiced Up is now carrying both of our products!" Here at All Spiced Up,
we love our honey products and carry the following honeys: Yaupon's Palmetto,
Jimeez Beez' Wildflower, Third Coast's Jalapeno, and Tropical Blossom Honey
Company's Mangrove.
We should all tip our
collective hats to the many small companies that are taking such good care of
the bees we so desperately need, not only for the honey they produce, but also
for the many products (fruits, vegetables and beans) we would not have if these
plants were not pollinated by bees.
Ana Hernandez offers recipes,
cooking videos and her signature spice blends at
I was
having dinner with friends. There were six adults at our table. At one point, I
realized that five of us were involved in our phones....emailing, playing Words
with Friends, checking the Internet. I looked around the restaurant, and
realized that the vast majority of other adults there were also doing something
on their cellphones. I thought: "My grandfather would have had a heart
attack!" I also thought of how alone each person seemed to be.
When I
was a child, my grandfather came to the dinner table with his suit on. We were
all expected to use proper manners. (Can you believe it? We had to behave!) You
might think that this was stifling for me as a child; it was not. It is a
memory I treasure: Enjoying dinner with family and discussing the events of the
day was the social networking of the pre-smartphone era.
When we
attach ourselves to our electronic devices at the dinner table, I think we
divorce ourselves from inter-personal relationships and lose precious time with
those we love. These impersonal devices might connect us via social media, but social
media has done nothing to improve our social skills!
Cindy
Post Senning, who writes for emilypost.com puts it this way:
"If you're having dinner with friends and
family, be with them...When I was
asked recently by Sara Rimer of The New York Times, 'What about text messaging at the
dinner table?' it was an easy answer – 'It’s not good manners!'
If your meal is just about nourishment and you are by yourself in the
kitchen, text away. No problem! But if you’re having dinner with friends and
family, bewith
them.
As I told Sara, 'The
family meal is a social event, not a food ingestion event.' Even if your phone
is in your lap, the people with you all know what you’re doing when you’re eyes
are focused on your lap. Just because it’s a quiet activity (unlike a phone
call), you’re not fooling anyone. And then everyone’s attention is on the fact
that your attention is on your phone, not on them."
It might be a simple matter of re-thinking how we interact with one another.
We might remember, too, the difference between courtesy and rudeness.
Let yourself enjoy your meal as well as your time with family and
friends. Dinner time is not a time for impersonal devices. Look across the
table and smile at your child, hold your partner's hand, talk with one another.
You might be surprised at how much you enjoy your meals once again. Social
media is not a condiment. Ana
Hernandez is the owner of All Spiced Up (www.allspicedup.net)
Related articles
A week ago, my daughter took me for lunch at a local
hamburger joint that I have been excited to try. Few things beat a truly great
burger, in my opinion. It was OK. Which is my way of saying the experience was
overwhelmingly disappointing. The experience prompted me to write this blog.
In our modern world, we are constantly under attack:
A constant barrage of information….Twitter feeds, ads louder than the TV
program you are watching, blogs (oops!), emails, etc. We, I believe, have
become more dependent on what we are told to believe/think/eat/buy than
what we want to believe/think/eat/buy. Have you ever seen anyone
risking life and limb at an after-Thanksgiving electronics sale, cars stopping
incoming traffic just to go through the drive-through window at the only-coffee-in-the-world
coffee store, waiting in sweltering heat to eat at that restaurant recommended
by a television chef? No? Huh.
I’m getting to the point. I promise. In every city, in every neighborhood, there are
eating establishments that are fantastic. They are small treasures filled with
the aroma of homemade food and service you can only get from stores and
restaurants that are what small-businesses are all about: Providing excellent
products, excellent value and unequaled service. Because they care.
I have a customer who carries his iPad when he goes to dinner at out-of-the-way restaurants, takes pictures and videos and shares them with his co-workers, and me. It’s awesome! I look forward to trying his treasured spots.
Last Sunday, my daughter took me to breakfast. (I
have awesome children!) We ventured off the beaten path. Breakfast included
what had to be the best breakfast potatoes and corned beef hash I have ever
had. I ordered eggs over-easy, and, wonder of wonders, they were! The service
was friendly without being intrusive. Perfect. I would like to recommend Café du Marché
(http://cafedumarche.net/) located at 11700 San Jose Blvd., Mandarin South Shopping Center, Jacksonville,
FL 32223. Phone is: 904.886.6999.
Finally, I get to the point! You don’t have to be a
lemming when you go out to eat; get off that line inching ever so close to the
precipice. Do yourself, your friends and your families a favor. Explore your
city and your neighborhoods. Find those tiny gems embedded in a huge world. You’ll
be rewarded.
Speaking of homemade food, Ana Hernandez
offers recipes, cooking videos and her signature spice blends at http://spice-blends.com
Every
day in my store at one point or another, at least one of my customers will come
looking for blends and rubs without salt because they, a family member or a
friend have been advised by their doctor to stay away from salt. We do not
pretend to be medical professionals, but feel compelled to write this blog with
as much information as we can possibly give you about salt.
Human
history is rich with references to salt. Salt comes from the Latin word for
"salarium" because it was so valuable that Roman soldiers were paid
their "salary" partly in salt. So it follows that the word "soldier"
actually means "one paid in salt." Other common expressions are:
"Salt of the earth" (from Jesus' Sermon on the Mount), "worth
their salt," "rub salt in the wound," "with a grain of
salt." Leonardo DaVinci's "The Last Supper" immortalized the
superstition that spilling salt brings bad luck with its depiction of Judas
knocking over a salt cellar! (http://wordinfo.info/unit/3602/ip:1/il:S) There
are numerous references to salt in the Bible, including this which appears in
Kings 2:21: "Then he went out to the spring that supplied the town with
water and threw the salt into it. And he said, "This is what the LORD
says: I have purified this water. It will no longer cause death or infertility."
If you
are interested in learning more about the ways in which the media has
orchestrated a disinformation campaign against salt, we would recommend an
excellent video by Dr. Joseph
Mercola.
As Dr. Mercola points out, the media has perpetrated a
"truth" that, if salt were taken out of our national diet, thousands
and thousands of dollars could be trimmed from our health care budget by
preventing heart attacks, strokes and high blood pressure.
In fact,
Dr. Mercola points out that the "demonization of salt... a vital substance
like salt...could only happen in a society that is ignorant of the history of
salt." Salt not only makes food taste good, it has also been used
throughout history (since about 4000 BC) to preserve meats and dairy products.
Salt was intrinsic to the survival of civilization. It is impossible for the
human body to survive without salt and has, in fact, the same ratio of
salt/water as the primal seas. Why do we need natural, health-enhancing salt
(not to be confused with table salt)? Dr. Mercola further lists these four
benefits of natural salt.
1. It regulates and maintains
good blood pressure;
2. It is vital for the nervous
system...the growth of our brains, creative thinking, neurological function;
3. It helps our metabolism and
digestion;
4. It is essential for healthy
adrenal function.
Simply
put: Avoid table salt. Table salt has been chemically "cleaned,"
altered, and filled with other compounds. Table salt does not resemble original
salt in the least and is mainly sodium chloride (NaCl). Sodium chloride is a
poison which causes water retention in our bodies, and the formation of
cellulite.
Sea
salts are better than table salt, but use in moderation because our oceans have
been polluted and contaminated.
Himalayan
salt is absolutely the best. No question. This salt is over 250 million years
old and is totally uncontaminated with modern-day pollutants. It has over 84
essential minerals that our bodies need. Iodine is not added to Himalayan salt.
Our bodies need iodine, but we can get iodine in our diet from foods like kelp,
cranberries, organic yogurt, navy beans, strawberries and potatoes.
Dr.
Mercola finishes his discussion of salt with a warning which we have been
trumpeting in the store for the past five years: Don't start using Himalayan
salt if you can't commit, because you will never be able to go back!
Himalayan salt comes in a variety of forms. At All
Spiced Up, we carry Himalayan salt in fine grain, salt slabs, solé solution, and salt lamps.
Ana Hernandez owns and operates All Spiced Up in
Jacksonville, Florida. If you are
interested in Himalayan Salt, or would like to see a number of recipes and
videos that use Himalayan Salt, go to http://spice-blends.com
Thales, (c. 624 BC – c. 546 BC), one of the Seven Sages of Greece, philosopher, astronomer, mathematician, “Father of Science,” might have created the world’s first monopoly… and it was all about olive oil! He “predicted olive oil demand at the right moment and became rich.” He was relatively poor before he decided to prove to his Greek neighbors that philosophy could be used to amass great sums of money. He developed what we know now in trading as “futures” and “options.”
