What's in Italy aside from it's surviving old edifices? Naturally, there's food! Going around makes one hungry. Finding a place to eat is also a challenge. Aside from the great experience I had with all the historic stuff in Rome, I share also my ups and downs when it comes to finding for food and eating in this busy touristic city. An obvious thing fortourists? Nothing is cheap around...not because they are really expensive but because you (tourist) don't know a dam* thing!

Dining around can be really tricky. There are stuff to be considered:

1. Location - restaurants fronting a very famous place is naturally more expensive

2. The quality - you want to trust the quality of food you eat (cleanliness, etc)

3. The ambiance/setup -sometimes you adore outdoors but not when it's raining and with a temperature near zero

4. The food - if you like Pizza or pasta or bread, etc.

Burger King Bad Experience

There are some stuff that tourists need to be careful of. This, not only in normal restaurants but also in fastfood chains. I tried having food at the Burger King and I was really disappointed. I have never seen such a lousy/unpolite service of an American-based fast food. I thought one of the leading virtues of these chains is: "Customer Service". I was only asking if there is an option to enlarge the fries and the drinks of the menu we chose but I was sarcastically replied with "a menu is a menu!". Wouldn't simpler to say "no"? Aside from that, right after my order was assembled, I was told in a commanding voice "Vai"... and the crew was not even satisfied and told in English, "Go!". Sweet huh!

Great Food and Great Service Experience

On the second day, we were a bit settled so we were able to find a great place. It was with steam in the outdoors so we were able to permit a stay-out despite the cold. We had the spaghetti al pomodoro e balsamico and the vegetable salad with roasted chicken breat. It was a deliciouslow-cost dinner (images of food up).

Disappointing Unfinished Lunch

We had this very disappointing lunch in a restaurant not so far away from the Pantheon. We were tricked with the "Tourist Menu". Once you order this, they put a lot of time in between when serving the antipasto, primo, secondo, etc so that customers end up ordering extra. Not in our case though, we left before they could proceed and make damage control. We paid them the whole price and let the rest of the customers/diners know how lousy their service/trick is!

I don't like burgers. This statement is however rebuttable. If the burger is surely good, and I am sure of it, there is no doubt I would be tempted taking in some. Thus, with this strict choice, I have no other option but to prepare my own beef burgers and mix them the way my palate wants. Thus, the other time, I made seven of them out of a one-kilo ground beef. And as I expected, I liked them as I was the one who prepared. My Italian Amore liked them as well. The following images would more or less explain how they're done. Yummy! If you want to try the recipe, I bet you'd be more free to suit your own palate needs and you'll be more happy to add the stuff you want to be in these burgers.

Preparation is important. Above were the ingredients I used: ground beef, salt, chili, black pepper, soy sauce, and onion. I did not use garlic as I don't like the after meal smell but if you want more spice, feel free.

Above is the pre-mix. It's the lil onion slices with salt, pepper, chili, egg and soy sauce. I prepared this mix to have them absorbed by the ground beef the moment the latter is added. One egg is enough, just to make the beef sticky, not to put the egg taste really

Here I added the ground beef already. Mix it with the pre-mix I prepared up. Mix well to have the flavor and taste penetrate the beef. Add seasoning and spices as desired.

I also tried to divide the number of patties (if I may call them since they're just hand made and looks done lousy enough) to be pan-grilled and oven grilled. The result? I could actually not detect but all I know is, I never add any drop of oil. The oily stuff you see is the own grease of the beef.

3 patties were pan-grilled. No oil was used, but before placing them in the pan, the pan should be really heated well.

More oil were squeezed out of the patties the nearer they get cooked.

The same good amount of grease were also squeezed out in the above image.

The outer patties were oven-grilled while the three inside were pan-grilled. The difference? There is as you see the color and the markings but the taste? I could harly identify. The seven of them were all great tasting.

Of course burgers without a mix of vegetable is boring. Mine I mixed with this stir-fried beans. Yummilicious dinner! Why not try doing some as well?

Delicious, healthy, with vegetable, nutritious pasta meal! What else can I describe this main course wonderful for lunch? Pasta al dente (Pasta to the tooth) in creamy healthy way. What's the vegetable? It's called zucchini. This vegetable is also great as grilled/salad style but this time, we used it with pasta. See how creamy it can go and how delicious the meal can be. You may try for yourself and see how we did it (our style: me and my Italian buddy).


Onion is involved, just fry it in olive oil before adding the sliced zucchini.

After adding zucchini, we fried it with onion for a while, mixing the juice (and of course the taste of the two items together) and then we added the culinary cream.

We usually add these seasoning: salt, chili and black pepper. It is up to you and your taste what you'd like to add up and season this preparation

It's ready now, with the penne (pasta) boiled to al dente level and now drained and mixed with the creamy zucchini.
It's ready in table now. That's my black plate. :) Buon appetito! It's quick, isn't it?

The past weekend, we had a couple of guests for dinner at home. We prepared various food choices and drinks naturally, and just had ice cream for dessert. We had a mix of Italian and Filipino cooking. In short, Asian and Mediterranean cuisine mixed. But what should we have for appetizers? We had to think of that part. And since it was a success, and our guests did enjoy them a lot and did not waste anything on their plates (except the seeds of course), I do believe it's worth sharing with you what it was!

So what are those stuff in those plates? That is a combination of the following:

1. Melone (Melon)

2. Prosciutto crudo (crude ham)

3. Olive nere (Black olives)

4. Pomodori secchi (sun dried tomatoes)

I know that the presentation is not as beautiful as how Japanese would have presented their sushi to sushi addicts (just a joke) but it's worth the taste. See that the melon is wrapped inside the ham. The dropòets you see in the plates are some of the juice of the olives.

In fact we let these chilled and then we added some fresh oven baked bread to match with them. But from what we have heard, they did like the fruit-conserved vege mix so much even asking for some more olives.

I read the following article, in print screen, from BBC's health news and I was so surorised about the role that toilet is playing in a person's life. I never also kew that there is such a phobia called the toilete phobia. It is very interesting and worth sharing. I suggest you visit the source site after reading to see the original article. I know that toilet is so important but I mean, if you can't hold it you've got to go in, right? And to refuse a job for toilet reasons is just .. well, kind of absurd. What do you think about? See how others react by reading below and I think you'll be surprised too!

Source is found here.

At Pranzo some point, sometime in the past, we prepared our traditional pasta with thick tomato sauce. This is the original recipe of mamma who has stayed with her restaurant in the city for at least six years when she was still young. Everytime mamma prepares this sauce, I can smell the delicious taste of the upcoming lunch. And yes, Italians are fond of these thick tomato sauces and you will have a look how it is done. I'm gonna share with you my lunch preparation for that time.

Step One: Prepare the beef cuts. I prefer the one with bones but with thick meat around. It is around 2 inches by 3 inches in dimension. Please don't tell it's a bit big because it would shrink later.

Step Two: Saute the thawed beef cuts into oil (we use olive here) and sliced onion. To add more taste, you may add a vinegar to make it more sour. We uses Aceto Balsamico but this is optional. Let the outer side (exposed portion) of the meat go brown by flipping the cuts from time to time while sauteing.

Step Three : When all the beef go brown, add the tomato sauce diluted in water. (The photo shows the vinegar brand and the tomatoe sauce we used. The bottle of sauce can be used twice or thrice depending on the amount of sauce to be made).

Step Four: Let the sauce boil and thicken. At start, the boiler is eighty five (85%) percent full but when it is ready, only around ten percent (10%) filled. See the photos.

Step Five: At the meantime, prepare the table. Don't forget the wine and fruits of course. The table napkins and cuttleries must be ready. So are the glasses and plates.

Step Six: When the sauce is fifteen minutes away to finish, boil the water for pasta. Today we used Rigatoni. You may use your preferred brand and kind of pasta. For me, Fussili is the best and we always buy the Barilla brand.

Step Seven: When the water is boiling, put the salt and the pasta to reach the "al dente"(to the tooth) point. At the same time the pasta is cooked, the sauce is also ready. However, while waiting for the pasta and the sauce, prepare the formaggio (cheese). It must be grated.

Step Eight: When all are cooked, drain the pasta, put in the plate, put the sauce, sprinkle with cheese, then, the layer of sauce again. Leave the meat for "Anti-pasto"or the second course. It is eaten after the pasta. Fill the glasses with wine and "Salute" (cheers)..Mangiamo! (Let's eat!)

Another e-mail. The e-mail says that I forward to my friends but since again, as I have said, all of you are my online buddies, I share this with you as well. It is not my position to tell you what to do, eventhough I may make some suggestions in most of my posts. The decision is still with you. I simply present here the facts or my opinion. Sometimes we know that some foods or drinks are not good for us. However, it is difficult to stop eating or drinking the food and drinks we like or crave for without a strong reason. Now, the following food are believed to be not so good. Why? Now we will see why.

1. Hot dogs
Because they are high in nitrates, the Cancer Prevention Coalition advises that children eat no more than 12 hot dogs a month. If you can't live without hot dogs, buy those made without sodium nitrate.

2. Processed meats and bacon
Also high in the same sodium nitrates found in hot dogs, bacon, and other processed meats raise the risk of heart disease. The saturated fat in bacon also contributes to cancer.


3.Doughnuts
Doughnuts are cancer-causing double trouble. First, they are made with white flour, sugar, and hydrogenated oils, then fried at high temperatures. Doughnuts, says Adams , may be the worst food you can possibly eat to raise your risk of cancer.

4. French fries
Like doughnuts, French fries are made with hydrogenated oils and then fried at high temperatures. They also contain cancer- causing acryl amides which occur during the frying process. They should be called cancer fries, not French fries, said Adams .


5. Chips, crackers, and cookies
All are usually made with white flour and sugar. Even the ones whose labels claim to be free of trans-fats generally contain small amounts of trans-fats.

Now You know and now you have a choice. Just choose wisely what to eat. Live a healthy and sexy life. Live long!

I was just thinking: "What if one overdoes it?" I mean, there is limit to anything, right? But what if one pushes him/herself to run and run until he she get so tired? There must be a line between the healthy run and a punishing run, right?

What's into running? What's your purpose? I do run but not daily and not as heavy. It's quick run that makes me clean my respiratory system, and make myself sweat a little and burn few (I think very few) calories. I really don't care that much although I find it a wonderful start of the day. Why? It kindles my energy and I feel warm all day if I run in the morning.

Another reason why I do run is, to stay fit and cut some fats that I have in me. I am 50 kilograms and a kilo or two below it or at least to maintain this weight, running is definitely a help. Sometimes I get so desperate when I have to be early in the office but I feel the urge and the need to run that I even run inside my garden! ( If you are interested to see my garden, here it is. Just click... But that is only a few meters away I guess and more of a quick run than anything else.

And back to the question: What if one runs too much? I cannot answer that as I am no expert but I do think there is really a limit for what is normal and what is more than normal. Thus, to satisfy my curiosity, I did a little search about it and I landed on an experts response about running....or doing much on running.


What I shared up there is a screen shot of that expert's take on too much running. The article is not complete and you have to see the website of that article to be able to grasp the expert's opinion. So what are you waiting for? Read the complete expert's opinion about too much running by just clicking this statement. If you are concerned about running too much, of if you want to know, I assure you you'll get the answer. All I can say is, use running to the best of your advantage. Run healthy. Don't run to your death!

Most of us have our morning milk for various reasons. Media publicities have many tactics making the public believe what they want them to believe about milk. There are ads telling milk this milk for kids make them intelligent, the other ads tell this milk makes the bones strong or make you loose weight or non- fat produce and others tell that it prevents osteoporosis.

Are all milk the same? A mother's milk is similar to a commercial milk? These are the similarities and diversities of the two since the composition of milk differs widely between species. As per my readings, factors such as the type of protein; the proportion of protein, fat, and sugar; the levels of various vitamins and minerals; and the size of the butterfat globules and the strength of the curd are among those than can vary.

Average Element <<<<<< >>>>>> Human Milk<<<<<>>>>> Cow's Milk
Protein <<<<<<<<<<<<< >>>>>>>>>1.1% <<<<<<>>>>>>>> 3.4%
Fat <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< >>>>>>>>>4.2% <<<<<<>>>>>>>>3.6%
Lactose <<<<<<<<<<<<< >>>>>>>>>7.0% <<<<<<>>>>>>>>4.6%
Energy per 100g (kcal) <<<>>>>>>>>>72.0 <<<<<<>>>>>>>>>66.0

Morover, processed milk began containing differing amounts of fat during the 1950s. A serving (1 cup or 250 ml) of 2%-fat milk contains 285 mg of calcium, which represents 22% to 29% of the daily recommended intake (DRI) of calcium for an adult. Depending on the age, 8 grams of protein, and a number of other nutrients (either naturally or through fortification) such as Vitamines D and K for bone health, B12, B and Rivoflavin for cardiovascular health and energy production, A for the immune funtion, among others. It has also iodine content which is essential for thyroid function, potassium, magnesium and selenium. See more on this topic.

Now that we have a general knowledge of what are in the milk, it's for us to decide whether to drink it or not. Don't be so high on hopes though, there are anti-milk advocates providing strong scientific evidence linking cows' milk and dairy products to a wide range of illnesses and diseases, but this is another story to tell.

In this home where I currently live, a ready bottle or box of magnesium crystals are alsways ready. I never had any of it to be honest when I was still in the Philippines. And up to the present, I do not have any idea if this is also sold in the Philippines. Or maybe it is not needed there? I just don't know. But this thing, if we feel something bad in the stomach after we have eaten something here, our relief is by drinking the magnesium.. Of course the crystals are mixed with water dissolving it....giving a sprite/seven-up like flavor. It's not so bad, right?

When I have read something about magnesium online (at www.goals-4-life.com), I decided to share what it says about magnesium. I decided to share it with you and to any reader of this thing or anyone who wants to discover something about magnesium.

As I have read from my source (mentioned above), magnesium is a mineral that is essential to many biological processes that occur in the body. It aids in the body’s absorption of calcium and also plays a key role in the strength and formation of bones and teeth. This means that those at risk for osteoporosis can benefit from taking magnesium.

Only now i have known this... so it means that calcium is useless without the help of magnesium. So what what the use of my daily milk and cheese intake here or before when I never had magnesium? I hope it ws not wasted at all.

Magnesium also is vital for maintaining a healthy heart because it helps stabilize the rhythm of the heart and helps prevent abnormal blood clotting in the heart. Moreover, it aids in maintaining healthy blood pressure levels for it can significantly lower the chance of heart attacks and strokes, and can even aid in the recovery from a heart attack or stroke.

Here is another magnesium goodness. This mineral also helps maintain proper muscle function. It works to keep muscles properly relaxed. Because of its benefits in relieving stiff muscles, magnesium can be especially beneficial to fibromyalgia patients.

Most people do not maintain proper levels of magnesium and yes, I am aware of it. It seems that this mineral is taken for granted. I don't even know what good it does to the body until I have read something from the site I have mentioned above.. For this reason, many people would greatly benefit from supplementing their diet with magnesium and i recommend that you do the same... you have read all the reasons above why you should do so...

The following message was forwarded by a friend in my email. She lives and work in Singapore now while I am here in Netherlands. She's my very close friend and we were so close in university for around six years in total including our post university extensive study. This friend is also a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). I have no way to verify if the following message is an email hoax but I reasoned that there is no harm in getting careful. The shrimp and vitamin c impact can kill? I am not really sure and if this email really did happen, that could be true so be careful with your vitamin C and shrimp eating.



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Exercising of getting fit is a commitment. And prevention is always better than getting a cure, which means, staying in shape is always better than getting overweight or underweight and later on work it out back to your/one's normal or fit body level. I learned these facts while I was working with my previous organization (or employer) and we were given the chance to join various activities organized by colleagues for either a very discounted fee or for free.

The company/organization actually supports its employees as well in this endeavor as it contains everything inside its compound to further these leisure needs for employeees: tennis court, multi purpose gymnasium that can be transformed into basketball court, inddor tennis court, football field, etc, etc,. There was also various rooms for exercises and other activities like yoga. The fitness room was with the latest equipments ever.

Enough of promoting what the Company has inside as the list is so long. When the fitness instructor, who is also the physical therapist of the organization discussed with us fitness program participants how do we go fit, we touched the topic of dieting. It seems that having a diet program when one is not in the correct shape is not very advisable. Why? It's the yo-yo effect that is very disturbing. Well, from personal opinion, I could sensne what a yoyo effect is.

What is the yoyo effect then. I know what is the yoyo and I presume it's one's weight that goes high and low or goes up and down just like a Yoyo. Consider someone who is fat and wishes to get in fitness level again: that person would exercise much, eat so less and then he or she would achive her goal of lesser weight and fitness level desired. However, since that person is kind of deprived with food and comfort level for a few weeks or days or months, he or she, right after getting fit, would eat much again and sleep much. These activities would make that person again gain weight and he or she would repeat the exercise and diet process again to lose weight.

Do you like that? Fat-thin-fat-thin-fat you? For me, that is not a good idea. Staying fit all through out is the answer. Moderation of food intake, moderation of exercise schedule and level always do great for me. How about you? Have you had a fitness yo-yo?

Again, blame it to the media publicity why I thought that broccoli was not a good vege. I have always seen on TV, especially where the kids where involved, that they have always resisted eating this vegetable. I then assumed that it was really bad until I came out of the country at 23, I never tasted broccoli. And when I did, I was surprised how good tasting it was (at least for me)!

The good news then followed. I have read from the Health Page of CNN that when this vege is boiled, it has more vitamin C than orange and has as much calcium as a glass of milk. It is also rich in fiber and vitamin A aside from the basic nutrients. And as stated, the real handsome point for this vegetable is its potent cancer-fighting components.

Broccoli (also cauliflower) has rich isothiocyanates substance -- chemicals shown to stimulate the body's production of its own cancer-fighting substances, called "phase two enzymes" that in turn neutralize potential cancer-causing substances before they have a chance to damage the DNA of healthy cells. To those who do not like Broccoli, you better practice liking it or have the cauliflower as an alternative, unless you want to regret later on. Go Brocco!

Living in Gelderland (Netherlands-Germany birder) is warmer than living in the Hague. It’s been almost a month since I was here and my running for three days each week has been consistent. When I ran today, I noticed that people that were also running were with running shorts and racer back running shirts. I was still with sweater and running pants. I realized then that the weather is hotter compared to the previous weeks and when I went home, I also changed to shorts and went out again to work in my garden.

The sun was really hot and I liked it. Living in the Hague did not permit a lot of going out but now that the garden is here, the sun is shining, it would be great to lay down it and be brown again, as brown is my natural color. I feel so pale being in cold every time and always wearing clothes that cover each inch of the skin. I missed my sleeveless and short shorts back in the Philippines.

I was curious what the mighty sun could offer. Thus, I searched around. I understood, from elementary studies that sun offers Vitamin D. However, things might have changed considering a different environment these days: more pollution, more global warming issues, more ozone layer burning, etcetera, etcetera. And indeed I found it! Not only the good stuff but actually more on the negative side of staying under the sun.

I was even surprised to read that even in cloudy day sun can cause damage to us if we are situated in certain locations of this earth. I have not searched yet for Netherlands but for some, the mighty sun can cause cancer of the skin, eye injuries and other illnesses caused by heat. This is of course obvious if we stay a lot under the sun.

What I do is, I run early when the sun is still young and not burning like hell. Then I also have my sun glasses with me all the time. No matter what bad the sun can offer, I still believe that the overall benefit outweigh the negative effects the sun causes. It also feels great when I sweat out with the help of the sun. Personally, I feel more healthy than sweating without it.

What do we do then? Do not stay so long under, moderation is the answer.