Bettina Network's Blog - Table Talk at a Bettina Network Home

Holiday Tradition and Health?

November 29th, 2010

Isn’t it amazing how our holiday traditions, which go back the furthest, have some connection to health?

We have recommended the web site www.mercola.com in the past as a great newsletter. We hope you have subscribed to this newsletter, which is loaded with research and good information about health, nutrition, etc. It often comes up across the breakfast table and we are delighted to get emails from guests who discovered it on their own and are recommending we write about it in Bettina’s Blog.

The latest information we gleaned from this newsletter (with a guest pointing the way) follows. We hope you think about this when you hang a piece of mistletoe in your entry hallway:

…“certain natural substances can help to restore proper cellular communication. For instance, Dr. Popp found that mistletoe appeared to restore biophoton emissions of tumor cells to a normal level!. Interestingly, even conventional medicine confirmed that mistletoe extract does appear to have a beneficial effect on cancer, with one study published in Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine showing that mean survival rates nearly doubled among breast cancer patients who received mistletoe extract.”

Before you write to ask – no we don’t know who Dr. Popp is, we received the above quote just minutes ago from a guest with the message that “we should look into our traditions with an eye as to how and why they came into being and what message they are transmitting to future generations. Are they short-hand for more than what we realize?”

Enjoy your holidays and research those holiday traditions you keep alive year after year with the above in mind.

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Ed. Note: Members of the Bettina Network Lifestyle Community can contribute to the Bettina Network Blog whenever they have anything they want to say and be heard by this fantastic group of people. Send your blog to bettinanetwork@comcast.net or mail it to us at P. O. Box 380585 Cambridge, MA. 02238 or call us on the telephone at 617-497-9166 to tell us what you want to say and we will write it for you.

Volunteer with Bettina Network Foundation, inc. to work estate sales; to help move items from one home to another; to contribute your ideas on how we can better use our resources in this effort to relieve and eliminate homelessness and poverty. We also need photographers; designers; and more. However much or little time you have, we are grateful.

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Brooklyn, N. Y. Co-op For Rent

November 26th, 2010

A beautiful co-op apartment – in an elegant building with doorman – located in the Prospect Park West neighborhood – close to the Botanical Gardens.

$3,000/month with heat. One bedroom, living room, bathroom, kitchen, dining room or den. In great condition having been painted and renovated less than one year ago.

Available starting December 1st for one year. No fees.

Call the Bettina Network for more information. Toll free 800 347 9166. Outside the United States call 617 497 9166 or email the Bettina Network, inc. at bettina-network@comcast.net

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SECURITY AT THE AIRPORT!!!!

November 24th, 2010

Are you a sexual pervert? Have you been convicted of sexual abuse against children? Are all of your thoughts about sex and sexual abuse against others? Are you listed in all the public places as a sexual predator and on the governments sexual predator listing? Have we got the perfect job for you!!!! Apply immediately for a job in security at your local airport.

Sounds harsh? Unfair? Not thinking about security? Ridiculous! The government is clearly operating in someone’s interest, but it is not in the interest of continuing the democracy under which we think we live and they have found a great way to do this – it is all in the name of ‘protecting’ us, in the name of ‘security’. These pat downs and machines which show you naked to someone looking through a mirror or whatever they look through at naked bodies all day long – What happens to these airport/government employees after several months of doing this kind of job? They go home and lead normal lives? Not likely? Over time, many of them will probably become sexual predators – how are you going to deal with the large increase in numbers of sexual predators in this society, created in the name of security? Whose security? The financial security of the heads of the corporations making billions from this new form of ‘security’?

Remember the name Chertoff? Think back a bit! Remember Katrina? Who made a grand mess of Katrina for which, some people say, he should have spent time in jail? Try the name Chertoff!

Now look at the airport machines. Wasn’t it Chertoff who first lobbied for them while he was in government and then went to work for the company which manufactures, distributes and sells them when he left government? A great ‘retirement from government pension plan” and look at his salary and bonuses today? Has Mr. Chertoff become a very wealthy man by sexually exploiting the American people? Is he now a very wealthy man because you are being sexually groped and your children being trained to submit to sexual predators at the airport by your government? And you are excusing this in the name of “security”? Are our memories that short?

Some people say Chertoff should have gone to jail for the way he mishandled New Orleans and other areas along the Gulf during the aftermath of Katrina, but instead he has become a wealthy man and compromised your right to privacy; your democracy; your future and the future of your children. Looking at Mr. Chertoff’s ‘progress’, I hate to think of what his third act will be?

All of this done in the name of making you secure? And listen on television to the small comments by people very willing to give up their rights and more importantly your rights, calling you names because you don’t want to be naked in the airport, oppressed by machinery and groped!

Take a look at the increase in lobbying monies spent by the companies who manufacture and sell these machines. Substantial increases in spending made before the machines were adopted. The return on investment to those companies for their money spent lobbying to get their machines installed in airports; for what they spent hiring Chertoff and his government buddies, was money well spent to increase their bottom line – and it has done that in a substantial way.

Who engineered the increase in corporate spending? Chertoff? Take a look at who these companies have hired in addition to Chertoff and then saw their business sky rocket as these ex-government employees, now corporate employees and lobbyists, brought home the bacon.

Why did the man, prominently featured on television, remove his sons shirt while going through this disgusting ritual? To keep him from being overly groped by strangers? What kind of lesson did the little boy learn from his father – who was trying to protect him – and what did he learn from the strangers groping him? Will he be more amenable to the advances of sexual predators in the future? That certainly is the message most young children are getting. Groping is government back and sanctioned – is this the message you want your children to get? Or have you thought that far in advance?

What are you going to do about it? Submit and keep on with your life as usual because its better than rocking the boat?

This isn’t about security people? This is about corporate greed and lack of corporate values and total disrespect of the American public and disrespect of those who travel on American planes.

If we are so concerned about security, why is it the TSA has never implemented a process through which every traveller is known before they board a plane? Why is the system which allowed terrorists to board planes and do damage and the airlines find out who they were AFTER the fact, still not fixed – but this sexual invasion of privacy has been very expensively implemented instead? Is there not enough money being spent on lobbyists and hiring ex-government employees to see that such a really secure system is implemented? Is this really about security or is something else going on here?

We certainly have the technology to change that and to make sure everyone who boards a plane is known!!!! What will searching individual people in such obscene ways do – the terrorists most certainly will be one step ahead and find ways around this security – or better still – find ways to use this security for their own purposes.

Why hasn’t the TSA corrected the problems which caused Ted Kennedy to be stopped because his name was on a suspect list? If we can’t distinguish between a potential terrorist and one of our own Senators, we are in a sorry state indeed. El Al has a system in place by which they don’t have to do these ‘strip’ searches and gropings – they know who is travelling on their airplanes and they did not have a 911 incident. We don’t have a clue! Names have reached the gate after suspect people have boarded planes and the planes taken off. Why aren’t you demanding better than this from your government? This is an outrage and we don’t see many of you reacting and demanding a stop to this corporate greed.

In the name of faulty and ineffective security we have become a police state in which money is being scammed and power is being constantly channeled to fewer and fewer people with the rest of us being squeezed into a very oppressed condition and are being conditioned to accept that position in the name of “security.” I have seen the oppressor and it is us. US, who do these things and US, who accepts them in the name of whatever excuse is offered. Us who picks up these lame excuses and judges others of us negatively because we don’t buy the corporate/government line. By the time you wake up and see what’s happening in this country it will be too late.

These are some of the breakfast conversations about what is happening at the airports in the name of security and it is downright scary. Especially since we don’t see America fighting back, but excusing these intrusions into our bodies and privacy. The right to privacy, guaranteed by the constitution seems to have been put into abeyance.

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A Great Web Site for Those Who Cook!

November 16th, 2010

Passed around over breakfast was the web site www.ChefTalk.com.

We checked it out and it is great!!!! It claims to be “a food lover’s link to professional chefs and indeed it is.

Ask your questions and get many answers in record time. There is a section of articles. A Forum. Reviews and more. My first greeting from the site was an article on “DeConstructing Turkey Gravy.” The title made the article too tempting to skip over.

I have been threatening to make sausage and don’t have a clue. All the sausage I know about comes in some animals gut and is wrapped in plastic. I redeem myself by buying only the sausages labeled “organic”, but I still don’t feel good about the purchases so the series of back and forth question and answer on this site is really excellent for someone with very little knowledge. The site graduates from the rank beginner to the professional chef. It was nice being in such diverse company.

There are the serious/funny question and answers – like the most recent on saffron started by someone who knew nothing about saffron, but was questioning which was the very best. Whoever this was wanted to cook with saffron, but didn’t know how it tasted, how to use it in anything, but was going for the top of the line. I couldn’t help but be amused to think a cook someplace was going to start trial and error with saffron which costs – probably more than gold, instead of experimenting first and improving the ingredient when experience took over.

You won’t regret taking a look at this web site – if you enjoy cooking, talking about cooking, looking at pictures about cooking from a place which is a substantial learning center.

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Travel, Embedded in a Community

November 4th, 2010

How do you do that? By travelling via the Bettina Network.

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Whole Foods Out of the Box

October 23rd, 2010

October is Non-GMO month and we are acutely aware of those who are working to eliminate food grown with GENETICALLY MODIFIED SEED and those who are the great transgressors. Whole Foods has become a leader in the Non-GMO movement and we commend them on that effort and praise them for making such a timely choice. So we are removing Whole Foods from the Bettina’s Box of Shame.

We noticed several other reasons to take them out of Bettina’s Box of Shame. One of our big concerns, at the time we put them in the Box of Shame, was their frozen spinach, etc. from China, especially since, at the time, melamine was being found in foods from China. We find they no longer stock such frozen spinach, however, their current crop of frozen spinach is from Brussels – some from France. While we think those countries are great, we don’t think stocking frozen foods from outside the United States is so great. We hope they will change that practice. There are too many signs around their stores touting “buy local” for them to continue to engage in the practice of having some of their frozen foods come from other countries with no choice given to those who actually want to buy local – even frozen foods.

On the good and most amazing side at Whole Foods – which started to turn our thinking, – several times this summer we found Whole Foods had organic fruit at a price lower than conventional fruit – strawberries, in particular. That practice needs to spread to other foods. It is cheaper to raise organic foods – eliminating the high cost of Monsanto Seeds, pesticides and other offending crutches some farmers use, should eventually result in the lowering of the cost of organic foods.

We found that lower cost particularly exciting and loaded a cart full of the fruit, sending emails to all we could think of to tell them that news and invited friends and colleagues over for tea with Whole Foods fruit and small labels on the table asking them to notice that the price of the organic fruit they were eating (the strawberries) was $1.00 lower than the price of the conventional fruit – $1.00 higher.

We commend Whole Foods on its leadership in the non-GMO movement and will follow and support their activities in this realm. We hope you will too. CUDOS, Whole Foods, on a job well done. Keep up the good work and stay out of Bettina’s Box of Shame.

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A NEW BREAKFAST HABIT – FRESH COFFEE

October 20th, 2010

The Bettina Network, inc.
copyright 2010

We have started a new tradition, thanks to a guest, from Oxford in England, who makes Espresso for himself every morning with a popcorn popper and good, green espresso coffee beans.

It was a fascinating conversation to realize something which I had dismissed as complicated, time-consuming, etc. is being done on a regular, daily basis by a young bed & breakfast guest who has lots of other things to do – a busy life, research, moving his career forward, etc. We tried to get him to write for Bettina’s Blog, but in spite of much begging and pleading, he resisted. Maybe in the future he will relent and write a blog about his morning coffee ritual.

We will have to report this third hand. As you try it, please give us feed back to help us and you refine the process.

The guest referred us to a web site – www.sweetmarias.com. We went all over the site and learned much, which we are trying to put into practice.

First, we had to find the right popcorn popper – mainly because the coffee roasters we found are way up in the hundreds of dollars and only last, according to what we’ve read, about two years. So the popcorn popper is our beginning. Who would have thought you could have really fresh coffee made with beans roasted in a popcorn popper. But who knows, if we become really good at this we can spin off a Bettina coffee roasting company. You can have your coffee beans shipped overnight mail so you can have really fresh coffee in the morning – Bettina style. I suspect some Bettina host families might put up a fuss if we started to require all homes have fresh coffee in the mornings, but stranger things have happened.

I learned, right before the guest left, that the popcorn popper we had would not work. His advice was to get one with holes in the sides of the well where one would normally put the un-popped corn. The hot-air popcorn popper we have has a screen over the hole in the bottom of the well, but no holes in the sides of the well. The holes in the side are needed to keep the coffee beans rotating. They won’t roast and pop out of the popper the way corn does – they will crack and the outer shells coming off the beans as they crack, will fly out of the popcorn popper the way the corn does. For lack of a more professional word – I call that flying stuff ‘shaft’.

We found the right kind at a second hand store for about $3.50. So off we went with our green coffee beans. We had no idea about quality in coffee beans, but since this was a trial, it didn’t matter.

The beans went into the hot air popcorn popper, plugged it in, put a glass bowl where one normally puts one to catch the popped corn which comes out of the popper and out came ‘shaft’ – after the first crack.

Oh, I forgot the cracks! One must wait, while the beans roast, with an incredible smell filling the house until you hear the beans ‘crack’. After this first ‘crack’ the ‘shaft’ – or what I think is the outside covering of the coffee bean – will come out of the popper since it is light and the hot air just blows it into the glass bowl. The directions from our guest says wait until almost the second crack and your beans are done. I had no idea when the second crack would come to be able to anticipate and take the beans out of the popper at that point so I waited a minute or two after the first crack and took out the beans.

The next direction was to make sure you cool the beans by using two pans and pouring the beans from one to the other until the beans cool down or they will continue to roast as long as there is heat and you have lost control of the roasting process.

I stood in the kitchen, pouring the beans from one sifter to the other thinking I had really lost it in my search for perfect breakfast foods and had I gone too far this time? There are perfectly good organic coffees – ground and whole beans, which I could grind – on the market. What was I doing messing up the kitchen and destroying this popcorn popper trying to do what? I didn’t even know if I had good beans or not.

After cooling, I continued to follow the guests directions and let the coffee beans sit overnight. I’m not sure why, but I follow directions pretty good. I don’t deviate until I have tried the prescribed directions and they don’t work and then – all bets are off.

This morning, I am sitting in my office having the best cup of coffee I have ever had in life. Its like the difference in quality between buying a bag of popcorn which was popped probably a month ago, packaged and stored in a too hot warehouse and popping the corn in your kitchen in a kettle popper, eating it fresh and hot out of the popper.

The coffee is incredible. Remarkable!

Now – I am going to try again. This time after reading a bit about coffee beans, learning something about differences in quality of the beans and refining my roasting and grinding technique. I might even buy a coffee grinder, instead of using the grinder we use for nuts to grind the coffee beans.

Growing up, my great-grandmother made her coffee from green beans every morning. She had a wood burning stove in the kitchen and once that stove was fired up, she roasted coffee beans and had a coffee grinder screwed to the wall – a glass jar contraption – and into that grinder she put her coffee beans and had really fresh coffee daily. It was normal! That was just a part of her morning ritual!!! No one considered that strange or special or anything, that was just how you made coffee.

How far we have come from such basics. – Today we have ‘decaf’ coffee which, if you spill on the flame it lets out an incredible stench and the smell of burning ‘decaf’ coffee grounds is a horrible, horrible odor. It always amazes me when guests ask for ‘decaf’. I wonder if they know the process and if they have ever spilled any of their ‘decaf’ coffee grounds on the stove in the flame or electric element.

All the ways we have coffee. Is it because we’ve lost touch with simply roasting your beans, grinding them and making your coffee in a small french press? That is an exquisite way to start your day.

This is going to be quite special, discovering different coffee beans, filling the house with the smell of freshly roasting coffee beans. The one consistency, which ties back to everything else – ALL THE BEANS WE EXPLORE WILL HAVE TO BE ORGANICALLY GROWN! I’m sure you’ve guessed that.

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Want to join us? Have a home that you want to open to become one of Bettina Network’s Hedge Schools? Call us and lets talk – or email us.

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This is a curated blog so you cannot write your responses at the end of each entry. TO RESPOND TO THIS BLOG email bettina-network@comcast.net or info@bettina-network.com

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IF YOU ENJOY OUR BLOG, USE OUR SERVICES TO BOOK ACCOMODATIONS WHEN YOU TRAVEL!

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Eggs for Breakfast?

October 15th, 2010

Needless to say, there has been much talk around Bettina breakfast tables about eggs – given all the media coverage which concentrated on one large farms’ transgression and didn’t give any coverage to the alternatives we have to keep away from eggs with salmonella and other bad things. This summarizes some of what was discussed:

Basically, the question was – what has happened to our food supply that this pops up and the media coverage paints every farm that raises chickens and sells eggs with the same brush. We didn’t see any really good investigative articles on this whole area.

Does this mean we are soon going to see only pasteurized eggs allowed on the market? Was this entire scare a set-up by the large corporate farms to require a large investment pushing out small egg farms? Similar to what happened to raw almonds?

One thing that is scary is the chlorine baths which many large corporate farms put their eggs through. It is mind-boggling to think that we then eat those eggs. Whatever happened to having a clean farm, raising healthy chickens, letting them out in the sun to forage and gathering the good eggs they produce – free of disease. How have we reached this point of having our food produced by large corporate farms which do horrendous things to our food supply and expect us to buy and eat what they produce, no matter how vile or harmful to our health? That is what happens when you turn over responsibility for your life and health to someone else or some other group or corporation. You wake up one day and you are in a mess and don’t know how you got there or how to get out!

If you want to know more, in detail, try www.cornucopia.org – they did research on eggs and have rated some of the farms which produce organic eggs.

One of the healthiest food you can eat is raw eggs. How can we continue to eat raw eggs with all this swirling around?

The Bettina Network asks all of its host families to serve organic eggs from a local farmer whose farming habits they know. This is not about ‘trust’ – trusting the farmers. It is about taking responsibility for your life and health and food supply. Asking questions like – Are the chickens given organic feed? Do the chickens have space to live and run around in the sun and pick and peck in a large space without bumping into other chickens because of lack of space AND especially, do not live in cages stacked on top of one another with their feces dropping on the chickens in the cage beneath them? Is that outdoor space in the sun and not just a small porch which satisfies the organic criteria, but violates the spirit of that organic label?

How do we work full-time, travel the world and still keep up eating organic eggs – and not a bad substitution by those trying to gain the extra money for their product, but not produce the product properly?

No one had an answer to those questions, but some of the discussions were lively. Bottom line – you are responsible for your health and the health of your family and friends and somehow, you have to navigate the sharp rocks which have been put in our paths by a food industry which seems to be getting more and more irresponsible as they concentrate on maximizing profit even if it means compromising their customers’ health. We must all stay vigilant and earn a living. If we all take care, it lessens the load on each one of us because sharing information, having these conversations, helps keep us going in the right direction and maximizing our health.

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Want to join us? Have a home that you want to open to become one of Bettina Network’s Hedge Schools? Call us and lets talk – or email us.

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This is a curated blog so you cannot write your responses at the end of each entry. TO RESPOND TO THIS BLOG email bettina-network@comcast.net or info@bettina-network.com

TO LEARN MORE about Bettina Network, inc. try www.bettina-network.com

IF YOU ENJOY OUR BLOG, USE OUR SERVICES TO BOOK ACCOMODATIONS WHEN YOU TRAVEL!

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Breakfast Apples

October 14th, 2010

One of the Bettina Host families has finally sent us her recipe for the apples which are a trademark of her breakfasts. Every morning, you can count on geting these apples, no matter what else she serves.

We loved them from first taste. They are not stewed apples, which break down to a kind of mush and are nice with certain dishes. These apples pretty much keep their shape and taste fantastic.

They are quick and easy to make if you have the right equipment and what you need is a very good apple corer and a VERY sharp knife for slicing.

“I use organic Granny Smith apples for this dish and buy them by the box. Needless to say a box barely lasts a week.

I wash the apples carefully because I use the peel. It gives a nice semi-caramel taste and texture to these apples. With organic apples I don’t have to worry about strange and awful stuff on the outside because that isn’t allowed, but I still wash them with great care.

Core the apples with an apple corer.

Slice the apples with a very sharp knife. The width of the apples depends upon your taste. Experiment! When you came to stay with us I was slicing the apples about an inch thick, now I slice about half an inch and I like that better.

Put a generous amount of butter in a flat, iron skillet. The skillet probably has another name, but I don’t know what it is. The flat skillet with a little lip around the side is perfect for these apples. The lip catches any butter that strays.

Once the butter starts to bubble, but long before it browns, put apples in the butter and let them fry for just a minute. Turn them and fry on the other side.

Sprinkle the apples with a generous amount of organic turbinado sugar (I read the blog and changed from what used to look like sugar to me and now looks like white death, to this wonderful coarse brown-in-color sugar). Some people think I fry them in brown sugar, but the organic turbinado sugar is different. Most brown sugar (see I do research too) is white sugar with some molasses – which was originally taken out of the sugar – put back.

Once you’ve sprinkled them with organic turbinado sugar, let them fry about another minute on both sides and take them out with a spatula. The ‘no-no’ with this dish is to avoid the temptation of frying the apples too long. A very quick fry on both sides is all you need – this is not apple mush, but fried apple rings and apples will mush very quickly. This is the step which makes the difference between my apples and everybody else’s. (Wow, I’ve been around you too long, my ego is shooting to the moon).

If you need more you can continue to fry the apples in the same skillet adding more butter and sugar as you go along. The last batch is usally the best and I save that for me while I am cleaning the kitchen. Enjoy and stop hassling me for recipes and articles for the blog. You now have my most treasured recipe.

It takes time to really get these right. I made them for weeks before I got the hang of frying them in butter so that the apples would come out in whole slices and look really gorgeous on the plate. Don’t give up, just keep trying and one morning it will click.”

ed. note: I hope our readers’ appreciate all the guff I take to bring them the best from bed & breakfast host families and guests.

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How to Settle an Upset Stomach

October 12th, 2010

A common problem among those who travel is an upset stomach. A traditional remedy is a cup of peppermint tea. From breakfast conversations and from our work with the Philippa Schuyler Committee we discovered charcoal tablets. Those were recommended by Dick Gregory and Josephine Cogsdell Schuyler for her daughter Philippa who travelled extensively giving piano concerts.

We also discovered, from guests from Bangladesh who travel the world constantly that another very helpful stomach settler is to have yogurt – the first thing every morning. Yes, even before your coffee and, according to them, you can eat or drink whatever is put in front of you including the water and not suffer ill effects. Since they have travelled for many years and haven’t yet had to stop or slow down their activities because of an upset stomach, we took that advice to heart and add Yogurt or Kefir as preventives – to eat (yogurt) or drink (kefir) first thing in the morning, before you have to deal with an upset stomach.

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INTERESTING AND UNUSUAL JOB OPPORTUNITIES

September 28th, 2010

NOLA Business Alliance – Chief Executive Officer
Application Deadline: October 15, 2010

“NEW ORLEANS – The Board of NOLA Business Alliance is now seeking a Chief Executive Officer. For the right individual, the CEO position could be an extraordinary opportunity – to lead a critical new organization, for a world-famous city heading in a promising new direction.

The CEO will lead NOLA Business Alliance’s economic development efforts in New Orleans to attract new business and industry into the area, retain existing businesses and promote new business development efforts. The CEO will report to the 17-member Board of Directors, and specifically to the Executive Committee and its Chairman.

Other important working relationships include: owners/executives of businesses with operations in New Orleans; representatives of prospective businesses, both domestic and international; representatives of other economic development organizations in Louisiana, chambers of commerce, port authorities and other entities; the Governor and his administration; federal officials and members of the media.

Anticipated compensation is to be in the range of $150,000-$200,000 per year, commensurate with experience and salary history, in addition to a competitive benefits package.

Major Duties and Responsibilities of the CEO

Overall management and performance of the NOLA Business Alliance
Develop and implement the organization’s vision and mission
Develop and implement the economic development strategic plan
In partnership with the Mayor, GNO, Inc. and others, recruit new businesses to Orleans Parish
Develop a proactive effort to retain existing businesses and help them expand
Build collaborative partnerships, align organization’s activities, and structure development plans with both local, regional, state and federal economic development organizations and stakeholders
Advise the Board of economic development issues that affect Orleans Parish’s economic strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats on a regular basis
Prepare and execute an annual operating budget and economic development plans
Identify and procure new sources of revenue to support the general organization purposes as well as specific programs
Hire and manage a professional staff capable of meeting the goals of the organization
Create and manage measurable performance benchmarks for staff and organization
Serve as a spokesperson with the media and as primary liaison with elected and appointed governmental officials, major trade and professional organizations and other constituencies
Represent the City of New Orleans at official functions on local, regional, state, national and international levels

Minimum Qualifications of the CEO

A bachelor’s degree is required; an advanced degree in business, law, public administration or related discipline is preferred.
Five to ten years of progressively responsible experience in economic development or comparable experience in public administration, business administration, not-for-profit organization or closely related field.
CEcD designation a plus, but is not required.
Residency in Orleans Parish upon accepting the position.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities of the CEO

Economic development: economic development experience and expertise that has led to a comprehensive knowledge of the principles and practices of economic development. This includes the full range of economic development skills, retention, entrepreneurship, marketing, economic development finance, real estate development, redevelopment and tech-led economic development.
Government relations: experience in the process of local, state, regional and national government and government organizations.
Fiscal management: demonstrated ability to manage financial affairs of an organization.
Communication: strong background in interacting and communicating with multiple audiences at the public, private and media level.
Organization management: ability to analyze, assess and direct operations for the entire organization; establish and implement program procedures, policies or guidelines. Experience with governance issues and Board of Director interactions.
Public/private relationships: demonstrated track record of developing effective partnerships between the public and private sector. Must be able to establish and maintain strong work rapport with leading government officials, business executives, and community leaders.
Community/regional development: effectively manages interactions with community and regional organizations.
Management experience: strong human resource and staff development skills, can effectively coach, mentor and empower a staff and create a team focus.
Strategic planning: experience in developing and implementing strategic plans.
Entrepreneurial: takes initiative; a proactive person who demonstrates leading edge thinking with strong initiative and results oriented personality.
Key Personal Traits of CEO

Collaborative: demonstrates a willingness and ability to work with and through others; values consensus-building. Must be able to seamlessly interact in a synergetic environment that exists between local, state and federal officials.
Communication skills: excellent listener; outstanding written and oral communication skills; effective presentation skills to multiple audiences.
Leadership: a take-charge individual with vision and the means to get there; can lead change, manage, motivate, challenge and delegate to others.
Energetic: a self-starter; genuinely enthusiastic; strong personal work ethic.
Organization skills: results oriented; meets established goals and objectives.
Ethical: possesses honesty, integrity and the highest ethical and moral standards.
Analytical: a problem-solver with the ability to analyze problems carefully and conceptualize solutions.
Political savvy: able to maneuver through complex situations effectively and quietly to leverage local, regional, state and federal economy and resources.
Strategic thinker: has the vision to see beyond daily operations toward broader strategic goals; understands “the big picture.”
Application Deadline and Procedure

Interested applicants should send a letter of interest, a resume and salary history by email to Patrick McHugh at pmchugh@iedconline.org no later than midnight CT on October 15, 2010.

NOLA Business Alliance Structure and Mission

The NOLA Business Alliance is a not-for-profit corporation that will serve as the City of New Orleans’ official public-private partnership for economic development. Its mission is to grow jobs and wealth in the City of New Orleans, with a focus on business retention, business expansion, prospect engagement, prospect negotiation, small business services, entrepreneurship and strategic planning.

A start-up organization, its formation and its Board were announced by Mayor Mitch Landrieu on August 13, 2010. It is led by a 17-member Board of Directors composed of a cross section of New Orleans leaders including the Mayor and a variety of business professionals. To fund the operations of this public-private partnership, the City of New Orleans will contribute $1.5 million from its Economic Development Fund and the private sector will contribute a minimum of $500,000 annually.

The “new” New Orleans – the New Orleans that is emerging from the extraordinary challenge of Hurricane Katrina – is a place of remarkable potential. The culture and history that have made New Orleans a beloved international city are being celebrated with renewed pride, while the issues that have kept New Orleans from reaching its full potential are being addressed with unprecedented vigor and success. In the five years since Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans has created and maintained over 90,000 jobs bringing local employment up to 86% of pre-storm levels. The City has been touted as one of the top cities in the nation where Americans are relocating and a “hive of entrepreneurial initiative.” For more information on the City’s progress in the aftermath of the storm, see, for example, An Overview of New Orleans Index at Five: From Recovery to Transformation and Twenty Indicators Measuring Greater New Orleans’ Progress Toward Prosperity (http://www.brookings.edu/reports/2007/08neworleansindex.aspx).

A major driver of this turn-around will be economic development: the creation of quality, high-paying jobs and the growth of successful businesses. To this point, however, New Orleans has lacked an organization with the mandate and resources to lead economic development for the City. Now, that has changed. The newly created NOLA Business Alliance, working in close partnership with the City and the Mayor, will be that leading economic development entity and will drive the economic success of the “new” New Orleans.

***

NOLA Business Alliance is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We provide equal opportunity for all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, marital status, mental or physical disability, pregnancy, military or veteran status, or any other basis prohibited by state or federal law.”

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What Causes Obesity in Children?

September 14th, 2010

What follows is a synopsis of a breakfast discussion and a copy of what I put on Linkedin because the breakfast discussion and the question under the “White House Linkedin Group” were the same. The Linkedin question was “What causes obesity in children?” The Bettina breakfast discussion was – why is it so hard to control your weight when you are very careful with what you eat, but gain weight anyway. In neither discussion did the food industry come in for much of the blame for these weight-gain epidemcs.

What wasn’t in my Linkedin response, but should have been is the fact that growth hormones are put in meat these days – including meat called “natural.” When it isn’t given as injections or other ways, but in the food the animal eats – that gets around the labels. The big difference between “natural” and “organic” in meat is in what the animal is fed. Those growth hormones don’t stop at one generation. They pass on to you who eats the food. So, you eat one pound of food and it acts -for example – in your body as though it was three pounds of food. Now do you still wonder where the weight gain is coming from?You can make many claims if you word them so that they avoid what is real and makes the public think they are getting something that is not actually what they are getting.

“Marceline Donaldson – from Linkedin – • I am amazed at the variety of comments on this question when the answer is really very simple. I am also equally amazed at how far we are willing to spread the blame when the blame lies with our food processing industry which is trying to maximize profits and they do it by maximizing the shelf life of food doing whatever they have to do to get more for less. It isn’t parents or teachers or any of the various peoples being blamed. Having worked in the food industry I was amazed at a very young age at how food is treated and then sold to the unknowing and unsuspecting public. I had no idea another human being would so jeopardize my health to help a company for whom they worked make more money at my and their expense. There was a disconnect – big time – between food processing and the end result of what happens to who eats the food.

We put antibiotics in food as though there are no repercussions and then blame the appearance of superbugs immune to antibiotics, on India We put pesticides in flour to kill the bugs which grow because flour is kept in silos and of course bugs are in the flour and the silos. We then sell that pesticide and bug ridden flour to the public. We put dirt in flour to increase the profits because the FDA only requires flour to be a little less than 100% pure, the balance is in dirt shoveled into the flour to make up the additional weight giving the company the additional profits. I could go on for pages – we do nothing about any of this, except let it ride.

We allow fruit to be picked green, ship it around the country gassing the fruit so it arrives at its destination looking as though it is fresh and ripe with the public buying and not eating foul tasting fruit.

We raise our meat and chickens in foul and filthy conditions, but make them look good at the end through packaging and wonder where the obesity comes from? And the illness?

Wake up folks! You are being poisoned and are denying and not wanting to know or acknowledge the truth.

My time spent working in the food industry means I have never since used white flour or flour that was not organic. My husband spent time working around sugar and won’t touch white sugar because of seeing the men working there spitting tobacco juice into the sugar which was then packaged for human consumption. We’ve both seen the conditions under which chickens are raised and eggs collected and we are surprised when there is a huge egg recall? we only eat organic eggs and ones from farms we’ve seen and know how the chickens are raised, what they are fed, etc. We’ve seen dairy farms where instead of requiring that dairy farms be clean we require that the milk be pasteurized and now we are finding ‘ultra pasteurized’ milk on the shelves. Why? Shef life. What nutrients are left in that ‘ultra pasteurized’ milk? None. There is no difference between drinking that milk and eating junk food – both will ruin your health.

Our current food industry is a disgrace! And we blame others for our sins committed against ourselves, our children and our unborn grand and great grandchildren who will be more disease ridden than we are and more ignorant of what is happening with their food supply.”

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Unusual and Interesting Job Opportunities

August 21st, 2010

FRENCH MARKET CORPORATION
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR POSITION AVAILABLE

The French Market Corporation, a public benefit corporation of the City of New Orleans is seeking qualified applicants for the unclassified position of Executive Director. The Executive Director’s position is charged with the Real Estate and Financial Management of the French Market Corporation and the Upper Pontalba Building Restoration Corporation, two of New Orleans’ historic properties, encompassing forty-two commercial spaces and fifty residential units located in the Vieux Carre District.
Candidate must have a minimum of 5 years management experience with emphasis in overseeing all aspects of management and operations, including but not limited to leasing, tenant relations, business planning and financial management, marketing, capital improvements, facilities and operational management and control of all maintenance, inspection and safety functions. Preference to candidate with 5 or more years experience in real estate management. Candidate must also perform other duties as required with respect to running a Corporation.

Education Background:

Bachelor’s degree in either business, management and/or retail real-estate, or related field
Extensive knowledge of retail real estate industry
Required Knowledge, Skills, and Personal Qualifications:

Ability to oversee all management aspects of running a retail development
Strong business acumen and technical knowledge of Commercial Facilities
Understanding of tenant mix and zoning
Knowledge of managing leasing contracts and strong negotiations skills
Excellent Customer Service skills
Sound working knowledge of computer software applications
Please forward resume and/or inquiries via email to Charles Napoli, President at cjnapoli@earthlink.net by 5:00 p.m., Tuesday, August 24, 2010.

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La Provence – Restaurant Review

August 13th, 2010

105 Thoreau Street………. ….. …….. ……Weekdays: 7am-7pm
Concord, MA. 01742………. ….. ……………Saturday: 7am-5:30pm
phone: 978 371 7428 fax: 978 287 4221…………..Sunday: closed
web site: www.laprovence.us

We spent an incredible day sightseeing in Concord, MA. and then looked around to find someplace to eat which was not too formal, had great food and a nice environment. We found La Provence.

The menu for a deli-type restaurant was great. The food lived up to its reputation. We found La Provence by asking someone on the street, who looked as though they lived in Concord, for a great place to eat. Without hesitation, they said La Provence. We asked if they had eaten there and they said at least two to three times a week. Once we’d finished lunch we knew why they chose to frequent this restaurant.

I was able to have a paté and cheese sandwich. The paté did not disappoint and combined with brie cheese it was a cybarite’s dream and at a reasonable cost. We went back later and had Salmon au Champagne and took home a light and dark chocolate mousse cake which lasted about two hours.

Situated across the street from the train station, La Provence held its own in this place surrounded by so much history. A touch of France in the middle of an English story.

We spent time looking out the large windows watching the people go by and commenting on the incredible diversity of people coming and going. We were tempted to sit at the tables outside under the canopy, but it was hot and it was much better to look out at those sitting outside from an air conditioned space.

We would return to La Provence in a heart-beat and will remember the food for a good long time.
We can recommend La Provence without hesitation or reservations.

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Tags: Bed and Breakfast in Concord MA
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Introducing the Philippa Schuyler Committee

August 12th, 2010

Ed Note: The Bettina Network, inc. is one of the organizations supporting this committee. If you are interested in working on this project-contributing-knowing more about it, please call or email Marceline Donaldson at bettinanetwork@comcast.net.

A committee has formed and started its work of research and remembering, to bring back to public consciousness and its proper place in the world’s history – the enormous talent and sheer brilliance of Philippa Schuyler.

Ms. Schuyler was a child prodigy, who was known the world over as a great composer and pianist. She played for kings and queens; heads of state; emperors and their subjects; and ordinary folks like us. She played major concerts in South America, Asia, many countries in Africa, Europe, Scandinavia, – she played in just about every country in the world. Her concerts were always filled to capacity and people gathered to see Philippa wherever she travelled. Ms. Schuyler lived from 1931-1967.

The daughter of George Schuyler, editor and publisher of the Pittsburgh Courier and Josephine Cogswell Schuyer, artist, – Philippa was recognized as extremely talented and a young genius by the time she was three years old. She composed over 200 pieces and very early on, critics compared her to a young Mozart.

In addition to her life as a composer and concert pianist, Ms. Schuyler was also a journalist. She followed in her fathers foot-steps with investigative reporting pieces which she researched and wrote, while travelling to play concerts in different places. One well known article written by Philippa was her report on the death of Patrice Lumumba. Because it was a controversial piece and other media outlets did not believe what she wrote was factual, the only paper which published this article,at the time, was the Union Leader of New Hampshire. William Loeb, then publisher of the Union Leader was a friend of George Schuyler and he was a fan and friend of Philippa’s. Mr. Loeb gambled, that from what he knew of the family, the article was accurate. The controversy died out when the State Department, some seven months later, came out with the results of its investigation. Philippa’s article was very accurate as to the details of Lumumba’s death and the articles published and accepted by other media as a description of how Lumumba died, were wrong. Several media outlets had to backtrack and apologize for their misinformation – several didn’t bother, just kept going and printed the accurate version without acknowledging their mistakes.

Philippa was killed in Vietnam in 1967. She was there to play concerts for the United States’ troops. After her concerts she helped Catholic Charities move Vietnamese orphans to places where they could receive care. And in the midst of all this activity, Philippa wrote several articles on the war, as she experienced it and as the many contacts she had in the country gave her information that at the time was not accessible to others. If you would like to know more about how Philippa died in Vietnam you can read the record of the Congressional investigation into her death, which goes into detail.

One goal of the Schuyler Committee is to re-introduce Philippa Schuylers’ music to symphony orchestras around the United States and to performing musicians to have them add her music to their repertoires. Music Ms. Schuyler composed was played, before her death, by the New York Philharmonic and several other major symphony orchestras. These concerts showcased and acknowledged Philippa’s musical genius.

Today, through the efforts of the Schuyler Committee, Philippa’s music will become a regular part of classical concerts. The Committee is also encouraging musicians to transcribe her music for their instruments so it can be performed by a wider variety of people on their concert programs.

Another goal, as a permanent legacy, the Schuyler Committee will also bring together a symphony orchestra which will remain after this project is finished. This orchestra will be a very diverse group of people of all colors and from all parts of the country. It will have traits and repertoire reminiscent of current symphony orchestras, but it will also incorporate the classical music of Africa, African Americans, South Americans, Caribbeans, Middle Easterners, etc. There will be every shade and kind of person in the orchestra. It will not be an example of nor affected by the still and continuing colonialization of classical music which has existed and continues to exist, but it will be what we hope is a stunning example of reproducing – live and in recordings – the music the world has and will produce.

It is clear such a symphony orchestra is possible and it is equally clear there are excellent musicians available to carry it off. That will be the legacy of the Schuyler Committee when it goes out of business.

The Committee operates as a network, not as another organization one joins. The work of the committee is taken up by those who find it is something they can do and have the talent and resources to accomplish.

The new symphony orchestra is a very fitting end-result of the Schuyler Committee since Philippa’s struggle all of her life was for her music to be heard as the music she produced, not as music produced by a “Negro” – which was the term of her time. Remembering that she played every place except for White America and Northern Europe and England until she attempted to change her identity to something other than “Negro” – at which time her geograpical concertizing expanded to include the above areas. Before that change of identity she was stymied and appeared in the United States mostly in front of African American audiences and in the rest of the world she concertized in Africa, the Middle East, South America, etc.

To hear an internet radio interview on Philippa Schuyler and this committee try www.artistfirst.com
Click on the picture of Dr. Faye Williams and it will take you to the archives. In the archives is the radio interview.

Members of the Schuyler Committee currently include:

Ann Bennett, Independent Film Professional – New York, N. Y.
The Rev. Dr. Robert Bennett – retired Episcopal clergy – Cambridge, MA
Stanford J. Carter, mentor 100 Black men in America – DeQuincy, LA.
Amb. Harold E. Doley, Jr. – founder and Chairman Emeritus, Doley Securities – Irvington, N. Y.
Marceline Donaldson, entrepreneur – Cambridge, MA.
Walter J. Foley, Executive Director, Trinity Fund Raising Consultants of L.I. – Walpole, MA.
Ruth Hill – Oral History Coordinator, Schlesinger Library/Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study
Annette LeBlanc – International Trader – Takoma Park, MD
Dr. Robert Perry – physics teacher – New Orleans, LA.
Regina Reed, Realtor – Minnetonka, MN.
The Rev. George Thomas, retired Congregational (UCC) clergy – Atlanta, GA.
Dr. E. Faye Williams, Esq. – National Chair, National Congress of Black Women, inc. – Washington, D. C.
Charles Wynder, Jr. – attorney and seminarian, Cambridge, MA.
Bethany Dickerson Wynder – program director, Phelps Stokes, Cambridge, MA.

questions or for more information: contact Marceline Donaldson 1-800-347-9166 or outside the U. S. 617 497 9166
email: bettinanetwork@comcast.net

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I tried Bettina’s Coconut Cake

August 11th, 2010

THIS WAS SENT TO US BY A VERY LOYAL GUEST. SOMEONE WHO HAS USED THE BETTINA NETWORK FOR OVER 10 YEARS. WE ARE DELIGHTED SHE IS NOW FOLLOWING US ON BETTINA’s BLOG.

The cake was stupendous. I had requests for cakes from everyone I know. That’s not a good thing because I am not a bakery and am so busy I don’t know how I found the time to bake the Bettina’s Coconut Cake.

I learned a little when making this cake that I would like to share with you. The greatness of this cake, for me, is the icing. I have been trying to make a good butter cream icing and haven’t been able to get it right. This recipe did it for me.

I used one cup organic turbinado sugar in a Corning glass saucepan with one cup water. I heated this until it reached 240 degrees – following your directions. When it got close, I put three egg whites into a mixer and let it go until the egg whites were stiff. I then poured the hot simple syrup into the egg whites and let it beat until it looked like the marshmallows I tried from your recipes. That was great. Then I added three sticks of organic lightly salted butter – (I used Organic Valley), putting in one small pat at a time. After about 15 minutes of letting the mixer beat at almost high speed I had the best butter cream icing I have ever tasted. I worried when I started about how much butter I would use and didn’t want to use a couple pounds which other recipes call for. I decided the number of sticks of butter I would use would equal the number of egg whites. I have no logic for that decision, it just popped in my head because I didn’t want to spend any more money on this cake. A huge investment in butter seemed a waste.

I was a bit worried because when I saw the icing look like liquid again I was panic stricken, but kept my ground because I didn’t want to use anymore butter.

The texture and taste of this butter cream is unbelievable. When put on the 1-2-3-4 cake the combination was shameful it was so good. The cake lasted about an hour. Oh! I also put powdered organic vanilla powder – one teaspoon – in the icing. You recommended that several blogs ago and I experimented with it because I don’t particularly like the vanilla extract which seems to be held together by alcohol.

I am going to use your cake recipe for every cake I make. It beats those boxed cakes and doesn’t take that much more time to make, especially compared to the difference in the results. One can forget how good a cake made from scratch can taste and how easy it is to make.

I love the way the organic coconut milk adds something to the cake that you can’t quite put your finger on and we all now know that Coconut Milk, etc. is exceptionally healthy. I’ve thrown out my cooking oils and cook exclusively with Organic Virgin Coconut Oil. The smell and taste it adds is great.

Thanks! Keep those recipe’s coming. I will probably lose my job if I spend anymore time in the kitchen, but the results would be worth it. Your recipe’s are dynamite. Of course, then you would have to give me a job working in your test kitchen – if you have one. Something you are doing is turning out these great dishes.

A VERY LOYAL GUEST AND BLOG READER. (PLEASE DON’T USE MY NAME).

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Looking for a different and interesting JOB?

July 21st, 2010

Waltham Land Trust
July 18, 2010
Dear Friend,

The Waltham Land Trust is looking for a Program Director for our all-volunteer orgranization. This person will provide fundraising and general operations support to our Board of Directors. A detailed job description follows and is also located at www.walthamlandtrust.org/.

If you are interested, or if you know someone who might be interested in this exciting opportunity, please share this information with them. A cover letter and resume need to be emailed to resumes@walthamlandtrust.org by July 31.

Job Description

The Waltham Land Trust, a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation in Waltham, Massachusetts is seeking an independent contractor to serve as Program Director for this all-volunteer organization
.
Overview:

The position of Program Director is designed to provide fundraising and general operations support to the Board of Directors. This independent contractor position has flexible hours, but the engagement is for approximately 1500 hours a year with a stipend of approximately $35,000. The Program Director must be available evenings and some weekends for committee meetings and events.

Duties and Responsibilities:
I. Membership – Support expansion and tracking of the membership through recruitment of new members, creation of membership programs (educational events, walks, trailblazing and similar activities), maintenance of member and donor databases, support of newsletter production and regular communication with members, donors and community groups.

II. Volunteer Coordination – Organize and work with Land Trust committees and volunteer groups in making presentations, organizing educational events, walks, open space clean-up projects and similar activities.

III. Fundraising – Assist the board in implementing the fundraising plan by researching and writing grants, preparing solicitations and acknowledgements, organizing special events and other funding strategies and tasks.

IV. Administrative – Provide general support to the Board of Directors and committees by serving as the primary liaison for the organization and by processing contributions, maintaining the website, and managing daily phone and e-mail messages. Maintain the WLT office, equipment and files; order supplies, and perform related administrative tasks.

V. Any other agreed duties.

The land trust is looking for a person who demonstrates the following skills and attributes:

Outstanding organizational skills, strong oral and written communication skills, and excellent interpersonal skills;
Technological skills:
Proficiency with Microsoft Word and Excel, on Mac or Windows;
Proficiency with email, the primary communication tool of the organization;
Desirable: familiarity with Constant Contact or other email group broadcasting services, Adobe InDesign or other page layout software, Filemaker Pro or other database software, Plone or other CMS/Portal web content creation and editing, and ArcView or other GIS mapping software;
Ability to walk on trails, lift a weight of 15-20 pounds, drive to program locations in Waltham and elsewhere in New England;
Ability to balance competing priorities and deadlines;
Works well independently, is a self-starter able to handle multiple tasks;
Reliability and flexibility;
Ability to work collaboratively with colleagues;

Please send cover letter and resume via email by July 31st: resumes@walthamlandtrust.org

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In Memory of Jaki Leverson – An email response.

July 14th, 2010

Dear Bettina,

my name is xxxxxxx xxxxxxxx. I was a student of Jaki Leverson’s in the Tufts-in-London program in 1983-84. I just learned that she died and am full of sadness. I remained in touch with Jaki ever since college and visited her in London every couple of years. I last saw her in August 2008. Jaki was one of the most decent, kind people I’ve ever known. Her dedication to her work and to her students was incredible. And as you said, she was a true citizen of the world. I will miss her.

Sincerely,
xxxxxxxxxxxx

ed note: The above email was received by us 7/12/2010 and we wanted to share it with you, our readers. Per our policy, the name of the person sending the email is not included.

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Tags: Bettina Network's Lifestyle Community, Jaki Leverson, Memorial
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Harvest Restaurant

July 13th, 2010

44 Brattle Street
Cambridge, MA. 02138
617 868 2255

Hours: Mon-Th 12pm-10pm
Fri-Sat 12pm-11pm, Sun 11:30am-10pm

We were roaming around Concord, MA., went into a beautiful modern art gallery and heard about the Harvest Restaurant’s history. The person in the store lived in Cambridge, once upon a time, and her husband worked at the Harvest so we got an earful. We were on our way to reviewing another restaurant, but after that conversation, which was fantastic with lots of history we didn’t know, we decided to stop in for lunch and maybe dinner to take another look at the Harvest Restaurant in Cambridge.

The history was intriguing. Many of the ‘greats’ in the restaurant world in Cambridge/Boston started out at the Harvest Restaurant or worked there at some point in their career. The Harvest and Design Resource – a great place to shop, once upon a time – were connected by the same ownership and we had just enjoyed the retrospective display in the window of the old Design Resource while it waited for a new store to open. The Marimekko fabrics and other items once considered consumer items, now in the area called art were beautifully presented.

Lydia Shire, Chris Shlesinger, and we heard, but couldn’t verify that even Jasper White worked at the Harvest. We couldn’t verify any of the stories we heard because we called the Harvest’s PR person, who was in a hurry and didn’t have time to talk with us. We asked our questions, she promised she would send info on the Harvest’s history – weeks ago. We are still waiting for either a return phone call or marketing information.

That is symbolic of our entire experience.

Our first trip to the Harvest was for lunch on a week day. The restaurant was only about 1/3 full. We were happy about that. Service would be great, no crowds with which to contend, no running out of dishes on the menu, etc.

When we walked in we were confronted with large flower arrangements, which were exquisite, but looked as though the florist had just arrived and put them wherever there was space – pushing some things out of the way to make room for the flowers. That was disappointing. The Harvest would have looked better without the flowers. Someone’s aesthetic sense is missing.

We looked at the menu and looked and looked and looked. It was hard deciding what to order, because nothing really struck us as great for lunch. I came from a place which cooks great rabbit, but somehow Bacon Wrapped Rabbit Leg with grilled nectarine foie gras stuffing just didn’t do it. My food memories growing-up include foie gras and great bread for breakfast and an even greater foie gras for dinner or a late evening snack. The thought of eating a grilled nectarine foie gras – stuffed into a rabbits leg which was wrapped with bacon, just spoiled all those memories so I bypassed that item.

After taking a long time to decide we settled on hamburgers. Going to an upscale restaurant for fast food was just debilitating. There were three of us and we all settled on the hamburgers for lack of being enticed by anything else. The hamburgers were a forced selection, – since we were there we had to choose something. It was not a choice we jumped for joy about.

When the food arrived, it was disappointing! The burger was alright; the aioli good; there were huge proportions; the fries were good; the bread not so great; way to much raw onion – a huge thick slice of raw red onion on the sandwich overpowered everything else. Since we had a meeting to go to after lunch and didn’t want to run everybody out of the room with our after lunch bodily smells, we took the onion off the sandwich. A smaller, thinner slice might have held its own, but this was way over the wrong top.

For an upscale restaurant, it was a decidedly downscale meal. The service was more than adequate, but the wait people were totally lacking in energy. I wondered if they would make it through the meal.

We were bothered by flies throughout our meal and we chose to sit inside so we wouldn’t have to worry about the insects. A fly settled in the rim of the glass at the empty table next to us and stayed there for over an hour. Could that be why many restaurants turn their glasses upside down once a table has been set? – to keep tiny, unwanted intruders out of the crystal and off the porcelain? It was more than a little upsetting to have to battle flies, but we weren’t excited about the food anyway so we skipped dessert, ignored the coffee and left most of the food uneaten.

Because the room was not full the table arrangements didn’t bother us. If it had been filled we would have left before ordering. Somehow, we didn’t expect to see tables lined up along the wall – one table after another, where you would probably elbow your neighbor at the next table before the end of the meal because there wasn’t room to eat with any sense of privacy and distance from others trying to do the same thing. Stuff another table along the wall and push them all closer together to accommodate the extra service for another party – seemed to be the ethos!

All in all – too much money – for a forced upscale-wanna-be menu. One choice we skipped over was a Burgundy Escargot Tart with Chorizo Butter. We wondered what Chorizo butter would do to the Escargot – a delicate taste mixed with – what – butter whipped with chorizo sausage? It sounded greasy, unappetizing and we just couldn’t imagine ordering it.

Would we return? Uh-Uh! We did, however, for dinner – to make sure we weren’t judging on just one visit where things could have been a bit off that day. Dinner wasn’t any better. Especially since NOTHING was organic. The only item close was the “natural” Boyden Farm Vermont Burger. For the same money they could have made that burger an Organic one.

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Searching for Goats MILK!

July 8th, 2010

We are searching for Organic Whole Raw Goats Milk Kefir! If we can’t find the Organic Whole Raw Goats Milk Kefir – if you know of a source for Organic Whole Raw Goats Milk let us know that to – we will make our own Kefir.

We have received lots of mail about one of our bed & breakfast home’s morning Smoothie Drink which is available to their bed and breakfast guests as an addition to or instead of the regular breakfasts they prepare. We would like to make the recipe and information available on the Blog, but sources for the Goats Milk are impossible to find – except in the most hidden places. What country is this? A democracy? Or has our open government been replaced with a dictatorship when we weren’t looking?

Don’t know why those foods that are best for us are the hardest to find? Are we being marketed and programmed into sickness and problem health issues?

The smoothie made with Organic Raw Goats’ Milk Kefir is getting rave reviews from some of our guests. One guest credits it with getting rid of his “pot belly” which he cultivated by drinking beer and which exercise did nothing to flatten.

The recipe:

Put the following in a blender –
1 cup organic raw whole goat’s milk kefir
Add a frozen packet of your favorite organic fruit – blackberries, pinneapple, cherries, strawberries, etc.
Add one organic banana – very ripe
Add organic maple syrup to taste

If you like your smoothie very cold and a little like a soft ice cream add about 4 ice cubes
If you prefer your smoothie more liquid, don’t add the ice cubes and you will get a wonderful thick drink.

Blend for several minutes – depending upon how you want the outcome – experiment until you get your favorite consistency.

We’ve started trying it, but can’t get the proper milk. We are using organic whole milk pasteurized cows milk kefir. Its still good, but not as healthy, nor does it give the kind of results the organic raw whole goat’s milk kefir is giving and we are jealous of the results and frustrated in this search.

At least we can find the organic whole milk – Lifeway is the only label we’ve found selling the organic whole cow’s milk kefir.

I am sure you all know the difference between the whole milk and low fat. We are discovering claims that low fat is what is producing the osteoporosis epidemic. All the research we’ve done and the breakfast discussions we’ve been made aware of talk about the difference and the false bill of goods, particularly women, have been sold thinking low fat milk products will help them control their weight and provide their needed calcium, etc.

Apparently, milk fat and milk protein have to be present in the body at the exact same time and the only way that can happen is if your milk is “whole”. All the unnatural things that are being done to milk is amazing. What ever happened to good, plain, clean milk straight from the animal without all the expensive equipment now needed to produce a bottle of milk to sell to consumers. It certainly has limited who can go into the dairy business and produce the end product – And, especially – who receives the real profit from milk. It looks as though that will not be the farmer with the dairy animals producing the milk. That is only the first step – after which those who make the real profit on milk step in, collect milk from many dairy farmers and up the price beyond anything any dairy farmer could hope to make.

There have been some hot breakfast table discussions about milk lately. We buy organic milk, but hadn’t thought much beyond that. We now have been pushed to look at a lot more and think carefully about this whole topic. There is even a bit of controversy over kefir. Are there 10 or 12 probiotics in Kefir or are there 36 and are we being short changed even in that area?

Bed and breakfast opens doors we didn’t even realize were doors and throws open windows we couldn’t see through. What a startling new view through those windows with the painted glass panes. This milk business is certainly an area that has us dizzy. And it all started with smoothies for breakfast.

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I tried Bettina’s Coconut Cake

Looking for a different and interesting JOB?

In Memory of Jaki Leverson – An email response.

Harvest Restaurant

Searching for Goats MILK!

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