The perpetual ideal is astonishment.

-- Derek Walcott

Photography by Gabriel Szoke

THE VIRTUOUS CONSUMER

It gets complicated. Buying food, for example.

Once, food choices were based on want alone and pricing.
Nowadays, as consumers increasingly strive to be environmentally
conscious, so many more considerations come into play when
selecting food.

Is it GMO? Is it locally produced as opposed to being imported
and shipped from halfway around the world? What additives does it
contain? What are all those ingredients in it that you can't even spell,
let alone identify? Is it fair trade? Organic or conventionally grown,
in which case what is its level of exposure to pesticides and
insecticides? Should you buy canned or bottled or packaged?

And here's something else worth paying more attention to:
packaging. Is the product packaging wasteful? Does it squander
resources? Does it promote the use of non-recyclable materials?
And if so, should you buy those products?

Take single-serve portions which cater to convenience but actually
may be a bad idea for the environment. A snack seen recently at a
local supermarket targeted consumers who evidently can't spare
the few seconds it takes to slice a piece of fruit. This apple treat
consisted of apple slices packed in many small, individual plastic bags.

But what looks like a simple solution, is actually a wasteful idea
because of all those little plastic bags that will end up in landfills.
Moreover, why would anyone want to eat apple slices that were
cut who knows when and have been in transit for who knows how
long.

Another example is the tiny, single-serve coffee pods sold in
conjunction with certain coffee-making machines. A recent column
in rodalenews.com, noted that most of these coffee pods are made
out of non-recyclable, non-biodegradable material.

The environment is ill served by products that are obviously
taxing the capability of landfills, already stressed to the point that
a lot of waste produced by the United States ends up being dumped
in poor, third-world countries. It is up to consumers to lead the way
and use the power of the purse to move the food industry towards
more environmentally savvy packaging and less packaging waste.

                       

THE ART OF THE CARD


Art delights the eyes and decorates walls.
But what if you don't have the money
 to buy real works of art? 
Consider the art of the card.
The lowly card is an amazingly
versatile art object and one
that easily lends itself to adding
a touch of color and gaiety to any
corner of the house. Cards can be propped against 
books or vases, placed inside glass cabinets or
mounted in frames.
Some cards you can buy for a couple of dollars, 
others can be had for free like the beautiful cards that art
 galleries in cities like New York or London print
in conjunction with their current exhibitions.
Printed on excellent paper stock, these
cards may feature images or words. Either way, they
are almost as desirable as the real work of art.

☛  A SIMPLE TIP  Old socks never die, in fact you can
easily extend their utility but putting them to use as rags for
dusting and other housecleaning duties. Even better, your
hands will be protected, much as if you were wearing gloves.
And when they get too soiled, just toss in the garbage.

Photography by Denise Blasor

Why are you stingy with yourselves?
Why are you holding back?
What are you saving for?
Another time?
There are no other times.
There is only now.
Right now.

--George Balanchine

ⓒ 2014  Lorraine Blasor All rights reserved

Happy Halloween
photography by Denise Blasor

 MOVIEs for a RAINY DAY

On a rainy fall week-end, what better thing to do than watch
a movie and get lost in a plot that ensnares you completely.

"One Hour Photo" with Robin Williams is a good choice for
sci-fi enthusiasts. Even if somewhat flawed, it has an interesting
storyline built around the beguiling premise that reality can
be changed through the manipulation of memory. The story is
a little spooky, a little strange, yet quite satisfactory.

Old movie buffs can treat themselves to Alfred Hitchcock's
wonderful 1935 thriller "The 39 Steps," starring the engaging
Robert Donat and the feisty Madeleine Carroll.  This film is
such a treat, just thinking about it makes you want to see it again.
It is a fast-paced yarn, with mystery, murder, spies, and escapes
galore, all mixed up with dollops of humor and oozing with
that inimitable Hitchcock style. The cinematography is superb,
the black and white a joy, and at an hour and a half of viewing
time that leaves you plenty of room for more movie watching.

If you are partial to romantic comedies, "50 Dates" is sweet
and poignant. Starring Adam Sandler and the fetching
Drew Barrymore, this most unusual romance is the story of
how veterinarian Henry Roth falls in love with an amnesiac
woman. A car accident has left Barrymore's character, Lucy
Whitmore, with Goldfield's syndrome, a fictional name
for a real condition known as anterograde amnesia which
prevents people from forming long-term memories.  Can
romance survive if the girl of your dreams forgets who you
are at the end of each day? Sandler and Barrymore offer sensitive
performances in this film that might leave you a little teary
eyed by the time the closing credits roll along.

No problem. Because that is when the real action begins and
tears give way to thrills when you watch "Phone Booth," a
film that might not make the lists of all time greats but is a
darn good movie with the kind of charged plot that will keep
you glued to your seat, even if most of the action takes place
in a phone booth!

To say too much would spoil the ingenious plot and give away
the magnificent irony at the heart of this movie so let's just say
that this is the story of a cocky and feckless young publicist
who gets his comeuppance when he steps into a phone booth,
picks up the phone and is suddenly at the mercy of a mad
extortionist.

Can you think of a more heady plot?

"Silence has many songs to sing."

Jack Anderson 

Photography by Denise Blasor

FOOD AND PROVISIONS 

Copyright food52.com
Forged iron fry pan

Food 52 is a handsome 
culinary website where
you will find beautifully
photographed dishes 
and an online shop called
Provisions that supplies 
kitchen ware, cooking
tools, goods and crafts.
The website even has a 
hotline where people can
ask, or answer, any food-related question. 

A visit to Food 52 won't leave you empty handed
as it offers many great recipes that you will want
to replicate in you own kitchen.

The site's aim? "We believe that if you want to eat 
better, and you want to help change our food 
system, you need to cook." 

food52.com

Photography by Juliette Blasor

Wake up today, 
and look into the heart of the universe,
at this very moment you are here,
and you are alive.

-- Martin Suarez.

©  2013 Lorraine Blasor all rights reserved☂

The Flavor Merchants 

Love the Kitchen Heat

Chefs Mercedes Oliveras and Victor Merced
get ready to serve their pièce de résistance: Paella.
 Courtesy of The Flavor Merchants

IN good times and bad times, celebration is a part of life. And what kind of celebration would it be without food! But being able to entertain and also feed a crowd can sometimes drive a host or hostess to distraction, which is why catering is such a popular service.
YOU don't have to travel far to find a caterer in Puerto Rico where most restaurants are only too glad to provide the service. Another option is hiring an individual caterer and to find one your best bet is to ask around; sooner or later someone will lead you in the right direction. Food preparation is an art form and not without its dangers, what with foodborne illnesses so prevalent nowadays, so make sure the caterer you select has the proper licenses and food safety training.
AND then there is The Flavor Merchants, three partners with plenty of experience in the food industry (a combined 60-years worth), enthusiasm and passion for food: Corinne Font, Victor Merced, and Mercedes Oliveras. The team handles corporate and private events: galas, social gatherings, cocktail parties, you name it. It even offers seminars and workshops on everything food and beverage related.
"WE really thrive when people are happy" said Oliveras, a CIA graduate (not that CIA, but the Culinary Institute of America based in New York City) whose career credits include working as executive chef at the San Juan Grand Hotel and Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. Her last job was overseeing the operations of Ponte Fresco, a popular restaurant operator with seven eateries in the San Juan metropolitan area. She is also a certified Kosher chef and has an amazing knack for remembering past menus which, she says, is easy "if the menu means a lot to you."
ONE of The Flavor Merchants' specialties is paella, that spectacular one-dish sensation from Valencia, Spain, in which rice boogies with seafood or meats. The team cooks it right in your own home and serves it in the traditional "paellera," a stainless steel, porcelain enameled flat pan manufactured in Spain. Or you might opt for a parillada (grilled meats) or a buffet menu. There are plenty of menu options for clients who also benefit from the team's advice regarding what is best to serve at a particular event. 
NO catering is too small, or too big, for the Flavor Merchants who have no trouble whipping a dinner for a group of 10 or 20 people, a breakfast for 300, or feeding a few thousand people at a product sampling. "We work with all budgets," said Merced, a graduate of the Puerto Rico Hotel School who went on to work in hotels and, in the 1990s, sharpened his business skills by running a business called The Spice of Life. Catering prices range from "$12 per person up to $500 per person, it all depends on what the client chooses," he added.
SINCE prepping for an affair can take up to a week, all three partners make sure to divide chores and get additional staff to help out (When not pitching in with the cooking, Font's main task is handling customer service. Her career credits include working for the exclusive Sheraton Bal Harbour Beach Resort in Miami). Large catered meals are cooked at the company's own kitchen in Caimito which is equipped with an oversize, stainless steel Vulcan stove (two ovens and 12 burners!), and then ferried over to the party. "I like to work against the clock," said Merced, a man who smiles easily and projects an easy-going manner. Is he that cool in the kitchen? Seems so. " "There is always stress in the kitchen but you have to be objective in how you deal with it. In reality, " he said, " we take turns between the three of us in handling stress ."
DESPITE the slow economy, Merced is pleased at the way word-of-mouth publicity is helping to attract new clients, even from beyond Puerto Rico. Like the statesider who recently hired the company to cater a wedding that will take place on the island in the fall. And though only a year and a half has gone by since The Flavor Merchants got off the ground, the trio is already working on its most ambitious endeavor up to date: launching a line of sauces, food seasonings, and dressings featuring Puerto Rican ingredients and bearing the company name. For these three amigos, the kitchen is definitely not too hot!


The Flavor Merchants 787.791.6904 www.flavormerchantspr.webs.com

At the Tate Museum in London
Photograph by Jack Bierschenk

Can life still have meaning despite insignificance? Does personal meaning have more power than cosmic insignificance? Is that really what it's about, the triumph of personal meaning over cosmic insignificance, for one brief heartbeat?  -- Comedian Bill Santiago  

                                                                                                                                    

PIOMU: THE ECO FRIENDLY KID STORE

In the cloth versus disposable diaper debate, the jury is still out. In the meantime, those who opt for going green have a resource in PIOMU, a store in Garden Hills Plaza that retails the gdiapers brand which combines a washable outer pant in a gamut of colors ($17.99) and two types of inserts: 100% biodegradable, or washable. While somewhat costlier than regular diapers, washable inserts --available in different sizes at a cost of $30 for a 6-pack -- can be used again and again which means you save money, according to Glorimar Ripoll, who started PIOMU as a web store in 2009 and inaugurated the physical location in April this year. Gdiapers are free of plastic, chlorine, latex, or perfume. The biodegradable refills (also available in different sizes and packs) are flushable and cost $15.
The store also sells clothing, bedding, food and toys, primarily aimed at babies and toddlers. Products are mostly made out of organic products or recycled materials. " I was inspired by a genuine desire to provide safe and healthy alternatives for children," says Ripoll in a statement found on her company website. An information technology professional, she founded the company with her husband Luis Benitez, an electrical engineering grad from MIT who works as a consultant and social software "evangelist." "Most people are not aware of the presence of toxic chemicals (in children's products) and the dangers they pose to the health of children."
PIOMU (Spanish for the sounds made respectively 
by a chick and a cow) donates 1% of its sales to environmental
organizations. "Our vision is to provide children with
optimal development

This cute pig is made of
organic maple wood.
PIOMU, $6.99
 

opportunities that minimize our impact on the planet's resources and the incidence of childhood
disorders caused by exposure to toxics found in some common children products. And of course, we want them to have fun!"


PIOMU 1365 Luis Vigoreaux Ave. Garden Hills Plaza 787.273.1337 www.piomu.com

Photograph by Denise Blasor
Cooking is like love. It should be
entered into with abandon or
not at all. 
Harriet Van Horne

Copyright 2011 © Lorraine Blasor All Rights Reserved