Mindless Eating

- Why We Eat More Than We Think

by BrianWansink

This is one of those books that got people really exciting with startling claims and funny findings that could fill a lot of conversations and gossips afterwards. And, the idea is really simple - perception, perception fools us into overeating, and some small changes/modifications on that can help us to eat better and even loose weight. Let's hope so.

- try 0.25 lb per week
- eat only 100 -200 calories less a day
- avoid bigger packages
- hide you food
- use trade offs (I can eat x if I do y)

The Story of Classical Music

by Darren Henley
read by Marin Alsop

I didn't go through the whole thing, but that's only because I decided to buy one for my self. It includes most of the importants artists, their achievements, background and masterpieces. It is intended for children, but comprehensive and enjoyable enough for me.

Nutritious Food

Must have all the followings:
* 1 yogurt (60) s
* 1 milk + 7 dates (120 + 72) s
* 1 chrysanthemum + goji + hawthorn berry tea (30) s

Must choose 2 of the followings:
- 1 tbsp sesame (78) j
- 12 almond (94) j
- 9 cashew (82) j
- 9 chestnuts (88) j

Can have 1 of the followings:
- 8 walnuts (106) s
- 1/4 cup cranberry (91) s

Fa gao

1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup corn meal
1 teaspoon yeast
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoon sugar (amount is flexible)
some cold water or milk
some dates and/or nuts

Mix into a bowl of thicky sticky fluid, leave at a warm place until it grows 2 or 3 times of the orginal size (may take several hours, and the ready thing has many bubbles on top).

Add dates/nuts etc., mix lightly, give it 30 minutes to rise again before steaming. Steaming 25 minutes.

*I use white sugar the first time. Doesn't look authentic, but tastes good.

Cheesecake

2 eggs
1 1/3 cup heavy cream (a bout 266.6 ml)
5 tbsp sugar (can be less than this)
2 - 8 oz cream cheese

use mixer to mix
bake at 350 F for 30 minutes

taste creamy, somewhere between a sugary tofu and a steamed egg.

2861 Calories total

The Supermarket Diet

by Janis Jibrin

I flipped through this book within less than an hour, because there's really nothing new in it.

At this point of my life, I believe I have accumulated enough knowledge about nutrition and food labels to comprehend any diet plan. The problem is to carry it out. Maybe I'll give it a try - the 1200 -1500 - 1800 calories plan.

Carrot Cake

1 cup of all purpose flour
1 cup of whole grain flour
1 cup of brown sugar
1/2 cup of plain sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 or 2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup of walnuts

1/3 cup of oil
2/3 cup of buttermilk
1/3 cup of heavy cream
3 eggs

2 cups of carrots

Mix dry ingredients (first group)
Mix and beat wet ingredients (second group)
Gradually add dry to wet (1/2 cup a time), then add carrots, mix till smooth.
Preheat oven to 350F, spray and flour a pan, pour mixture in, bake 45 minutes.

Calories: 4000 C

The Last Juror

by John Grisham

I was expecting a typical lawyer, court, prosecution story full of conspiracy, thriller and suspense, but it turns out something quite different. Through a rookie journalist's eyes and along with his maturing, we come the see life - almost all aspects of it, from politics and religion to attire and food, in a small southern town in the 70's, and how the social background of the decade - vietnam, desegregation, drug, and monopolization, changed the often idyllic south. This is a story of culture, a story of humanity.

A very enlightening reading experience, but still puzzled by the title.

The Testament

by John Grisham

This is by far the most boring one from this author - jungles and preaches interwaing with litigation. Perhaps because it reflects so much of the author's own life - Brazil, the missionary, the court, the last case, and maybe many more - that he couldn't focus on facribating an intriguing story.

The Summons

by John Grisham

My second book on CD and maybe the last one for this author. The more you read one author, the more repeating rhetorics, themes and twists you see, and eventually, you'll get tired of him/her, no matter how good an impression you held in the beginning. I am on that edge for John Grisham now.

The Brethren

by John Grisham

Some dude from bbs highly recommends this one, but I happen to have a low opinion of it. It's simply too ridiculous.

The Partner

by John Grisham
Read by Michael Beck

This is my first audio book experience, and it turns out ok. I don't really like the southern accent of the performer, but I guess the content demands it. Of course I missed some details but at least there's no need to go back to the print work for major parts. And it so much faster than reading!

Like the ending too.

The Firm

by John Grisham

I was told this is Grisham's first and best novel, and obviously I was misinformed. His first one turns out to be A Time to Kill, and his best one, well, I don't know yet. Maybe it is still Skipping Christmas.

The Firm sets tones for several of his later works, if not all. In other words, he never grows out of it. But this is not necessarily a bad thing, as long as he can keep up the suspense and the charm.

Hua juan er

1 2/3 cup all purpose flour*
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt (or just dashes)
1/2 cup warm water (body temperature)*
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1) mix all dry ingredients
2) melt yeast in water, then pour into the mix
3) kneat until no powder can be seen
4) add oil, kneat again till dough is smooth
5) cover the bowl with plastic wrap, wait about 40 minutes (the dough grows to 3 times its original size)
6) make dough into big flat wrap, add oil and salt (onion, sugar etc.)
7) roll the wrap up and cut into pieces (not too narrow)
8) every two make one hua juan
9) leave in a warm place for 30 minutes
10 ) steam 8 minutes after the water boiled, then turn off the heat, wait 3 minutes before open the lid.

*used 2 cup flour with 1 cup water for the first time, the dough is shapeless, but the buns tastes ok.

Scone

1. Taste more like biscuit:
2 cups all-purpose baking flour
1 tablespoon baking powder,
1/2 teaspoon baking soda,
1 or 2 tablespoons sugar,
1/3 teaspoon salt.
1 stick of butter
Stir in 3/4 cup of buttermilk.
1/4 cup of heaving cream.
Add dried fruit or chocolate chips to taste.

2. Denser
2 cups all-purpose baking flour
1 tablespoon baking powder,
2 tablespoons sugar,
1/4 teaspoon salt.
1 /2 stick of butter (4 tablespoon)
2 eggs
1/2 cup of heaving cream.
Add dried fruit or chocolate chips to taste.

Bake 15 minutes at 400F.

Nutrition for Health, Fitness and Sport

by Melvin H Williams

A fairly comprehensive introduction to the basics of nutrition. For someone who is not interested in sports at all, the book has wasted too many pages on athlets. Also, as the author quotes a huge amount of references, and no one can possibly goes through them during a course time, we have to take his words for it. The author tries to set his view points neutral, though I suspect a thing for vegetarians.

Above all, I got what I want from the book. Time well spent.

Deception Point

by Dan Brown

Fortunately, I didn't have high expectation of this new one. Da Vinci Code attracts me only with its religious content, the researches and discoveries about Jesus that I was not aware of. The writing is just so so.

In deception point, the background is military, high tech and politics. The author obviously has substantial knowledge in the first two areas, yet, those are the parts that I flip through. As for politics, the details are okay while the main story line is tooooo far fetch, rendering no credibility at all.

Having said that, if make into a movie, this one should be better than Da Vinci Code. Special effects, suspense and action are all over.

Omnivore's Dilemma

by Michael Pollan

Another book that I committed to read thoroughly but end up skipping a lot of chapters. The first part of the book is a more detailed and informative expansion of Eric Schlosser's Fast Food Nation. The second part on industrial organic also provides some interesting but not so astonishing facts. When it comes to the utopian Virginia farm, hunting, and gathering, oh, man, I just have to skip to the end. The author is looking for a perfect meal for upper middle class Americans, at the expense of the at least two third of the world population, and a higher percentage of American people.

One good point observed by the author is that, unlike many other cultures in the world, Americans don't have their own food tradition, and therefore, easier to fall victim of the industrialization and commercialiaztion of eating. In addition to that, and missed by the author, is the democracy and the freedom Americans boast. In a not so politically correct culture like Chinese or French, being overweight is associated with humiliation and less or worse opportunities in society, but here in US, fat people simply don't feel the shame. Guess obesity is the price to pay to live in a free world.

A Short History of Nearly Everthing

By Bill Bryson

The first part of the book is like a tour of the universe and the earth, with your guide points out the milestones, explains them in a layman's language and above all, highlights the anecdotes associated with their discoverer. It is a fun tour and definitely reminds readers of the author's reputation in travel literature. However, the second part of the book takes a dull turn. It is piled up with scientific terms and and facts, and the scientists are mentioned through quotes instead of stories. It makes people wonder how much of the stuff the author himself really gets.