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dried tibetan goji berries

Ginger - Much More Than Just a Spice

Dried or raw, baked or cooked, powdered or crystallized, ginger has made its way to almost every world's cuisine. Widely appreciated for its medicinal and culinary value, the aromatic spice is the essence of many Oriental dishes - Chinese and Indian in particular.

Though called a root, ginger is actually the rhizome of the perennial plant Zingiber Officinale, which takes its name from the Pali "singiveram" meaning "horn-shaped". A rhizome is a horizontal, usually underground stem with multiple roots and shoots coming from its nodes. Believed to be of Chinese origin, ginger was also cultivated in India and Southeast Asia thousands of years back. It is considered to be the first Oriental spice introduced to Europe.

While Asian cuisine traditionally uses ginger in its raw form - chopped, crushed, grated - in curries, chutneys, stir fries, soups and salads, Western cuisine tends to prefer dry ginger used in the sweet stuff like ginger ale, gingerbread, ginger cake, jams and candies. Hot and sweet, with distinguished aroma, ginger is truly a universal spice able to blend organically to nearly any dish.

Health Benefits of Ginger
Ginger has been known for its numerous health-enhancing properties for thousands of years. It is a popular cough and cold treatment, especially effective when consumed in a tea form or as juice mixed with honey. Thank to its anti-inflammatory quality, ginger is also good in treating arthritis-related pain, and easing muscular aches and migraines. Women throughout Asia use ginger in food and drinks to relieve menstrual cramps; ginger tea is believed to stimulate uterus contractions and is advised to be taken after childbirth to make the womb shrink faster. It is also considered helpful in breast milk production.

Ginger in various forms has proven to be effective in relieving nausea symptoms. It includes nausea experienced due to motion sickness, pregnancy and chemotherapy. Ginger in moderate amounts stimulates digestion and prevents stomach gas. The unique spice has been acclaimed as an antioxidant; it is widely believed to be an aphrodisiac as well. To top it all, ginger is an excellent mouth freshener, instant hangover relief, and a mood enhancer; the latter quality was utilized by perfume manufacturers.

Ginger Recipes
Ginger adds a hot, lemony flavor to food. Fairy pungent and sweetish taste goes well with an array of dishes and drinks; so, ginger offers enough room for experimentation and improvisation. Try these easy and tasty ginger recipes or go ahead and invent one of your own!

Chicken with Mango and Ginger
Ingredients:
� cup olive or vegetable oil
2 cloves fresh garlic, crushed
2 pounds chicken breast fillets, skinned
1 cup peeled and diced mangoes
� cup dark brown sugar
� tsp freshly ground cloves
2 tsp ground ginger
� tsp nutmeg
1 tsp soy sauce
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
In a heavy frying pan heat the oil, add the garlic and saut� for a few minutes. Add the chicken fillets and cook for 15-20 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Meanwhile, blend the mango with the sugar, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg. Pour the mixture over the cooked fillets to evenly cover all the pieces. Add soy sauce, salt, and pepper to taste. Cook 10 more minutes. Serve hot with a rice side dish and/or green vegetable.

Hot Ginger Coffee
Ingredients:
6 tbsp ground coffee
1 tbsp orange peel, grated
1 tbsp ready-made crystallized or candied ginger (available in grocery stores)
� tsp cinnamon, ground
6 cups cold water
Fat free whipped cream, cinnamon sticks - to taste (optional)
Brew the coffee, orange peel, ginger and cinnamon together as usual. Pour into mugs and garnish with whipped cream and cinnamon sticks.

Ginger Thirst-Quencher
Ingredients:
One-inch piece ginger, grated
1 glass chilled/hot water
2 tsp organic jaggery
A few mint leaves
� tsp powdered cumin seeds
� lime
Salt to taste
Mix water, jaggery, cumin seeds and salt. Add the mint leaves and ginger, and squeeze the lime.

Warning:
Though generally safe, ginger in excessive amounts can cause mild heartburn. Pregnant women should consume ginger with caution and avoid after the first trimester. Ginger can interfere with certain medicines or be contraindicated in some conditions.

Use some ginger with these cupcake decorating ideas, you will especially like this cute sheep cupcake decoration.

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fresh goji berry Reviews and info

fresh goji berry
To Tip Or Not To Tip - Tipping Practices Globally

Tipping is a different concept in all countries. There are places where tipping is considered impolite or rude, and other places where if you don't tip your behaviour is considered unacceptable. The first thing to be aware of is what you are tipping for and what is expected of you.

Waitrons are generally in the worst position, as they are the middlemen between the customer and the kitchen, with the manager somewhere in between. If your food is of bad quality, technically you can't blame the waitrons for that. They do not cook your food. If they tell the chef to make a steak rare and the chef overcooks it, then it is the chef's fault.

Waitrons have complete control over one aspect of hospitality, and that is the service that they supply to customers. It is on this service that tipping is based. They need to be friendly, prompt and alert. Most waitrons get about ten to twenty tables to look after, and it is not always easy to treat each table like they are the only table in the restaurant. However, they must at least try to make you feel like you are the only person they are serving. If there is a problem with your food or drink, then they must sort it out efficiently and effectively.

In the UK, it is standard to tip waitrons, but not the bar people. Tips range from 10% for an average service. If the service was bad, you can tip less and if the service was fantastic, then tip more.

In Australia, Japan and China, you need not tip. In China it is probably best if you rather don't tip. Tipping was illegal till the late 1980s and is still a bit of a grey area. You could probably get away with tipping in tourist spots, where it is presumed that you are a foreigner. But if you are in the heart of China, among the locals, then rather don't tip anyone.

There might be a service fee added to the bill of either 10% or 15% depending on the venue. If there is a service fee, then don't tip your waitrons. In France, the service fee is included in the bill as well. According to David Lebovitz, the service fee is 15% service charge in Paris, however the bills also state that it's okay to leave extra, which as David says, "leaves a lot of people confused. Even the French."

He states that tipping is an unusual occurrence in France with the locals. Most places have a service fee, and if you are in a central tourist area, then you may leave more if you want. However, in other areas, rather just stick to the service fee on the bill

In New Zealand, tipping is not expected. But if the service was good, then leave a tip. Just because tips aren't expected doesn't mean the good service should go un-rewarded.

There is a misconception, among people who don't believe in tipping, that restaurants over the world pay their staff and therefore tipping isn't necessary. This isn't always the case. There are places where waitrons don't get a regular salary and they rely completely on tips for their bread and milk.

To get a feeling of what it is like about being a waitron in today's society, there are blogs that describe the work environment to perfection. If you are still in any doubt about whether to tip or not tip, read up on these people's lives. As Waiter Rant explains in his blog post Kingdom of Sand: "Waitering is like juggling several balls in the air at the same time...Your brain is so busy keeping track of what the tables need - cocktails, desserts, spoons, refills - that not all the balls come down and you leave the restaurant with some still banging around inside your head."

Some restaurants work on a system of commission, where a waitron will get a percentage of the overall sale at his or her tables. This system isn't always considered fair, as a waitron might get an unpopular section of the restaurant for the night.

If you visit a country and you are unsure of the policy, then it is best to just leave 10% for average service and more for good service. They can always give your money back if it's not acceptable, but they can't ask you for money. These are people that have to stay on their feet for nine hours, with few breaks, if any. They have to remain patient when chefs, managers, bar people and customers get angry over things that had nothing to do with them. If you are still unsure, then ask the manager for his advice, or someone at the table next to you.

Celeste writes for Pitman's People who specialise in porters for events.

Healthy Diet For A Healthy Body And Mind - 3

Sat, 29 Mar 2008 06:05:19 EDT
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The Absolute Truth About the Tibetan Goji Berry - Don't buy Goji berries or Goji products, until you read this!

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No doubt, you've probably heard the name "Goji" before. The Goji berry has been hailed as a super food by many experts, and it's quickly becoming the hottest product in the health-food industr...

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Goji berries are small red berries that come from the Box Thorn plant that grows wild in Tibet. The plant is a vine that can grow as high as 15 feet. You can think of the plant as a mix between a grap...

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