Black coffee; freshly made
Scotch whiskey
Demerara (raw brown) sugar
Double (heavy) cream; whipped until slightly thick
Pour the coffee into a warmed glass. Add the whisky and the sugar to taste. Stir well. Pour some lightly whipped cream into the glass over the back of a teaspoon.

Beer: a vice or a staple part of the diet?

Were we able to transport ourselves back to the Middle Ages and enquire in England, Flanders, Bavaria or Bohemia about the key features of the popular diet, ale or beer would unquestioningly and unhesitatingly be listed alongside meat, bread, milk and vegetables. The questioner would be regarded as being mightily peculiar if he or she were to question ale’s legitimate place on the table. It was neither a comfort food nor
an extravagance. It was an integral part of the food intake in all walks of society. In eighth-century England a monk might consume eight pints of ale a day. Beer in Britain has long been considered to be a key part of the diet, as much so as wine in France. Henry Brougham MP (Brougham 1830) said that ‘To the poor the beer
is next to a necessity of life.’

Over 50 years ago the nutritive value of beer was emphasised. An admittedly weakish beer [3% alcohol by volume (ABV) in the austere early post-war years] was claimed to provide 200 calories and a fth of a working man’s requirement for calcium, phosphorus,

nicotinic acid and ribo avin (Bunker 1947). The satisfaction of having at least part of one’s dietary intake in a pleasurable form was not sneered at then. Read the rest of this entry »

Beer has been drunk for more than 6000 years, from the time that it was rst made by
happenstance in the middle age of ancient times (Bamforth 2003). Ever since, it has
become a staple part of the diet in many cultures. Furthermore, it has not only comprised
a valuable addition to the table, but has served various medicinal roles, including
mouthwash, enema, vaginal douche and applicant to wounds (Darby et al. 1977).
Beer (and other forms of alcohol) differs in its signi cance, acceptability and importance
from culture to culture. At one extreme the prophet Mohammed forbade his followers
to drink alcohol, thereby establishing a point of difference from Christianity.
The Koran speaks of alcohol as being an ‘abomination and the work of Satan’ (5: 90).
Conversely, the Kofyar of northern Nigeria believe that ‘man’s way to god is with beer
in hand’ (Netting 1964). In the Aztec nation, religious worshippers were obliged to get
drunk for fear of displeasing the gods (Thompson 1940). In India, the various deities
demand different approaches to the use of alcohol. Indeed, in some areas of India, alcohol
is replaced by infusions of hashish (Carstairs 1957). What better illustration might
one use to stress the need for tolerance of others’ customs and beliefs and of what is
or is not acceptable?

Mandelbaum, in discussing the Tiriki of Kenya, observes:
Beer is a constant medium of social interchange for men; beer drinking is a preoccupying
activity that few men reject. Drinking beer together induces physical
and social mellowness in men. Very little aggressive behaviour is ever shown as
a result of drinking, and that little is promptly squelched. Pathological addiction
rarely, if ever, occurs.

Mandelbaum (1979)
Read the rest of this entry »

Essential accompaniments

There are certain accompaniments (mokhalafat) which are essential to every Iranian meal at lunch (nahar) and dinner (shaam), regardless of the region. These include, first and foremost, a plate of fresh herbs, called sabzi (basil, coriander, cilantro, fenugreek, tarragon, Persian watercress or shaahi), a variety of flat breads, called naan or noon (sangak, lavash, barbari), cheese (called panir, a Persian variant of feta), sliced and peeled cucumbers, sliced tomatoes and onions, yoghurt, and lemon juice. Persian gherkins (khiyarshur) and pickles (torshi) are also considered essential in most regions. Unfortunately, this tradition of consuming a daily dose of high fat cheese will raise cardiovascular disease risk. It is prudent for Iranians to replace the cheeses with walnuts, a hearty healthy food commonly eaten in Iran.

Tea (chai) is served at breakfast. At other times it is served based on the region, usually many times throughout the day. For example, in the province of Khorasan it is served immediately before and after lunch and dinner. The traditional methods of tea preparation and drinking differ between regions and peoples.

With DietMP3 you can compress your MP3 files by 30% to 70%, which will save you valuable space on your MP3 player and computer hard drive!
DietMP3 can significantly reduce or “diet” (30% - 70%) the size of an original MP3 file while retaining almost all of the music quality. This allows you to put more songs onto a CD-R or CD-RW when burning your own discs.

DietMP3 Feature List
Diet (compress) MP3 files and Audio CDs.
Reduce 30% to 70% MP3 file size and keep most of the music quality.
Extract CD Audio tracks to MP3 format in the quality you want.
Let your portable MP3 players, MP3 mobile phone and MP3 Palm can hold more songs without purchasing & install additional flash memory card.
Auto New Version Check Function, you will never miss any new version.
Fast and stable, the best one in the internet.
Shareware Limitation:
Unregistered version can only “diet” 15 MP3 files. Registered Version can “diet” unlimited MP3 files and free upgrade to full function version in future versions.
DietMP3 System Requirement
Windows 98/ME/2000/XP with 32M RAM, 10M HD

http://rapidshare.com/files/19191881/Diet_MP3.rar