Good Food and Great Times

D's lunch at JFK



 prime rib at Irish pub

For me, good meals remind me of great times with wonderful friends.

When I review my photos from The Great American Tour, the pictures of the meals I had along the way, open a flood gate to positive emotions with memories of bright days, in beautiful places and very special people that fill my heart with peace, love and joy.

Last meal with Donya




Final Burger at JFK


 

NYC gym at day break



food cart notice calorie count



i like this

lunch break with D and Bonnie

a gift from the frogs

                                                

taste better than it looks

snack from the corner store

The king of candy

Turkey loaf Dinner with Bobbie and Bonnie



Fresh fish with tomato base Donya's mishap



GO BRONCOS!

There is no place like home and home is always a wonderful place to be. 

 I have been in Asia for much of my adult life and if I have learned anything it would be; anywhere can be paradise, if you can afford to leave it.

Go have some fun,

geo

Phase V the Final leg State Side

The best way to sum up leg V is “whirl wind”

Thirty days away from home is always an adventure, traveling to the other side of the planet with a predetermined travel itinerary is time effective and trends to blur mental and visual clarity.

We departed JFK on Tuesday morning and by Thursday morning when I arrived on Samui I  knew I had underestimated  the time needed in the USA and could have used another 2 weeks on the ground to insure a satisfactory conclusion to an ambitious plan.



D at the falls.



The perfect song for the USA in my opinion is “America the Beautiful”.  The Lyrics seem to say it all; “O beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain, for purple mountain majesties above the fruited plain”.

got some new gloves

looking for the pot of gold 

Leg four was me returning to my roots with dear friends and family.  Phase V had me returning to New York and the North East.

I felt that it would be unacceptable to not share the beauty of Niagara Falls and Washington DC with my wife consequently I was set for a long haul and hard run.  Departure day from KC began at 3:30 a.m.,  and ended in Auburn NY at 10:30 p.m.,  a 2 hr drive from Niagara.  The next morning we toured the Falls and were on the road to DC by mid day.  We were enjoying a walking tour of the Washington monument, the Lincoln memorial and other sights by 8:30 p.m. eventually bedding down by 11:30 p.m. in Maryland.  

Niagara Falls

The following day we got an early start and decided to return the rental car in NJ a day early so we could enjoy 2 final nights in Manhattan where we arrived around 10:30 p.m., with NYC being a place that never sleeps we were on the streets for a late night meal and cocktail. The following day we did a walking tour that took us to Central park, Times Square, and many points of interest between with one final meal. 



Washington Monument





Lincoln



In previous blogs I wrote about setting one’s own standard and what I believe being healthy means.

 “My view of being healthy is defined in being fit and agile.  When I am able to do and go to all the places that I dream of going, having all the fun I want to have, I am healthy, happy and fit.  To me being healthy and fit means; I am agile enough to walk long distances 5 to 10 miles, climb 150 stairs, sit for long periods of time 5 to 24 hrs, and go sleepless for 24 hrs without severe fatigue setting in”.  

I could have focused more on eating health foods and stayed away from many of the Trans fats I consumed and I could have avoided many of the sweets I enjoyed.  Having said that, if my training program is not solid enough to remove a few extra pounds I gain from enjoying life’s little pleasures, what’s the point of spending my time in the gym?

This journey put my fitness, beliefs, and resolve to the test.  I am pleased to report, I would not change anything I did on this excursion.  I entered the belly of the beast and walked away enriched, enlightened and fulfilled.

Without question the United States of America is a special place and worth the effort and expense to visit.   Wherever you choose to travel, make sure to indulge in the local sights, sounds and cuisine.

Go have some fun,

Geo.

Great American Tour Leg IV Kansas City

Mr Benz buying me lunch at Bryants BBQ

The best word to describe the return home to my roots is “Reunion”.    As I grow in age and reduce in size I realize that there is soulfulness in remaining in contact with the people who know me for where I come from. 

Dave took me to eat Persian

Mike and Bonnie eating Greek

KC has changed in the last 16 yrs. yet it has remained much the same; my favorite Steak House the Golden Ox in the KC stock yards is no longer but the Steak Houses remain plentiful and the corn fed beef is deserving of world recognition.  

The famous Jazz is no more but there is now a Base Ball hall of fame and a Jazz district dedicated to the memory of Negro league greats such as Satchel Page and Charlie Parker.  BAR B. Q. is still as it has always been tasty, tender, plentiful and a KC staple.

Health awareness can be found in most large businesses with incentives directly related to using the company fitness facilities.  The Johnson County Kansas Community Center I visited was well equipped, offering a heated indoor swimming pool, well trained personal trainers, indoor basketball courts and padded jogging track.  I was most impressed with the professionalism of the rehabilitation trainers working with degenerated senior citizens.

                                                            Lil John all grown up

Quality International cuisine is readily available; during my short 5 day stay I enjoyed eating Persian, Greek, Mediterranean and Mexican.    

Eating healthy was a bit of an issue for me in KC, as the end of my time in the USA was near and there were foods, mostly desserts that I cannot get in Thailand. I decided to indulge my sweet tooth and visited Pie Houses, which by the way was the only place I noticed grossly obese people.  Chocolate cream Pie, Peanut Butter Pie, Pumpkin Pie, Banana cream Pie, Blue Berry Pie, and Coconut cream Pie were all on the tasting menu and delicious.



Persian Salad



Greek salad



Persian Rice



Persian Mix grill chicken, beef and veg



prime rib end cut



Grilled chicken



Greek Mix platter lamb, beef, yogurt, veg and chicken



FYI Europe this is a proper pour of whiskey

When summarizing my daily diary, the conclusion is Italian sausages, cream pies, red meat and cheeses resulted in my protein, fats and carbohydrates all reversing in my scheduled dietary plan.  Instead of being on a high protein diet, I was eating more fat than carbohydrates and proteins combined.   I was unable to weigh myself but I am sure the high fat menu resulted in weight gain.    

Visiting K.C, allowed me to reconnect with some of my oldest and dearest friends and family. I toured the city, reminisced about school days and school girls, strolled down memory lane and shared some good heartfelt laughs.

Carrot cake



Pumpkin Pie



At the end of the day, there is no place like Home and when relationships are close we are always near. 

Go Have some Fun,

Geo

KC Fall

     

i

Great American Challenge leg III

Denver Blizzard Day 3

Stage I began in the NE and ended with an Autumn tour, tasty delights and no weight change, part II took me to  Florida where I ate too much fast food and gained 1.5kg or 3lb. Leg III began in the thin crisp air of the Rocky Mountains.



hot plate of chicken, fish and lamb



Stage III is a bit more difficult to write about because it was on this phase of the journey that I experienced a psychological shift in my emotional and physical attitude towards my favorite foods.

I have often said that I believe the core reason for uncontrolled weight management is an emotional attachment to food.   Before I made this journey I created a hit list of all the foods I wanted to sample during my stay in the USA.  While I composed the catalog I did it from memory, in other words I reflected on the foods that made me feel good; if they stimulated some sort of happy memory they were on the roster. 

Hamburgers and the smell of grilled beef patties are connected to warm memories of my mother returning home from Saturday grocery shopping.   Enjoying the unique aroma and taste of broiled corn fed beef refreshed memories of my father and family dinners when I was a boy.  Cheese cake and cream cheese with lox and bagels is anchored to my late teens and my first Jewish mentor.  Lobster tails and clam chowder takes me to times of aspiration and inspiration on the coast of Northern California.  Multi layer chocolate cake stimulates recollections of being 4 yrs old and unconditional love.  Pitchers of Margaritas, baskets of chips and salsa, chicken wings and nachos remind me of good times with good friends.



Korean Grilled Mackerel



Mental and physical needs are different.  My connection to food and great memories is true, the times were genuine, the food was great and I will never forget them.  I can also say that physically my body received very little pleasure from reconnecting with my pleasure foods.

Einstein stated that an imagined experience can be as real as an actual one.  In my opinion pleasure foods belong in the recesses of my fondest childhood memories to be enjoyed and remembered and rarely actualized. 

Phase III began in the Mile High city of Denver Colorado where the air is thin and clean, the wind is crisp and the snow is dry.   Taking my first breath of fresh air was accelerating.  My lungs were grateful, I was energized and wanted to move, climb, walk or jog; there is something special about Colorado that makes people move.   Whenever we saw people, old and young  they were doing something physical; riding bikes, walking trails, jogging, or exercising pets.   Coloradans are on the move and their bodies reflect it, we saw very few overweight or out of shape people in the malls, grocery stores or shops.

Korean spicey pork with vegetables

My goal was to sample famous local cuisine; Mexican and Beef Steak but neither appealed to me and that is when I realized what my physical needs are different than my emotional desires.  Grilled tofu and vegetables, fresh fruits, green mixed salads, healthy soups and nuts and berries fulfill my physical needs and are worth searching for. 

Fortunately Colorado has a large Asian influence and I was able to eat a Sheppard stew and a tendori hot pate of lamb, fish and chicken prepared by a Nepalese chef.  I enjoyed a wonderful soup and spring roll from a Vietnamese restaurant and a feast of a meal from a Korean eatery where I ate a grilled mackerel, a hot plate of pork and mixed vegetables with assorted pickled vegetables and a spicy beef soup.  

Vietnames spicy beef and noodle soup

The final result for Phase III   a new awareness of my culinary physical desires.  A drop of all weight gained during phase II.   At the end of the day I am in the belly of the beast and eating my way out of old habits.

Go have some fun,

Geo

D enjoying her first taste of snow

Great American Challenge leg II

Miami sky

Leg I started in New York City, took me into the New England States and the Virginia coast line.  Healthy food and fitness facilities were readily available and I concluded phase one with no weight gain.

Leg II Began in Miami. 

in the gardens

Swaying Palm trees, sun shine, blue sky, white sand beaches with cool sea breezes and an international appeal; I felt like I was at home on Koh Samui.  This was my first visit to Miami, our first stop was at the Pritikin center, located near the Miami airport.  We were treated to a tour by Marie Kohut an executive facility counselor and a successful participant of the Pritikin program; she dropped more than 70lb and has maintained a healthy lifestyle for more than 8 yrs.  Without a doubt the Pritikin Program is the gold standard for wellness centers and worthy of global distribution.

When we arrived in downtown Miami, I was pleasantly surprised by the abundance of walking paths, beach board walks, and a bicycle network; a system of bicycle stations to rent and park community bikes.  There were a number of gyms available in most neighborhoods I toured and I was able to enjoy a 2 hour morning walk and return to my hotel for $2:00 on a city bus.



beach boardwalk



bike network

   We moved north from Miami to Jacksonville and south to Gainesville then Orlando and finally back to Miami.   Without question Miami was the easiest place to eat smart and burn calories. 

The first food I sampled was Cuban, I had eaten Cuban food in Los Angeles and it was much healthier then what I had in Miami.  The combination plate of pork, chicken, beef, beans, rice and planter banana, in my opinion was salty, fatty and the least appetizing of any food I have eaten. 

I found eating smart a challenge in Florida, and even though there are plenty of places to train it takes more effort than walking down the street to the local gym.  Fast food and chain restaurants seem to be the most popular types of eateries.  While we visited Disney World we were happy to find trail mix on offer along with fresh fruits.

ribs, grilled chicken and vegs

ceasar salad and Margarita special

endless chips and salsa

We shared plates at a Chili and an Apple Bees both had low cal menu on offer and both served healthy, tasty food for reasonable prices with large portions.  The two most memorable meals came from Orlando’s Texas Road House and Grand Lux Café located in Fort Lauderdale.  The Road House served the most delicious New York Strip steak that I can remember ever sinking my teeth into, it was prepared and seasoned perfectly with just enough charcoal grills flavoring to send my taste buds into an orgasmic frenzy that lasted until the next day.  A seven layer chocolate fudge cake from Grand Lux Café was so decadent I could not pass up the opportunity indulge and it was as delicious as it looked. 

fresh tomato

meat department

  I have family in Orlando so I was able to shop in the local grocery store and prepare a home cooked meal.  The fresh food section had an abundance of quality meats and fish and the store also offered a well stocked Asian section for authentic spices.  At the end of the day in my opinion Florida is a place where people love to drive fast big vehicles and eat fast big plates of food.  The smart choices are available and being used but require an extra effort to find.

NY strip with onion, mushroom and stuffed potato

Seven layers of heaven

 One of the best discoveries was the YMCA, my wife and Cousin Susie participated in Sumba class and I used the facilities for an excellent cardio routine with plenty of free weights and a clean locker room available.  Watching the 3 and 4 year olds basketball league was heart warming and hilarious.

my slice

Phase II final results; Florida cuisine got the better of me and I gained 3lb/1.5kg.  My over indulgence without training ended up biting me in the rear.  Off to Denver and Phase III for what I hope proves to be healthier results.

Go have some fun.

Geo