Archive for June, 2010

Wow Waffles are Wonderful! (Let this load all the way through, then watch it.)

Its one thing to move into a vegetarian discipline when it comes to preparing your meals at home. But things get more complicated when you go out to eat because you must be prepared to order appropriately at a restaurant so you get good foods but foods that are in line with your vegetarian way of life.

The first order of business that should rank high on your priorities early in your vegetarian career is to find and try all of the vegetarian restaurants in town. This list will come in handy when enjoying some social time with like minded vegetarians or to eat on the run or from work. Also these will be the kinds of restaurants where you can learn what kinds of recipes to look for and what you like in a vegetarian order.

But you won’t take all your meals with other vegetarians. If you are like most of us, you share your life with friends, loved ones and coworkers who are not part of the vegetarian lifestyle. So learning to find good vegetarian alternatives in all of the restaurants is one of the skills you will become adept at the longer you remain a vegetarian which is hopefully for life. One trick is that if you have a vote in the kind of restaurant to choose, go for Chinese or Italian. Chinese restaurants often have some great meatless offerings already on their menu so you can order vegetarian and not even raise anyone suspicions.

Similarly because you find so many dishes in an Italian restaurant that are pasta only, you can order a veggie pizza or just pasta with a nice sauce or maybe some broccoli and enjoy a fine dinner that is totally in step with your vegetarian rules. Any restaurant that already has a good selection of meatless dishes that are not set apart as vegetarian are a good choice because you can dine with your non-vegetarian friends and family members and not call attention to the differences between you and them. And since most restaurants have a good salad menu, that is always a fall back in any restaurant situation.

If your vegetarian regimen is vegan so you must also avoid milk, eggs, cheese or anything cooked in chicken or meat stock, you will have to kick your vigilance up a notch. The good news is that the vegetarian movement has become so large and wide spread that many restaurants want to accommodate their vegetarian customers.

By letting your waiter know of your diet restrictions, he or she can guide you to the items on the menu that fit your requirements. It is not uncommon to see the manager or chef of the restaurant come to the table to help you make a choice. Restaurants are in the business of satisfying customers so they want to make sure you are happy with their menu offerings. And by enlisting the aid of your restaurant staff in a cooperative and friendly way, you send a positive message to your dining companions that you can live a vegetarian lifestyle and still be a happy member of the community in which you live.

Most of us have a short list of restaurants that we frequent often. But every restaurant you go to wants to be on that short list and make you a valued customer. So network with your vegetarian friends and do your homework up front to find out which restaurants do well at accommodating the lifestyle of their vegetarian or vegan customers. Then develop your strategy for handling any situation where you find yourself eating out so you can come out of that experience with a good meal that fits your lifestyle and not miss out on the great social times that we associate with the eating out experience.

Great Wall of China entrance at Mutianyu

Being on a diet does not mean you have to say no to every lunch and dinner date with friends. There is really nothing wrong with eating out every once in a while. In fact, this may even help you feel less restricted and less bored with whatever your diet program requires you to eat.

However, eating out also doesn’t mean you have to binge and eat to your heart’s content. Just one night of overindulgence in food and alcohol can let you gain back the unwanted inches on your waist which you have worked for weeks to eliminate. What you need to do, when going out with friends and eating out, is to be more sensible with your food choices. Here is a guide on what dishes to choose while dining out at restaurants of your choice.

Chinese

A lot of dishes served in Chinese restaurants are floating in thick sauces and fat. Furthermore, rice meals in these places are often served in big bowls and can be really delectable. So if you can not avoid eating in Chinese restaurants, you should try to stick to stir fry veggies, seafood or meat if you are on a diet. If they serve brown rice, ask for that too.

Italian

Mama Mia! Italian food is simply rich and delectable, but they can be healthy for you too. Pastas and pizzas can be good choices provided that they are not full of cheese, meat and creamy white sauces. To avoid overeating, offer to share your meal with your friends too. But if you don’t want to share your order, it would be best to choose grilled dishes, such as chicken, shrimp and fish. Minestrone soup and some vegetable antipasto are also sensible choices.  But please don’t be tempted to order calzones, manicotti, deep fried foods, and eggplant parmigiana because they are really not friendly with any diet program.

Fast Food

Who said you cannot eat in fast food joints when you are dieting? Many fast food restaurants are now aware that a huge portion of their customers are diet conscious, so they have come up with food fares that are low in calories and fat. You can order salads, just make sure that the sauce or dressing is separated so you have some control on how much you want to use. Also grilled lean chicken and burger are also sensible choices. However, beware of deep fried chicken or fish sandwiches because they are definitely high in calories.

Japanese

Many dieters think that ordering sushi is actually the right thing to do when in a Japanese restaurant. Although there are types of sushi that are made from vegetables and seafood, you have to understand that some are filled with very rich slivers of raw food as well. These small round treats may actually be packed in calories, so be careful not to order a lot.

Sensible food choices in Japanese restaurants are sashimi, miso soup, and dishes cooked in griddles, such as teppanyaki. Although you might think that teriyaki is a good choice, you have to realize that its sauce might be high in sugar.

Mexican

If you love burritos or enchiladas, go ahead and order them. Just be sure that they are not filled with cheese. Other good-for-the-waist choices include fajitas and other grilled dishes. Much like in other types of restaurants, you may want to get away from deep fried foods or those that contain creamy or thick sauces. Thus, ordering chili con carne or fried chichimangas, or a platter of nachos or tortillas is a big no-no.

If you think you have eaten too much when you went out with your friends, or if you feel that you are no longer losing weight with the type of diet program you are using, then it might be time for using diet supplements, such as Zylorin. These products can help accelerate weight loss and boost metabolism. For more information on how you can lose weight, visit http://www.zylorin.com/.

Beijing Shopping District, www.myfootage.com

With the exception of two of the city’s theatres, most of the night-life in Birmingham is centred on the Broad Street area, which includes the International Convention Centre, the National Indoor Arena, the Symphony Hall, the Repertory Theatre and the re-furbished Town Hall, not to mention numerous bars and clubs. Not that Birmingham is a ‘one street city’ when it comes to having a night out. The area between Sparkhill, Moseley and Balsall Heath has a national reputation for a particular style of cuisine along with notable Irish and Chinese quarters too.

Bars and Pubs:

In the city centre if you want an evening out in one of the so called ‘drinking palaces’, then head for Broad Street, where as well as the national chains of such pubs and bars you’ll find places like Stoodi Baker’s, which has several rooms ranging from a small and trendy bar to more cavernous rooms complete with dance-floor and professional Go-Go dancers. However, if you step off Broad Street into Brindley Place you enter an area where the pubs and bars have a quieter and more relaxed ambience.

Between Colmore Row and New Street several old banks and commercial premises have been tastefully converted into bars. For example the Old Joint Stock on Temple Row; with balustrades, balconies, chandeliers and the most fantastic front door in the city, gives you the feeling of entering a country club rather than a city bar. Bennetts, on nearby Bennetts Hill, is another former bank turned into a bar. Its plush Regency finish could fool you into thinking you’ve entered a library instead. Both of these bars serve a good selection of beers, lagers and wine as well as some excellent food. With a history dating back to 1821, the Tap and Spile on Gas Street is an old and original pub by the side of the canal. It’s a Free House and serves a good selection of nationally renowned beers and international lagers.

Restaurants:

The so called ‘Balti triangle’ between Sparkhill, Moseley and Balsall Heath is where you’ll find the best of Birmingham’ famed Balti restaurants. The award winning Al Frash, on Ladypool Road in Sparkbrook, is probably the best known of the Balti Houses. Located on Broad street is Birmingham’s favourite Indian restaurant, Shimla Pinks. It claims to be “…the UKs most stylish place to experience Indian cuisine” if you visit it you’ll probably end up agreeing with them. This is no ordinary Indian restaurant to go for a cheap curry, main course prices rise from 15 GBP to 45 GBP a head. The Mailbox has several stylish bars and restaurants, such as Zizzi which serves mainly Italian food. Prices are very reasonable at around 20 GBP a head for a three course meal, Zizzi also has a good selection of reasonably priced wines.

Near the Arcadian Centre in the Chinese Quarter is the Chung Yin on Wrottesley Street. This is the best Chinese restaurant in the city. It specialises in Cantonese cuisine and produces 70 different varieties of dim sum. Chung Yin is popular and always busy, a main course is priced around the 10 GBP mark. Whilst the above restaurants reflect how multi-cultural Birmingham is there are plenty of restaurants offering British and French cuisine. In the city centre two of the places to go are the Berlioz Restaurant in Burlington Arcade and Apres on Summer Row. Brindley Place, behind the ICC and NIA, is very popular with diners going to places such as; Cafe Rouge, Le Petit Blanc, Bank and The Locks. If you’re near the Art Gallery, on Chamberlain Square, during the day time a visit to its Edwardian Tea Room is highly recommended. A large and fancily decorated room with cast iron pillars sets the scene for morning coffee, lunch or afternoon tea in the city.

Entertainment:

Birmingham has three major theatres. The Hippodrome is home to the Royal Ballet and hosts touring drama, musical, ballet and opera productions. Almost half a million people a year visit the Hippodrome making it one of the most popular theatres in the country. The Hippodrome is in the Chinese quarter of the city on Hurst Street. The Alexandra is another theatre that hosts touring productions in Birmingham. On Station Street, just up from New Street, it is smaller than the Hippodrome but still manages to attract the ‘big name’ productions. The theatre is also used by ‘one night stand’ touring music and comedy acts. Originally founded in 1913 the Birmingham Repertory Theatre is one of the best in the country. Right by the Symphony Hall in Centenary Square, it has its own company of players as well as having being used for touring drama productions.

At Millennium Point, Curzon Street, to the south of the city is the Birmingham Imax cinema, which has a five-storey screen. Incorporated into the International Convention Centre (ICC), which amongst other things has hosted the annual Labour party conference, is the Birmingham Symphony Hall. With its world class acoustics and auditorium it is home to the city’s equally famous symphony orchestra, it is also used by touring musicians, bands, singers and orchestras. Not far from the ICC and Symphony Hall is the National Indoor Arena. Built to be the indoor venue for sporting events in the country it is also used by touring bands, musical and comedy productions. Whilst many of the city’s nightclubs are along Broad Street the area around Digbeth to the south of the city also has a tradition of contributing to the city’s nightlife. One such place is the Factory Club on Gibb Street in what is known collectively as the Custard Factory, as once it was. There is also The Sanctuary, which is on Digbeth High Street and has for many years been seen as Birmingham’s premier ‘clubbing’ venue. The top comedy spot in Birmingham is The Glee Club which is in the Arcadian entertainment area not far from the Hippodrome theatre.

www.shopping-in-beijing.com Shopping in Beijing: According to folk handicrafts, China features a lot. The shop called Sheng Tang Xuan can tell you more.

Many Chinese restaurants have sweet and sour spareribs,but why do you want to go out and drive all the way there?..You can make your own.For yourself or famiiy, and it cost alot cheeper!!….

www.shopping-in-beijing.com Beijing Shopping: You An Kite is a shop located at You An Men Wai street in Beijing, that sells kites of various types, large and small, all unique and beautiful.

China is famous for its best quality of non-vegetarian food. China offer huge variety of sea food. Chinese products regularly go to the world market. Customers are demanding more and more Chinese products because of their varied quality. Chinese food is famous in all over the world. There are large number of restaurants and hotel which are offering Chinese food.

China has one of the world’s largest seafood industries processing and exporting an enormously varied range of both warm water and cold-water products. China has now surpassed Thailand and other countries to become the largest exporter of fishery products. China has an enormous aquatic production. A large part of this production comes to the International market.

China seafood is rapidly gaining a foothold throughout markets in North American, Europe and Australia as well as Asian countries. Its quality and competitive pricing make it an obvious choice for the restaurants, hotels and resorts. In China, small restaurants also keep a tank of live fish for their customers to choose from. Big cities with their higher classed restaurants have tanks with an unimaginable variety of aquatic creatures.

China is rich in seafood, fish and beef. In any Chinese restaurant you will get various varieties of these seafood, fish and beef. China owns many fisheries resources and over 3000 marine species. Chinese seafood, beef and fish have become the most demanded non-vegetarian food since the last five years. The best thing about Chinese seafood is its rich taste and deliciousness.

Siam Canadian is one of the leading seafood exporters and suppliers which offer different variety of Chinese seafood, fish and beef. China beef, China seafood and China fish are the most popular among Chinese food. With state of art of processing and packaging facilities, Siam Canadian also employs improved procedures for processing, packaging and product offering to make it beneficial for customer and regular clients.