Month: June 2011
Fashion show, the Italian way
Elegance. Quality. Simplicity. These are three words that clearly evoke Italian design and Italian fashion in particular. A few weeks ago, the Italian Institute for Foreign Trade invited me to a very nice show at Daylight Café in Old Montreal.
Tips for a healthy vacation
Vacations are an opportunity to recharge your batteries, relax and forget about your work and daily routine for a while. But they are not an excuse for setting aside your healthy lifestyle habits, quite the contrary!
A slow food café in India: meeting with Dr Vandana Shiva
Dr Vandana Shiva, the famous environmental activist, has been inspiring me for many years. Her unrelenting fight for changing the practices of modern agriculture and for protecting the diversity of food resources, led to the creation of Navdanya, a network of seed keepers and organic producers spread across 16 states in India.
An aperitif to whet your appetite
Originally published in the Journal de Montréal on June 25, 2011. An aperitif is usually an alcohol-based drink that is served before meals to whet the appetite. Although this is more of a Latin tradition with no exact equivalent in English, the concept of ‘Happy Hour’ in the US is rather similar to this pre-dinner […]
Wine and the Gauls
With its "To Your Health, Caesar! Wine and the Gauls" exhibition, Pointe-à-Caillère (Montreal Museum of Archeology and History) invites visitors to embark on a fascinating journey to understand how this precious liquid helped shape society.
Take a break from stress by going on vacation
Common sense tells us exactly what several scientific studies have also confirmed: vacations are undoubtedly the best weapon against stress. And yet, they are often elusive for those people who dedicate their body and soul to their work or who have allowed daily routines to take over their life.
Pasta is Number 1 in the world
It is with a little bit of national pride that I read "How pasta became the world’s favourite food" in the BBC News magazine, a few days ago. Indeed, I do not know anybody who does not like pasta. Do you ?
Fresh herbs for good taste and health
This summer, try your hand at cooking with fresh aromatic herbs that are currently available everywhere and in abundance. They add flavour and fragrance to dishes, thereby allowing you to cut down on your intake of salt. What’s more, they contain vitamins and essential oils. When bought fresh, herbs can stay fresh for a week […]
10 Food Pyramids From Around The World
The US Food Pyramid may be out, having just been replaced by "My Plate", but many countries still use a pyramid as their model for healthful eating. The Huffington Post has checked out 10 of them, and presents them with quite a bit of humor, in the following article: 10 Food Pyramids From Around The […]
China’s Warrior Emperor is waiting for you
You have until June 25th to visit The Warrior Emperor and China’s Terracotta Army exhibition at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. It would be a real pity to miss such a fabulous display of priceless treasures from one of the most important archeological sites in the world. The museum did an incredible job of […]
Happy Philippines Independence Day!
Originally published in the Journal de Montréal on June 11, 2011. June 12 is a national holiday in the Philippines, as its people celebrate the end of Spanish colonialism that occurred on June 12, 1898 following a popular uprising. So tomorrow will be a day of huge festivities not only in the archipelago of 7,100 […]
In the U.S., the pyramid is out, the plate is in, and Michelle Obama is all for it!
After almost 20 years of preaching good eating with the help of a food pyramid, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has unveiled last week a new symbol for healthful eating, called My Plate. This initiative enjoys the personal endorsement of the First Lady Michelle Obama.