Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM MAY 23-29, 2018 UCW 5 MARGARET DICKSON, Columnist. COMMENTS? Edi- tor@upandcomingweekly.com. 910-484-6200. Over the last 12 months, I have been a traveling fool. Perhaps I am making up for all the years I could not travel because of family and work obligations. Perhaps I feel the increasingly heavy press of time. Probably it is both, coupled with a real curiosity about the rest of the world and how others live. My most recent travels have taken me to Africa on safari in Tanzania last summer and last month to Peru and Bolivia. I never imagined hiking in the Andes, but I did at 13,000 feet or so and lived to report it. Such trips add immeasurably to my understanding of the world in all sorts of ways, includ- ing what people eat in other places. My practice is to try most anything once – not quite CNN's Anthony Bour- dain, but I have tasted and enjoyed lots of new dishes. I drew the line only once in Peru, which has a signature delicacy called cuy. What exactly is cuy? Cuy is what you and I know as guinea pig, and a Dickson Precious Jewel had an albino guinea pig named Ace (Ventura) as a pet when he was in the second grade. at did it for me, and our guide consoled me with this thought. If you name it, don't eat it – and I did not. We did discover a small village devoted to cuy restaurants. Note my facial reaction in the at- tached photo. Full disclosure. I never really loved Ace myself, but that does not mean I could eat him or any of his distant relatives. Interestingly, though, I lost a little weight on both trips even though I ate almost anything that crossed my plate, including breads and dessert most days. e reason, I now believe, is that countries like Tanzania, Peru and Bolivia do not have the processed and preserved foods that are staples for us. Most families grow and raise most of what they eat and shop daily for the rest in small local shops. e fare is not especially gourmet, but it is absolutely fresh and prepared and eaten within a short period of time. What you and I think of as a full-ser- vice supermarket is almost nonexis- tent in these countries. e few that may be spotted in major cities still differ from ours in that they offer fresh local meats and produce, not products that have been preserved and transported thousands of miles to get to their tables. All of this has reminded me yet again that food shopping in our mega groceries, offering everything from actual food to tooth brushes and insect repellant, must be stra- tegic. Wandering around is rarely a healthy option. Planning ahead can keep you and your family healthier. Here are a few tips I have gleaned over the years and try to practice, some days with more success than on others. If what you pick up has ingredients that sound more like a chemistry lab than coming from plants or ani- mals, you might consider putting it back on the shelf. Ditto if the words "processed" or "preservative" are on the package, especially if they appear more than once. Shop the perimeter of your super- market for produce, meats and dairy items. Skip the interior aisles filled with processed cookies, crackers, chips loaded with calories and low in nutrition. Keep an eye on people you know who are healthy and of normal weight. ey are doing something right, so consider following their examples. Acknowledge that restaurant por- tions are way too generous. ink about putting part of your order in a "to go" box at the outset. at way you will not over eat, and you will have another meal for later. Remem- ber, too, that luscious as they may be, buffets are not your friends for healthy eating. Try not to let yourself get too hun- gry between meals so that the next meal or snack turns into a total rout of everything edible within sight. So, travel when you can to learn how others live, whether it is to the next state or the next continent. It will enrich your life, and – as a pre- scription drug TV spot says – "it may even help you lose a little weight." We are what we eat by MARGARET DICKSON OPINION We did discover a small village devoted to cuy restaurants. Better Business Bureau Your Trusted Source for Business, Organizations & Families Online Reviews OUCH! Count on these local Fayetteville and Cumberland County Honest & Trustworthy Businesses: The Original Reputation Defender Ad Specialties / CSI/Carolina Specialties, Inc. A+ Auto Service and Repair / Haymont Auto Repair A+ Children's Activities / Kids In Sports A+ Heating & Air / Blackwell Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc A+ IT Solutions / Team Logic IT A+ Lawn Care / 3D Lawn and Landscaping A+ Mobile Phone Services / IFix and Repair A+ Plumbing Services / Woods Plumbing A+ Roofing Solutions / Crusader Roofing A+ Tattoo Artistry / Evolution Ink A+ Apply to have your business or organization accredited locally. Contact Liz Stiles 910-818-0367 • e.stiles@coastalcarolina.bbb.org Advertising Grow Your Business For effective advertising, Call 910.484.6200 today! www.upandcomingweekly.com