Valentine's Day Bummer

Again I apologize to all of my nonexistant readers out there for not updating in a few days. I've been sick and I've had midterms, haha funny story. So today I thought I had a midterm exam at 10:00, and I got up at 7:00 to study for it. Being sick has cut into my study time the past few days so I thought I would review this morning. I get to class, and look at everyone else who seems suprisingly nonchalant about today's impending midterm exam. I realize I'm the only one who typed up a six page study guide and I start to wonder.

My professor comes in and starts writing notes on the board and begins the lecture. I whisper to my neighbor, "I thought we had an exam today!" Well, it was more of a hoarse, throaty whisper because I can barely talk due to an unknown illness I currently have (the health center sent a culture in so, we'll see how that goes). Anyway, my neighbor goes, "No he decided to move it to Thursday."

Now I'm feeling two different things at this point. #1, I am so glad that I have another two days to study because I was totally cramming this morning and #2, I am so angry I came to an hour and fifteen minute lecture while I can barely concentrate due to my burning throat/chest.

On top of that, my Valentine's Day sucked. Not only do I not have any special someone to spend it with, but I am super far away from any family and friends that I have back home. Oh, yeah, and I got sick!
Anyway, that didn't stop me from enjoying the lovely Valentine's Day desserts in the dining hall last night! Between four different kinds of cakes, cupcakes, three different types of brownies, as well as a chocolate fondue, I think I enjoyed myself. I did find the standard candy hearts that are to be expected during Valentine's Day, however, I was greeted with unusual messages.

I don't know, maybe it's just me, but don't these seem like they came from a box of candy hearts for the confused lover or something? I mean seriously, what happened to "Be Mine" and "Love U"? These seem like what you might read in a bad breakup text. What has happened to our society??
I started to wonder, then I picked up some more just to check and found some slightly more normal messages.

Aww, that's more like it. Now this is something you would give to your lover. I realize Valentine's Day is a special day to show people you love exactly how much you love and care about them. Sometimes, I just feel as if it all becomes a little superficial after a while. Here's another thought I'll leave you with. My dorm is planning a Valentine's Day party for this Thursday...?? How can you have a V-Day party three days after the day already happened? I'm not sure I understand the logic behind that one.

I hope everyone else out there had a great time on V-Day. Enjoy the leftover sweets!

Stephanie, WWT

Mid-day Snack: Asian Pears

Looking to spruce up your day with a refreshing mid-day snack? Want to try something different? How about Asian Pears? The market on campus near my dorm sells perfect asian pears. I'm not sure how or where they're getting them from, but they are some of the largest ones I have ever seen. I couldn't eat a whole one in one sitting, for lunch. No joke! This thing was enormous, I could barely hold it in one hand! I've included some pictures so you'll believe me.

Keep in mind this is only a half of the pear! 

Anyway, asian pears are actually pears, although they more closely resemble an apple. They are crunchy, juicy, crisp and a bit grainy. They sometimes have more of an earthy taste that comes from their brownish skin, which is rougher than the more common European pear species (with a typical "pear" shape). They also have a rounder shape than the European pears.  You might easily spot them wrapped in a foam cushion in order to keep them from bruising. They are ripe when hard - most likely right when you buy them, but can keep for several months in a fridge.




The "Hosui" here is the asian pear



There are different varieties of asian pears and the one that I'm talking about would be the pyrus pyrifolia also known by Japanese pear, nashi, Taiwan pear, apple pear, Korean pear, or sand pear. When choosing an asian pear, you want a firm one with a small amount of brown spots. Remember, they are ready to eat when purchased, you want that hard crunchy feel to them. These pears are sometimes used in soy sauces and vinegars as a sweetener. They can also be incorporated into a marinade. So what are the benefits of eating an asian pear besides the taste and crunchiness? Well, 1 medium pear is only 50 calories and gives you 4 grams (14% DV) of dietary fiber, not bad for a snack. There's also some vitamin C in there and a small amount of iron. So whether you just want a nice change of fruit, or are looking to incorporate them into your meals (great in salads) try an asian pear next time you visit the grocery store.

Happy snacking!

Stephanie, WWT

College Cuisine: American Soul Food

So, tonight was a theme night in my college dining hall and the theme was...you guessed it "American Soul Food." Now, I had to check out the menu beforehand to get an idea of what would be served and then I realized it was typical "southern" cuisine. Never have I lived in the south, visited the south, or been served a meal by someone from the south, so this was all new to me and I was excited to try a few things I hadn't before.

Here's a run down of the menu:

• Corn on the Cob
• Collard Greens
• Fried Chicken
• BBQ Baby Back Ribs
• Stewed Black Eyed Peas with Rice
• Hush Puppies
• Spooned Bread

I looked at this and immediately noticed some things that I had no idea existed. Namely the spooned bread and hush puppies. I mean, I'd heard of hush puppies before, but had no idea what they actually were. I bit into the small, dense ball of some cornbread-looking thing only to find that it pretty much was cornbread. I hope I'm not offending any hush puppy lovers out there, but seriously, I wasn't impressed. Neither was my stomach actually. I could only eat one of the dense little bread balls to save myself for dessert! Maybe our dining hall version of this just isn't up to par. Wouldn't be the first time...

Anyway, next I moved onto the spooned bread, which again, resembled a pan of flat cornbread, just not in a ball form. By this point I was wondering why they didn't just make cornbread.  I was surprised however, and didn't think it was too bad.  I picked up sort of an eggy, salty flavor that was slightly different than the sweeter, fried flavor of the hush puppy. Meh, it's something I could live without.

Recipe from KFC here (from the Colonel himself :P)



When I saw the collard greens I almost jumped for joy! I am ashamed that this is my first time trying them, I feel like all chefs know how to cook simple collard greens. They just never looked exciting to me. I was wrong. They were great! They didn't even need a lot of flavor to them and I was happy eating them mixed with the black eyed peas/rice mixture.

After a hearty meal with my stomach full of soul, I moved on to the dessert counter and spotted what I knew I had to try: Sweet Potato Pie! Just imagine a pumpkin pie here, but darker more sweet-potato-ey. It was alright, the spices were nice, but I have an inkling the dining hall just bought a bunch of packaged pies. Oh well, it was a nice way to end the dinner.

Overall, I would have to say this dinner inspired me to try more of this southern style "soul food." I will have to experiment with collard greens myself when I get home. I'm not even sure I've seen them in our grocery store. Hm, going to have to do some hunting... Anyone have any opinions or recipes they'd like to share? I'm a good listener and I'm still looking for that first comment/follower. Come on, you know you want to be the first right? :)

Eat Hearty and Be Healthy!

Stephanie, WWT

Back in...Pink?

Alright Peeps, how are we liking the new blog design? Better? Worse? Is this the first time you've stumbled across my blog? In any case, welcome to the new and improved WWT!

I'm not sure I'm 100% set on this style, but for now, it seems more cheery and girly than the black and puke-green color lol.

I'm hoping to start a Philadelphia Tourism series over the course of a week, highlighting some great tourist hotspots in Philly with photos from yours truly. I'd also like to add some restaurant evaluations too, assuming I go out and eat more often :P

You can expect more foodie articles too. I hope you enjoy the one about antioxidants, it took forever to make! As always, feel free to leave a comment, good or bad, and click follow if you believe in me! Hey I've kept up with this blog for a month now, I'm on a roll!!

Finally back on track,

-Stephanie, WWT

Under Construction

To all of my nonexistant readers, my blog is currently undergoing some construction.

You see, I had an epiphany today. I realized that no one reads my blog! I pondered why this might be and I came to the conclusion: my blog is not aesthetically pleasing. Or it might be that no one knows about my blog. Or that no one cares??
Well It's probably a combination of the three, so I decided why not change? The problem: having to change all of my colorful fonts that I've been styling my posts with. So bear with me my imaginary friends, my ever so intellectually stimulating blog posts will be restyled into a better design...hopefully. :P

Oh, and check out the new monthly playlist page I added!
Lots of love!

Stephanie, WWT

Buzz about Antioxidants

We've all heard that antioxidants are important for our body, mainly to keep skin clean and healthy, right? So naturally we want to know which foods will give us the most benefits. It seems that there is some disagreement between sources, but a few commonalities keep popping up. I did my research from several websites and compiled a list of the most commonly cited antioxidants.

First of all, what are antioxidants? Well they do just as their name suggests; they prevent or slow the oxidative damage to our body, thus ANTI - oxidant. Make sense? Not yet? Well our bodies naturally produce these things called free-radicals when our cells use oxygen. Okay, wait what are free-radicals you ask? This explanation deals a lot with chemistry, something I'm not too fond of, but here's the short version. Free radicals are basically atoms who need an electron, so these little thieves steal them from other atoms in our bodies. Then the atom who has just been robbed becomes a free radical and essentially starts a chain reaction. Basically, free radicals are natural but accumulate over time as we age.  The way antioxidants help with this problem is by donating one of their electrons to the greedy devils thus ending the chain reaction.

Certain envrionmental factors can also contribute to an excess of free radicals such as cigarette smoke, radiation, pollution, and herbicides. Two of the most common antioxidants that can help fight off these radicals are Vitamin E (the most abundant fat-soluble antioxidant in the body) and Vitamin C (the most abundant water-soluble antioxidant in the body). The main importance associated with these are disease prevention. Vitamin E helps protect against heart disease by defending against clogged arteries. High amounts of Vitamin C have been linked to low cancer rates, specifically cancer of the larynx, mouth, and esophagus. 
Bottom line, antioxidants are good! So let's find out how to get them! 

Try adding some of these into your diet to reap the benefits of antioxidants:

BEANS

• Beans are high in both fiber and antioxidants
• They help lower cholesterol and LDL levels, moderate insulin, reduce cancer risk, and scavenge those pesky free radicals
• How much do I need? Two 1/2 cups servings a day of cooked or canned beans
• Examples: Red beans, Kidney beans, Pinto beans, Black beans
• Meal Ideas: Beans and Rice, Bean Burrito, Split Pea Soup

BLUEBERRIES

• Blueberries provide more antioxidants than any other fruit or vegetable. Surprising right? I mean they're so small!
• They have lots of complicated sounding stuff in them that basically helps with fighting cancer, heart disease, and age-related memory loss
• Raspberries and Blackberries are also good substitutes. Eat any type of berry at least three times a week
• How much do I need? 1/2 cup fresh or frozen or 1/4 cup dried every day
• Meal Ideas: eat them raw, put them in cereal, garnish vanilla ice cream with blueberries, blueberry pancakes, blueberries in yogurt, the list goes on and on...

BROCCOLI

• Broccoli helps fight against cancer while also promoting eye health and warding off macular degeneration
• Broccoli is considered a cruciferous vegetable like brussels sprouts, cauliflower and cabbage
• How much do I need? 1/2 cup raw or 1 cup cooked every day
• Meal Ideas: fresh steamed broccoli, broccoli stir fry with other vegetables and pasta, beef with broccoli, broccoli cheddar soup

TOMATOES

• Tomatoes help with the same problems broccoli does, but they also contain lycopene, a pigment and phytochemical that may be linked with cancer prevention
• Cooked tomatoes contain more lycopene than raw tomatoes
• How much do I need? eat one serving a day with healthy fat like olive oil to help absorb the lycopene. Servings include 1 medium raw tomato, 1 cup cherry tomatoes, 1/2 cup sauce, 1/4 cup paste, 2 tbsps of paste, or 6 oz of juice. Enough options?
• Meal Ideas: pasta with red tomato sauce, bruschetta with basil and mozzerella, tomato soup

DARK CHOCOLATE

• Finally right? Something we actually love and crave! Basically the darker the chocolate (the higher percentage of cocoa) the more antioxidants it contains
• How much do I need? 1 oz serving a day
• Meal Ideas: do i even need to list these? Raw dark chocolate, dark chocolate candies, fruits dipped in dark chocolate, melted dark chocolate over ice cream etc. 

More Great Sources of Antioxidants include:

• Oats
• Soy
• Garlic
• Nuts: pecans, walnuts, peanuts, hazelnuts
• More Vegetables: artichokes, cabbage, kale, peppers, red beets
• More fruits: cherries, pomegranate, grapes, plums, apples

I guarantee you can fit many of these into your daily diet if you don't already. Remember, these aren't necessarily going to prevent you from getting cancer or any other diseases, but they will definitely help decrease your chances. Enjoy experimenting with new foods and try incorporating some of my suggestions to have an antioxidant rich diet!

Be healhty!

Stephanie, WWT

Facebook, YouTube, and Skype! Oh my!

I found these "vintage posters" on http://www.ufunk.net/en/insolite/des-affiches-publicitaires-vintages-pour-facebook-skype-et-youtube/

I thought they were great because they look like some of the old ads from 60 or 70 years ago. Enjoy these!

Facebook

YouTube

Your films will last forever! lol

Skype

"the healthiest, most economical, and secure way to keep vigorous family bonds miles away."

Only recently did I actually use Skype for the first time. I must say it was fun to see and hear people talking on your computer screen, but I'm not sure it's completely necessary unless you're communicating long distance. Still fascinating though.

I hope you had a laugh at these, I know I did. Just think how far we've come with regard to technology and communication. You can count it as a blessing or a curse, but this innovation is amazing and ever-expanding.

Stephanie, WWT

"Day of Departure" in Egypt

Today is being called the "Day of Departure" in Egypt, marking the end of President Hosni Mubarak's 30 years of ruling the country. The protesting and violence surrounding Tahrir Square that started earlier in the week seems to have finally died down a bit, but the actions have not gone without consequences.  At least eight people have died and close to 900 have been injured as a result of riots. Stones were being thrown and people assaulted, without any move to intervene by the police.  Many have been speculating that the protests were state-sponsored because they were able to continue on for so long.



Diagram of the protesting in Cairo, Egypt



Any Americans traveling in Egypt were urged to leave the country immediately, and many news and television stations reported from inside the country that they were being targeted. News feed contained audio of gunshots being fired by police into the air while ambulances tried to tend to the wounded in makeshift triage centers. President Mubarak blamed the Muslim Brotherhood, an opposition group in Egypt that is well organized and very large. Headlines have littered the front page of The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today and countless other American newspapers, informing us of the extreme violence occuring overseas.  Many of us will not be affected by these protests.  We might have heard some comments, seen newsfeed, or glanced at a paper headline, but we will ultimately continue on with our lives and say, "that's too bad."

I wonder how our country would've responded had we been in a situation like that. When all of a sudden, peaceful protests turn into full out combat wars in the middle of Times Square, or on the National Mall in D.C. They would most likely be quenched in hours by police forces right? What if the police were told to stay out of it? The Middle East is responding now with continued peaceful protests in Yemen, Sudan, Jordan, and recently Algeria, Bahrain, and Libya. It seems like all of a sudden, pro and anti-government protests have cropped up everywhere. How long until our country follows suit? I would hope that protests of this caliber never happen in our cities, but we cannot think that this is impossible just because we live in America. Issues like this make me proud to live in the United States, but also somewhat fearful of what would happen if there was this much political unrest.

How quickly the state of Cairo went from rioting and molotov cocktails to this: peaceful, organized praying. Let's make Friday a day of peaceful prayers like the Egyptians have despite their extremely violent week.

Stephanie, WWT

Bullying: Make It Stop

Many of us here in Pennsylvania have now gotten word of the tragic bullying incident that took place in Upper Darby on January 11th. The media has not given the case as much attention until recently, due to the release of the actual cell-phone video of the bullying and the arrest of seven high school students.

See the video here: http://www.hulu.com/watch/211590/nbc-today-show-teen-‘wolf-pack’-accused-of-bullying-boy

The incident goes something like this. Thirteen-year-old Nadin Khoury was walking home from school at around 1p.m. on January 11th when seven of his fellow classmates proceeded to beat, kick, torture, throw him in a tree, and even hang him on a fence by his jacket. Since when did it become okay in our society for seven kids to beat up on one? The cell-phone video lasting almost 20 minutes, filmed by one of the bullies reveals even more shocking evidence.  At one point a woman is shown walking by and does nothing to help the boy, not even call the police, despite his cries for help. 

Yesterday, the seventh suspect was finally apprehended by police, taken out of the High School in handcuffs, the same treatment that his fellow bullies received. Police Superintendent of Upper Darby Michael Chitwood said, “We took him out of school in handcuffs to send a message loud and clear that any type of bullying will not be tolerated.” I was fortunate enough to actually hear Chitwood speak in a class I had last semester and I know that he will take this incident seriously. Actions taken against the offenders will hopefully deter would-be bullies from partaking in this kind of behavior.


It was discovered that two of the seven offenders have prior criminal records. They attended The Opportunity Center, an alternative learning center, separate from the main High School campus. The bullies are being charged with kidnapping, unlawful restraint, reckless endangerment, false imprisonment and assault. They are being detained at the Juveinle Detention Center in Lima. It is sad to me that some of these high school students already have a criminal record.  I know it happens, and I'm not trying to be naiive about it, I mean come on, I'm a criminal justice student, I study this stuff! It just makes me sad to hear about cases like this where I often give my sympathy to the offenders as well.

 We need to show children and young adults that this behavior is not okay. Bullying used to be something that was never a big deal, sort of an integral process throughout your school years. I was bullied in high school, I'm sure all of us have experience with it, whether we were the victim, or the offender. In today's society however, bullying takes a much more hostile form, as evident by the video taken as proof or some kind of trophy to exploit on the Internet and show off to friends.

Today's technology whether it be cell-phones, facebook, or YouTube provides an easy, immediate way to share experiences. It has decreased our value of the personal face-to-face exchanges that used to be the main way of communicating.  What can we do to stop bullying? I think this question has been raised for years and no one seems to have come up with a good answer.  Bullying happens outside the reach of parents, teachers, and guardians. It can happen behind closed doors, on the Internet even. I think the police departments "get tough" attitude is exactly what society needs.

We will see what happens today at the right-to-detain hearing scheduled for 10a.m.
Stephanie, WWT

Workout Time

Alright, so now that you've gone out and found a restaurant that serves banana's foster, or maybe even made your own, now what? I couldn't just let you sit there with that filling dessert in your stomach. It's workout time!

Now I know what you're thinking...I've already scrapped my New Year's Resolutions! Well, I have found the perfect workouts on YouTube that are designed to be easy, fast, and fun!

15 Minute Abs Workout by Sparkpeople (on YouTube here)

This one is awesome, and is designed to target your abs. Plus it goes by really fast! Try it, it's not that bad.

If that's not enough for you, add this second one to your routine.

10 Minute Cardio Kickboxing by sparkpeople (on YouTube here)



This one is guaranteed to make you sweat. If you can incorporate these into your day you are only taking up 25 minutes total! If you get bored of them just add music in the background for some excitement lol.

Good luck out there and get moving!

Stephanie, WWT