Posts Tagged ‘r’

Back in the day, the only people youd find in an espresso bar would be people who knew what they wanted to order and how. In serious coffee towns like Seattle, Portland and New York City anyone who entered the realm of gourmet coffee was there for a reason”they wanted something better than the cup of Joe at the doughnut shop. Espresso bars in other cities served a niche population who understood the concept of gourmet coffee and sought out these establishments.

Espresso bars are everywhere today. Any decent sized market has a good selection, if not dozens of coffee shops, restaurants and bookstores that serve espresso drinks. This is good for the coffee connoisseur, but frequently problems arise due to patrons who don’t know what they want, or even understand the concept of what to expect at the espresso bar.

For the benefit of newcomers, here are some tips that will help you look like an expert when you go to order espresso.

–Know what you want beforehand. You should have a few drinks that are your drinks, and order those more often than not. For example my drinks are a Latte with an extra shot served either iced or hot depending on the weather. Occasionally, Ill have a cappuccino or a shot or two of espresso. If you want a specific sort of milk (soy milk, skim milk, etc.) ask for it when you order. The barista may ask you what kind of milk youd like”answer quickly or, if it doesnt matter just say so. Typically, youll get 2% or some other default selection. Also, make sure to know what size you want. I usually get a tall at most espresso bars and a venti at Starbucks, which are the largest sizes they offer. The espresso bar”as the name implies”isnt very different in concept than the alcohol bar: they basically offer the same things (or they can all make the same thing) with some unique in-house specialties. You wouldnt go to the bar at the Ritz-Carlton or other classy establishment (or, for that matter, even a dive bar) and expect the bartender to explain the entire concept of cocktails, explain whats in a martini and so forth.

–Dont take your kids to an espresso bar. This is not only for the benefit of those of us who dont want to listen to your screaming spawn, but for the benefit of kids themselves. Kids dont want to drink coffee. Take them to Baskin-Robins or somewhere theyll actually enjoy. If you must take them, the same rules apply”they should know what they want or you should know what they want. A lot of espresso establishments serve soft drinks, and if they dont most can whip up an Italian soda. In any case, dont expect the barista to provide a list of kid-friendly drinks. Thats not their job, and youre holding up the line. Also, keep in mind that many people come to espresso bars to work, read, engage in conversation, or just enjoy a few minutes of downtime. Nothing spoils this faster than crying babies, obnoxious brats running all over the place, or ill-mannered pre-teens giggling and cutting up. Make sure your kids behave themselves”its a good opportunity to teach them the basic concept of how to behave in establishments and situations that require some semblance of deportment. Unfortunately, far too many parents think the whole world is one big half-price pizza night at Chuck E. Cheese and that there are no guidelines for the behavior of their children. Dont be one of these poor excuses for parental role models, and try to teach your kids how to behave in the world from an early age. Everyone will be better off for it.

–Make sure that you tip the help. Being a generous and enthusiastic tipper in general helps lubricate your passage through lifes tight spots, and nowhere is this more important than at your local espresso bar. Some places will have a tip cup on the counter, others wont. Barnes and Noble, for example, wont let their coffee bars have tip cups on the counter but they do accept tips. Not only is tipping the decent thing to do, but it is an investment”particularly in any place that youll be patronizing regularly. A dollar toke for the counter help will ensure that your order is prepared quickly, accurately and courteously. Do this enough and youll find that things that other folks pay for”extra shots of espresso, soy milk, etc.”will be comped. If you go to a place on a daily basis, or even several times a week, its a good idea to throw in a big tip every now and then. Give them $10 at Christmas, for example. It will pay dividends throughout the year, and youll quickly become a favored customer.

–If you want your drink made a certain way, explain it while you order. This implies you know what youre doing and should not be confused with stammering around about espresso basics. The good news is that most of the big chains like Starbucks and Barnes and Noble train their help to make a decently consistent drink. Theyre taught to follow a procedure, however, and if you want your drink done a certain way that isnt standard operating practice youll need to explain what you want. Don’t assume that just because your local coffee shop makes a drink a certain way that every other espresso bar in the world will do the same. If you’re in doubt, ask.

–Finally, the word is ES-PRESS-O and NOT EX-PRESS-O. Theres no X in the word. Regardless of how much or how little you know about coffee, theres no excuse for stupidity.

The grading of eggs is done with a series of tests where the eggs are examined for various qualities such as size and weight. There are three grades of eggs, which are Grade A, Grade B, and Grade C, in Canada. The grades in the US differ slightly by name only, as Grade A, Grade AA and Grade B. Grade A eggs are sold to consumers but the other Grades are for commercial uses.

In order to grade the eggs, they are first washed to make sure they are spotless then they are sent to be candled. Candling, which is usually performed by hand, examines the contents of the egg. This is done by passing the eggs past a light which allows the shell to be viewed internally. The conditions of the shell, the white, and the yolk, are checked for cracks and air pockets. In modern egg operations, the eggs are checked for cracks with the use of sonic sound. Tiny probes tap the egg a total of 16 times to accurately detect any blemishes in the shell. If a crack is found, a thud will indicate the egg is below standard and will be removed. An egg that is perfect will have the machine produce a high pitched sound. The candling or scanning allows the technician to see the size of the air pocket, cracks in the shell, and the centering of the yolk. This is what will later divide the eggs into different grades.

Once it has been determined the egg is worthy of carrying on, it then goes to be graded and weighed. The weight is done by the carton, not the individual egg, and computer controlled sensors weigh each egg over 60 times in less than one second. There is only a 3 ounce difference per one dozen eggs of a different size so the accuracy of the weight of each carton is important.

Grade A: The egg is found in perfect condition. The shell is not cracked at all, is fully clean, and the yolk is round and centered in a firm white with a minimal air pocket. These eggs will be processed for shipping to retail stores for consumers to buy.

Grade B: This egg also has an un-cracked shell but may have a rough texture. The white will be watery/thin and the yolk somewhat flat. These eggs are saved for commercial uses such as selling to bakeries or for processing into other foods like making mayonnaise or noodles.

Grade C: Eggs with this grade likely have a cracked shell, loose yolk, and very thin white. This will only be sold to commercial processors as use as an additive for other products.

Sometimes during the cleaning and other processes, eggs will get broken or punctured. These will be added to the Grade C eggs to be used in processed foods. The eggs are all broken by special machines at a “breaking station,” where they are then pasteurized. The eggs are pasteurized by heating the eggs liquid form to a very high temperature in order to kill any harmful bacteria and micro-organisms. Once the pasteurization process has been completed, further processing of the egg is done and then packaged in liquid, frozen or dried/powdered form for sale. Preservatives or flavorings, and food coloring may be added before selling to companies who will use the processed eggs for production of food or condiments as well as such things as shampoos, pet food, and in adhesives.

Technology has played a significant role in the production of eggs. Now, all eggs are able to be used in a variety of food areas, while the best eggs are provided directly to the consumer.

I am a rice fan, which tastes really good when I put some raisins and cream on it. Steamed snowpeas and carrots is also mouth watering. But a rice that is too sticky really puts me off and I also don’t like it if it is too dry (I am in no mood to chew brittle bits).

Praise the Lord for giving us Aroma rice cookers. These cookers allow you to cook yummy rice. Why do many consumers love these rice cookers by Aroma?

They are easy to use

I just love the fact that these rice cookers make cooking so easy. They are so simple you can cook your favorite rice in no time. Using the measuring cup and the rice paddle narrows your job to perfecting the rice-to-water ratio.

And your rice cooker will take care of the rest. They are also dishwasher friendly.

They come in many sizes

Aroma has rice cookers that come in many sizes. The Pot-Style Rice Cooker sports a traditional Japanese style. It can be as small as a 3 cupper and as big as a 15 cupper. The Cool-touch unit comes in various cup sizes: 4, 8, 10, and 15.

The commercial models have 24- and 30-cup versions. The smaller Aroma rice cookers are great for singles and couples. The larger ones are perfect for any occasion.

They match with almost any kitchen design

Buying a huge rice cooker is not recommended if your kitchen space is limited. Fortunately, I have my own Aroma cooker. I am very glad Aroma makes rice cookers that save important space.

They?re flexible rice cookers

Their versatility is what makes the Aroma rice cookers popular. In addition to cooking the perfect rice, they are also great for stews and soups and steaming meats and vegetables. They are spacious inside and include steaming trays, saving time and energy when making your perfect meal.

They cost less than other rice cooker brands

It is surprising to know that the rice cookers from Aroma are less expensive compared to other renowned brands, such as the Zojirushi rice cookers. The Aroma rice cookers may be less expensive, but they are at par with the competition in the fierce rice cooker market. The smallest models (3 cups) can cost you about $14, whereas the largest models (30 cups) sell for about $129.

They make great gifts for family and friends.

Food miles is a term which refers to the distance food is transported from the time of its production until it reaches the consumer. It is one dimension used in assessing the environmental impact of food. The concept of food miles originated in 1990 in the United Kingdom. It was conceived by Andrea Paxton, who wrote a research paper that discussed the fact that food miles are the distance that food travels from the farm it is produced on to the kitchen in which it is being consumed (Iles, 2005, p.163). Engelhaupt (2008) states, that “food miles is the distance food travels from farm to plate, are a simple way to gauge food’s impact on climate change” (p. 3482). Food travels between 1,500 to 2,500 miles (4,000 km) every time that it is delivered to the consumer. The travel of products from the farms to the consumers is 25 percent farther now than it was in 1980 (”Counting our food miles,” 2007). Some scholars believe that the pollution is created due to the globalization of trade overseas; the focus of food supply bases into fewer, larger supplies; the drastic change in the delivery pattern; increase in processing and packaging foods; and making fewer trips to the supermarket. Others state that the GHG (Greenhouse Gas) emissions are created by the production phases which create 83 percent, 8.1 tons of CO2 foot printing. (Engelhaupt, E., 2008). Recent studies in America and the UK indicate that about 80% of food emissions are produced before the food leaves the farm gate. [1] The goal of the Environmental Protection Agencies is to make people aware of the environment impacts of food miles and show the pollution percentage and the energy used to transport food over long distances, at this time there are researchers that are working to provide the public with more information.

Overview

The concept of food miles is part of a broader issue of sustainability which deals with a large range of environmental issues, including local food. The term was coined by Tim Lang (now Professor of Food Policy, City University, London) who says: “The point was to highlight the hidden ecological, social and economic consequences of food production to consumers in a simple way, one which had objective reality but also connotations.” [2] However, it has increasingly come under attack as an ineffective means of finding the true environmental impact.[3]

A DEFRA report in 2005 undertaken by researchers at AEA Technology Environment, entitled The Validity of Food Miles as an Indicator of Sustainable Development, included findings that “the direct environmental, social and economic costs of food transport are over 9 billion each year, and are dominated by congestion.”

Recent findings indicate that it is not only how far the food has traveled but the method of travel that is important to consider. The positive environmental effects of specialist organic farming may be offset by increased transportation, unless it is produced by local farms. But even then the logistics and effects on other local traffic may play a big role.[citation needed] Also, many trips by personal cars to shopping centers would have a negative environmental impact compared to a few truck loads to neighborhood stores that can be easily accessed by walking or cycling.

Food miles in business

Business leaders have adopted food miles as a model for understanding inefficiency in a food supply chain. Wal-Mart, famously focused on efficiency, was an early adopter of food miles as a profit-maximizing strategy. More recently, Wal-Mart has embraced the environmental benefits of supply chain efficiency as well. In 2006, Wal-Mart, CEO, Lee Scott said, “The benefits of the strategy are undeniable, whether you look through the lens of greenhouse gas reduction or the lens of cost savings. What has become so obvious is that ‘a green strategy’ provides better value for our customers”.[4] Wal-Mart has since made a series of environmental commitments that suggest the company is looking more holistically at supply chain sustainability, such as restricting seafood suppliers to fisheries independently certified as sustainable, a practice that may increase food miles.[4] Still it is undeniable that Wal-Mart’s strategy of using supply chains from as far away as China exorbitantly increases greenhouse emissions. They are often criticized for “green washing” and only adopting large-scale green tactics, which make them appear earth-friendly but actually have little positive environmental impact.[citation needed]

Some other alternatives for reducing food miles are to create Co-op grocery stores. A Co-op is a small business strictly owned and managed by its members. The way that this works is that people come together, they create equity and then they purchase their products. They grow organic food and their food miles are drastically reduced. “Choosing to buy organic has value, the hidden costs of shopping increase substantially when road miles are factored in”(Holt and Watson, 2008, p. 321). The first co-op was created in 1844 in England with twenty-eight people. They started out by selling just sugar, flour, butter and oatmeal. Today there are over 47,000 coop corporations in the United States alone. Not only are Co-op markets reducing the food miles, but they are also providing the consumers with healthy food, organic food. The facts and figures for 2005 state that organic foods contains higher levels of vitamin C, calcium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus and chromium; and 15 percent lower levels of nitrates (Siner, 1996).

In one of my earlier articles, I had talked about the importance of getting lots of back links to your site in order to rank well in the search engines. Building links is also known as Off Page Optimization.

Websites that link back to your site and the page rank of those websites are important. Linking with irrelevant websites dont count with the search engines and is a wasted effort. How do search engines decide about the relevance of the website linking back to your website?

Search engines also consider the anchor text used in linking back to your site. For example, if your website is about dating than the anchor text: dating tips may be given more importance than the anchor text: recommended website.

Search engines also like to take into account the page title of the site page that is linking to your site. Some sites are considered to be authority sites by the search engines. Back links from authority sites are very valuable.

In nutshell, you have to be careful in deciding about the websites that should link back to you. Those websites should be related to your sites niche. They should be considered as authority sites and the anchor text used to link back to your site should contain your site related keyword.

In other words, getting lots of back links from authority sites is what counts with the search engines. How to get lots of back links from authority sites?

You must have heard about social book marking sites and how they work. Social book marking sites like digg, stumbleupon, furl, del.icio.us, propeller etc are considered as authority sites by search engines especially Google. Most of these social sites have a page rank of 6+.

If you can bookmark your website on these sites, you can get lots of quality one way links. Dont forget, many people visit these social bookmarking sites, so you can get many visitors in addition to back links as well.