The Big E

The Eastern States Exposition began in the early 1900s as a way to boost the agricultural economy in New England and has since turned into one of the largest state fairs today known as The Big E. To call it a "state" fair is a bit of a misnomer, as it is a fair for all of the New England states.


The Big E is a well known attraction to those in New England; however, this was the first year I've ever attended despite spending my teenage years as a resident of Connecticut. For those of you who've been, you know its a never-ending display of food, games, rides, shopping, farm animals etc. For the first timers, its admittedly a bit overwhelming. The first few hundred feet into the fair grounds it seems like just a normal northeastern carnival: the tents are colorful, the food trucks are ostentatious, and the rides and games are twinkling with gaudy light fixtures. As you continue walking you realize the fun seems to go on for miles (and I assure you, we walked miles that day around and around - to the point of waking up sore the next morning).

I'm sure my experience was fairly traditional, but lets relive it, shall we? It was a crisp September morning when me and two lovely ladies departed from southern CT on a mini road trip to meet our long lost buddy from PA school who moved back to MA after graduation. We had been plotting this trip for a while and were looking forward to a food-filled day of fun (that's what the repeat visitors to the Big E were looking forward to anyway).

The first thing we encountered upon arrival were the Budweiser Clydesdales... humongous, majestic horses famous for their appearances in Bud commercials throughout the year, and mostly during major football events later in the season. I have always loved horses and as a child I begged to take riding lessons; however, my mother never caved in on that request. As you can imagine, these horses were quite a sight as they are literally huge. In commercials they are often accompanied by their canine friends, dalmatians. I guess the Big E wanted to do things right so on cue at the back of the tent where the horses were kept were two dalmatians arguing over a bone.

We then moved through the warehouses to take in all the goodies being sold by various vendors. There were gadgets and gizmos of plenty, whosits and whatsits galore. There was even a mini winter wonderland to walk through with blasting air conditioners and falling 'snow.' One of the warehouses was entirely devoted to farming and contained pigs, chickens, vegetables, llamas, alpacas, and landscaping displays. My favorites: the piglets and chicklets. 

As for the food, you can get almost anything deep fried at the Big E. Fried pickles, fried zucchini, fried dough, fried twinkies, fried chicken, fried cookie dough, french fries, and so on. The two that I was lucky enough to indulge in were fried oreos - bangin - and fried cheese curds - not so bangin. The cheese curds were the brain child of our one friend; let's just say I won't be having those again anytime soon. In addition to carnival food is a multitude of carnival games rides; however, those are not my specialty so I'm not going to discuss them. Just know that every carnival ride known exists at the Big E.

Finally, you can't really talk about the Big E without mentioning the state houses. Along one strip in the fair grounds are six old style brick houses dedicated to the states of New England: Connecticut (holla), Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. Each house contains select food and vendors from the state. In Connecticut, the big deal was the Pez. The United States Pez factory is located in Orange, CT. Each state house had something different to offer - maple syrup, soaps, lobster rolls, cotton candy, sweatshirts, hats, and other paraphernalia. I purchased some all natural soaps and some Vermont maple syrup for my boy during my tour through the houses. Overall this was a very successful and exciting adventure.

A little country in the big city

I've been on a few adventures since being out of school and not yet at work. One of which was an excursion into the city to one our of favorite restaurants: Hill Country Barbeque. Since Howie is from Texas, he's always on the lookout for "home-comfort-foods," aka real barbecue and real mexican food (I'll leave the explanation of the italicized "reals" for Howie to explain in a guest post since these are two of his hot-button topics). I actually first heard of this restaurant through an old high school friend who attended college in the city. Though it took some convincing to get Howie to try it because he is highly skeptical of the quality of northern bbq, it has turned into one of our top choices of places to eat in the city.

When you first walk into Hill Country it's like walking into an entirely different time and place than the busy streets of New York. Located on 26th between 5th and 6th ave, right near Madison Square Park, Hill Country is a great place to indulge in the southern delicacy of barbecue. The art of barbecue varies from region to region in the south, but the premise remains the same: meats cooked over low heat for hours and hours basted in succulent sauce. With this barbecue comes additional treats for your belly: mac & cheese, potato salad, cucumber salad, mashed sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, corn bread, and more. The food is delicious and will send you directly into food coma if you aren't careful, which we usually aren't.

Aside from the southern comfort foods, this place is also unique because of its ambiance. With wood everywhere and mildly dim lighting, you feel as if you've walked into a southern hole-in-the-wall bbq joint. There are wood tables lined up cafeteria style, wooden chairs, a wooden bar, and stacks of fire wood along the back wall. When you enter, you are given a meal ticket that you bring with you up to the meat counter where you order your choice of beef, chicken, or sausage by weight as the meat is taken from the back where its likely just come out of the smoker. The meat is wrapped in paper, you are given a tray, and your meal ticket is marked before you move to the line for sides. At that station there is a minimum of 8 or so options to choose from in a variety of sizes along with an additional 5 or so desserts to choose. Your order is marked on your ticket and you are then free to sit anywhere you like. A waiter will come with options for drinks: water, iced tea, lemonade, soda, beer, the usual suspects. As you can imagine, its extremely easy to get carried away here.

My favorite: the 1/4 bbq chicken, with sides of mac & cheese or potato salad and cucumber salad. Howie usually goes for a multitude of things including sausage, brisket, and whatever else he finds himself drooling over... his eyes are always bigger than his stomach. This place has something for everyone and the food is excellent; its definitely somewhere you should try when you have time in NYC.

Have no fear, the camera's here

So way back in July we had out photographer booking escapade. I was crumbling under the perceived pressure of my life and the need to book soon combined with the never-ending, in-depth group projects at school. After a few temper tantrums, Howie took the reigns.

With that said, after several weeks of searching and negotiating, we signed a contract with Tyler Boye Photography. I promptly 'liked' them on facebook and have been stalking their pictures as they post them since we booked. We are very excited about this decision and we are looking forward to planning our engagement session in the spring!
A word to the wise: Start early!! Unlike music, which was a piece of cake, sifting through photographer's websites and online portfolios is time consuming, especially because you are looking for that right style for your personality.

Another word to the wise: Speak with photographers on the phone. Most have extensive online portfolios that give you a great sense of the photographer's style; therefore, unless you are obsessive about seeing album styles in person, it's not a necessity to go meet with the photographers if you can speak with them on the phone.

Finally: Do not be afraid to negotiate this one. I'm not great at negotiating, but after putting the job in Howie's hands, we were able to get our dream studio at a more reasonable price. Keep in mind, the photographer can be pricey, ranging from $1,000 to $10,000. You'll want to establish a budget range ahead of time and know how much flexing you are willing to do. Ours started at $2,000-$3,000 and we are ending up in the $3,500-$4,000 range to give you an idea.

With the photographer out of the way, it's on to the next big thing - the dress...

Hello again!

Hello my loyal friends and readers! I apologize for the delay in resuming my writing. Since we last were together, a lot has happened. I went into hiding around the time of my graduation from PA school. I then studied from dawn til dusk for 10 days for my board exam, wallowed through the 5 stages of grief as I felt as though I failed my board exam, interviewed for a job, got the job, pased my boards, and began my recovery from the roller coaster. As for September, I've been working on the never ending stack of paperwork for the new gig as well as trying to get my act together with regards to wedding planning. However, it is time I write; you can expect a complete return of regular posting!

What's coming next?
    Wedding planning updates
    New recipes
    New places to eat
    More on vitamins
    More on paleo and "real food" lifestyle
    Bucket list adventures

Since I'm back in action, feel free to comment here with post ideas or email me at letters.4.j@gmail.com

A step in the right direction, if you ask me

Saw this little article floating in my AAPA news-watch this morning. I bet all you ladies are hoping this gets taken to the next level:

Study in mice raises hopes for birth control pill for men

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Analysis & Opinion

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By Julie Steenhuysen

CHICAGO | Thu Aug 16, 2012 1:17pm EDT

(Reuters) - U.S. researchers have stumbled on a compound that may finally lead to a birth control pill for men.

In lab experiments, male mice given the pill were rendered completely infertile during treatment as they produced fewer and less mobile sperm. The drug, originally tested as part of a broader cancer research project, does not affect the hormone system or sex drive, the team said on Thursday.

"There is no effect on the mouse's mojo. The animals exhibit the normal sexual behaviors and frequency of copulation," said Dr. James Bradner of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, whose study appears in the journal Cell.

What's more, the effect is completely reversible. Once doctors stopped giving the drug to mice, they were able to sire healthy litters, with no apparent side effects, Bradner said.

Scientists say the research is exciting because it applies a unique approach to the problem of male contraception, which is now largely comprised of less reliable methods like condom use, or more permanent procedures like vasectomies.

Bradner's lab focuses on developing new drugs to undermine the molecular memory of cancer cells that tell them to divide. Those memory markers are distributed throughout the genome, the DNA that makes up a person's genetic code, and Bradner likens them to post-it notes that give cells instructions.

The team was experimenting with a compound developed in Bradner's lab called JQ1, which was originally synthesized at Dana-Farber to block BRD4, a cancer-causing gene.

They discovered that it appears to target a protein specific to the testes called BRDT that instructs sperm to mature. Bradner said the compound does not appear to do damage to sperm-making cells, but they forget how to create mature sperm while under the influence of the drug.

DRUG IMPEDES SPERM PRODUCTION

Bradner reached out to reproductive health expert Martin Matzuk of Baylor College of Medicine, another author of the report, and his team tested the compound in mice.

What they found is that the animals began producing fewer sperm, and the ones they did produce were poor swimmers.

"When the drug is removed, these instructions return," Bradner said.

The finding was surprising because few drugs are able to cross a protective firewall known as the blood-testes barrier that protects the testicles from substances floating around in the blood stream.

William Bremner from the University of Washington in Seattle, who was not involved in the research, said in a commentary the finding was "a breakthrough new approach," noting that there has not been a new reversible contraceptive for men since the development of the condom centuries ago.

"It's exciting basic science that provides a new approach to think about how a contraceptive for men might be designed," Bremner said in a telephone interview. "At the same time, it's a long ways from being in clinical trials in men, let alone being on pharmacy shelves."

Other teams have developed hormonal pills that are effective, but they disrupt hormone balance in men, and drug companies so far have not picked up on this approach, Bremner said.

Professor Moira O'Bryan, head of the Male Infertility and Germ Cell Biology Laboratory at Monash University in Australia, said the study was "an exciting report that could have major scientific and social impacts."

O'Bryan said the strong similarity between sperm production in mice and humans suggest that a variation of the drug may ultimately result in a human contraception for men.

Bradner said his team is working to refine the drug so that it only acts on cells in the testes, and not on cancer cells.

And while there are many more tests ahead before it can be a drug, the researchers believe the new approach can be "completely translated to men, providing a novel and efficacious strategy for a male contraceptive."

(Reporting by Julie Steenhuysen; Editing by Michele Gershberg and Vicki Allen)

The Secret of Life: A Reflection

Here's another repost for your enjoyment taken from another blog I like to follow, A Country Doctor Writes. This is a big time of change for me, so I felt this piece appropriate for the times to remind us all to keep moving forward:

The Secret Of Life

Published June 23, 2012 Reflections 1 Comment 

“The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time”

                    James Taylor

One of my wife’s mentors has a 104-year-old aunt, who on her 100^th birthday was asked to reveal the secret of her longevity.

“I always have something to look forward to” was her answer.

Wisdom, happiness and longevity aren’t confined to people in cathedrals or ivory towers. They can be found in seemingly ordinary people in the most ordinary places. James Taylor, in his song “Secret O’ Life”, goes on to say, “any fool can do it”. Similarly, the Bible tells us to be more child-like (Matthew 18:4).

That doesn’t mean you have to be childish or think like a fool to enjoy life. It does mean that finding happiness is not complicated, and we sometimes get so wrapped up in our own thinking that we fail to see the simplicity in some of the universal truths about life as well as the beauty of life itself.

Observing which of my patients live well and handle age, illness and adversity the best, I see the power of this every day.

Jungian therapist Robert A. Johnson describes in his book, “Transformation: Understanding the three levels of masculine consciousness”, how the male psyche evolves from simple man (exemplified by Don Quixote), who asks “What’s for dinner?” to complicated man (Hamlet), who asks “What does it all mean?” to enlightened man (Faust), who asks “What’s for dinner?”

Too many of us dwell on the past – what we lost, what we never had, what we should or shouldn’t have done. Too many of us spin our wheels over-analyzing the present. Too many of us fritter away our days and our lives imagining or pining for distant futures at the expense of the present moment.

There is nothing wrong with thinking about the past, but we must each find our own way of making peace with it. There is nothing wrong with trying to understand our present circumstances, but not all of it will make sense to us now. Sometimes it takes years or a lifetime to understand the things we go through in life. There is nothing wrong with having dreams and goals, but we must somehow find joy in the journey towards those goals without feeling that we are wasting our time in our present life, since for some of us, that is all we’ll ever have.

Wisdom, like happiness, can’t be bought or taught. It is only occasionally learned in formal education settings through rigorous study and practice. More often it is earned through hardship and experience. It is gained when we look deep inside ourselves and acknowledge what we see. In the words of C. G. Jung, “One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious”.

In medicine, wisdom is partly gained by being wrong, or at least humbled by facing the limitations of our knowledge. But clinical wisdom must be paired with human wisdom as well as some of that simple joy of life James Taylor sang about, so that we can truly be of help to our patients. Nietzsche, in words that could have been written for practicing physicians, said:

“There is one thing one has to have: either a soul that is cheerful by nature, or a soul made cheerful by work, love, art, and knowledge.”

That is the hope I carry, that my love of medicine, of my wife, my family, and of the arts and the beauty around me will help me be joyful in my daily living. I hope that love will sustain me as the alarm continues to ring at 05:10 on bright summer mornings as well as dark, howling winter ones, this year and for many more years to come.

Ice Cream vs. Frozen Yogurt

I apologize for the hiatus, however, my posts will be fewer for at least another week or two for a multitude of reasons. With that said, here is a little treat to tie you over:

Frozen Yogurt Vs. Ice Cream

The debate on frozen yogurt vs. ice cream is catching on like wildfire! So which is better? This article dwells on the difference between frozen yogurt and ice cream. Read on...

How many ice cream lovers have shifted their loyalties to frozen yogurt, simply because they got weight conscious? Most people believe that frozen yogurt is a healthier choice as compared to ice cream. Today, frozen yogurt is being considered to be something like ice cream and is served in several flavors, with different toppings, etc. According to the USDA, 62.4% of US production was regular ice cream in 2007, with low-fat and non-fat ice cream at 25% and frozen yogurt at 4.4%. However, what's the truth? Which is better?

Ice cream

Ice creams are frozen desserts prepared from dairy products, such as milk, cream, fruits, flavors and other ingredients. Most ice cream varieties are made from sugar, however, there are some made with other sweeteners. Sometimes, instead of natural ingredients, artificial flavorings and colorings are also used. People with lactose intolerance symptoms have ice creams made from soy milk and rice milk as well.

Ice cream comprises milk fat (10-16 %), milk solids (9-12 %), sweeteners (12-16%), stabilizers and emulsifiers (0.2-0.5%), water (55-65 %), which comes from milk or other ingredients. All the ingredients are mixed and stirred slowly while cooling, thereby preventing formation of large crystals and conducing to smoothly textured ice cream. Today, ice creams are available in all parts of the globe and are sold in large cartons in grocery stores and supermarkets.

Frozen Yogurt

Frozen yogurt is a frozen dessert prepared from yogurt, rather than cream. In the 1970s, this dessert was introduced as a healthier alternative to ice cream, however, its yogurt like consistency and tart taste lead to complaining customers. In response to these complaints, manufacturers spearheaded the production of a frozen yogurt recipe that would pacify the palettes of the consumers. In 1980s, frozen yogurt made a comeback and reached sales of $25 million in 1986. By the early 1990s, frozen yogurt had captured 10% of the dessert market. In frozen yogurt, the cream of the ice cream is replaced by the yogurt, however, the other ingredients are more or less the same.

Frozen yogurt comprises yogurt culture, milk fat (comprises about 0.5-6% of yogurt), milk solids (form 8-14% of yogurt's volume), gelatin, sweetener, coloring, corn syrup and flavoring. The milk fat accounts for the yogurt's richness and the milk solids provide proteins for smoothness, increased resistance to melting and lactose for sweetness. Frozen yogurt can be prepared in an ice cream machine, however, major companies often use assembly lines, specifically designed for yogurt production. 

Ice Cream Vs. Frozen Yogurt

Today, frozen yogurt is available in several flavors and styles, just like ice cream. Both ice cream and frozen yogurt are known to be nutritious with large amounts of high quality protein, calcium, riboflavin and some other essential vitamins and minerals. While ice creams contain 10-18% of fat content by weight, frozen yogurt usually has lesser amounts of fat content. Fat-free yogurt also exist, however, they often have even more added sugar, as compared to other varieties.

While considering the difference between frozen yogurt and ice cream, people often tend to halt at the fat and sugar content present in them. It's true that frozen yogurt contain less fat content than ice creams and that certain organic frozen yogurt are low-calorie and non-fat, however, one cannot just stop here and draw conclusions. The major health benefit of frozen yogurt goes beyond the horizons of fat and sugar content and stretches to its probiotic content.

Yogurt is actually fermented food, which is made by adding live bacterial cultures to milk. These bacteria spearhead fermentation in the milk and release lactic acid. The acid thickens the milk proteins and causes them to form a thick substance. Consumption of yogurt causes these live bacteria to enter the body and assist various beneficial bacteria in the body. These live bacterial cultures present in frozen yogurt promote better digestion. Probiotic content means good bacterial content, which helps boost the body's immune system, enhances digestion and is also believed to lower cholesterol levels.

Moreover, the amount of lactose present in frozen yogurt is more digestible, as compared to the lactose present in ice creams. This is because frozen yogurt contains enzymes which assist in breaking down dairy products, thereby enabling people with lactose intolerance to ingest frozen yogurt with minimal or no ill effects.

Frozen yogurt, with its additional benefits over ice cream, of greater digestibility, low-fat content and presence of probiotic cultures has caused it to be favored over regular ice creams. However, it is important to note that a great amount of sugar is added in frozen yogurt, which does not make it as healthy as regular yogurt. It is best to view frozen yogurt (health wise), midway between plain yogurt and ice cream. It is best to maintain a balanced consumption ratio. Each is known for its own benefits, so enjoy them proportionately. Hope this article was informative and helpful!

By Priya Johnson
Last Updated: 11/2/2011

*Taken from Buzzle.com, original article linked in the title