TRAVEL TUESDAY #177 - YARRA VALLEY, AUSTRALIA

“If you have two friends in your lifetime, you're lucky. If you have one good friend, you're more than lucky.” ― S.E. Hinton 

Welcome to the Travel Tuesday meme! Join me every Tuesday and showcase your creativity in photography, painting and drawing, music, poetry, creative writing or a plain old natter about Travel.

There is only one simple rule: Link your own creative work about some aspect of travel and share it with the rest of us. Please use this meme for your creative endeavours only.

Do not use this meme to advertise your products or services as any links or comments by advertisers will be removed immediately.

Last week we had friends visiting us from interstate and while they were here we drove out to the northeast of Melbourne to the Yarra Valley. It is about 60 km from the City centre and is situated amongst low hills. The Yarra River flows through the valley to make its way to the City centre. Several picturesque small towns are found in this valley, amongst many vineyards and prime sheep and cattle country. Lilydale, Yea, Yarra Glen and Healesville are all thriving communities and prime tourist attractions.

Numerous wineries have made themselves famous in this location, some very old ones as well as many new. We drove to Yarra Glen, a small town full of charm on the banks of the Yarra and made our way to Domaine Chandon, a winery owned by the motherhouse of Môet et Chandon in France. This establishment produces sparkling wine that is as good as (or better, I say!) than the champagne produced by Môet in France. They have a restaurant and wine tasting room onsite where one may enjoy the local wine and food while viewing the vineyards outside and towards the horizon the lovely blue hills. Autumn colours dotted the landscape, and fortunately we had a glorious, fine, warm and mellow day.

We then proceeded to Yering Station Winery, one of my favourite wineries there and enjoyed the hospitality of their restaurant. Having had lunch washed down by some excellent Australian wine, we proceeded to Healesville, whose claim to fame is an Australian animal wildlife sanctuary. This is another tourist destination where one may see Australian animals in their natural habitat: Kangaroos, wallabies, wombats, echidnas, possums, platypuses, emus, cassowaries, pelicans, brolgas, eagles, ibises, cockatoos, rosellas, galahs, kookaburras and many more.

We enjoyed a cup of excellent coffee in an old-fashioned bakery and sampled some of the traditional sweets: Caramel slices, chocolate mousse slices, chocolate hedgehogs, coconut slices, apple and blueberry pies and chocolate éclairs. The day was concluded by a visit to a few shops selling old wares and antiques, and the drive back was pleasant with lots of music and laughter. Needless to say that the day was enjoyed very much by everyone…

This post is part of the Our World Tuesday meme,
and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme.

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TRAVEL TUESDAY #172 - KAYSERBERG, FRANCE

“Give me books, French wine, fruit, fine weather and a little music played out of doors by somebody I do not know.” ― John Keats

Welcome to the Travel Tuesday meme! Join me every Tuesday and showcase your creativity in photography, painting and drawing, music, poetry, creative writing or a plain old natter about Travel.

There is only one simple rule: Link your own creative work about some aspect of travel and share it with the rest of us. Please use this meme for your creative endeavours only.

Do not use this meme to advertise your products or services as any links or comments by advertisers will be removed immediately. 

Kaysersberg is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France. The inhabitants are called Kaysersbergeois. The name means "Emperor's Mountain" in German. The high fortress that dominates the city serves as a reminder of both its strategic importance and its warlike past.

Kaysersberg is the birthplace of Albert Schweitzer (1875–1965), theologian, musician, philosopher, and physician. Together with the rest of Alsace-Lorraine, Kaysersberg was part of Germany during the period between the Franco-Prussian War and the First World War. 

Kaysersberg is one of the finest wine growing areas in Alsace. The first vines were brought here in the 16th century from Hungary, and wine production is still an important aspect of the town’s economy today. Wine produced from the Pinot gris variety is a local specialty.

This post is part of the Our World Tuesday meme,
and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme.

A YARRA VALLEY DAY TRIP

“Let us be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” - Marcel Proust

Last week we had friends visiting us from interstate and while they were here we drove out to the northeast of Melbourne to the Yarra Valley. It is about 60 km from the City centre and is situated amongst low hills. The Yarra River flows through the valley to make its way to the City centre. Several picturesque small towns are found in this valley, amongst many vineyards and prime sheep and cattle country. Lilydale, Yea, Yarra Glen and Healesville are all thriving communities and prime tourist attractions.

Numerous wineries have made themselves famous in this location, some very old ones as well as many new. We drove to Yarra Glen, a small town full of charm on the banks of the Yarra and made our way to Domaine Chandon, a winery owned by the motherhouse of Môet et Chandon in France. This establishment produces sparkling wine that is as good as (or better I say!) than the champagne produced by Môet in France. They have a restaurant and wine tasting room onsite where one may enjoy the local wine and food while viewing the vineyards outside and towards the horizon the lovely blue hills. Autumn colours dotted the landscape, and fortunately we had a glorious, fine, warm and mellow day.

We then proceeded to Yering Station Winery, one of my favourite wineries there and enjoyed the hospitality of their restaurant. Having had lunch washed down by some excellent Australian wine, we proceeded to Healesville, whose claim to fame is an Australian animal wildlife sanctuary. This is another tourist destination where one may see Australian animals in their natural habitat: Kangaroos, wallabies, wombats, echidnas, possums, platypuses, emus, cassowaries, pelicans, brolgas, eagles, ibises, cockatoos, rosellas, galahs, kookaburras and many more.

We enjoyed a cup of excellent coffee in an old-fashioned bakery and sampled some of the traditional sweets: Caramel slices, chocolate mousse slices, chocolate hedgehogs, coconut slices, apple and blueberry pies and chocolate éclairs. The day was concluded by a visit to a few shops selling old wares and antiques, and the drive back was pleasant with lots of music and laughter. Needless to say that the day was enjoyed very much by everyone…

ANTHESTERIA

“Quickly, bring me a beaker of wine, so that I may wet my mind and say something clever.” - Aristophanes
 
Today is the first day of the Anthesteria (Flower Festival), one of the several Athenian festivals in honour of Dionysus, the wine god, held annually for three days in the month of Anthesterion (February–March) to celebrate the beginning of spring and the maturing of the wine stored at the previous vintage.
 
On the first day, the Pithoigia (“Jar Opening”) were celebrated and libations of the new wine were offered to Dionysus from the freshly opened casks. The rooms of each house were adorned with spring flowers, and the children over three years of age were bedecked with garlands. Drinking vessels were decorated with flowers, especially violets, which in any case were used to wine by steeping them in it.
 
The second day, Choes (“Wine Jugs”), was a time of popular merrymaking typified by wine-drinking contests in which even slaves and children participated. People dressed themselves gaily, some in the guise of the mythical personages in the suite of Dionysus, and paid a round of visits to their acquaintances. The primary activity of the day was a drinking competition, in which participants sat at separate tables and competed in silence at draining a chous (a five-litre container) of wine. Miniature choes were given to children as toys, and “first Choes” was a rite of passage.
 
Also on the second day, the state performed a secret ceremony in a sanctuary of Dionysus in the Lenaeum, in which the wife of the king archon went through a ceremony of marriage to Dionysus. The queen was assisted by 14 Athenian matrons, called geraerae, chosen by the archon and sworn to secrecy. The fullest description, which omits many details, is found in Apollodorus’s speech “Against Neaera.”
 
The third day, Chytroi (“Pots”) was a festival of the dead, for which, apparently, pots of seed or bran were offered to the dead. None of the Olympian gods were included in the prayers and no one tasted the pottage, which was food of the dead. Although no performances were allowed at the theatre, a type of rehearsal took place, at which the players for the ensuing dramatic festival were selected (remembering that Dionysus was also the patron god of the theatre). On these days, it was believed, the souls of the dead came up from the underworld and walked abroad; people chewed leaves of whitethorn and smeared their doors with tar to protect themselves from evil. A common invocation was: “Away with you, Keres (evil spirits), it is no longer the Anthesteria”.

A FORMAL DINNER IN ADELAIDE

"Too many people just eat to consume calories. Try dining for a change." – John Walters

As I wrote yesterday, on Wednesday night I attended a work function and dinner at the National Wine Centre in Adelaide. There were 100 guests and the event was highly successful, not only because it was organised faultlessly with a good selection of speakers, panel members and guests, but also because of the wonderful venue. We were in one of the main function rooms of the Wine Centre and the sit-down formal dinner was exquisite. Of course, it was accompanied by excellent South Australian wines from the Torbreck Winery of the Barossa Valley.

The Spring evening was delightful and we started off by meeting and greeting the guests in the garden, while sipping a glass of chilled bubbly. The perfumed air was wafting from the botanic gardens adjacent to the wine centre and the air was mellow, but had a slight edge, making for comfortable dining with the doors of the function room wide open to the gardens outside.

The menu consisted of:

On Arrival:
Selection of wines and locally brewed beers, canapés

Entrée:
BBQ King prawns, Thai Snapper Cake, Pea Vine Salad and Citrus Aioli

Main Course:
Crispy Skin Duck Breast, Twice-Baked Duck Leg, Pistachio & Orange Risotto, Sticky Port and Quince Glaze

Dessert:
Baked Individual Toffee Apple Tart, Peanut Brittle Parfait & Amaretto Crème

Beverages:
2009 Woodcutter’s Semillon
2007 The Steading GSM
Locally Brewed Beers
Soft Drinks

Coffee & Tea with Handmade Pralines

It is extremely civilised to sit down and formally partake of a carefully prepared gourmet meal, which is punctuated by conversation with compatible people. Furthermore, it is even better if one’s mind is further stimulated by listening to a fascinating panel discussion in between courses, and to cap it all off having a distinguished after-dinner speaker.

In our case, the speaker was Tim Jarvis, a well-known South Australian explorer and adventurer who regaled us with amazing stories of his expeditions to the North and South Pole. As all adventurers are concerned, completely crazy, but wonderful-crazy!

The night concluded with drinks back at our hotel and I dare say, a sleep-in the next morning with Eggs Benedict and strong, freshly-brewed black coffee for breakfast!

UN BAISER...

“My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions. My actions are the ground upon which I stand.” - Thich Nhat Hanh

We watched a rom-com from France at the weekend, which was quite lightweight and enjoyable, but still, it had bit of a hidden sting in its tail… The 2007 romantic comedy “Un Baiser, s'il Vous Plait” released in English as “Shall We Kiss?” was written and directed by Emmanuel Mouret. As if that weren’t enough, he also played one of the leading roles (see above as Nicolas, with Virginie Ledoyen, who plays Judith)! We rather enjoyed seeing this amusing persiflage of a film and we got into a discussion following it, which I presume is exactly what the director set out to do. An enjoyable rom-com, which nevertheless tried to make a point about the profound consequences of one’s even slightest actions.

The film is a story within a story and briefly, the plot is as follows: Gabriel, a native of Nantes, and Émilie, a visiting Parisienne, meet by chance in Nantes and he offers her a ride. They seem to get on very well and they end up dining together, talking and laughing all the while. As Émilie gets dropped off at her hotel by Gabriel, he tries to give her “a kiss without consequences”. Émilie refuses the kiss and warns him that a kiss could have unexpected consequences. When the perplexed Gabriel protests the innocence of his kiss, Émilie tells him a story, which in flashback makes up the bulk of the movie. It concerns Judith, her husband Claudio and her best friend, Nicolas. The triangle of this main story illustrates Émilie’s refusal to kiss Gabriel.

The film illustrates the impossibility of indulging one’s desires without affecting someone else’s life. This is especially true in relationships, even in very happy relationships where one partner may “stray” and bring the universe of the other partner collapsing in around the couple. The plot also distinguishes between falling in love and loving, passion and affection, selfless sacrifice and selfishness. The difference between the lover and the beloved is also pointed out. I shall not say more in case you wish to see the film yourself, so I will not spoil it.

Apropos films and watching movies, in my paper in the train today I saw a risible article regarding what wine to drink when watching movies. The ploy is a marketing device and concerns Oovie,  a DVD renting company and a Sydney Wine Bar, Time to Vino. The 'Time to Vino' sommelier, Clint Hillery said that the DVD-wine pairing system is like selecting the right wine to have with a specific kind of food/meal, the best combinations enhancing the effects of each other. In terms of the movie genre, the effect caused by the right wine would be a heightening of the emotions that were generated by the film. In case you are wondering what drop is right for what genre, here are the recommendations:

Romance: Dolcetto – sweet, lush, soft, easy to drink…
Thriller: Pinot noir – robust, intense, complex, layered!
Romantic Comedy: Riesling – floral, vibrant, crisp, aromatic.
Drama: Champagne – ethereal, effervescent, emotional, zingy.
Action: Sauvignon blanc – Racy, edgy, clean, lively.

For more of the blurb, go into the “news” section of the Oovie website. There you go, another Australian cultural first! I wonder what I should drink with SciFi?

ON ALCOHOL (AGAIN)...

“Drunkenness is nothing but voluntary madness.” – Seneca

Remember once upon a time when cigarette smoking used to be widespread and nobody would even think of not smoking in public places (well, if not, maybe I am showing my age…)? Before my time, smoking was even recommended as healthful for some disorders! Some definitive epidemiological studies in the 1960s started to link smoking with some deadly diseases including emphysema, cancers of the mouth, throat, lungs, pancreas, cervix, bladder, it increases the risk of dying from a heart attack or from a stroke and increases the risk of getting gangrene. It interferes with normal functioning of almost every organ of the body, decreases libido and increases the ageing processes and wrinkling of the skin.

We are now aware of all of these adverse and often fatal effects and we have legislated to protect as many people as possible. Cigarette smoking in public places is now strictly regulated, tobacco advertising is banned in most countries, warning signs are printed on cigarette packets and smoking is on the point of becoming socially unacceptable.

Alcohol is responsible for almost as many adverse effects and yet it has been resistant to becoming quite so unacceptable as smoking is. “Noah was the first tiller of the soil. He planted a vineyard; and he drank of the wine, and became drunk, and lay uncovered in his tent.” This quote from Genesis 9:20-21, describes graphically alcohol production, its consumption and after-effects! Records of wine and beer making go back 5,000-6,000 years with the Mesopotamians and Egyptians both being well versed in the art of making alcohol in the form of beer and wine. Alcohol or ethanol is produced by the fermentation of carbohydrates by yeasts. It is one of most widely used of recreational drugs and is taken in alcoholic drinks to relax, reduce inhibitions and increase sociability. Taken just before food alcohol will increase gastric secretion and hence enhance the gastric phase of digestion. Alcohol in moderate doses is believed to be safe, and recent research suggests that moderate alcohol consumption will reduce high blood pressure and protect against atheroma.

However, the problem with alcohol is described by the maxim: “Too much of a good thing becomes a very bad thing”. In Australia currently, over 80% of the population report that they consumed alcohol in the previous 12 months, with 11% of males and 6% of females drinking daily. In terms of risk of harm in the long term, 10% of males and 9% of females drank alcohol in a pattern that was risky or high risk. In terms of short-term risk, 24% of males and 17% of females drank at least once a month in a manner that was risky or high risk for short-term harm. Around one-quarter of teenagers put themselves at risk of short-term alcohol-related harm at least once a month. The proportion was higher among females (28.3%) than males (24.5%).

Alcohol is the second largest cause of drug-related deaths and hospitalisations in Australia, after tobacco. Alcohol is the main cause of deaths on Australian roads. In 1998, over 2,000 deaths of the total 7,000 deaths of persons under 65 years, were related to alcohol. In 2004, the age standardised rate for male deaths due to alcoholic liver disease as the underlying cause was 5.5 per 100,000, compared with 1.5 per 100,000 for females. In 2004, the age standardised rate for male deaths with mental and behavioural disorders due to alcohol as the underlying cause was 1.9 per 100,000, compared with 0.4 per 100,000 for females.

Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant and disturbs both mental and physical functioning. Alcohol intoxication causes muddled thinking, slurred speech, drowsiness, poor co-ordination, dulled reactions, erectile dysfunction and amnesia. Disinhibition will lead to feelings of euphoria or misery, irritability and aggression, moodiness or extreme loquacity and sociability, depending on the underlying mood at the start of drinking. Severe intoxication may lead to coma and respiratory failure. Driving under the influence of alcohol or operating machinery is outlawed in most countries because of the extreme dangers associated.

Persistent alcohol abuse leads to physical, mental, social and occupational problems. Misuse of alcohol may take several guises: Regular but controlled heavy intake, binge drinking and dependence (alcoholism). The first pattern is the one that most often leads to severe physical diseases such as cancers of the oesophagus and throat, peptic ulcers, cirrhosis of the liver, pancreatitis, cancer of the pancreas, nervous system degenerations, heart and muscle damage and harmful effects on the unborn baby in pregnant women who drink. The second pattern is most common amongst young people, especially men, and leads mostly to social and occupational problems. The third problem of addiction is the most serious and leads to the most pronounced effects, physical and social. There has been some evidence to suggest that alcohol dependence has a genetic component, however, it is very difficult to disentangle genetic, environmental, psychological and social factors in the families where this propensity is apparent. Prolonged alcohol abuse often will lead to dementia.

In Australia, we may soon have health warning labels on alcoholic drinks, similar to what we see on tobacco products. Our Federal Health Minister Nicola Roxon has proposed this means of trying to curb the diseases and deaths due to alcohol abuse. However, the experience with cigarette smoking has shown that although a deterrent, legislation hardly curbs widespread use of these recreational drugs. The problem with young people abusing alcohol is extremely widespread and perhaps a more effective way of dealing with it would be with education programs and responsible drinking under supervision in the family. I was allowed to drink a little watered down wine with meals ever since I was about 10 years old. Subsequently, I have remained a moderate drinker, do not consume alcohol daily and when I drink I usually do it with my meal. I can only recall being drunk only once in my life (when I was in my early twenties) after which I resolved that I would never allow myself to ever again descend into that state, and it was a promise that I have kept. As Shakespeare says: “O God, that men should put an enemy in their mouths to steal away their brains! That we should, with joy, pleasance, revel, and applause, transform ourselves into beasts!”

ST VINCENT vs ST ANASTASIUS

“Wine is sunlight, held together by water.” – Galileo Galilei

Mullein, Verbascum nigrum, is today’s birthday plant. It symbolises nature and in the language of flowers says: “Take courage”, its bright yellow flowers striking a confident note. Astrologically, it is a saturnine plant. In olden times the plant was stripped of its leaves, the stem dried and dipped in tallow grease to make candles. Hence the alternative name for the plant “candelwick”, “hedge taper” and “Jupiter’s staff”.

Those of the Catholic faith celebrate St Vincent of Saragossa’s Feast Day today. St. Vincent, the protomartyr of Spain, was a deacon of the 3rd century. Together with his Bishop, Valerius of Saragossa, he was apprehended during a persecution of Dacian the governor of Spain. Valerius was banished but Vincent was subjected to fierce tortures before ultimately dying from his wounds. According to details of his death (which seem to have been considerably embellished later on), his flesh was pierced with iron hooks, he was bound upon a red-hot gridiron and roasted, and he was cast into a prison and laid on a floor strewn with broken pottery. But through it all his constancy remained unmoved (leading to his jailer's conversion) and he survived until his friends were allowed to see him and prepare a bed for on which he died. The saint's fame spread rapidly throughout Gaul and Africa. He is the patron saint of winegrowers, winemakers, vinegar makers and schoolgirls!

If the weather is good (in the Northern hemisphere) on this day, a good wine harvest is said to be assured:
Remember on St Vincent’s Day
If that the sun his beams display
For ‘tis a token, bright and clear
Of prosperous weather all the year.

Fittingly, the word of the day is: “Oenophile”

oenophile |ˈēnəˌfīl| noun
A connoisseur of wines.
DERIVATIVES
Oenophilia /ˌɛnoʊˈfɪliə/; oenophilist |ēˈnäfəlist| nouns
ORIGIN
Oenophilia originally from Greek, is the love (philia) of wine (oinos). An oenophile is a lover of wine.

The Greek Orthodox faith celebrates St Anastasius I (ca 430-518 AD) who was a Roman emperor of the East (491-518), successor of Zeno, whose widow he married. He made peace with Persia, maintained friendly relations with Theodoric the Great and made Clovis I an ally. He protected Constantinople from attack by building a new city wall and he aided the poor in his kingdom by revising the tax system. He abolished gladiatorial contests, but his monophysite tendencies stirred religious unrest in the empire. St Anastasius is the patron saint of goldsmiths.

EXERCISE, DIETS & RESVERATROL

“Why do strong arms fatigue themselves with frivolous dumbbells? To dig a vineyard is worthier exercise for men.” - Marcus Valerius Martialis

You would think that if you had a nice fast walk you would work up an appetite and not only eat your dinner more eagerly but also more of it in quantity. Apparently not! Latest research has shown that being a couch potato and not exercising will cause you to feel hungrier and would require you to eat more in order to feel replete. Sitting around apparently increases hunger more than exercising. It all has to do with psychological factors and our perceptions of hunger. A recent study in the USA, examined young people who were either active or inactive and the effect it had on their appetite.

The volunteers were followed through days when they active (spending 12 hours being active – not exercising but rather walking, doing chores, housework, etc, with only 10 minutes rest in every hour) and when they were being sedentary (sitting watching videos and playing computer games, even being pushed around in a wheelchair if they wanted to go somewhere). The results were quite startling: After the active or sedate days, they were given breakfast and asked how hungry they felt before and after eating breakfast. The sedentary group felt the hungriest (up to 17% more than the active group) and they also did not feel as satiated as the active group did after the meal.

The moral of the story is simple. Keep active, adhere to regular meal times and eat a healthy diet and this will not only maintain your shape, but you will feel better and more satisfied with your meals. Needless to say your health will improve also!

Another interesting study related to dieting, and especially the way that dieters banished sweet foods from their immediate environment so as not to be “tempted” to break their diet. The Belgian study led by Kelly Geyskens found that dieters who kept some “tempting” sweet treats around the house actually increased willpower and helped dieting.

The researchers presented female students with tempting foods and found that the women actually had greater self-control when they were confronted with a sweet treat to which they had access, rather than pictures or smells. It seems counter-intuitive to keep sweet treats in the house while dieting, but having them available, apparently can increase the person’s willpower, which can be “trained up”. So while dieting it helps to have some bon-bons and chocolate treats around which will constantly challenge you and by avoiding them you can activate you self-control strategies, which ultimately will cause you to not eat what you shouldn’t!

Another interesting study that I read about recently, concerns a substance that is found in high concentration in red wine and fruit: Resveratrol. This is an almost miraculous compound that has anti-ageing effects and important anti-oxidant properties. A radiation oncologist, Joel Greenberger, chemically altered resveratrol by adding acetyl groups to it (the compound found in vinegar). When the altered acetyl-resveratrol compound was given to mice it proved to be effective in preventing radiation damage.

This is an important study as there have not been any drugs until now that help to limit radiation damage. This new compound can perhaps be used in nuclear accidents, or to help protect the body when cancer is being treated with radiation therapy. More research is being carried out.

In the meantime, exercise, have plenty of sweet treats around the house but resist temptation and sip on soured red wine!

YOU EAT WHAT YOU EARN

“The point is that you can't be too greedy.” – Donald Trump

A snippet of an article written by Rebecca Urban, and appearing in this morning’s edition of “The Australian” Newspaper:

“Millionaire’s Dinner

You’ve got to hand it to the Millionaire’s Factory for living up to its moniker. Last night Macquarie Bank hired a convoy of Hummer limousines to transport 25 of its best and brightest to its annual Millionaire’s Dinner at Buon Ricordo in Sydney’s Paddington. The soiree was to celebrate another year raking in the millions. Exactly how many won’t be known until the bank reports its full-year results next month. But clues of financial robustness can often be found in a party’s choice of champagne. So was it the 1983 Louis Roederer Cristal at $800 a pop? The Italian eatery is renowned for its fettucine al tartufovo – a pasta served in a cream sauce, with a lightly fried truffle-infused egg. It’s the yummiest carbonara in town.”

Amidst global concerns about a world-wide recession, as indicated by the US economy downturn, stories like this seem strangely obscene. Even more so, is this characterisation justified, when one considers the recent rolling interest rate rises over the last few years that battling wage-earning householders in Australia have had to put up with. Shall we add to that the widespread and ever-increasing bank charges that are announced regularly? Not forgetting of course the sort of pay that bank executives demand and get – six and seven figure annual salaries are the norm. And of course, consider also the luridly golden handshakes that abound in the banking sector upon retirement or cessation of employment of executives.

Champagne at $800 a bottle? Of course they can afford it. Truffles, caviar, lobster, foie gras? Of course they can eat it until they gorge themselves senseless. Limousines? Seafront villas? Private jets? Why not? The money is theirs to spend. Their defence? They have t do it to satisfy the demands of their stockholders. The only way they can survive (if living in the lap of luxury can be called that) is to keep on increasing those yearly profit figures. Who helps them do it? You and I every time we use their services, which we are forced to use (have you tried to live nowadays without using the services of a bank?).

Still, this is the free enterprise system, and it rewards those who can use it to their advantage. But, can we make it fairer, somehow? Can we limit endless greed that results in extremes of wealth (and consequently poverty)? How do we control the excesses of capitalism, but nevertheless still manage to reward hard work? How do we moderate and curb the ruthless profiteering while at the same time we do not curtail personal freedom and do not limit private business? Any ideas?

Now that I have written this I have remembered a sumptuous and extravagant dinner that was given as a gift of gratitude. The wonderful film “Babette’s Feast” (1987), which was based on the novella by Karen Blixen. Babette is a French refugee who works as a housekeeper for two sisters in rural 19th century Denmark. She wins a lottery and spends all her winnings on ingredients and wines for a special dinner party she cooks:

Menu
• Turtle soup, accompanied by Amontillado sherry • Buckwheat blinis and caviar, with Veuve Clicquot vintage champagne • Caille en Sarcophage avec sauce perigourdine (quail in puff pastry with foie gras and truffle sauce), served with Louis Latour Clos de Vougeot • Salad, cheese, fresh fruit • Rum baba, dried figs, followed by fine Cognac…

A story of unrequited love, restraint and piety, indulgence and decadence, a story of extravagance and sinfully unrestrained sensual enjoyment. The contrast between the Protestant and the Catholic, the austere and the baroque. An epicurean meal becomes a symbol and Babette’s gesture is liberality mixed with prodigality, generosity mixed with excessive waste. Great meal, great film…

HEALTHY AGEING

“Aging is not 'lost youth' but a new stage of opportunity and strength.” – Betty Friedan

If you have been reading this blog, you’ll know I recently attended an international conference on research in Complementary Medicine. This was very interesting and numerous delegates from many well-known universities worldwide were there, presenting papers of great interest. Several presentations focussed on nutrition and especially nutrition and old age. The research is showing that if we take care of our diet, not only do we live longer, but we age in better health. But firstly, what is ageing?

The ageing process is the progressive deterioration of bodily functions over the lifespan. In Australia, life expectancy currently averages 78.5 years for males and 83.3 years for females. From 1901 to 2000, life expectancy at birth increased by 21.4 years for males and 23.3 years for females. The ageing process is destructive, progressive and intrinsically determined, universal amongst all complex living organisms. Is it a disease to be cured or a natural process that can be better managed? These two concepts are united by “anti-ageing strategies” in humans which involve life extension to the maximal limits, currently thought to be about 120 years, but also health extension, staying well until a short decline and death.

Most researchers seem to think that ageing is a multi-factorial process and relies on genetic factors, cumulative damage of body structures by many interactions with environmental stressors, oxidative stress, non-renewal of permanent cells, etc. Although there is no general consensus on the cause of ageing, most researchers would regard cellular damage as a key component. Many anti-ageing approaches involve boosting antioxidant defences against free radical damage and attempting to minimise protein glycation. Other approaches are focussed on gene therapy techniques to restore cell and organ function.

Recent studies in American populations showed that five factors seemed to be associated with a reduced lifespan:
1) Cigarette smoking 2) Diabetes mellitus 3) Obesity 4) Hypertension 5) Sedentary lifestyle.

The obvious thing to do then to extend lifespan, would be to eliminate these five factors from our life. The study referred to above showed that when these factors were eliminated, lifespan easily reached 90 years, other things being equal.

Many other studies around the world show that a low calorie diet is compatible with a longer lifespan. A famous study was set in Japan. Okinawa is a group of islands in southern Japan. Okinawans have up to 4-5 times the number of centenarians as the rest of Japan. Low calorie intake is common at younger ages and body mass index remains low throughout life. Adult energy intake is 20% less than the Japanese national average. Death rates from heart disease, cancer and cerebral vascular disease are 60 to 70% of the rest of Japan and they have half the number of deaths in the 60-64 year age range. Their diet is based around the Satsamu sweet potato, seaweed, leafy vegetables, fish, pork, tofu, green tea and kohencha tea. Mixed food broths are commonly eaten. Food is viewed as medicine and a common practice is to only eat 80% of the amount of food required to fill the stomach.

But what about anti-ageing nutrients? Nutrients impact on metabolism in a variety of ways and can function as gene regulators, free radical scavengers, cell membrane protectors, repair enhancers, anti-inflammatories, immune regulators and hormone modulators. Research has shown that there are many components in foods that can act as anti-ageing compounds and can promote health. Some of these are:

Resveratrol: This is an anti-fungal chemical naturally present in peanuts, mulberries, grapes (particularly those varieties more prone to fungal disease such as Pinot Noir), and in Giant Knotweed, a herb popular in Asian herbal medicine. It is believed to be responsible for the health-promoting effects of red wine.

Curcumin: This is the principal active ingredient in the spice turmeric, a member of the ginger family commonly used in curry powder. Turmeric is a well-known anti-inflammatory herb used for centuries in Ayurvedic medicine and traditional Chinese medicine. It has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, and anticancer activities.

Grape seed: This is a superior antioxidant, it maintains capillary integrity, is anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and neuroprotective. Grape seeds contain phenolic acids, polyphenols and flavonoids. About 60-70% of the polyphenols in grapes are found in the seed and these have powerful antioxidant activity, estimated to be twenty times more potent than vitamin C and 50 times more potent than vitamin E and superior to pine bark bioflavonoids. They can scavenge superoxide and hydroxyl radicals, inhibit oxidation of LDL cholesterol, protect against DNA damage in the brain and liver in mice and protect the skin from sun damage.

Mushrooms, especially polypore varieties such as reishi, shiitake and maitake, contain polysaccharides, particularly beta-glucans, that have anti-inflammatory and immuno-modulating properties, including activation of lymphocytes, macrophages, natural killer cells and production of cytokines, tumour necrosis factor alpha and interferon 46. Mushrooms may suppress autoimmune responses, modulate NF-kappa B activity and have anti-cancer effects.

Ginseng is a traditional Asian herb used as an adaptogen and tonic and to restore homeostasis. It has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic and immune-stimulatory activity and has been shown to be useful for CVD, cancer, immune deficiency and liver toxicity. Ginseng's active components have beneficial effects on ageing, CNS disorders and neurodegenerative diseases.

Brahmi is a herb used in Ayurvedic medicine for the treatment of cognitive deficits. It has antioxidant activity in the brain and is a potent adaptogen. Brahmi prevents depletion of acetylcholine in the hippocampus, increases glutathione peroxidase levels and boosts the synthesis of new protein in brain tissue.

The general consensus about food and healthy ageing is, that we should develop good dietary habits while still young. Have a low body mass index and eat less calories, with a low saturated fat diet. Complex carbohydrates supplemented by a variety of seasonal fresh fruits and vegetables, good calcium intake, moderate sun exposure, lots of grapes (eaten with seeds!), some red wine with meals, nuts, some herbs and spices. Certain Asian diets and many Mediterranean diets adhere to these guidelines.