Healthier options in style and fine dining

(Published in Yehey! Lifestyle)

There are a couple of reasons to lambast anti-socials who are either against style because their freedom to wear hideous bugoy boots or eat cholesterol-filled Toknenes is threatened by the fashionista. For one, style is a discipline. It takes a lot of self-restrain to assert one’s disposition and talk- write- party your way into the acceptance of your radical views. For example, it would take some nerve and extra rare confidence for a man to sport red leather moccasins with matching red belt. It takes will power for a woman to sport blood red velvet boots in a humid cosmopolitan district like Ayala Center or Serendra. And finally, it takes a lot of discipline to keep you away from those irresistibly tempting fatty parts of Lechon kawali, Crispy Pata or Prime Rib Steak.

In reality, an obsession in style makes a healthy balanced diet easier to follow. Fine dining involves etiquettes that minimize your servings to small bites. For example, etiquette endears us to limit our slices of lamp chops to three pieces at a time and to be consumed slowly and with pleasure. The choice of simple salt and peppered steamed broccoli over the MSG-infested street style of vegetable preparation limits our intake of cellulites and undesirable carbs from highly salted and starchy sauces. The use of fork and knives instead of a spoon keeps us from over raking cups of refined white rice into our already sugar-saturated bodies and leave more allowance for socially essential fixations like Starbucks hot mocha or some Crispy Crème to compliment a stressful day at work. In other words, moderation seems to be the prime characteristic of a stylish dinner and we all have heard our nutritionists cry out for moderation in everything we intake. An obsession to be stylish in eating naturally puts a check on our consumption and choice of food.

In contrast, an obsession with your freedom to eat anything is not only unchic but detrimental to your health. Need I tell you the heart and liver implications of eating Sisig like a swine? There maybe some who will find my disposition antagonistic towards cuisine that is monumental to a culture and I apologize. We are simply pointing out the advantage of being refined and cultured in our style of eating.

Keeping your style in a buffet

For many, the buffet is your ultimate temptation to fat and cellulites but for the stylish individual, it is a salvation from “lack of choices”. In the usual food court, a diner is limited to a cup of rice, a piece of meat and soggy vegetables. Chances are the diner will chomp on the rice and meat and leave the vegetables out. In a buffet, you are given more vegetable options and probably prepared enticingly such as buttered with parsley. The most common sight in a buffet is a diner having a mountain of fat, cellulites and sugar on his plate by the time he reaches the end of the buffet table. The trick in a buffet is for you to hover over the dishes first. Scan and take a mental pick on what you will have. It is also important to categorize. A third of your plate should consist of vegetables, a fourth with meats of your choice (two pieces of each max), and a scoop of rice small enough to fit an enclosed fist. It would be better if you have the discipline to replace your rice with a piece of bread or two pieces of baked potatoes. Remember that a buffet is an occasion. We get to each rice all the time so why not take advantage of the healthier (and more expensive) meats and vegetable meals on such a day? Add a half-filled bowl with your meal and you are set for a stylish dinner.

Upon sitting, remember that a buffet is not just a dinner but an occasion. Take your time in consuming the food and take advantage of small talk with fellow diners to lengthen the pace of your eating. Begin with your soup and finish it. This should make you half-full and restrain you from attacking your main meal like a mutt digging a hole. Next, consume your vegetables piece by piece with a fork. Most vegetables prepared in fine places are slightly seasoned or salted. Finishing it before you partake of the meats help you enjoy the vegetables more. Our taste buds are designed to enjoy a succession of bland to salty and not the other way around. Next, slice your meats to small bite sizes three pieces at a time. Like your vegetables, consume them by piece and slowly. You may want to join the small table discussion at during this phase of your dinner. Do not worry that you may find little time to consume your rice or go for another serving. It’s beneficial for us to eat lesser carbs and refrain ourselves from a second serving. Besides, carbohydrates are cheap and you can easily consume more of them during ordinary days. There is usually fruit in a buffet and you may choose that over cakes and pastries. If its of any inspiration to you, Italians – who are known for fine dining, is accustomed to eating fruits for dessert.

Eating in style is a healthier option. The more you get yourself into the etiquette of fine dining, the more you will find yourself fitting into those glamorous clothes you’ve been window shopping in vain. You may also Google for South Beach Diet for healthier options in preparing meals at home.