An interesting video from Vox summarizing scientific research on the efficacy of exercise versus diet with relation to weight loss. TLDR; several research studies conclude that a healthy diet is a better strategy for losing and keeping off weight. Exercise is good for your health overall, but is only a small portion of your overall…
Category: Food and Drink
Figs, Proscuitto and A Birthday Request to You
It was the summer of 1998. I was on a work trip to Rome, Italy with some colleagues at the human rights group I worked for a the time, the Coalition for the International Criminal Court. We were being treated to dinner by a local Italian human rights nonprofit. It was one of our first…
Happy Kouign Amman Day! Touring SF’s Best Kouign Amman
Today, June 20th, is "National Kouign Amman Day." (Just go with it.) Since it falls on a Monday, I gathered some friends to run around San Francisco yesterday to sample the various versions of this unique, very French pastry. For those that don't know, kouign amann is a round crusty cake, made with a yeast-raised dough containing layers of butter…
Salman Rushdie: To Stop Terrorism, Dance, Make Love, Eat Bacon Sandwiches
The words of Salman Rushdie need to be remembered particularly today, the day after a dreadful massacre in Florida, but really, everyday: “The fundamentalist seeks to bring down a great deal more than buildings. Such people are against, to offer just a brief list, freedom of speech, a multi-party political system, universal adult suffrage, accountable…
Recipe: How to Make an Andytown “Snowy Plover” at Home
I decided today that I wanted a “Snowy Plover,” the tasty coffee beverage that they concoct at Andytown Coffee in the Outer Sunset. The Snowy Plover is a fizzy, creamy, slightly sweet coffee beverage composed of sparkling water, a double-shot of espresso, a little brown sugar syrup, and some whipped cream on top. Very delicious…
Health Tips: My Five Don’ts for Healthier Living
A lot of diet and health tips focus on the things you should be doing to lose weight or be in better shape. Join a gym. Drink this breakfast shake every morning. Follow this G75-Z regime for 9 weeks. There's certainly good sense in a lot of that advice. But I also think it's possible…
Foodie Adventures in LA: Ramen, Frozen Custard, Korean Fried Chicken, and More
This past weekend, I got to spend time with David, one of my favorite people on the planet, doing one of my favorite things, going on foodie adventures. David, a self-described "princess" who won't wait in line for anything, was a very good sport. Basically all we did was drive around LA and wait in…
Making Good Food Choices and Anticipated “Fullness”
I've been thinking a lot about this article by neuroscientist Michael Graziano on the psychology of eating and "feeling full." There's some great points in there about the how the experience of "fullness" is a psychological state that has a complex set of triggers and associations. One thing he doesn't address is the anticipation of fullness when you…
Five things I learned giving out free coffee at a lindy hop event
Late last night, I returned from my second epic dance adventure at Lindy Focus in Asheville, North Carolina. There’s lots I can say about the event, but in this post I wanted to share what I learned by setting up a free coffee stand at this swing jazz / lindy hop event. By…
Rik’s 2015 Year in Pictures
Here's a quick pictorial rundown of 2015. It's a good reminder to me of what a remarkable year it has been! Dancing and Music This has been a great year for dance. I did a lot of house dancing in 2015, including organizing semi-regular practice sessions in the Golden Gate Park , taking classes with…