Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Letter from the president
I'm delighted to welcome you to the Natural Gourmet Institute for Health & Culinary Arts.
Ad you have undoubtedly heard, The Chef Training Program is quite unique and eclectic with regard to curriculum as well as teaching staff. For example, you will be studying subjects as diverse as Ayurveda, Organic Eggs, Macrobiotics and French knife skills. You will be preparing such dishes as Vegetable Polenta Napoleon, Corn Hollandaise and Chocolate souffle! etc
Warm Regards,
Jenny Matthau
President and Director
I cannot wait!
Monday, October 20, 2008
I wish I wrote this
I'll tell you up front. I'm no doctor. I'm just a girl who has had migraines since age thirteen. The advice I'm about to give you was not taught to me, but discovered. I'll teach you how to reduce the symptoms of your migraine, the feeling of having an invisible pickaxe stuck in your forehead. At age 19, I started meditating. This is when I discovered the method. There are many different types of meditation. But the type I would like to share with you is called single-pointed meditation. In single-pointed meditation, the practitioner focuses all of his attention on one particular object—bringing focus and clarity to one's mind. Whenever I get a migraine, my eyes are sensitive to light. My head is thumping with explosions of pain. My stomach is queasy, as I am on the verge of barfing. So I go lie down on my bed and meditate single-pointedly. I first pick an object. I like to focus on my heart center, the feelings in my chest. I hold my heart center in my thoughts, with all of my awareness. Whenever my thoughts stray, I pull the reins of my mind, bringing focus back to the heart. When I have a migraine, the last thing I want to be doing is thinking about a bunch of stuff. I find that single-pointed meditation relaxes the mind. It feels so good that I usually drift off to sleep... Single-pointed meditation will bring your mind into balance too. Give it a shot, and let me know how it works for you.
Let it go
I need to learn how to LET IT GO
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Step one
Chef in training
A chef is a superstar in my eyes. Someone who takes from the bounty of the earth and creates art that not only inspires, but fulfills the five senses. It is sensual, it is beautiful, it is joy.
Since i can remember my mind was focused on food. From either tasting any new thing i could, to creating "soups and stews" from rose petals. mud, grass and other yard findings.
As an adult, my experience with cooking started mostly in someone else's kitchen. My brother-in-law's kitchen in his restaurant in the heart of Paris, my parents', my friends'. When i realized that I enjoyed it so much and that my food could make people happy I decided that it was time for me to go to cooking school. Of course i have been searching for the perfect school that will fit my needs. One that will share my beliefs:
A few years ago in Paris i came across the famous book from Jean Seignalet "Food or The Third Medecine" 660 pages of health recommendation based on food and diet. My osteopath told me about it and added i should be careful with my liver.
I have been suffering with migraine since I was 13 years old so I learned about what to eat or not to eat to prevent a migraine. But my love for food (good French food) wasn't ready to compromise. That was until I was diagnosted last winter with a fatty liver. Funny words. It became clear. I want to cook healthy, tasty food. No compromise.
I see my future sharing my passion with everyone, but mostly with children. Being a chef who will inspire others to eat healthy and show them how to cook.
And I believe that the Natural Gourmet Institute is the place to start.
New York, september 13 2008"
That is the letter I send with my application to enroll.
I found the post below as a reply on the migraine nytimes blog and i HAD to share it.
Last year I began to suffer chronic headaches. The doctor said it was sinus. But besides the sinus aches, I could feel this intense concentration of pain and a sense of surreal existence every so often while sitting at my desk. On vacation in Europe, I decided to try out mushrooms in Amsterdam. I had never done drugs but I was also at my wit’s end. I do not want to advocate anything here but I can profess to have gone through a transcendental experience that even today 9 months later, I feel a “psychic” change - I don’t have intense headaches anymore nor any “visions”.
— Posted by 3rd Base