Written by crizlai on Oct 25th, 2008 | Filed under:
business,
dine,
food,
life,
lifestyle,
living,
rant
After trying out so many types of food and creating my own fusion for some, I was thinking of opening a deli outlet in town. After all, everyone loves food and food brings people together. That was also how I met up with some great friends who had the same idea as me to open up a Deli in town.
We needed something new that would stand out from the crowd instead of fighting over the market share which some giant food restaurants had already established well. We started to research the food market as well as brainstorming for new ideas and found something real interesting. We found a large percentage of consumers, especially those in their teens and early twenties, love fast food. On top of that, there was also a large number who were healthy conscious about their food intake.
We thought why not we combine these two groups of people and come out with a Deli that would please both parties? That would be great right? What do you think of naturally raised hormone and antibiotic free Steakburger and Low Fat Organic Milkshakes? I’m sure most people would accept the diets of a lesser fat, calories and cholesterol meal, on top of the higher quality natural and organic ingredients used. Most importantly, the meals would be of great taste with a healthy label shown behind each item served.
Finally, we had decided to stick to the concept of healthy fast food but we also found some challenges here. How long would it take us to establish ourselves in the market with a name that people had never heard of? Won’t it be easier if we were to apply for a food franchise business from a brand that people had already known elsewhere? After much thinking, we had decided to go for the latter as it would not incur much investment and there would be supports and guidelines for a more systematic and successful ways of handling a new business for entrepreneurs like us.
I'm thirsty for a drink now. Would you be kind enough to treat me?
Written by crizlai on Oct 25th, 2008 | Filed under:
diet,
exercise,
food,
health,
life,
lifestyle,
rant,
stress,
tips
Wow! I have been feasting on all the wonderful food around that I had totally ignored my weight gain. How could anyone suppress the temptation of great food served on the table? The worst case was that I had been sitting and eating all day long without even pushing myself to the gym to burn some fat off my ever expanding body size.
Suddenly, I remembered what my cardiologist friend told me earlier, “If one day you stood up straight and look down for your toe lines and could not find them, it’s time for you to lose some weight as there would be a silent killer hidden inside you that would strike you anytime when you least expect it.”
Gosh! Does that mean that I would be struck with a heart attack if I did not watch my diet carefully and shred those wobbling belly of mine? Argh! This is hell to me as the Good CART (Cocaine Amphetamine Regulatory Transcript) and Evil NPY (Neuropetide-Y) are fighting in my brains now trying to conquer my food intake. I love eating and diet means refusing my ever yearning appetite for good food but then I also should not ignore the advice of my doctor friend. Somebody please get me a bottle of appetite suppressant now before I finished off that large bucket of yummy butter caramel coated popcorn of mine!
Note: Cocaine Amphetamine Regulatory Transcript (CART) is the brain signals for you stop eating and increase metabolism while Neuropetide-Y (NPY) is a stress hormone that decreases metabolism and increase appetites, as stress tends to do
I'm thirsty for a drink now. Would you be kind enough to treat me?
Written by crizlai on Oct 15th, 2008 | Filed under:
floggers,
food,
gathering,
holiday,
life,
party,
rant,
recipes
With a successful turnout for the second Penang Food Bloggers (Floggers) Meet at Edelweisse Café on 27 September 2008, the organizing committee had decided to hold another gathering some time in the month of December. That would be the time where all the jingles and jangles of the Christmas bells would be heard. I was anxious about the next gathering until I found out that it might be a potluck gathering.
The first thing that came into my mind was what should I prepare for the gathering that would impress the guests? I was digging into my recipe collections trying to figure out what would be the ideal dish but I was lost. Everything was Oriental and would have to be taken with some rice. I needed something that would be light and easy to consume without the hassle of using fork and spoon or even a knife. I will need some finger food.
After stretching my brains out, I thought why not I have some holiday appetizers since we would be having Christmas just around the corner. The appetizer should be something to set the mood of the gathering to be happy, joyous and merry. Now I’m contemplating whether to have some Sweet Potato Pecan Tarts or Chipotle Shrimp Cups. Maybe I should have some salty items instead. What do you think?
I'm thirsty for a drink now. Would you be kind enough to treat me?
Written by crizlai on Aug 5th, 2008 | Filed under:
diet,
food,
health,
life,
rant
During my younger days, I used to be a swimmer under the guidance of a national swimming coach. Although I was tanned from head to toes, I was extremely fit with a “V” shape body and all the girls would drool over me. Ever since coming out into the working world, everything changed. No longer had I the time to go for any sort of exercise with the amount of working stacking on my table each day. As a result, I cannot even see my toes now!
From a fit 50kg person, I ended up as a fat 85kg person. I did not even realize that I had bloated up so much until signs of sickness began to show up one after another. My body got weaker and seemed to be attracted to those seasonal viruses within the air. Finally, I did a full blood test and the results were real shocking. I was like a walking time bomb and the percentage of having heart failure was high. I could even become a diabetic as my glucose level was also extremely high.
My doctor put me on a strict diet with a long list of dos and don’t. I was given pills to cut down on my cholesterol level and some natural diet pills to help burn off that excess fat in me. I was skeptical at first as I was a person who lives to eat and not eat to live. I doubted my lack of motivation to finish the diet course. Surprisingly, after weeks of staying at home to cook my own healthy meals instead of going out and get tempted by the amount of nice food, I lost 5kg. Seeing the possibility of reducing my weight within such a short period, I monitored my food intake and lost another few kilograms.
Presently, I am maintaining a 60kg body weight. I got healthier now with less sickness and I feel just great to be able to perform my tasks with better concentration and speed. Losing weight is not so hard after all. All you need is a bit of determination to strive for a healthier lifestyle. If I can do it, why can’t you?
I'm thirsty for a drink now. Would you be kind enough to treat me?
Written by crizlai on Jul 26th, 2008 | Filed under:
blog,
family,
food,
health,
life,
living,
rant,
recipes
I will spend my time hunting for great food within my small island of Penang during most of my weekends and blog about it to share with my readers. Many people inclusive our local Penangites were not aware that some little corners of the island can have some of the best food and atmosphere around that even a 5-star hotel would not be able to provide. In fact, the pricing for the food could well save most of us quite a bomb.
Having too much food and fun outside from home most of the time can be quite unhealthy for my ever increasing weight. Sometimes, I will just dig into some great recipes and get some healthy food prepared for my family during weekends. Firstly, I can save a lot of time and money in driving out with the price increase in fuel. Secondly, I can gather the whole family and friends under one roof to have a mini weekend gathering.
I sure did have lots of fun time to show my culinary skills. Maybe some of you can also plan some of these wonderful experiences by coming out with great food to impress your friends and family.
I'm thirsty for a drink now. Would you be kind enough to treat me?
