PASSOVER MATZOH: My Family Agrees, It's Osem

Passover is the day we celebrate freedom from slavery and a supposedly seminal event in Jewish history. Well, the historical basis for this is uncertain. But for Jews around the world this holiday is a major part of our year and Matzoh plays a central role.

My family is not so religious, as people have probably gathered. One Passover we spent with a friend that ordered a massive amount of Chinese food for our celebration. The eggroll of our affliction...and pork products did play a role in the Seder.

And when it comes to Matzoh, my family is eclectic. We often get egg and onion...usually Streits. My son loves "yellow Matzoh" meaning Goodman's egg Matzoh. Plain Matzoh is fine. Everything Matzoh (Manishevitz) is a bit much, but not bad. And chocolate covered Matzoh, if it uses good dark chocolate, can be an amazing thing! The only one we were left a bit flat by, though we appreciated the effort, was Manishevitz "Mediterranean" Matzoh didn't quite work. Also some egg Matzoh is made with fruit juice and this just doesn't work for us.

One year we happened to buy a 5-pack of Matzoh for Passover. We tend to eat Matzoh on a regular basis...all of us. So buying in bulk around Passover makes sense.

This year we happened to grab the Osem "Israeli Matzoh," subtitled "Matzoh with a Mitzvah" because they donate some tiny amount of gelt to plant trees for every 5-pack people buy. Planting trees is good. So we bought it.

Then we tasted it. THIS is what Matzoh should be!!

All four of us agree...this is some of the best Matzoh we have ever tried. A bit dry, but that is what you expect. PERFECTLY fresh, crisp and tasty. I love it. My wife loves it. My teenage step daughter, who currently disparages the world, loved it. My son...he ate it. We are not sure if it's his favorite, but it sure pleased him.

Osem's "Israeli Matzoh with a Mitzvah" is THE Matzoh to eat. Don't know how easy it is to find outside of NYC, but we got it at our regular supermarket. So if you like Matzoh, buy the Osem 5-pack. My entire family rarely agrees 100% on something. But we all LOVED this Matzoh.

And for those who think a review of Passover Matzoh is too trivial to blog about, well, all I can say is take it up with Moishe. He's the one who led us out of Egypt and gave us those commandments.

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Cold Remidies: What Works and What Doesn't

Cold and flu season has begun yet again. And people take a whole slew of medications, some with nasty side effects, to try and get themselves through it. What works and what doesn't? As a biologist and as a parent, I have paid close attention to this topic and want to share some of my conclusions.

First of all beware of any "natural" or "homeopathic" remedies. It isn't that none of them are helpful...but there is absolutely no regulation of them and they have no obligation to back up their claims with facts. A lot of these remedies are basically based on nothing with no facts, no evidence and often just plain made up claims to see what used to be called "snake oil": basically a quack remedy.

An example is Echinacea. This was touted some years back as a hugely effective "natural" cold cure. But when people actually studied it they found it had no more effectiveness than a sugar pill. There is no evidence that Echinacea works. Back then I tried it and found it didn't help me at all. And when the scientific evidence came out I knew why...it didn't help me because it doesn't do anything for a cold.

But it isn't just "natural" remedies you need to be suspicious of. Many cold medicines have so-called "cough suppressants." Supposedly these calm your cough. Again I never found they worked that well, or at best inconsistently. Well, turns out actual scientific studies show these over-the-counter "cough suppressants" are about as effective as Echinacea...which means not at all. This was research published in a top scientific journal, and yet we are still being sold "cough suppressants" which are basically ineffective. PLUS they have nasty side effects. My advice is don't buy a cold medication that contains a supposed "cough suppressant."

So what does work?

Cold medication contain three basic ingredients that DO work: analgesics, decongestants and antihistamines.

Analgesics are basically pain relievers. Some can also reliever fever and inflammation. There are three basic types: aspirin, acetaminophen, and ibuprofen. All of them work. Aspirin has the side effect of irritating the stomach and so isn't used so much any more. Acetaminophen works well but has a major problem in that its effective dose is awfully close to its dangerous dose. Many people who overuse cold medication wind up overdosing on acetaminophen. This can destroy your liver. It is fine to take a medication with acetaminophen, but NEVER take more than the recommended dose. The best analgesic is ibuprofen. It is the most effective, relieves the most symptoms, and can be taken in relatively high doses. For any kind of pain relief or illness, ibuprofen should be part of your medication. Not only does it relieve pain, but it inhibits something called prostaglandins. These are chemicals your body makes that are part of the pain response and are one of the main reasons you just plain feel awful when you have a cold or flu. Taking ibuprofen won't cure your cold or flu but will make you feel much better. It also, like aspirin and acetaminophen, lowers fever. That is particularly critical in children. I remember once when my son had a fever. We had medicated him but we were out and it wore off before we could get home. He suddenly became very listless and miserable, and I felt his forehead and could tell his fever had shot up. We went right to the nearest store and bought some children's ibuprofen and gave it to him. Within an hour he was feeling much better and his fever came down. This isn't just about making him feel better either. Fevers, back before analgesics, could kill people, particularly children. In the old days, the level of fever my kid had that day would have been very dangerous. Today, with analgesics, fevers don't kill people anymore except in very rare cases.



So, ibuprofen is one of the best medications you can take when you have a cold or flu. Or, for that matter, almost any kind of pain. But you can even boost its effectiveness. If you take a regular or below recommended (NEVER above recommended) dose of acetaminophen along with a regular or even say 1 and a half dose of ibuprofen, the two do something called synergize. They work far far better together than apart. Together they relieve pain, fever and that general ill feeling amazingly well. Since most cold medicines for some reason use acetaminophen, then taking a regular dose of a cold remedy along with some ibuprofen can really help you. Just avoid the cold remedies with so-called "cough suppressants."

Decongestants are kind of a mixed blessing I feel. They basically dry you out. This means if you have a stuffy nose, that will go away for awhile. But it doesn't really clear you up permanently. It just dries you out temporarily. As long as you are still sick, that stuffiness will come back all the worse once the decongestant wears off. And while it is effective you feel dried out, which in itself can be irritating. Still, if I have something I really have to do that day, I take a decongestant. Furthermore, if you need to be awake, cold medicines with decongestants tend to make you slightly speedy and this can counteract the drowsy effects of the next medication: antihistamines.

I mentioned above prostaglandins above as one of the chemicals in your body that just plain make you feel awful. Histamines are another kind of "bad-feeling" chemical. That watery eyed, stuffy, allergic feeling is caused by histamines. Antihistamines inhibit this, making you feel better. They work well. But they also make you sleepy. This is great if you can stay home in bed. If you can, do so and take an antihistamine along with some ibuprofen and acetaminophen and go to bed. Do this for a day or two and your cold or flu will clear up MUCH faster because you are giving your body a chance to fight it off. That combination is your best bet for over the counter drugs. Check the packaging. If it has acetaminophen and an antihistamine, take it along with a separate dose of ibuprofen. By the way, for all of these go for generics. They are cheaper and just as effective. Just check the label for what the medication contains and what dose. Some generics are lower dosage, but most are the same medicine, same dosage, just cheaper than name brands.

Avoid antibiotics if you have a cold or flu. They don't do ANYTHING for cold or flu (which are caused by viruses, not bacteria) and can actually make you worse. That said, sometimes when you have a cold or flu you get what is called a "secondary infection." THESE can often be treated with antibiotics. But don't take an antibiotic UNLESS a doctor tells you specifically you have a secondary infection. One way you can tell if you have a bacterial infection (which would require an antibiotic) rather than a viral infection is if you are producing a greenish liquid. For example, an eye infection that oozes a clear or white liquid is probably viral. If the liquid is green it is probably bacterial. This has to do with what kind of white blood cells respond to the infection (a cell called a neutrophil produces the green color). In general though don't take an antibiotic unless there is evidence of a bacterial infection. It can actually make things worse. Antibiotics are way overused in America and it leads to major problems.

What else? Drink lots of water, tea, juice, etc. These mostly keep you hydrated. Your body gets dehydrated when sick because it is under so much stress and you probably aren't eating and drinking as much. So make an effort to drink these things.

What about zinc? Evidence I have seen suggests it works for colds (not flu?) if taken with the very early symptoms. It makes it harder for the virus to actually infect the next cell. Taking a medication with Zinc can help if taken at the right time.

Vitamin C? Evidence shows that taking vitamin C, particularly if you are taking it before infection, can reduce both severity and duration of a cold. It isn't a cure all, and don't take megadoses. But a regular dose of vitamin C can help you avoid and keep colds to a minimum.

I have found that the EmergenC Immune Defense packets, if I start taking one or two a day either at the FIRST sign I may be getting sick or when people around me are sick, helps to keep me from getting very sick. It has both vitamin C and Zinc and I think these are what do it...the rest of its ingredients may well be just window dressing. For example, the elderberry and hibiscus extracts in it probably do nothing at all. But it is a convenient way to not only get the vitamin C and Zinc that WILL help, but also, since it is taken in water, it can help to keep you hydrated. I am not so fond of the taste so I dilute it down a lot when I drink it, really making it a chance to hydrate. I think this combination of vitamin C, zinc and proper hydration help my body keep the cold at least partly at bay.



Another thing I think is important is controlling mold in your home. This may sound unrelated, but mold creates a constant irritation to your lungs. The combination of a cold or flu and the presence of mold in your apartment can create a situation where you get a persistent cough that won't really go away until you get away from the mold. It is like the combination of a cold or flu and mold puts your body's immune system into overdrive and it starts in a small way (sometimes large) hurting your own body. You almost become permanently sick. This is an oversimplification, but there is evidence that it is roughly true. I have experienced this personally. When my apartment was, over several years, experiencing leaks we had persistent mold problems. I considered it mostly cosmetic. But I also noticed that any time I got a cold it just would not go away completely until I visited a drier climate (which would mean less mold). Then it would go away until the next cold. By now we have dealt with all the leaks and the mold. Once those were dealt with I stopped getting the persistent coughs. It could be coincidence, but from what I have learned it probably is connected. To find out how to combat mold in your home, read my article on mold and mildew.



Colds and flu are a fact of life. They are viruses that evolve very quickly, so our immune responses grow ineffective against them. Antibiotics do nothing against them. So mostly what you are doing is relieving the symptoms of the illness so you feel better, keeping fever down because that can actually be dangerous, and giving your body a chance, through hydration, rest (that is one way antihistamines can help), vitamin C and zinc, to fight off the virus on its own.

Always remember that if a cold or flu lasts too long, or your fever gets really high, SEE A DOCTOR. When one illness hits you it can make you more susceptible to other, worse illnesses and those can be serious if not treated.

If you take nothing else away from this article always remember, NEVER take more than the recommended dose of acetaminophen, ibuprofen is the best analgesic, ibuprofen and acetaminophen taken together in modest doses work extra effectively, and don't bother ever with so-called "cough suppressants." Antibiotics don't help a cold or flu, though if the doctor finds evidence of a bacterial secondary infection, THEN it can help. Also antihistamines work well but they will put you to sleep unless also taken with a decongestant.

Also flu shots DO help. Not always, since the flu virus evolves quickly and the vaccine is designed based on the previous year's viruses, but it does help, sometimes quite a bit. I advise getting them.


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NYC Restaurant Review: Great Sechuan

Great Sichuan
# 363 3rd Ave, New York NY10016 40.74123 -73.981879
# (Btwn 26th & 27th St)

This is one of the best and most authentic Chinese restaurants I have found in NYC. I am amazed at how many lousy Chinese restaurants survive in NYC...but this one is great. Not fancy, but with what seem to me to be real roots in China rather than perpetuating the mediocre American interpretation of Chinese cuisine.

My son loves the place and they love him. The service is generally so-so, which is typical of the most authentic of Chinese restaurants. But once they got used to my son, they remembered what he always ordered and welcomed us warmly every time we came. They are good people who serve good food in a no frills restaurant. They always have two TV's going...one in English one in Chinese. I have never decided if I liked this or not. I think I like the odd contrast between the two programming styles.

They have a good lunch special. Price wise I recommend it. You will get good food, appetizer, main course and rice, for a good price. And you will be satisfied. But it isn't their BEST food. Just their good food. On this cheaper menu I'd say the Double-Cooked Pork and Kung Bao Chicken stand out from what I have tasted so far.

But the regular menu has some real gems. First off there are the Pork Soup Dumplings. Now these don't beat the soup dumplings at Joe's Shanghai, but they are still amazingly good dumplings. For the uninitiated, soup dumplings are delicious dumplings with soup inside them. They are hot...so poke a hole in them with your chopsticks to let the steam out before you pop them in your mouth. But they are also one of the best inventions ever. Joe's Shanghai are the best I have ever had, but Great Sechuan does a great job of them as well.

The regular Pork Dumplings are also good, though I personally feel that the wonton skin they use is too thick. I like very thin skinned dumplings. But as that style of dumplings goes, these are very good. My son loves them.

The Cold Shredded Amazing Chicken is also great. Maybe not quite "amazing" but I definitely enjoyed it. A tad spicy, with very tender white meat chicken. This was one of the more authentic seeming dishes.

This place is also unusual among traditional American Chinese restaurants (as opposed to Indian-Chinese fusion restaurants) in that they have lamb dishes. This is usually a big gap at Chinese restaurants. I have not tried the lamb dishes here yet, but they seem adaptations of traditional Chinese dishes, not Indian fusion cuisine. Now I like Indian-Chinese fusion, but I have yet to try true Chinese lamb dishes and this restaurant gives me that chance. I plan on trying it!

The Chong Qing Dry & Spicy Chicken is amazing. Spicy and again, to my palate, more authentic than most Chinese restaurants. Also on the spicy side is the Sichuan Fried Rice, which is a nicely spiced up version of an old standard.

They used to have what seemed to be a Mao inspired part of the menu which seemed really interesting and authentic, even if the political theories associated with the food were not so palatable. We had a couple of things from that part of the menu that were unfamiliar and delicious. But now they seem to have pared that down and Mao`s Stir-Fried Shredded Pork is one of the few items from that wonderful part of the menu that remains.

I love good Chinese food...and outside of Chinatown and a handful of other restaurants I have found I often am disappointed by the Chinese food in NYC. Great Sechuan was a nice surprise. Good food, reasonable prices and a level of authenticity that is rare in American Chinese restaurants. I highly recommend it.

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NYC Restaurant Review: Stone Creek Bar and Lounge

Stone Creek Bar and Lounge
http://www.stonecreeknyc.com/
140 27th St Between 3rd Ave and Lexington

I used to live just down the street of this place...but they hadn't opened yet. I wish they had! This is one of the better bars in the neighborhood.

First off, they have a good sense of happy hour:

HAPPY HOUR MONDAY-FRIDAY 4:00-7:00 p.m.
$2 off mixed drinks, drafts and select wines
Stone Creek Specials:
Monday Nights: 25-cent Wing Night
Tuesday Nights: Bottle of Wine and 2 Appetizers - $35
Wednesdays: Trivia Night at 8 p.m. (weekly prizes & drink specials)

Second, their Stone Creek Ale is quite nice and nice and cheap during those happy hours.

It is also a nice, relaxing place. It does get crowded sometimes, which is fine. But it retains a laid back atmosphere even then. They don't rush you. It is comfortable and relaxed.

AND they have good food. The pulled pork sliders are probably the best they have. The Roberto's Quesadilla is also great. The Crispy Calamari, Pigs in a Blanket, Jalapeno Poppers and Chicken Fingers are definitely good, but more standard than the Quesadilla and sliders. The Chicken Satay was disappointing, but it was the only disappointing thing I had. I haven't yet tried the Gruyere Macaroni & Cheese but it is on my list of things to try when I go back...and I will go back. I have tended to like their onion rings but not be so impressed with their french fries...but I particularly like THIN french fries, so that may be part of it.

Definitely a good place to try in the neighborhood for good beer and good food...better than some of the more well known places around. It isn't a family sit down place, but I have been tempted to take my son there because I bet he'd like the burger sliders. But taking your kid to a bar is kind of frowned upon!


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NYC Restaurant Review: Mia Chef Gelateria

Mia Chef Gelateria
379 3rd Avenue, New York, NY 10016
(212) 889-8727
gelatomia.com

"This is the best ice cream I have ever had!"

That is my son's reaction the first time he tasted the Gelato here. Stuck among a bunch of almost anonymous store fronts, this place is a major find! I have to agree with my son that it is AMONG the best ice cream experiences I have ever had. My best was Robin Rose ice cream in Venice, California, but they are long gone now. So this is close to the top.

Their flavors vary. And they encourage you to try everything before ordering. And they encourage you to mix flavors. I have always gotten a small (which is very generous) with two flavors. It is PERFECT.

Their standard chocolate is magnificent. They balance it perfectly. It is dark chocolate but not bitter. I don't mind bitter, but this is just right. My son always gets this along with their Oreo cookie flavor. I love it too. They recommend it with the pistachio. I agree. Which brings me to their pistachio. Most pistachio ice cream you get is really almond flavored with a handful of pistachios thrown in. Which is fine with me because I actually like that. This pistachio is richer and more honestly pistachio and I have gotten it every time. One time mixed with chocolate. Other times mixed with other flavors.

They have had Nutella, Captain Crunch, Pecan Pie, Reese's peanut butter cup, White Chocolate and cherries, etc. etc. etc.

Every flavor is a near perfect representation of what it claims to be. I could die happy with this gelato in hand. If you are anywhere near the neighborhood, don't hesitate. Go for it. You will come back for more.

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NYC Restaurant Review: Manhattan Restaurant and Wine Bar: Reserve

Reserve
http://www.reservewinenyc.com/
* Thai, Wine Bar
* 407 3rd Ave, New York NY10016 40.742723 -73.980787
* (Btwn 28th & 29th St)

I was first introduced to this restaurant by a co-worker because they have a good lunch deal. One appetizer and one entree for a good price and beer or wine for $3 more. The food was good, fresh and creative. And I liked the fact that a Thai restaurant was doubling as a wine bar (unusual) and that I could get a Laotian beer there (something else I hadn't encountered).

I have been back for dinner. For drinks they have a happy hour with many beers and wines cheap. But for me and my family the food is the main draw.

The service is great. My son is very picky and will eat only a very few things. Rice is the only guaranteed thing he'll eat at an Asian restaurant. But here he asked if he could have plain, cold tofu and they opened a package fresh for him, cut it up and served it...for the price of extra bread or something. Very accommodating. And my son loved it.

My wife and I are far more adventurous. I will say that, though the lunch special and happy hour drinks are very reasonably priced for the neighborhood, their dinner menu is just a tad too pricey for the serving sizes. They could do a bit better on this, but it is a minor point given that the food is very good.

Some great suggestions:

APPETIZERS

Khao Thung: minced shrimp and chicken coconut relish on crispy jasmine rice crackers...again I would have liked more for the price, but it was delicious and unique. Recommended!

Gratong Tong: 3 golden tartlets with minced chicken, shrimp, corn and carrot. This is also one of the options for the lunch special appetizer. My first impression was that it was wonderful. I was very satisfied with it. But once I had had it a few times I lost interest. I definitely recommend it, but once the novelty wore off (and it took a few times!) I saw flaws in it. I think they could do a bit better, but I still order it from time to time.

Chicken Satay grilled marinated chicken skewers; served with peanut sauce and cucumber chutney...a basic Thai dish. Theirs is good, but not special. If you want an old standby this is good. My son liked the plain chicken without the sauce, so it can appeal to a kid as well. Sometimes Chicken Satay is dry. This was nice and moist for the most part. The sauce seemed standard, possibly mass produced, but decent.

Massaman Beef Sandwich braised angus beef curry with avocado on baguette and green salad on the side...an unusual take on this dish...kind of like Vietnamese sandwiches meet Thai food. I definitely like it...fresh and well prepared. But I feel it needs something more. Something else, perhaps a vegetable to add texture and flavor. But even without that I will definitely get it again.

PIZZA:

They have three pizzas, each for $9. They are small for the price. Personally I think they should make them a tad bigger. But other than that, they are delicious and an interesting mix of Thai and Western tastes. And they pick three of my favorite Thai dishes to adapt to a pizza format.

Green Curry * with green curry chicken and fontina...I think this is my favorite of the three pizzas...but I think I have to try all three again to make sure ; -)

Larb * with minced chicken, fresh mozzarella and mint mushrooms and peppers.

Tom Yum * with shrimp, lemongrass, galangal, mushrooms and peppers


ENTREES:

Gra-Praw * with fresh basil, string beans, onions, bell peppers, hot peppers, chili and garlic...a more standard dish, done freshly and very well

Pad Kee Mao * spicy sautéed flat noodles in gra-praw sauce with fresh basil leaves, crispy bell peppers, onions and string beans...another standard dish done well.


A note on the side dishes: my son loves rice. Plain and simple rice. The sticky rice at Reserve is a pleasure. It is among the best I have had. To Westerners this sounds silly. But having lived in Japan I know how important the rice can be, and here it is done perfectly.


The wine list is extensive, but I have to admit I have not had the chance to explore it. I have yet to jump to the idea of Thai food with red wine (which is my favored). They have good beers including a slightly sweet Laotian beer that reminds me just a tad of a Scottish beer I once had, oddly enough. The desserts sound wonderful, but I have yet to try them. There is a magnificent gelato place down the street that has tended to draw us, but one day I will have to try the Chocolate Lava Cake with ice cream and the Mango with sweet sticky rice, the two desserts that most attract me.

Overall a great restaurant well worth trying and coming back to to explore the menu. I would urge them to up their portion sizes a touch on the dinner menu, but it is still one of the places I like to go to.

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One of the greatest stories ever told: Kaze no Tani no Nasicaa

One of the most magnificent stories I have ever encountered (presented both as Anime and in much more elaborate form, as Manga) is the story by Hayao Miyazaki of Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. In many ways it was his rough precursor to his later Princess Mononoke, but in both the original (not dubbed) Anime, and in the Manga he made from it, there is a much richer and more ambiguous plot.

Let me just say that the Manga version of this story has so much more to it. It was so complicated a plot that my mother (despite a Ph.D. in Anthropology) lost track of the political threads. But it is one of the richest, most beautiful and amazing stories ever told. The movie version is excellent, and the animation wonderful if somewhat dated. But the Manga goes so far beyond the plot in the movie it is almost a different story.

This story comes from the imagination of one of Japan's greatest animators, Hayao Miyazaki. It is inspired by ancient Greek myths (hence the name "Nausicaa") and from traditional Japanese stories.

Here is one of the best trailers for Naushikaa ever made: (Korean trailer but gives the BEST impression of the story)



I prefer finding subtitled versions, but the fully dubbed English version, done but the generally lousy, but in this case excellent, Disney, can be found here:



The name Nausicaa comes from Homer's Odyssey and was a deliberate break by Miyazaki with Japanese tradition, though he combined the Western myth of Nausicaa with a Japanese myth of a Princess who loved insects.

Japanese Movie trailer, with the amazing original music (with ocarina notes indicated):



The basic plot of both the Anime and Manga (though the Manga takes it so much further) is that humans destroyed the world in seven days of fire...after that remnants of humanity hung on in small pockets of safety while the rest of the world is engulfed in a toxic forest of fungi and insects.

The Manga in particular explores the political outcomes of this as well as the environmental developments, but the bottom line is that the world of humans is failing centuries after the seven days of fire. War leads to the resurrection of some of the old weapons and these threaten to complete the destruction of humanity. Into this end of days scenario comes Nausicaa, a savior who combines berserker rages with scientific discovery with tearful love for all living things. Nausicaa with all her ambiguities becomes a potential savior. In the Anime her being a savior is definitive. In the Manga it is much more ambiguous, but still fascinating.

This is one of the best stories you or your children will ever see. Check out the anime for the simpler version.



Or, if you prefer a far more complex, ambiguous story, I strongly recommend the manga version as one of the best stories ever told bar none...It always brings tears to my eyes throughout the story.



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