Albert Einstein on Diet

The German-born genius Albert Einstein, some time in his life, predicted that man would eat vegetables for survival. He said, “Nothing will benefit human health and increase the chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetable diet.” How prophetic! Aren’t we all into healthy eating now?

Anyway, this quote from the great physicist is one the many inspiring massages printed on the pages of Rustan’s Supermarket’s “Sweet Beginnings,” a 2011 planner that comes in a beautiful combination of light pink and green, very feminine. We predict any homemaker would want this in her kitchen.

For its planner project, Rustan’s gathered 12 of the country’s leading chefs to provide easy-to-follow recipes for soups, salads and sweets. Each is assigned a month and the pages are spiced up with suitable quotes of world-famous personalities such as Einstein. Consider Kitty Larson of Hattie Big Sky who said, “It’s the company, not the cooking, that makes a great meal.” Yes? No? We’d say it depends. Or Alice May Brook’s contention that “Tomatoes and oregano make it Italian, wine       and tarragon make it French, sour cream makes it Russian, lemon and cinnamon make it Greek, soy sauce makes it Chinese, garlic makes it good.” Shall we add patis and sampaloc to make it Pinoy?

We have heard this before  “Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are.” This was uttered by Anthelme Birllat-Savarin, a Frenchman who led a colorful life, from being a magistrate and a violinist to an acknowledged “professor of gastronomy.” Among the techniques he developed is steaming fish on a bed of herbs. There again is a long-tested testimony to herbs as flavoring ingredients. There’s a Savarin cake so named by Auguste Julien who learned from the master the art of soaking the cake in rhum-flavored syrup, which must be the precursor of today’s rhum cake.  

Modern cookery favorite Julia Child said, “You don’t have to cook fancy and complicated masterpieces, just good food from fresh ingredients.”

There you are, the biggies making their statements  all pointing to healthy eating, with few and rare indulgences  in the 2011 Rustan’s planner-cookbook.

We are pleased that it covers the period from Jan. 2011 to Jan. 2012, very practical. This allows the homemaker to plan a whole month next year, nearing the end of 2011.

Chef Carlo Miguel, who successfully won his battle against “the bulge,” starts the year with cool green pea soup. Jamie Oliver, who found himself controversial in the US for some revolutionary techniques, is one of Carlos’ inspirations. Ginny de Guzman contributed lemon meringue and some others. From the kitchens of Aubergine, Sam Linder shares his specialties including bean salad. Jessie Sinsioco did her kamias juice and picture-perfect yogurt-based cheesecake. Peninsula has the Spice Man, Chef Avandish, who brings the cuisines of our Asian neighbors in dishes like spiced salad with mixed greens and orange lemongrass reduction. Jill Sandique punctuates 2011 with US bean salad with feta cheese and kalamata orange olives, and spiced chocolate milk with red chili flakes  what a twist. We can all greet January 2012 (quite a long wait), with Mandarin’s duo, Rene Ottlik and Roberto Molleman, offering Maine lobster arugula salad with vanilla dressing and cold avocado-wasabi soup with crab.

One mid-January morning, we bumped into some of ShopWise’s biggies in Alabang, all looking excited. With them was a team from Unilab, their partner in their new venture  the ShopWise pharmacy. They were officially inaugurating the neat white and green pharmacy.

It is more than an outlet filling up prescriptions. A nutritionist is there to give health and wellness advice. Customers can have their blood pressure and bone density checked. On occasion, there will be specialist doctors available for consultation. That makes ShopWise truly a one-stop shopping destination.

Stay healthy.

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