- How about seeing it as cultural awareness and lighthearted fun? I'm sure to many Chinese this is just superstition, but its a part of a tradition that adds a bit of fun not necessarily to take serious. Lighten up!
- I learned German and Italian and am at various competent levels at reading, speaking, and writing them. I self-taught Italian and learned German in a classroom. For example, my German grammar is WAY better than my speaking. I am NOT fluent, but that is because I have always needed that immersion experience of being in the country or around those who are already fluent. Language learning has always been easy for me (I have a very good ear), but I just haven't put in the time or have had the need to become fluent. I've always felt it is about determination, confidence, lack of self-consciousness, ambition, etc., i.e. just doing it.
- Hear, hear Marion Nestle!
- Equation = problem
How does it fit into the problem?
- Aqua
- Hear, hear Grace.
- As with the other commentators, I was surprised to hear the idea that vegetarians need to approach their diets almost with a scientific method in order to get proper nutrition. Totally untrue. There are whole societies around the world that have vegetable or lacto-vegetable based or focused diets that are not nutrition deficient. A 37-yr old friend grew up in El Salvador at a time and in a community where meat was only for special occasions because it was expensive. It was local vegetables made up deliciously with fresh cheese everyday to eat, as well as eggs. He eats like that to this day. He has perfect teeth (no refined sugar, no candy eating in childhood, only fruit), no cholesterol/blood pressure issues, and he and his family were perfectly healthy. Perhaps ideas of a third-world El Salvador made you think he was super skinny with a bloated belly: NO! They ate simply, locally, and creatively. Has anyone ever ate pupusas? No meat and delicious!
