robyn

We take him out to eat at least once a week - frequently to a local microbrewery where he'll have a "small one". But we haven't been there in a couple of weeks. Hmmmm.....Guess where we'll be going next time we go out to eat dinner . Robyn

Don't know if anyone has mentioned it yet - but this month's cover story in Gourmet Magazine is New York. Haven't finished the issue yet - but it seems to cover a lot of ground - including some "non-fancy" restaurants. Robyn

I just hope Chef Keller was as compulsive about his insurance as he is about his food. This is a great text book case for business interruption coverage. Robyn

Not in the Florida edition. Robyn

The Passover stuff is just what some staff at the nursing home told us. I tend to agree with you that it doesn't make a whole lot of sense. On the other hand - perhaps they have problems with residents like the lady who insists on her daily bologna sandwich. I agree 100% about the doctor. I am just getting some ideas we can toss around with him during our discussion. Haven't mentioned even half of the health problems (e.g., my father-in-law also has cancer - and an implantable cardiac defibrillator due to other heart problems). My husband and I have a fair amount of medical knowledge - but it's even hard for us to keep the history straight (much less have opinions about what to do about problems as they arise). And he's only 1 of our 3 surviving parents (the other 2 are similar in that they have extensive medical histories). Think everyone who has elderly parents should be forced to go to medical school! Robyn

Now that's interesting - hadn't thought of that. We started bringing him prunes about the same time he was forced into a wheel chair - so it will be hard to untangle what's responsible for what. But it's worth a try just to stop the prunes for a week or so. Just have him stick to fresh fruit - which he hasn't been eating a lot of - winter is a bad time for fresh fruit - except maybe pears (he doesn't like to eat fresh fruit if it doesn't taste so good). Perhaps less fresh fruit - and more dried fruit - could have changed the situation from a minor to a major problem. Will ask the doc. My FIL got a major dose of laxatives yesterday - and they did give him some temporary relief. But it would be nice to get his problem back to minor nuisance. Guess I'm not the only person with elderly relatives who has this problem (think I knew that). But I appreciate your sharing your experiences with me. Thanks. Robyn

He is on a stool softener. I will mention these names to the GI doc and ask which one he thinks would work best. Thanks. Robyn

I don't know what the absolute minimum is - but my FIL is restricted to 1.2 liters a day. That's everything - water - coffee - juice - soup (assuming he can eat it because of the salt) - even ice cream (which is basically a liquid). He seems to do fine - except we try not to take him out for extended periods in the summer heat in Florida where you can sweat a lot just doing nothing. Robyn

I don't think so - but we'll go over the (extensive) list with the doctor. Thanks for the idea. Robyn

I guess I am confused at all the dietary restrictions? Stupid question maybe...but... Why must he adhere to dietary rules in the facility when he is not Jewish? It seems that his health is being compromised and now with the holidays coming...it's being further stressed? To make a long story short - this facility was established in North Florida almost 60 years ago as a place where Jews from north Florida and south Georgia could spend the last years of their lives observing Jewish law. These days - a non-profit like this one can't and doesn't discriminate against anyone in terms of admissions. But everyone who decides to live there must follow the rules. A little over a third of the residents there now aren't Jewish. They choose to live in this place because it's simply one of the best skilled nursing facilities in the US. Also - to make things clearer - people can be Kosher (i.e., they follow Jewish dietary laws) - and kitchens can be Kosher (i.e., food prepared in them complies with Jewish dietary requirements). The kitchen in this place is a Kosher kitchen. E.g., it has completely separate kitchens to prepare meat dishes and dairy dishes - only Kosher foods can be used in the kitchens - etc. People who live in this place must therefore eat Kosher. Note that there are certain dietary dispensations in Jewish law for the elderly - but violating the Kosher rules isn't one of them. Anyway - no one forces anyone to live here. So it's a personal choice. And there is a very long waiting list due to the overall quality of the facility. Robyn

Just to add to what Mudpuppie said - one area the fluid can build up is the lungs. When someone is having an acute attack of congestive heart failure - it feels like you're drowning (which basically - you are - because of the fluid in your lungs). The fluid retention is also apparent in other areas when CHF isn't under control - like the ankles (some people wind up with ankles that look like tree trunks). Robyn

His physician should be able to refer you to a nutritionist. Is there a nutritionist on board? Why should he be suffering from constipation? What else besides meat and cheese are included in all his meals at this facility? Can he eat whole grains in the form of breads? Salads? Does he like these foods? Does he chose his own meals from a menu? Lots of unanswered questions here.... They have everything at this nursing home except a GI specialist and an 18 hole golf course (they do however have a 3 hole putting green ). He does eat bread (including whole grain) and salad. There's a fixed menu at all meals - but people can get things like sandwiches or salads if they don't like what's on the menu. Certain residents are - to say the least - somewhat peculiar. Like there's one lady who'll only eat bologna sandwiches for dinner. Before you all scream that the nursing home isn't doing its job - it really is. It has a philosophy that its residents who don't have serious dementia are competent adults - not children. And they have every right to eat in their end of life home - the nursing home - the way they would eat anyplace else (as long as they comply with the dietary laws). Its job isn't to prolong life at any expense. It's to make the last years of its residents' lives - however many - a dignified and pleasant experience. As for constipation - I think that just comes with the territory of being old - fairly inactive - not being able to drink too much fluid - and suffering from diverticular disease (just about everyone over 80 in the US has it to some degree). Robyn

Um. Carry the nought, turn left, raise right foot twice. 7867888765556775454 kelvin. Sounds about right. Wait. I forgot to do the hand thing. Is that up or down? Actually - all I do is ask my husband. We have a strict division of labor around the house - and it's his job to do metric conversions. And windows. That's why I keep him around . Robyn

I've seen those things before. Never knew whether they worked. Now I know. What else do you use it for? Robyn

ARRGGHHH!!!!!.... he may be a humanitarian, and a "pukka" lad and all that, but us Aussies, have been using adjectives like "whack" a looooooong time before JO turned up... now that I've emptied my bucket and wiped my mouth, I can genially explain that I meant to use "whack" simply to denote an enthusiastic approach to the placement of the beloved duck part on the rack in anticipation of cooking it to relative perfection... you can either see it as either enthusiasm or affection.. ...and as for the ginger, it means just that, a good sized wedge of ginger about an inch long, bashed, smacked, flattened by the side of one's knife... and I forgot to add in me earlier post, to "bung" in a couple cloves into the marinade as well... makes it all so much more yummy and tasty... Got it . Note that I use a small hammer to "bash" things (it's hard for a weakling like me to bash things with the side of a knife). Robyn

My husband will throw away the skin even if it's perfect (he's not a skin eater). So I will heed your advice. As for brining - it's something I don't do. My husband has high blood pressure - so I try to do relatively low salt cooking at home. Compensates for the mega-doses of salt we get in restaurants (had a very nice meal out last night - but each of us had 2 extra pounds in water weight this morning). Robyn

Thanks. Please keep me informed. Robyn

I'm not here to give lessons in elementary medicine. You know - I've been listening the last couple of weeks to people like Alan Greenspan, John Kerry and John Edwards talking about the need for more education in the US in the areas of science and mathematics. Although John Edwards is probably the most knowledgeable person when it comes to medicine (because he was a malpractice lawyer - and that's what I did) - they're all right. Anyway - Chef Kitching was right here. And that's the end of it as far as I'm concerned. I hope his food is as worthy of this spirited defense as his knowledge of basic anatomy (if he's listening - I'll be in London in May ). By the way - I'm a fair cook - considering that I got a late start (I did medical legal work for about 20 years before I discovered where my kitchen was). Robyn

What kind of fruit do you use? Note that I can bring anything to the nursing home. If it's "tref" (not Kosher) - we can eat it outside on the patio. Robyn

We have tried the prunes (we bring him the little cans of the high end Sunsweet prunes). He says he's eating them. Sometimes I wonder. We'll have to check his drawers for partially eaten containers. Salt is a no-no for the congestive heart failure. Sometimes I think that the lack of water to get everything moving is the biggest problem. And yes - this facility has problems with almost everyone. And it does have a doctor in house (internist). He's there 5 days a week - 9/5 - University of Florida medical school. And he has already done what he thinks he can do. That's why we set up a GI consult. I'd like to get this in somewhat manageable mode before Passover in April. That's when all the bread and related food products disappear for 8 days. We understand from last year (which was our first year) - that it is pure hell on the nursing staff. Because if 50% of the patients usually have constipation problems - it goes up to 100% at Passover. And whoever has problems - well they are worse at Passover. So keep the ideas coming. I feel sorry for the poor old guy. Robyn

I don't know; I wasn't around when those rules were made. Perhaps they refer to any residual blood that might be left in the blood vessels that cannot be removed and remain in muscles (such as microscopic capillaries). As I quoted from Robert Wolke's book, What Einstein Told His Cook, to you (Robyn) privately, the red in muscles is not blood but myglobin. I believe Wolke more than I believe any religious rules promulgated long before there was much accurate scientific knowledge. I was trying to tell you - in a nice way - privately - that there is indeed blood in muscles. And I'm not relying on Kosher dietary laws - just modern (? because it's hundreds of years old - maybe Harvey in the 17th century? ) - medical knowledge. If you think that all our blood circulates through our bodies in a closed system of blood vessels - and that the blood isn't in contact with the rest of the body - well - that's just plain wrong. The purpose of the vessels is to deliver a never-ending supply of blood and the oxygen it carries to all parts of the body - including muscles. Because - without oxygen - parts of the body die. That's basically what happens when a person has a heart attack (the heart is a muscle). Or when circulation fails for some reason and a person gets gangrene. Or when the blood flow to the brain is cut off - that's a stroke and the affected cells in the brain die. When your muscles need more oxygen than the blood that's flowing into them has - like if you're a long distance bike rider - or a marathon runner - you can wind up with some very uncomfortable/painful/dangerous conditions related to anaerobic exercise. I'm not sure what this has to do with cooking (you'd have to ask Chef Adria about that - I know a heck of a lot more about medicine than I know about cooking). All I was trying to say is that Chef Kitching is right about the fact that there's blood in muscles - and you're wrong for criticizing him for making that statement. I suspect that although chefs aren't trained in medicine - they do acquire a fair amount of knowledge about animal anatomy and physiology in the course of their work. In any event - even if he was just guessing - Chef Kitching got this one right. Robyn

OK - I admit it - I got your attention by a cheap marketing ploy - using the Atkins name to get you to read this. But I have a problem - my father-in-law. In a nursing home. He has recently basically lost his ability to walk - which means he doesn't get much exercise. And his diet is glatt kosher. It's not quite Atkins - but it's heavy on meat and fat (there's one "meat meal" a day - one "dairy" meal - which frequently is cheese based). Even though he's not Jewish - this is very similar to the kind of diet he ate most of his life - lots of meat - not much in the way of fresh fruit/veggies - etc. Anyway - like a lot of elderly people - he has wound up with a massive case of constipation. Won't bore you with the ugly medical details. The lack of physical activity was probably the straw that broke the camel's back. Now this is apparently a problem that plagues a large % of the US population judging from the TV commercials I see. It also appears to be a side effect of the Atkins diet. And - although I have certain health problems (who doesn't) - this isn't one I with which I'm personally familiar. So do any of you have ideas based on personal or family or professional experience about ways to deal with this in terms of diet - or drugs - or exercise you can do if you're in a wheelchair (particularly the diet area because I suspect that's the easiest). The nursing home is - I'm sure - doing its best - considering the realities of dealing with 200 patients in a skilled nursing facility. But what I'm looking for is a couple of easy things we might try to help. Bran? Metamucil? I don't know (I'm not familiar with these things). Note that most foods are kosher - so we can probably try just about anything except stuff like shrimp cocktail and sausage gumbo . Also note that we have an added complication. He has congestive heart failure. So he's fluid restricted. Those 8 glasses of water a day that are supposed to help - he can't drink them. We have a GI appointment this week - and I'd like to go to the appointment armed with some decent ideas (I'm sure the doctor will have some ideas too). Robyn

I had a thought along the line of smoking. I bought these cedar plank things from Williams Sonoma last year. Use them basically for fish - especially salmon - on the BBQ (you soak them in water - and when they heat up - they emit smoke). Now I know you wouldn't cook a duck from scratch on them (too much fat). But do you think they might work in terms of "smoking" the duck if you rendered off a lot of the fat first in a pan? Note that this certainly wouldn't be the first recipe I'd try - or even the 3rd - but it might be an interesting approach for people who don't own smokers - but would like to "smoke" duck. Robyn

To do a temp conversion from C to F - multiply by 9 - divide by 5 - and add 32. Which would give us 356 F (or about 350). What's "bashed" ginger? And how do you "whack the breast skin up on the rack"? Sounds very Jamie Oliver - fighting with your food . Robyn

I'm a skin person myself (I will slave over a chicken or turkey to get that perfect crisp skin). Can you actually render out the fat from the skin side while not overdoing the meat (I think that's how I got totally messed up last time - while trying to get that crispy skin - I wound up with stringy overdone breast meat). Robyn