On a Plate

ISSUE #1 15-07-2012

Nail biting truths What your nails reveal about you!

Make food more appealing than ever!

Good Lookin’ Eat right feel right

FROM THE PAN O

N A PLATE is a magazine devoted to the frivolous foodies across Dubai, from 5 minute recipes for the person on the go to 5 star cuisines that can be made at home. It also covers the unconventional use of food, in terms of beauty, and health. In this summer edition we will be focusing on the summer foods that would benefit a person from, mind, body to soul. We will talk about the best ways to deal with the heat, and also have bits of information that is surprisingly effective. Apart from that, there are also tips on how to handle disasters in the kitchen that are inevitable.

The ‘Cuisines’ section of the magazine will have various cuisines to offer the readers every month, with not only background information but even steps on how to make the particular dishes. There are many such other sections that can guide our readers, from how to set a formal table to going to the right places to eat and enjoy their evenings. Keep reading, keep eating.

Cheesily yours, Natasha Khiara

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Editor - Natasha Khiara Sub Editors - Diana Khambatta & Rishi Khiara

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Design & Layout - Natasha Khiara Photographer - Natasha Khiara Publisher - Natasha Khiara

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CONTENTS BITE SIZE Preserving Health Eat-iquette Grainy Season

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EAT OUT More for Less Review: U n I Cafe Review: Kobe Sizzlers

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CUISINES Where did it come from?

Things you should know Do it yourself

EXTRAS In Tea we Trust Peel your Problems

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17 37

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SPECIAL FOCUS Keeping cool Tackle your tan Moody Foodie

HOW TO Set a formal table Make a dessert Get it right

UNPREDICTABLE SECTION

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Cultural Cues

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Dare to drink?

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Reality check

QUICK TAKES To eat or not to eat?

Avoid accidents Minute foods

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TO EAT OR NOT TO EAT? That is the question, which every person wonders subconsciously before actually eating anything. What makes people judge food like that? The answer is Appeal. Presentation of food is more important than one may think, and in fact, sometimes presentation is everything. If the food looks good, people will automatically want to try it.

Adults may still want to give not-so-appealing food a shot, kids however are much harder to please. First impression is last impression, once the out of sight out of mind phase is over. Children are capable of solely judge food because the colours are not pretty enough. It could even be because it doesn’t look as nice as it did on TV, or even because it has a funny smell. They may even take a strong liking to particular dishes to such an extent that they would only want to eat that, all the time.

The possibility of changing the impression still exists, if the dishes served to them are made smartly. Apart from the appeal, parents are also concerned about the health of their children and what they can do to increase the intake of healthy food.

Standard favourites of children include, Macaroni and Cheese, Noodles, Pasta, Burgers, and more junk which is every parent’s nightmare. After realization dawns, many parents tend to completely restrict their children from consuming such foods, but they may not realize that only makes the child crave it more. This causes overindulgence for when they do get a chance, leading to worse problems. The other method parents have adapted is to welcome the same junk food with open arms and add their own surprises of health in there, making it a win-win situation.

Mom’s tend to have either specific days of the week dedicated to having that one dish, or randomly making any junk at home at regular intervals. This isn’t only a great way to find out

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what your child loves to eat, but to get them to eat what they usually wouldn’t. Making a dish of noodles, one can add countless number of vegetables such as diced green, red or yellow peppers, peas, carrots, and onions. Or perhaps a dish of Macaroni and Cheese could have small pieces of broccoli added to it along with some tomato. A plain pasta dish can be improved in looks and taste with an addition of well cut mushrooms and olives, and some zucchini.

Fruits can also be made to look prettier, such as apple hearts, banana flowers, boat shaped pears or even hat shaped pineapples. It helps if the parent knows what the child loves, and it can be anything ranging from marbles to ships.

There are many dishes that can be tweaked here and there and made more appealing and healthier, especially for children, and can result in an affirmative answer to the ultimate question, to eat or not to eat?

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Get it Right

While going vegetable shopping, there are a lot of factors that should be a lot of questions pondered about and a lot of factors considered. Are the vegetables that we always pick fresh? How do we know that for sure? What if they don’t last long enough? Well there are ways to determine if we’ve made the right choices while picking our vegetables.

For starters, glancing at a vegetable for a little bit isn’t enough. You have to be able to observe and examine it properly. If you’re going to just blindly pick up anything and purchase it, it should come as no surprise that they spoil fast. Checking for any ‘bruises’ or blotches, including discolouration are a huge tell. If many of them are found, your best bet is to put it back. The amount of time spent touching the vegetable should increase from just picking it up and placing it in your cart. You should be able to determine the freshness of a fruit or vegetable by its feel. If it feels firm or sturdy, it is at its best. However if it feels a little soft, then it’s going to get spoilt before you know it. On the other hand if the vegetable or fruit is a bit too firm, then it’s probably still has time to become ripe.

They say Quality over Quantity, but in this case quantity also counts. If the vegetable is well supplied, then the likelihood of it being good is

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enhanced. If there are very few vegetables left of the one that you want, it’s probably not the best idea to pick it up at all. Those vegetables have probably been picked up by almost everyone and kept back down for various reasons, and you might not want to take those. The more people pick it up, the more contaminated it is.

Being alert is what leads to observation, and ergo making the right choices. Don’t just notice only few of the particular vegetable you want to buy, observe other vegetables around too. If you notice that most of them are almost going bad, this not only reflects on how the shop maintains its vegetables, but also that what you’re about to buy is probably going to turn out spoilt too.

We tend to take the plastic bags for granted, because how else will we carry the vegetables we just picked? But that’s not the only reason why they’re there. They are present essentially to reduce the amount of air your vegetable is exposed to.

The more air it is exposed to, the chances of it getting spoilt increase. They also help guard the vegetable from other products such as meat and other products that can contribute to spoiling it.

Also if it continuously collides with other products, after a while you will start noticing that ‘bruises’ have formed on your vegetable or fruit, and it

starts spoiling from there.

Last but not the least, research is important. Not only what you do when you are in the grocery store, but what you know beforehand is also of major significance. Knowing what vegetable is in season can get you the best batch of vegetables. If you look for vegetables that aren’t in season, you will either get bad ones or just not find them at all.

Make sure to keep your eyes peeled, not only when you buy them, but even when you cook them!

Picking the right food and cooking it the right way are two different things. You may now know how to pick vegetables, and are already an expert in cooking them, but what about meat? Are you sure you’re cooking your meat just the way it should be? Not just any meat, but making the perfect steak can be quite the challenge. People face many troubles such as raw centres, burnt edges, and if they avoid both of those they cut the steak only to realize it’s completely dry.

One way to determine the toughness of your steak is by, touching each of the four fingers to your thumb, one by one. The muscle tension directly below your thumb can guide you as to what toughness your steak should have. The index finger is for rare, the middle finger for medium rare, the third finger for medium and the last finger if you want your steak well done.

People usually don’t tend to flip their steak while it’s on the flame. However, if they don’t do flip it then one side is more likely to be over cooked and other under cooked. In order to avoid that, flipping every fifteen to thirty seconds is recommended. The temperature of the pan will remain unsteady no matter the heat therefore flipping it avoids the unevenness of heat in your steak.

Letting the steak rest for a while is as important as cooking it evenly on the flame.

To avoid a juiceless steak, letting it rest is important. Once you remove it from exposure to direct high temperature it will still continue to cook up till around five minutes. After that even it is suggested to let the steak rest for half the time that it has been cooked. Since the muscles tighten after being cooked, the juices will flow right out once cut. However, if the steak is put to rest for a while, the muscles will loosen up and absorb the juices, and then the steak can be enjoyed better.

When it comes to utensils, make sure to use good condition utensils. Avoid using plastic or wooden ones because the chances of bacteria getting into the meat increase with the use of these. Using the same utensils for cooked meat and raw meat isn’t a good idea, because bacteria can easily transfer itself as well. Separate cutting boards should be used for cutting vegetables or any herbs that go into the meal.

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Preserving Health Being healthy is the one thing that’s always going to be in trend. People are forever looking for different ways on how to keep themselves healthy, the only difference is some people actually know what they’re doing, and others think they know. People mostly plan how they’re going to eat their food, but not everybody knows what exactly they’re eating.

So, what is Artificial food and Organic food?

Artificial food according to EHow “is one that contains chemicals also known as artificial substances or ingredients. These include coloured dyes, sweeteners, and preservative sprays meant to lengthen shelf life. A nonartificial food is one that does not contain these additives”

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Organic foods on the other hand according to Wikipedia, “are foods that are produced using methods that do not involve modern synthetic inputs such as synthetic pesticides and chemical fertilizers. Organic Foods also do not contain genetically modified organisms, and are not processed using irradiation, industrial solvents, or chemical food additives” The concept of preserving healthy has become completely corrupt by the use of chemicals. It’s ironic that we want to preserve food to make it last longer, when those additives are the exact thing that are causing us much trouble. We are so blinded by being on the healthy track that we pump food with preservatives and over time our bodies have grown to adapt to it.

However, when we eat organic food it becomes harder for our bodies to take it, which in turn causes problems.

The preservatives that we use in food increase the chances of cancer, for example, take sodium nitrate.

This is found in many meats such as hot dogs, bacon, and sausages. It is used to preserve the meat and avoid it from getting spoilt due to bacteria. Even though the levels of sodium nitrate used may be ‘safe’, according to a study done by the U.S. National Toxicology Program, increased consumption of sodium nitrate links to pancreatic and lung cancer.

The fact that preservatives are being forced into food making it last longer than its original lifespan, is itself abnormal, and some people believe it to be as good as diseased food. We make these ‘safe’ foods which avoid us from eating other foods that may harm our immune system, when in actuality this is just as bad, and over here there is no turning back, as it essentially shuts down our immune systems entirely.

Our primary goal for using preservatives is to make food last for longer. However, the fact that the food item exceeds its original life span is abnormal. People believe it is as good as diseased food, because it becomes anything but natural, only because it doesn’t follow its original natural life. We think we are helping out by preserving food for long, but in real we just end up making things worse. These ‘safe’ foods actually avoid us from eating other foods that could strengthen our immune system.

Since we already have artificial food, people avoided organic food, and now when they realize its value, it is causing their immune systems trouble because they can’t take it. Our systems are so used to digesting foods that are pumped with chemicals and preservatives that when we get down to eating naturally grown food, we face trouble. The food that we are constantly eating and relying on is essentially shutting down our immune system which is causing this problem. Yet many people tend to still rely on artificial foods, and only handfuls are actually aware and are trying to change.

Organic food is much better for the simple reason that it is more fresh and healthier.

It allows us to take in fresh nutrients and increase immunity helping us survive better.

It’s also superior as organic farming favours the environment, by reducing pollution. Apart from vegetables, it avoids hormone intake for animals as well. The animals are usually given antibiotics, which generates an antibioticresistant strain of bacteria. This means that when we fall sick consuming the same meat, the antibiotics that we take will not be effective at all. This could lead to a mutated strain which could one day be impossible to defeat and lead to the death of millions of people. We want to take in healthy food and survive longer, but we want to alter the taste of nasty tasting food so we can consume it, but we’ve already defeated its purpose. Organic food is back on the rise, because we can’t essentially enhance all the nutrition, and now we’re running out of resources as well. It is a small concept, but definitely healthier living.

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More for Less There are many people who love to try out not only different cuisines, but different restaurants as well. To their surprise they may find restaurants going as high as sixty dirhams per dish, or as low as fifteen dirhams. But here are a few places which can get you delicious and fulfilling meals just at or under twenty dirhams.

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Bravos’ offers a variety of cuisines, from Indian to Chinese, and most of its main course dishes range from ten to seventeen dirhams. Bravo Restaurant is located next to DIAC at Duniya Buildings.

Jabal Al Noor, is a cafeteria that has many branches around Dubai, including Satwa and Oud Mehta. This place offers a wide range of burgers, sandwiches, and a neverending list of cocktails to go with it. All mostly under ten.

Mumbai Masti Juice Centre, located near the Dubai Museum also offers a wider range of sandwiches, burgers, juices, and various desserts to go with it. Price range varies from ten to twenty dirhams.

This restaurant has a huge selection of dishes dominant in the Pakistani Cuisine.

Over here you can find dishes that are not only below ten, but a couple for under twenty. Karachi Darbar Restaurant is very close to the Karama Metro Station.

Minute Foods Sev Puri Ingredients

Things to do

- Sev Puri - Boiled Potatoes - Onions - Green Chutney - Red Chutney - Green Chillies - Sev - Corriander - Salt - Chaat Masala [optional] - Yogurt [optional]

- Take some Sev puris and place it on the plate.

- Use the boiled potato, onions and green chili, and place on the sev puris.

- The chutneys can then be poured over them.

- Add salt and sev over it and corriandar to decorate.

- Yogurt, and chaat masala can also be added towards the end, for flavour.

Oreo Milkshake Things to do - Crush six oreos without the cream - Take three scoops of Vanilla ice cream along with a little milk, and 3/4th oreo and blend together.

Ingredients - Oreo biscuits - Milk - Vanilla Ice Cream

- Pour in a glass, topped with the rest of the oreos.

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Eat-iquette Use a napkin after being seated.

Avoid slurping at soup or anything to drink.

Chew with your mouth closed.

Never bend down to reach your food.

Always bring the food to yourself.

Do not start eating before the host has started Slouching while eating is not a good idea.

Avoid picking your teeth at the table.

Never reach out for a dish. Ask the person next to you to pass it to you.

Cut your food as you eat it. Cutting up everything isn’t a pretty sight, and will Avoid making noise with your spoons make your food cold faster. and forks as it hits the plate.

If you aren’t able to get your food on Elbows on the table should be avoided your fork or spoon avoid dragging it at all time while eating. to the edge of your plate and using your finger. In its place use a knife, or a Don’t talk with your mouth full, which piece of bread. is why it is helpful to eat little at a time.

If food is handled by fingers while serving yourself, do not lick your fingers, instead use a napkin to wipe your hands.

Chewing too fast can make you seem even more hungry than you actually are.

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We live in a land of various cultures that breathe, talk, walk and eat, around us. We may have noticed them doing many things that separate them from others, but when it comes to eating, they have even more unique contributions. There are certain rules to table manners, when it comes to any culture. We have our own rules, and we may not realize it even when we break them. For example, keeping your elbows on the table is considered rude almost everywhere. Another example would be calling a waiter. In places such as India, it is acceptable if people choose to call them by shouting “Boss” however in the United Kingdom, one must not shout or wave in order to call a waiter, you simply raise your hand.

Many people tend to do research before they travel, so that they may learn about how to move in different cultures. If one is not aware about what they are stepping into, then the most likely result would be culture shock. A lot of people pick up quickly when they see what majority are doing and simply follow their lead, but it helps when you know before hand as well.

Table manners in places such as China, utilize chopsticks instead of knives and forks, have their own system. It is considered extremely rude to keep your chopsticks standing in a dish, such as rice. According to Suite101, it is an indicator of the character of death as it forms a “V”. If one wants to put down their chopsticks, they may do so by placing them on the table.

In Japan, slurping your noodles is considered polite as it is indicative of one enjoying their food. If one doesn’t slurp the chef may take offense as it may seem that you are not enjoying your meal to the fullest. Leaving a grain of rice is considered rude, whereas completely cleaning your plate or bowl indicates that you had a fulfilling meal. In China however, finishing everything on your plate is considered rude, as

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it may seem that you are still hungry and that the host hasn’t been able to provide you with enough.

In Austria, while clinking glasses it is considered polite to look into the eyes of a person, simply to acknowledge their presence.

Burping is considered as a sign of ‘thanks’ and appreciation in Canada, India, and Turkey.

While eating a whole baked fish in Poland, flipping it over is considered a bad idea. They believe that flipping it over will flip over a fisherman’s boat in the water. In Britain, when one has finished their meal they must place their knife and fork in the 5:25 position. In France, salads must not be cut, instead the lettuce must be folded onto the fork gently. In Thailand instead of knives and forks, spoons and forks are given so people can scoop the food onto the spoon by using the fork. In Tanzania, it is not only rude to smell the food but even to reach for dinner on time. It is preferred if the person is at least fifteen to thirty minutes late. In Russia, the host gets offended if a guest was to refuse Vodka, or any other alcoholic beverage offered to them.

There are many other cultural cues like this which help people blend in when they travel abroad, but they can only truly experience another culture, if they are at the heart of it.

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Cuisines Chinese Chinese food is one of the most varied, eaten and unique foods. It has not only been influenced by philosophies such as Confucianism and Taoism, but has also been affected by other cultures giving a new twist and taste to their food.

Confucianism influenced Chinese food in terms of appearance and presentation. In fact, the influence has been so strong that it has lasted all these years, and in China people still serve food only after they cut it, in order to make it bite size.

Taoism inclined Chinese food towards the health benefits of their foods. The health benefits of foods were learnt and soon became part of Chinese cuisine.

Chinese food however, is at its best when it is authentic. If not in terms of flavour, in terms of health surely! Many people have been known to prefer variations of Chinese food over authentic Chinese food, for many reasons which include the food being bland, or not having enough spices.

However, the actual taste of Chinese food comes from the foods authenticity and originality. Not only does it add to our health buy being prepared in unsaturated oils, but it also includes various ingredients as its base such as garlic or ginger which have excellent medicinal qualities as well.

Stir-frying also became famous due to the Chinese as they had a lot of people to feed and very less food. Therefore, they used to mix whatever meat and vegetables they could find,

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with rice or noodles as those were the only things available in abundance.

Through stir-frying they were able to save fuel, time and energy as well as manage to cook their food.

This particular cuisine has managed to build great popularity over the years, and has gotten the attention of other cultures too. There have been many variations, one of the most popular being Indo-Chinese. According to Wikipedia, this particular variation seemed to have developed by a small Chinese community, which resided in Kolkata. This cuisine is basically an adaptation of Chinese food, but mixed with Indian spices in order to satisfy both tastes. Dishes like Chicken Manchurian, Vegetable balls in garlic sauce and more aren’t even close to authentic Chinese, yet worked out pretty well for the people.

Nonetheless, the Indo-Chinese food does include a lot of its own additions which defeat the purpose of the health aspect of Chinese food. A lot of fats, oils, and unhealthy amount of spices go into the making of Indo-Chinese which is as enjoyable as it is unhealthy.

In fact, the schezwan sauce that is also originally Chinese has been used in a lot of other cuisines, such as Thai, and even reached South Indian, where people use it in their Dosas and Idlys. Chinese food has spread so much and spilled into so many cultures, that we forget to remember and credit its authenticity.

Crispy Fried Beef

Steamed Chicken Wontons

Vegetable Schezwan Rice

Chicken Manchurian in Hot Garlic Sauce

Honey Fried Noodles with Ice Cream

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Do it Yourself Chinese doesn’t always mean that you have to order take out. You can always have your Chinese cuisine right at home! The best part being you can add your own flavours to it, without the limitations of a few sauces that the restaurants provide. Just a few ingredients and you can have yourself a fancy looking cuisine right at home, just in time to impress the guests, or even your own taste buds.

Vegetable Schezwan Rice

Ingredients Schezwan Sauce -10 pieces of finely chopped garlic -Half an inch ginger chopped -Five to six dry red chillies -Half a teaspoon red chilli sauce -1 tablespoon oil -1 tablespoon vinegar -Salt Fried Rice -Rice -Finely chopped

carrots -Finely chopped French beans -Finely chopped cauliflower -One spoon chilli sauce -One tablespoon of chopped garlic -One tablespoon of vinegar -Two tablespoons of oil -Half a tablespoon of red orange food colour -Salt to taste

What to do -Keep all the chopped vegetables in separate bowls.

-Boil rice -Drain water from boiled rice -Heat the pan and add oil -Add garlic and sautĂŠ till the colour changes to light brown -All all the vegetables, which are carrots, spring onions, cauliflower, and French beans.

-Add salt and schezwan saucet -Wait for the vegetables too cook for at least two to three minutes -Add some vinegar and food colour and mix thoroughly -Add rice to the mix and avoid mixing vigorously, or else the rice will break.

-Add the rest of the vinegar, and chilli sauce.

-For the final steps add some spring onion, and stir.

-Add coriander on top, and serve.

For other recepies log on to www.onaplate.com

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Reviews U n I Cafe

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U n I café, located right next to Arabian Courtyard, is a small place, with loud and eye catching interiors. The interiors set a very energetic and active ambience. A very helpful staff, and quick service help them maintain the place well, even when it is packed with customers. Since they are located at such a place, the customers are mostly foreigners, and you will catch people explaining the different ingredients that go into making their dishes.

The arrangement of the tables is simple, and very casual. It’s a great place to eat for people on the go. The food has great presentation as well as taste, which is surely going to get people to keep coming back for more.

People can catch a glimpse of the kitchen as the chef works, or they can just watch TV and enjoy a match or any of the current events.

U n I Cafe, Next to Arabian Courtyard Hotel.

Kobe Sizzlers Entrance, located in Lamcy.

Just the other day I went to Kobe Sizzlers, because I find sizzlers absolutely irresistible and I have heard quite a bit about this place myself. Lamcy Plaza, the location of this place an extremist, that is, it can tilt to either side. Either people will love it because it’s open to the view of the entire mall, or they will hate it because a certain sense of privacy has been evaded.

With very few people attending to their customers, Kobe Sizzlers may have a little slow service, but to compensate the food comes rather quick. Now that I come to think of it, the kitchen location is a mystery, because the waiters literally emerge from either side out of nowhere holding steaming hot sizzlers and other dishes.

For people looking for extremely spicy food, the schezwan isn’t as spicy but there are a variety of sauces that are provided to help you spice up your meal according to your preference. With its mostly wooden setting the ambience of the place is good, and is surprisingly quiet even though it is exposed to the mall.

The presentation of the tables and food is just right, as it appeals to the eyes as well as the taste buds.

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Kobe Sizzlers

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Set a Formal Table A lot of us have dinner sets at home, either received as gifts, or to give as gifts. You may have a dinner set, but do you actually use it? If your answer is Yes, then are you sure you’re using it properly? And if you’re answer is No, then you can be sure you will be using it correctly, after reading this article.

Apart from having your tools and knowing them, one should know how to use them the proper way.

There will be times when a formal setting is mandatory and it is very important to get it right.

- Plates should be placed first, in order to determine where the rest of the items will be placed on the table.

- Glasses are mostly placed on the right hand side, above the knives.

- The butter and salad plates are kept on the left.

- The knives, forks and spoons should be placed in the order they will be used in. Having the first course knives, forks and spoons on the outer edge whilst having the main course ones towards the inside.

- The forks should be placed on the left of the plates, while the knives and spoons should be on the right.

The cutting edge of the knives should face the plates, and they all should be kept in such a way that they align with the bottom of the plates.

- While setting a formal table, napkins are the one thing that are flexible and allow creativity.

Conventionally they are placed on the left of the forks however, people can keep it elsewhere. They can be placed folded neatly over the plates, or cones can be made out of it. They may also fold some silverware into the napkins and place it next to, or over the plates.

- Butter plates are always placed on the left hand side, having a butter knife over it and are placed above the forks.

- Dessert forks, spoons and knives are positioned directly above the dinner plates. The forks face the right hand side, with the spoon or knife faced towards the left.

- Water glasses are located on the right hand side right above the knives, however wine glass can be kept differently. They can either slant down from the left towards the knives, size being the increasing or decreasing factor. They can also form a triangle by placing the white wine glass on the right and the red wine glass above the dinner plate.

- Last but not the least, coffee or tea cups and saucers should be found to the right of the entire arrangement, with a coffee or tea spoon on the right of the saucer.

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Feeling depressed? Grab some chocolate, it helps. But you already know that don’t you?

Well, not just your taste buds, but even your brain agrees.

A study revealed that people who ate chocolate while being grumpy did experience a boost in their mood. However when they given unpleasant chocolate they experienced no elevation in their mood suggesting that chocolate only helps our mood for a short period of time. A different study looked at how daily doses of chocolate can affect peoples’ moods. They were given 20g of chocolate to consume twice everyday, for two weeks straight. Not only was it found that they felt better in terms of their moods, but even stressed less, indicating chocolate actually does help apart from the enjoyment we get out of its taste. Chocolate contains high amounts of chemicals Seratonin, Phenylethylaminea, and Pentamer that are beneficial to us. These are mood elevating substances, which get released into our system by our brain when we are feeling happy.

Consuming chocolate pretty much does the same thing, which proves to be excellent for our mental health. It not just helps us mentally, but contributes to our physical health as well, as it contains minerals and vitamins like iron, potassium and calcium. According to a study

by John Hopkins University, chocolate acts in a very similar way to aspirin, which helps prevent blood clots in arteries, and reducing the probability of heart strokes. Nevertheless, anything of too much isn’t good, not even chocolate. Although researchers believe that

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addiction to chocolate isn’t addiction as such even though it may have mood shifting capabilities. There are many chocoholics that cannot move without having their daily dose of chocolate, as it contains substances that can cause irregular behaviour similar to other addictive substances. Researchers at University of Tampere in Finland found that self proclaimed addicts tend salivate and feel anxious with the presence of chocolate. The contributing factors of chocolate cravings include its texture, smoothness, and aroma, and not just its taste. However, addiction to chocolate, or any other food for that matter of fact has been known to cause food disorders. An ounce of chocolate has around twenty grams of caffeine.

Researchers have pointed out that caffeine can cause restlessness, lack of sleep, nervousness and heartburn. If intake of caffeine happens to reduce, it can cause headaches, and fatigue. Apart from addiction, there are other food disorders such as anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating. In short, anorexia is when people really fear the gain of weight. They don’t have a clear view of their own body shape, which leads them to restrict the amount of food intake. They tend to reduce their food so much they have only one or two meals a day, which include a few boiled peas and a celery stick. Bulimia is also very similar to anorexia, but in this case they are emotionally tortured. They tend to eat food but they feel so guilty that they turn to extreme activities of vomiting it out, or over exercising.

Binge eating is just when people tend to consume large amounts of food in a very short

time, and feel uneasy. In fact, binge eating usually leads to bulimia as people feel guilty right after they munch through so much.

There are different ways to spot such eating disorders. Even though each is unique in its own way, each still has different tells which can be picked up early. According to Everydayhealth.com, the signs include, children losing weight at an increasingly fast rate instead of gaining weight as they are supposed to be.

They tend to drink too much water during their meals and consume food in very little amounts. Another obvious tell is when there are traces of vomiting right after their meals or if they consume any kind of diet pills.

Exercising too much and missing meals on purpose. Physical symptoms such as swollen or watery eyes after purging in the washroom, increase of a fine layer of hair

and thinning hair on their scalp. According to Drs. Mehmet Oz, Michael F. Roizen, and Ellen Rome, authors of “YOU: The Owner’s Manual for Teens: A Guide to a Healthy Body and Happy Life”, they may even start to hunch to cover up the sudden weight loss which can lead to bad changes in posture. It could also mean that they are over concerned over one body part, and they might even start comparing themselves to others. They tend to complain about getting fat and are always looking for opportunities to check their weight. They also get moody about their body shape as they experience anger, frustration, and even depression.

There are different ways to deal with such disorders and it starts with spotting them. If we don’t spot it in time, it may become much harder to handle.

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Dare to Drink You may be able to make it, but will you drink it?

Keeping yourself hydrated is very important. Apart from water there are juices that can help you out in a variety of ways. They may have extremely odd combinations but are quite beneficial. Ranging from not just standard fruits, but witha mix of vegetables. from carrots to celery. These mixes are a great help for the body, especially during the summer.

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Carrot + Apple + Pear + Mango.

Helps reduce blood pressure and toxicity.

Also helps a great deal in reducing body heat.

Apple + Cucumber + Celery.

Great help for skin complexion and reduces spots, marks and pimples.

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Carrot + Ginger + Apple.

Helps to clean your system and boost it to more efficient working.

Banana + Pineapple + Milk.

Even though the addition of milk may be odd, this has a very high content of vitamins and also helps prevent constipation.

Pineapple + Watermelon + Apple.

Helps by nourishing the bladder and kidney. It also helps remove excessive amounts of salt in one’s body.

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Tomato + Carrot + Apples.

Apart from helping skin tone it also, helps eliminate bad breath and helps blood flow.

Tackle Your Tan Using honey as part of face packs or even on its own is great for your complexion. Apart form applying is, consuming it helps purify your blood and ergo, your skin

Lemons are a great source to turn to for a complete clean up. They are known as natural bleachers due to their acidic content. Mixing it with other ingredients however, is advised.

Oranges have a great amount of Vitamin C which is good for the skin. Applying orange peels onto your face can help reduce pores and remove tan equally.

Tomatoes are an excellent remeedy for tacking your tan.

It can not only be applied to your face, but even consumed in order to speed up the process.

It is also good for removing pimples.

Sandalwood powder can be made into a pack mixed with some turmeric powder and rose water. It is excellent for tans, pimples, pores, blackheads and even results in a glow on your face.

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Keeping Cool When people say they can’t wait for summer they are surely ignoring the scorching heat that’s going to be glaring at their faces. Well, the heat is here and blasting the cold air from the air conditioner or wearing sleeveless all the time isn’t the only way to deal with it. Just because it is very hot outside, doesn’t mean that your body temperature has to stay high too. There are many ways to deal with the heat and keeping yourself cool with different drinks and foods.

Most of the time people are forever insisting that you should remind hydrated during summer. Of course, drinking water is essential regardless of the season and becomes even more important during summer, as we tend to perspire and lose water, minerals as well as salt content from our bodies. Therefore it becomes very important to replace it by increasing our intake of water and other liquids, such as fresh juices, or even energy drinks.

However, not only drinks but certain types of foods can also contribute to coping with the heat. Fruits and vegetables are a great idea, especially those whose water content is high, such as cucumber. Melons such as watermelons, honey dew, and cantaloupe also have great amounts of water content and are the fruits you would want to consume during summer.

Mostly consuming the fruit directly is more beneficial then having it in the form of juice.

Lemons, melons, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, grapes, bananas, oranges, and mints are great summer fruits as well. You can get creative and either make yourself a smoothie with the variety of fruits, or treat yourself to a fulfilling fruit salad.

Consuming heavy meals isn’t a good idea, because in this weather it might not go down

too well. Eat light to avoid falling sick and forcing your stomach into overdrive when it comes to digestion. Too much meat or dairy products are examples of heavy foods. Baked potato and pasta salads are light foods that give competition to exhaustion because of their high carbohydrate content. According to Daily Mail, Dr Wendy Doyle, from the British Dietetic Association, recommends eating regular small, starchy carbohydrate snacks during the day, such as pitta bread, to keep your body’s blood-sugar and energy levels even.

Although spicy foods are probably the last thing that we would pick on a hot day to eat, it is recommended as it stimulates perspiring and circulation, which eventually does help cool the body down.

Another great food item to turn to is the one and only, tomato. It is known to reduce tanning and pimples, but through applying.

Little do people know, consumption of tomatoes actually helps not only the skin and complexion but also helps protect it from sunburn.

Another helper during summer is sweet corn, along with its antioxidants, lutein and zeaxanthin. These help to form a pigment which protect our eyes from the damaging rays of the sun, and ergo protect us from literally, going blind.

Apart from food and drinks there are other ways to help you deal with the summer such as eating light and on time. Not exercising too much or staying in the heat for too long to avoid headaches. Continuously fluctuating between hot and cold areas can also cause serve headaches. Don’t forget to enjoy the summer, and while you’re at it stay calm, stay cool.

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Avoid Accidents Accidents in the kitchen are inevitable. From putting too much salt in a dish, to overcooking it. Remaking a dish is probably the safest alternative for such problems, but who has the time? And what if you don’t have more of those ingredients? Worse yet, what if you have guests waiting outside and no back up dish whatsoever? Thankfully, it isn’t impossible to fix dishes, even if it’s last minute.

Accident:

Accident:

Fix:

Fix:

Accident:

Accident:

Fix:

Fix:

Fudge isn’t setting properly

It doesn’t set because there is too much dampness present, or it is too moist. You can put it back and continue to add some more milk, and let it simmer. Only when the size of the bubbles reduces from big to small, is when the fudge is actually ready to set.

Gravy became too watery

Adding more water and boiling it might cause the quantity to reduce.

Therefore adding some flour or cornstarch can help thicken it.

Roux, which is a mixture of some butter and flour, can be made.

After it has been mixed for a while and turned a light caramel colour it can be added to your gravy to make it thick.

Added too much salt in my dish There are a few things that may help reduce the amount of salt.

Adding raw potatoes, can absorb the salt. Even adding lemon juice can neutralize the flavour. A small ball of flour can also be added to reduce the saltiness of the dish.

Burnt my food!

Once a dish has been burnt, nothing can save it. However, you can save the rest of your dish by changing the pan or vessel.

But what about the burnt taste?

Surprisingly, placing a slice of white bread over your dish can help absorb the taste in a matter of five to ten minutes!

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Subtle Stomach Sounds Are they really? There have been many times when we realize that our stomachs haven’t only made it clear to us, but everyone else in the room as well, that it craves food. From half way through an exam to the middle of a meeting, there is no specific time or warning for this embarrassment. Apart from hungry, has it ever made you curious as to how this works?

Our stomach and intestines, consist of a tube which is hollow and is lined with muscle. These muscles keep contracting in order to move the food through our digestive system, as it breaks, and gets absorbed. When air becomes part of this process, and gets trapped, vibrations are produced and that is what causes the sounds that we hear from our stomachs.

This sound is known as Borborygmus. We experience this as our stomach reacts to the smell of food ergo making it hungry, and it then prepares itself for food by moving foods in the intestine out of the way. This movement of food cause small amounts of water and gas to be squeezed all the way through intestine resulting in odd noises. People tend to experience this even after food, as a very similar process is involved for digestion.

Nail-biting Truths Nails have always fallen on the two extremist attitudes. Either people really don’t care about their nails, or they care so much that they would go to the extent of shedding a tear or two when it breaks. And then there’s a third kind, which happens to not just strike a balance, but even know a thing or two about them. Nails are not there just to bite, or apply nail polish on. They are huge indicators of what is going on in our bodies in terms of health. Apart from the white mark which indicates a lack of calcium, dermatologists found that there are other tells such as, brittle nails being the sign of nutrition deficiency. Wide and thick nails indicating a circulation disturbance. Depression in the nail is a sffign of lack of Vitamin C, folic acid and proteins in the body. White strips also can be evidence for problems related to the heart or liver. Tiny nail beds are indicative of likelihood of suffering from heart or liver disease in the future.

Nail colours have a lot to reveal as well. Blue nails mean that there is not enough oxygen in the blood, mostly because of lung or heart diseases.

Yellow nails portray liver problems, chronic bronchitis. In fact, continuously putting dark coloured nail polish can also leave yellow shade on nails.

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‘Fat free’ doesn’t make it ‘Calorie free’!

Just because a product claims to be fat free, doesn’t mean that it is calorie free. In fact it may have even more substances that are pumped into it to improve taste, and can end up increasing the number of calories. It is always safer to check the content of the food you are about to consume just to make sure.

Don’t skip meals to lose weight

According to research, people who skip meals are more likely to weigh MORE than people who eat meals regularly.

Breakfast being the most important meal, if skipped can lead to over indulgence during the next meal. However, if people eat throughout regularly, even small snacks, It can help control their appetite better.

Your stomach will not reduce in size if you eat less.

Our stomach is a muscle which expands in order to fit in all the food we consume, and eventually digest it. By eating less, your appetite eventually reduces, however your stomach size still remains the same.

It is also possible for thinner people to have bigger stomachs than fatter people.

Snacking spoils your appetite

Many people think that snacking throughout the day may ruin your appetite and end up skipping meals. This is not true because snacking can keep your stomach busy the entire day. Apart from that it avoids over eating,which helps us eat less, and therefore not gain weight.

Eating sugar causes diabetes

Yogurt isn’t always healthy

Plain yogurt in its natural form with all the ‘good’ bacteria is fantastic. Flavoured yogurt on the other hand which is favoured by most of us isn’t exactly the healthiest choice. It contains many sweeteners and other items that are mostly unwanted by our body. In fact, these can lead to the development of yeast in our yogurt!

People who have a sweet tooth don’t have to worry about diabetes every time they consume some sugar.

Diabetes is caused mainly due to the lack of insulin. Either the absorption or production of insulin is the cause, not the intake of sugar. Even though they may have to monitor the amount of sugar intake, it isn’t the primary reason for diabetes.

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Grainy Season Know your Grains!

Green Gram Dal or also known as Moong.

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Red Rice or also known as Lal Chawaal

Black Eyed Beans also known as Lobiya

Began Gram Dal or also known as Channa Dal

Split Lentil or also known as Red Masoor Dal

Wheat also known as Gehoun.

Split Green Gram Dal also known as Split Moong

Rice, also known as Chawaal.

Pearl Millet, also known as Bajra

Black Chick Peas also known as Black Channa

Yellow Gram Dal or also known as Peeli Dal

Washed Black Gram Dal or also known as Uraad Dal

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In Tea we Trust..

For some of us tea is a daily addiction, whereas for the others the further away they are from tea, the better. Regardless of the fact whether tea is our go-to drink or not, we cannot deny its medicinal qualities. But how did tea originate to begin with?

The beginning of this beverage has a very interesting back story. According to Ezinearticles. com, the story starts around five thousand years ago, in China, when Shen Nung was the Emperor.

Apart from being the Emperor of China, he also happened to be a scientist. He was very picky about what he used to eat and drink to such an extent that he used to always have water boiled before consuming it, in order to kill germs that may be present. Once, while they were on a road trip to the other end of China, they stopped to rest. While the water was being boiled for people to consume, leaves from a dry bush near by fell into it. As it fell in it got mixed into the water and turned it a brown colour. The Emperor tried the newly obtained drink and absolutely loved it, and hence, tea came into existence.

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There are many different types of tea, and few of them include black tea, green tea, oolong tea, and white tea. All of these have their various health benefits, which is why people turn to tea, to help them as well. White tea is mostly considered best for skin and complexion, as they contain antioxidants. It has a very light colour and is the least processed, having the least caffeine, ergo having a light flavour as well. Green tea has a little more amount of caffeine in each cup however, they also contain healthy antioxidants.

It is good for skin, teeth and maintaining blood sugar level and cholesterol.

Oolong teas are very famous in China, and are quite heavily scented, which increases its content of caffeine even more. They are usually served in China and are great addition to diet plans.

Black tea has the most caffeine as compared to the rest of the teas, as it the most fermented. It mostly helps not only with cholesterol, but even with maintaining cardiovascular functions and circulatory systems.

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Make a Dessert Just ate a meal and craving something sweet? Well, here is a simple dessert you can make, either for yourself, or just in time for your friends, and you don’t even have to leave the comfort of your house.

Cooks.com shares with us how to make:

Strawberry Filled Crepes “3 eggs 1 c. unsifted all-purpose flour 1/8 tsp. salt 1 c. milk 2 tbsp. butter, melted Strawberry filling 2 pts. fresh strawberries, washed, hulled, sliced and tossed with 1/2 c. light brown sugar 2 c. dairy sour cream or whipped cream Confectioners’ sugar Whole strawberries 1. Make Crepes: In bowl, beat eggs well with fork.

2. Add flour and salt, beating until smooth. Gradually beat in milk and 1/4 cup water, and continue beating until smooth. Refrigerate, covered, until ready to use - at least 30 minutes.

3. To cook crepes: Slowly heat 8 inch skillet with sloping sides, until a drop of water sizzles and rolls off.

4. For each crepe, brush pan lightly with butter. Pour in about 1/3 cup batter, rotating pan quickly to spread batter completely over bottom of skillet.

5. Cook until lightly browned on bottom, about 30 seconds. Turn and brown lightly on other side.

Turn out onto serving plate (or keep warm in oven while making rest).

6. Fill each crepe with 1/2 cup strawberries. Top with 3 tablespoons sour cream. Fold over crepe.

Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar. Garnish with more sour cream and strawberries. Serve at once.

Makes 8 servings”

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Peel your Problems Dr M. Mohan is a doctor in Dubai and has a clinic., and knows everything there is to know about food. He feels strongly about people knowing their facts about food.

He also hates having his picture taken.

Many people seem to take food for granted these days. They are forever looking for crash diets and ways to tone their bodies faster. My daughter said to me “Dad one day I am going to be like that” as she pointed at some random stick figure like model on the television while watching a fashion show. That’s when I realized, what is happening to kids these days?

All they are concerned about is how good they look on the outside, and completely take the inside of their bodies for granted. Apart from them, there’s the other kind of extremists, who are a bit too bothered about what they eat. I have seen many patients who come to me, and somehow start relating their problem to calorie intake. They think they are going the healthy way but they are very much in the wrong direction. Boys are absolutely obsessed with gyming and some of them actually are under the impression that they can tone their bodies to be like Salman Khan or Ryan Gosling. They are obviously not aware that it takes at least a year of regular gyming and healthy eating to just change the shape of your body, let alone tone it completely.

Tell us what you What I don’t understand is, even though there are sources such as think!

Google ready to guide people the right way, yet they search for the wrong things. I see many kids searching online for random crash diets Email us at in hopes of losing weight quickly. What they don’t know, or choose pyp@onaplate.com to ignore, is eating healthy is the only way to maintain a good body and therefore lose weight the natural way. The crash diets that they end up following redeem excellent short-term results, however, once they lose track they immediately tend to put on double the amount of weight and it all back fires badly.

The worst bit is, that once this happens they don’t even seem to learn their lesson, because that just leads them to search for more crash diets online, and believe in fake advertizements about weight loss and then the cycle just starts again.

If there is information overload, I sincerely hope there are some kids out there who are at least making use of it properly, and not doing this to themselves. It’s about time they opened their eyes and learnt the truth about what they are getting themselves and their bodies into.

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AED 10/-