A little about the people and food in Sofia

Today is Saturday. Yesterday was a very long work day and things went very well! The team of folks we are working with are outstanding! They are young, smart, passionate, committed, eager to learn, and young (I know I already mentioned that)! We met the co-founder of the company and other management people. It's one of those environments where the co-founder knows the details of the work and is approachable. There isn't a lot of corporate stuff between the layers of management. It is very professional yet very comfortable.

Dinner last night was wonderful! We are trying to figure out why the people here are mostly very thin. There is a lot of walking (being a busy city where driving is only for the very brave) and food is everywhere. We are thinking its the kind of food and how it's cooked that keeps people thin. It's very tasty but must not be from additives like we have. They use lots of seasonings and the ingredients themselves are tasty. There seems to be a balance of fruits, vegetables, potatoes and meats. And the desserts - yum! The thing about eating is that I am not feeling totally bloated after - even though I am eating very well. It may also be about portion size - the plates are heaping like we expect at home.

Sofia hasn't gotten strict about their public smoking. There is smoking in most places. Restaurants have a smoking and non-smoking section. I remember when we had the split and the non-smoking section was better but not that great. It's that way here. I can smell the smoke but I am not as effected (headache wise) as I thought I would be. It must be all the walking and being outside in the air.

I think the people here are very attractive and thin for the most part. They look like they take a lot of pride in how they dress and attend to their hair and makeup. Like I mentioned before, they are very social. There's lots of couples walking and holding hands. I haven't seen a lot of people walking around alone.

The driving here is only for the brave. I seems like a game to most to see how close they can get without hitting the next car...ahead of them or next to them. They do use their turn signals, which is good, and then they go (change lanes). The cars are not clean like home but they aren't dented up either. It's interesting to me. I look at the driving, speed, stop and go, lane changing and expect to see damaged cars but I don't. The parking is new to me...along the street, along the sidewalk, on the sidewalk - 2 wheels of the same side of the car and some backed onto the sidewalk. I'll have to take some photos of the cars and parking. It makes me chuckle.

It's a different place here and I am seeing these differences. I am also noticing the similarities. This is their world and their life. It is good for them. They have families and friends and socialize and work and play and eat - just like us. They are other people living in the same world. We are connected in ways. I can feel that. I feel the same presence of my Lord here as I do at home. I feel stronger knowing that. I am grateful for seeing other areas of His work.

Don't Play With Your Food!

Who remembers growing up and hearing an adult telling you NOT to play with your food? I do! Well now that I am an adult, I can do what I want :-)

I have always enjoyed finger foods. Pizza, chicken nuggets, chicken wings, chips, nuts, carrots and dip. The list goes on and on.

The truth is, most of the time, life is busy. I work full time and don't have a lot of time to cook a nice meal when I get home. So my husband and I try to eat as well as possible but that has results in things that cook quickly and get wrapped up. Something we have been eating often are those faux chicken nuggets from Morning Star in a wheat wrap with some salsa, lettuce, shredded cheese and anything else are in the mood for. Or it might be soup made with a couple cans of beans, can of diced tomatoes, low sodium vegetable broth and chicken sausage. Sometimes, we made grilled tuna melts on wheat english muffins. Simple and not too bad but it's getting pretty boring.

I recently hired myself a health coach. I have a couple of goals: create a new attitude towards exercise so that I am active most of the time and learn about new foods (or get reacquainted with old foods) and want to choose healthier foods more often.

She has given me some recipes that incorporate more greens into meals. I learned about kale! The couple of recipes I have tried were easy and they tasted good. In preparing kale, I need to pull the leaves off the stem and tear them into smaller pieces. I didn't think that touching food like this as I prepared it would be so much fun! I really am getting 'involved' in preparing dishes.

Next we moved onto grains. Guess what? The brown rice in the microwave bag that is ready in 90 seconds doesn't count! Yes, it's better than the flavored ones which are loaded with sodium but it's not as good as real rice that has to be soaked and cooked. The thing with making recipes with grains is going for the ingredients that are close to the source. I started with wheat berries. First, I had to learn what wheat berries were! I am glad my coach showed me the wheat berries before and after cooking. It took some planning but is something I think I can do from time to time. I soaked them overnight. Then the next morning I cooked them on the stove for 50 minutes. This is a far cry from the way we prepared foods before! After they cooled off, later in the afternoon, I made a very nice and easy wheat berry waldorf salad!

I have to say that I am having fun learning about new ingredients and learning what is healthier. I will make it to a whole foods store in the near future. I know myself and need to be introduced slowly to new things. With so many choices, I get overwhelmed easily. So I get very specific with an ingredient and one or two recipes and give it a try over a couple of weeks. I don't have to do everything all at once. I know my new habits will last longer if I am introduced to them slowly.