From the Desk of Thomas Ott

I went to a resturant called "Two Ways" in Stanley, ND for lunch. It
was a bar and resturant that served, according to one of the BNSF
guys, "everything."

I opted for a cheese burger, which was quite good actually!

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Another healthy paleolithic dinner for me.  Tuna fish with asparagus, black olives, and cherry tomatoes.  Followed by white tuna fish sashimi and a little bit of soy sauce.  Its best to not eat too much soy sauce because it contains a crapload of sodium, which is bad for a paleo diet!

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In 2009 I made small changes to my diet that had tremendous positive effects on me.  For starters, I read the Paleo Diet book and it changed how I thought about food and diet.  I was living a typical Western diet and I noticed that my blood pressure was always slightly higher than it should be.  Because of that book, I made a conscious effort to cut back on grains, add more veggies into my diet, and cut back on processed foods. I'm not perfect and I occasionally fall off the Paleo diet bandwagon but these small baby steps really changed me.  For one, I just plain feel better overall and I have a more energy. Second my mood is more positive, and the best part is that my blood pressure seems to be normalizing. 

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Some yummy paleolithic style food I ate this weekend.  On the menu was white fish, beets, broccoli. and mushrooms.

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The_Falafel_Nazi_of_Philadelph.zip (5562 KB)

I had a reality shifting experience today. I was introduced to the Falafel Nazi (FN) of Philadelphia at lunch today.  It started innocently enough with a few co-workers inviting me out for a falafel platter and it ended up some good food and an interesting tale to tell.  

A few minutes before lunch, my two co-workers and I walked down Market Street to the intersection of 20^th Street.  Parked on the northeast corner was a silvery lunch truck with a few people waiting in line.  I could smell cooking chicken and saw wisps of smoke floating in the air.  We got on line, waiting our turn, when I innocently told the FN that I was from NJ and I heard that his falafels were the best in the area.

I realized that I had just said something wrong when my co-workers turned to me with looks of horror on their faces.  I had just broken a cardinal rule, never talk to the FN when you order your food!

For the record, you don’t need to talk to the FN to order your food; he only has one item on his menu, the Falafel Platter.  All you do is get in line, wave $10 at him, and a minute or two later you walk away with your food.  It’s that simple, but for a wise ass from New Jersey, like me, it ends up turning into an “event.” 

After I realized I screwed up and engaged the FN in what I thought was amicable conversation, he turned to me, stared, and then launched into a long rambling tirade on how hard it was to be a lunch truck operator.  He was going on and on about it, comparing it to balancing two large high rises in each hand and how hard it was to work 24 hours a day, 10 days a week to bring us mere mortals his godlike food.

Sensing my mistake, and wanting to calm him down, I made an even bigger mistake by telling him “if his food was any good, I’ll be back tomorrow.”  While that comment doesn’t sound bad, it turns into a threat when he misunderstands me and hears, “if your food is not good, I’ll come back to get you tomorrow.”  This prompted an even longer and more spirited tirade about how I should just be happy that I’m getting his Falafel Platter and I should just let things slide if I wasn’t happy with is food.  If I was unhappy I should just stay away from his lunch truck and never come back! 

My co-workers just started laughing!  On the way back to the office they told me that he must have liked me because I got my food in the end!

Back at the office I opened up my take out box and saw a crisp bed of lettuce topped with a fruit medley, hummus, couscous, toasted bread, barbecue chicken, and chocolate sauce?!?!  Although a bit strange, the food was delicious and the portions were more than generous.  We spent the remaing lunch eating and laughing over the events that transpired!  Good times indeed!

PS: I had to take these shots of the FN's lunch truck on the sly, he supposedly has issues with people taking pictures.  I wonder why? =)

PPS: It should be noted that Falafel Nazi is a term used lovingly with Seinfeld ovetures and connotations.  This post by all means doesn't imply he is a true Nazi.  Keep it funny and satirical ppl!

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Lunch_at_Continental_in_Philad.zip (11462 KB)

I had lunch with a friend, formerly my work colleague, yesterday.  He moved to Philadelphia recently and was nice enough to come to my office and take me to a really hip and trendy lunch place called "Continental."  It's an easily recognized restaurant from the street, it has a big green olive as a sign and the outside walls are red hexagonal shaped tiles.  

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A_diner_experience_in_NJ_tags_.zip (13978 KB)

Good food, good friends, and good times is what you'll experience if you ever visit a NJ diner.  This morning I met up with Gene, a friend from around town, for breakfast at Mac's Diner in Butler, NJ.  We try to get together every few weeks and shoot the breeze about the happenings around town.  We end up chatting about all kinds of topics but they tend to revolve around the best fishing holes locally and both of our experiences in New Mexico.  

It's the times when he tells me about being a sailor during WW II that I listen the most.  Sharing stories about his first hand experiences on a Navy Destroyer in the Pacific Ocean and fighting off Kamikazes is vastly more interesting over breakfast and a coffee then reading a history book.  

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I'm completely revamping my diet as part of my "building a life" goal by going almost 100% Paleolithic.  This means no more milk products (goodbye cheese), grains, legumes, alcohol, and other processed types of foods.  Instead I'm working diligently to create a diet that's 75% fruits and vegetables and 25% lean meats.  Granted, finding lean and unprocessed meats is tough in this world but eating healthy is and important goal for me and my family. Remember, your health is the most important gift to yourself and your family!  Without it, life just plain sucks.

Since I've been on the Paleo diet, I've lost nearly 20 pounds and have oodles of energy (peaked at 200lbs, now 183lbs).  When I strictly adhere to this diet, I feel immensely better, which is rather strange feeling after feeling fatigued for almost half my life.  I have enough energy to go home after work and do more activities around the house instead of taking nap on the couch.  I don't get the mid afternoon snoozies at work either!  That's a big bonus to my productivity!

Granted, all these effects didn't happen over night but they did appear rather quickly.  About 5 days after I started the strict diet, I felt my energy levels ramp up fast!  While this sounds like a great outcome, it didn't come without its challenges. After the 2nd or 3rd day, I noticed a heavy grain carbohydrate craving.  So much so that the first time I yielded and shoved my face full with pretzels.  The next day I felt like crap, physically and mentally and decided to go right back to the diet and push through those cravings the next time I had them.

The Paleo diet also restricts the consumption of all alcohol as part of your daily diet.  As a conisour of fine wine and beer, I was happy to learn that I'm allowed to have one glass of wine or beer occasionally, as long as I don't over indulge.  This has multiple benefits: I don't wreck my diet, I won't get pulled over for DWI, and no hangovers.

I know I have a long road ahead of me, and another 20lbs to lose, but eating a diet that's specifically designed for your body is appealing, healthy, and fun.  That said, I'd recommend eating more veggies and fruits and reducing processed foods to anyone, regardless of eating a Paleo diet or not!

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Yes, I am.  I realized that my Western type diet is mostly net Acid pH.  The Paleo diet is net Alkaline pH.

Here's to a new me, a healthier me!

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pH Balance Chart for Foods.pdf (19 KB)

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