Raw Chef Dan

Getting Paid To Copy Myself

By Raw Chef Dan

So a funny thing is happening in my world right now. One of them being a conversation I had yesterday about a possible recipe development job.

First a little back story; Way back in 1999 when I first opened Quintessence we were the only game in town or the whole of USA for that matter. We started out with a very well thought out eclectic and divers menu. One item we had on there was a raw ravioli made from a variety or pâté fillings folded into a paper thin slice of turnip creating a dumpling-like morsel that could be accompanied by various sauces.  We actually had to buy a big Electric Deli Slicers to get the precession cuts needed for such thin turnip slices. One of my all-time favorite raviolis we made was the Sundried Tomato and Basil Pâté filling served with Pesto Sauce topped with Black Pepper and chopped Tomato.

Over the nearly 14 years we have been open I have made every ravioli you can think of from basic cheese with tomato sauce to spinach mushroom with black pepper gravy. I remember back when one of our first competitors opened, for years they shadowed my menu. Many times I would put something new on the menu at Quintessence and then they would have the same dish a week or two later. Once in October I put a Pumpkin Ravioli on the menu for the first time ever and days later they had a Pumpkin Ravioli. Hhhaa Flattered? I guess. Kinda pissed? Maybe a little more so.

Other variations with Asian Dumplings and Dim Sum styles thrown in the mix specials floated on and off the menu for years. I remember one of my favorites was the Thai Dumplings, with a Thai spiced filling and Thai Basil Pesto and Chili sauce.

Now the flood of Juice places that are popping up everywhere are carrying a selection of Grab-N-Go raw food products. Being these new shops are hiring chefs from the local area who would have inherently been a patron of Quintessence are now creating for these new enterprises. And of course one of the dishes that most of the new companies are doing is, you guessed it, Raw Ravioli in Turnip Skins. Now they cannot of course copy us exactly because it has taken us 13 years to master our craft and the related recipes. They have tried their best but it’s just not the same; the textures not right, weird flavor combinations … something’s off with all of them but still it is a good dish for those who don’t know any different.

So back to my phone call.
I was speaking on the phone with a friend who is working on developing products for a new store. He calls me to help him with the food part. One item he requested several times in the conversation was the raviolis by a particular store here in NYC. He asked me if I think I could copy these Raviolis. I laughed and said are you kidding me? Keep in mind he has known me and Quintessence for 10 years or so. This is a joke right? He responded with a “Aahh, what do you mean”. Then of course I said “why would I copy their ravioli when they copied me? I mean why do you want to pay me to try and replicate a product that is a bad version of the original when I am the guy who made the original they failed to replicate”? That’s insane and kind of insulting.

This is not my first time with this situation and not even the first time with the raviolis; my raviolis.
Chia Pudding also keeps popping up in the same manner. “Do you think you can copy so-n-so’s chia pudding”? I’m like, WHAT? Really? Well, daahhh, I don’t know, Ahhh, maybe aahhh, since they copied it from me aahhhh, maybe I could figure out their less than great version of my own creation aaahhh. Hey then I could fix it while I am at it so it doesn’t tastes like shit anymore.

For the past 10 years or so since Chia was brought to the market I have been making all kinds of chia puddings. I figured it out one day messing around with chia in the kitchen. Watching how they soaked up water and became little Tapioca-Like beads I thought, what if the beads where flavored. “If I soak them in the flavor I want they will soak it up and fill up with that flavor.
Boom, Chia Pudding was born! Before that people just blended chia into their smoothies or eat them off a spoon and wash it down with water. No One was making food with Chia Seeds.

Since then I have made Chocolate Chia Pudding, Coffee Chia Pudding, Chai Chia Pudding, Yerba Mate Latte Chia Pudding, even Caviar but I’m not going to tell you how here. I don’t want to see it pop up on some ones menu LOL.

I have taught Chia creations to student and served it at dinner parties in parfaits as puddings even Ice Cream Toppings all over Japan and Thailand for the past 8 years. It’s what I have been doing for a very long time.

Now my job is to get paid to copy myself!
HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA

Plastic Soup is Replacing Our Oceans

Wasteful Stupid Us - Being Frank with God

So ST. FRANCIS is speaking with God.
GOD:
Frank, you know all about gardens and nature. What in the world is going on down there on the planet? What happened to the dandelions, violets, thistle and stuff I started eons ago? I had a perfect no-maintenance garden plan. Those plants grow in any type of soil, withstand drought and multiply with abandon. The nectar from the long-lasting blossoms attracts butterflies, honey bees and flocks of songbirds. I expected to see a vast garden of colors by now. But, all I see are these green rectangles.

ST. FRANCIS:
It's the tribes that settled there, Lord. The Suburbanites. They started calling your flowers "weeds" and went to great lengths to kill them and replace them with grass.

GOD:
Grass? But, its so boring. It's not colorful. It doesn't attract butterflies, birds and bees; only grubs and sod worms. It's sensitive to temperatures. Do these Suburbanites really want all that grass growing there?

ST. FRANCIS:
Apparently so, Lord. They go to great pains to grow it and keep it green. They begin each spring by fertilizing grass and poisoning any other plant that crops up in the lawn.

GOD:
The spring rains and warm weather probably make grass grow really fast. That must make the Suburbanites happy.

ST. FRANCIS:
Apparently not, Lord. As soon as it grows a little, they cut it - sometimes twice a week.

GOD:
They cut it? Do they then bale it like hay?

ST. FRANCIS:
Not exactly, Lord. Most of them rake it up and put it in bags.

GOD:
They bag it? Why?  Is it a cash crop?  Do they sell it?

ST. FRANCIS:
No, Sir, just the opposite. They pay to throw it away.

GOD:
Now, let me get this straight. They fertilize grass so it will grow. And, when it does grow, they cut it off?

ST. FRANCIS :
Yes, Sir.

GOD:
These Suburbanites must be relieved in the summer when we cut back on the rain and turn up the heat. That surely slows the growth and saves them a lot of work.

ST. FRANCIS:
You aren't going to believe this, Lord. When the grass stops growing so fast, they drag out hoses and pay more money to water it, so they can continue to mow it and pay to get rid of it.

GOD:
What nonsense. At least they kept some of the trees. That was a sheer stroke of genius, if I do say so myself. The trees grow leaves in the spring to provide beauty and shade in the summer. In the autumn, they fall to the ground and form a natural blanket to keep moisture in the soil and protect the trees and bushes. It's a natural cycle of life.

ST. FRANCIS:
You better sit down, Lord. The Suburbanites have drawn a new circle. As soon as the leaves fall, they rake them into great piles and pay to have them hauled away.

GOD:
No! What do they do to protect the shrub and tree roots in the winter to keep the soil moist and loose?

ST. FRANCIS:
After throwing away the leaves, they go out and buy something which they call mulch. They haul it home and spread it around in place of the leaves.

GOD:
And where do they get this mulch?

ST. FRANCIS:
They cut down trees and grind them up to make the mulch.

GOD:
Enough! I don't want to think about this anymore.
St. Catherine, you're in charge of the arts. What movie have you scheduled for us tonight?

ST. CATHERINE:
"Dumb and Dumber", Lord. It's a story about...

GOD:
Never mind, I think I just heard the whole story from St. Francis.

Truelay Inspiring!

I Told You This Is Coming --- More restrictions, laws, control...

I didn't think it would happen this fast but here it is. The government just passed a law prohibiting anyone from getting within 50ft of any oil disaster arias in the Gulf.

FUCK YOU! BP and US Government.This is our land, our wild life, our livelihood, our back yard. You can't tell me to stay 50 away from my homeland oil spill or not. We the citizens should be down there helping out not forced away at gunpoint.

This is a direct violation of the 1st amendment. This is illegal.

Stunning, shocking betrail of trust and lack of concern for the people of this world

It is blaringly obvious to anyone with even half a brain that the right action to take in a situation like the BP Gulf Oil disaster is to immediately and with no boundaries, act with all resources including civilian manpower, boats, machinery and ideas to contain and control the flow of oil and protect at all cost all vulnerabilities.
Any other action than immediate resolve and protecting our future could only be explained by admitting the true outcome of a long term situation such as this has to be intentional and has an intended and desired outcome we will see in the near future with more high ranking government control (illuminati), restriction, "national security", laws, mandatory vaccinations...

There is also the possibility of entertaining the thought that there is an intended massive contamination of food, water and other resources that will occur once storms, hurricanes... carry the toxic brew of crude and chemical agents over the population, over our farm lands, reservoirs, lawns, parks, homes... (depopulating agenda?)

This could only be the covert work of alternative agendas orchestrated by the New World Order and globalization OR this is a true and honest act of our world governments, EPA, CDC... and all the big corp entities involved and WE THE PEOPLE are the stupidest most retarded people to ever populate the planet.

I tend to think we are not so stupid because I have seen videos on YouTube of people with real life solutions to the oil spill, ex-CIA and FBI agents on YouTube admitting what a farce this all is, ex-corporate giant CEOs on YouTube admitting what a farce this all is... And I am not just talking out the PB disaster here, I am talking about everything.
Wake up people, we are a mess. There is so much ling, swindling, skimming, buyouts, payoff, bribes, alternative agenda's, media manipulation, falsified news and on and on and an. Our entire society is living in a matrix of BS. Nothing is real and you live your life by it.

This BP disaster has to be an intentional attack on the US population just as Katrina was, just as 911 was and many others. All these situations that seam to be out of our control, i.e. natural disaster, terrorist, accident... all demonstrated response action by our governmental and military institutions displaying actions and decision making of total incompetence and outright stupidity. Again I will repeat it loud and clear ---

Ether the human race has gotten incredibly stupid
or
this has to be intentional

15 Fat Burning Foods Puts Weight Loss On AutoPilot

Saw this today and thought I would share it with you today!

source 15 Fat Burning Foods Puts Weight Loss On AutoPilot

As strange as it might sound there but there are actually more than foods 15 Fat Burning Foods out there that when eaten will technically help you burn fat. When I first learnt about this concept - some years back now - I scoffed at the idea; but after further investigation I realized that there was a lot of truth to the suggestion that certain foods really can help you burn fat.

The real truth of the matter is that certain foods will use up more of your calories during the digestion process than what is actually contained within them. For example if food 'A' contains 100 calories and it uses up 110 calories to digest it you'll burn-off 10 calories. Good 'eh?

There are certain foods that are natural 15 fat burning foods. The regulation and stimulation of certain parts of the body are what make these foods burn fat. The stimulation of metabolism is one example. When your metabolism is more active, the more fat and calories you burn. A complete list of 15 fat burning foods and how they do it is available free.


Use this list to put your weight loss on auto-pilot:
1) Tilapia- Lean fish. Great protein source.
2) Asparagus- Has alot of health benefits and curbs appetite.
3) Salad- When combined with olive oil and apple cider vinegar, it will help you burn fat fast. Salad helps curb appetite, olive oil has healthy fats that help burn fat, and 4) apple cider vinegar helps burn carbs.
5) Green Beans- Helps with curbing appetite. Also, has many other health benefits.
6) Broccoli- Dark green veggie. Helps with curbing your appetite.
7) Turkey- Lean meat. Good source of protein.
8) Tuna- Lean fish. Excellent protein source. Helps with burning fat. Also, has omega-6 in it.
9) Salmon- Has healthy fats in it called omega-6 fatty acids. Great for weight loss and other health benefits.
10) Celery- helps with weight loss. Great late night snack.
11) Almonds- Has healthy fats. Great as a snack.
13) Grapefruit- Helps burn fat. Also, has many other health benefits.
14) Apples- Complex carbohydrate source. Great for helping your body burn fat for energy.
15) Cottage Cheese- slow-digesting protein source. Great for a late night snack. Helps keep you feeling full.
16) Yogurt- Has been shown to help burn fat. Also, has alot of other health benefits.
17) Chicken- great protein source. Very lean meat. Great for eating anytime of the day.

The body has a unique response and reaction to any meal, snack, and food item. Dietary experts have been able to examine the body's positive reactions to an array of healthy foods that actually boost dieters' abilities to burn off stored fat to lose weight! With no crazy rules, guidelines, or diet regulations, dieters can indulge in an array of fat burning food options in order to experience faster, more efficient, and more effective weight loss results.

What Qualifies as Fat Burning Foods

As dietary experts continually strive to identify the main foods that help dieters lose weight, current reports assert that some of the most powerful fat burning food items can be found in groups such as:

* High protein, low carbohydrate foods, especially lean meats, fish, beans, and nuts.
* High fiber foods, especially whole grain foods, such as brown rice, fiber cereal with no additives and sugars, fruits, and vegetables.
* Foods rich in water, especially fruits and vegetables.

A very common mistake of a person who wants to lose weight is to exercise but not alter their eating habits. A healthy way to lose weight or even just maintain your weight is to combine exercise with eating the right foods.

Do you know that there are foods out there that are natural fat burners? Most of the fat burning foods are high in fiber and have low or no cholesterol. Many have special properties like antioxidants and chemicals that aid in the body's ability to burn fat.

A recent report from Michael Zemel, Professor of Nutrition and Medicine at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville reports, "If you compare a dairy-rich versus a dairy-poor diet you can nearly double the rate of weight and fat loss with the same level of calorie restriction." It states that the calcium in dairy products can boost weight loss by increasing fat breakdown in fat cells.

Therefore, dairy products could be termed as fat burning foods. These include milk, cheese and yogurt and might be considered a fat burning secret.
A meat directly after a workout could be the real most important meal of the day.


The problem arises out of the body having depleted your muscle's glycogen, and boosting the cortisol levels in the body resulting in an excessive break-down of muscle fiber. This occurs generally after an instense workout.


This situation is called a catabolic state. To counter this catabolic state; the trick is to consume a after-workout easily digestible supplement drink directly after your workout. This will act as a trigger to reverse the catabolic state, promoting the body toward a anabolic state.


We are trying to kick-start the process of rebuilding our muscles with a highly rich in easily digestible carbohydrates and amino acids that will help restore the depleted glycogen.




The rush of the carbs and protiens that are speedily absorbed causes an rise in insulin from the pancreas; this in turn passes nutrients directly to the muscles.



The max calories for the post-workout drink should be between 300 to 500 calories only. A person weighing 125 pounds should stay toward the lower limits of the
300 to 500 calories...

The best way to approach the 15 fat burning food is to start by implementing a sensible eating plan with the help of this free list of fat burning foods and begin an exercise workout program that you enjoy and will stick with.

Are Nuts Seeds? That is the question

Nut is a hard shelled fruit of some plants that has an indehiscent seed. While a wide variety of dried seeds and fruits are called nuts in English, only a certain number of them are considered by biologists to be true nuts. Nuts are an important source of nutrients for both humans and wildlife.

Nuts are a composite of the seed and the fruit, where the fruit does not open to release the seed. Most seeds come from fruits, and the seeds are free of the fruit, unlike nuts like hazelnuts, hickories, chestnuts and acorns, which have a stony fruit wall and originate from a compound ovary. Culinary usage of the term is less restrictive, and some nuts as defined in food preparation, like pistachios and Brazil nuts,^[1] are not nuts in a biological sense. Everyday common usage of the term often refers to any hard walled, edible kernel, as a nut.
Source Wiki http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nut_(fruit)

My question was; can you sprout a walnut or a pecan or a macadamia... ?
I have seen almonds sprout but is it possible to have a pine nut start growing on you?

Well Nuts are indeed seeds but once treated for consumption most will not actually sprout, yes even raw nuts. When a nut comes from a tree it is wet and fibrous inside and very vibrant and viable. To eat them they are dried, mostly at below 100^O F, but dried never the less. Are they dead? Not really, the enzymes and living force is still there but other conditions for germinating and sprouting have all but gone.

To get the skinny an all nuts (that we eat anyway) I am going to send you to my friend's website where all that typing has already been done.
Check it out HERE!
http://www.living-foods.com/articles/nuts.html

The End of The Internet and Free Speach

WEB 2, have you heard of it

Well if you use the internet for anything now that you can't see yourself living without, you better know whats coming for the internet. The internet is possible because of the companies that host the network. The connections, wires, satellites, the relays and switchers... We pay them a monthly fee to use the network.

What if these companies decided they want to operate more like Cable TV. Meaning they would close the network to subscribers only access, choose and control the content, and you would only get what they offer. They would also have total control and access to your email activity.

There would be no more blogs, bulletin boards, free sites, independent sites, no more how to, wiki, porn, youtube, my site, your site, internet marketing, affiliate links... It is all gone.

And god forbid you say anything on line that is bad or revealing about our government or powers that be, you will be instantly shut down and you will probably get a visit from guys in black suits and dark sunglasses.
FEMA has some nice camps for people like you.

Sniff sniff I smell government monitoring and censoring

So I suggest launching our own satellites and set up a global array of satellite relay stations and have our own Global Open Network or GON. Charge $10 a month for anyone and everyone on the planet to connect.

YA RIGHT !
who's got the the cash for that? Uuumm Bill Gates?

Easy - Green - safe way to clean up the oil spill

Ok how many of these awesome solution to major problems do we have that no one is using?