In N' Out

Nutritional Facts you didn't know about In N' Out Burger:

a) Double-Double has 670 Calories
b) Double-Double Protein style (no bun) only has 340 calories
c) 1 order of fries - 400 Calories
d) Shake - 690 Calories.

Let's do the math:

If I'm starving and went after a Double-Double, an order of fries, and a chocolate shake, I am pushing close to 1,800 calories in a single meal.

An average person's daily calorie intake is around 2,000.

I've always thought of myself as an above-average kind of guy.

Macho Combo In 6

I took down the Del Taco's Macho Combo Burrito in 6 bites... starting by properly folding the burrito to maximize bite size and ended with extra drops of Del Scorcho sauce.

Clean out your plate?

I was raised as a child to eat everything on your plate or you'll end up with an ugly wife, or because of the starving kids in Africa, or just plain wasteful. Whatever reason it might of been, I still practice what was preached to me.

As I grew older and met more people, I realized why my parents and especially my grandmother told me to do so. My assumption; the biggest reason why your parents make you eat everything on your plate - so you do not become a picky eater. Also, so you don't waste food. Thirdly, so you learn to only take what you want.

Eating everything on your plate is not a matter of force-feed. It is strategically used so that a child can get his/her nutrients. "Eat your food and then you can play"; "Can't watch TV unless you eat your vegetables"; "You can't leave the dining table until you're finished"; etc. Now, whether or not it creates obesity, I am sure opinions can vary. I've always been a chubby guy and I always clean everything on my plate. I mean, garbage disposal is an honorable nickname. Had I chose a small plate my entire life, problem solved. But I love to eat too much. I'm not a picky eater, nor am I a selective eater. Some may say "We've already had Mexican food yesterday, let's do something else!". Not me. As long as it is good, it will be in my face. This is why diets have always been so hard for me, and for the past few months, life hasn't been easy.

Anyhow, I'll tell you why my assumption is a borderline certainty - I have never met a person who is not a picky eater but finishes his/her plate (Did I say that right?). I have both the "I'll try anything" friends and the "Eww, what is that?" crew. The "I'll try anything" friends are always up for a good meal, even if it's bad, they eat it all. The "Eww, what is that?" bundle will only eat what they like, and even then they still won't finish their plate because they're "full" ("Full" may be the alternative definition of "I didn't like that food too much"). I live with a person who eat maybe 5 things and I work with another who maybe eat...... 4 things. If you know anyone like them, you can always expect something left in the refrigerator, whether is half of a meal or a sip of a drink. Secondly, expect a to-go box when dining out with this crew, even if it is delicious and the portion is about the size of a kids meal, they won't finish the plate - some do let it go to waste. Growing up, I had a buddy who I prefer to sit next to as you can bet he will have leftovers every time, every meal. I also knew someone who always left the last two bites of every hamburger because she is stuffed. Needless to say, she always had room for dessert. There are a ton more, all of you can relate I'm sure.

On the other hand, I feel less compel when dining with the "I'll eat anything" friends. You go out, the first restaurant that looks good, you sit down and eat. There are no regional/ethnic concerns, no research the menu, etc. You sit, you eat, you leave. The entire transaction is smooth; no bumps, no bruises, and expectedly, no brown bags and Styrofoam containers.

Whether it's a child being fed, or an adult eating out, cultural influence may also play a role in this behavior. It is one big mixed signal. In one country, finishing everything on your plate is a way of paying respect to the server, host, the cook, or even if it's leaving something "for the Gods". It could also be rude and offensive in another, as if the host did serve enough food, or the food wasn't tasty. I guess am grateful for my culture and should thank my parents for the development of my cultivated pallet. Without it, I could never imagine swallowing sea urchin, sea cucumber, cow tongue, tripe, tendons, etc. A clean plate go to with it.

The Grip

During a recent luncheon with a friend I had a "moment', something intriguing, if you will. I am profoundly observant - to useless habits that others are unaware of, but yet extremely important to me. Not to label myself a creature of habit or anything, a "pet-peeve" would be politically correct. Before I dissect the details of this particular event I would like to make a point of view and say if you all don't have this same "pet-peeve", there is something wrong with you, not me.

I HATE IT WHEN A BURRITO AND/OR A SANDWICH BREAKS APART.

I remember it clearly. I was sixteen years old and working part time at the Del Taco in Diamond Bar. Pam was my boss and told me to take a 15 minute break and make myself a meal if I am hungry. Scored!

My meal was the usual - Macho Combo Burrito, extra beef. However, greed got the best of me this time as I made the burrito bigger than usual. After an approximately three bites in, there were noticeable wet-ness dripping down on the pinky side of my palm; my burrito had a leak on the bottom. Beef, sour cream, lettuce, beans, the whole shebang had disrupted. Although I managed to finished the remainder of my meal (with a fork), I was completely discouraged and irritated with myself, promising to forever avoid the unavoidable.

It wasn't until my college years a friend had suggested I should try to hold the burrito differently, in the center of my palm. By using my thumb and pinky as the control mechanism while placing the other three fingers gently on the back of the burrito as leverage, my meal stays intact. The finger position is done to abstain the inner treasure from overflowing atop, also preventing the bottom unfold. The trick is to have the burrito sit comfortably in the center of your palm, all you have to do is firmly squeeze both the thumb and the pinky just before you bite into it. Well, he who gave me a life-changing suggestion shall be a great friend. He has been a good friend since. I do not recall a single disaster since I adjusted my mechanics.

In a very subtle way, I glanced at my colleague as he struggled to rebuild a completely dismantled Pastrami sandwich with a fork, stabbing the remains off of the wrapper. I casually offered him my advice. As bizarre as I may have sounded, deep down inside he knew that I, also provided a life-changing way of life in burritos.

A Brand New Man - For Now

Where do I start? The recent lack of food blogs fell head first from my time management, or lack of; as well as an alteration of lifestyle. Now, being a new business owner, like many others - I joined Small Business of America. That simply means less time to write (I am working on improving this) and more time for work.

Oh, I also gave up eating Beef and Pork about three weeks ago.

It's okay. The world didn't end, I didn't get ill, nor did I stop eating. All I did was challenged myself to see if this carnivore can live for 45 days strictly on Poultry, Fish, and Greens. (For the purpose of this blog, I am going to refer to Beef/Pork as red meat, even though pork is not).

It wasn't until the end of my first red meat-less week I realized how much Beef and Pork I consumed daily. I was running out of ideas, menus, restaurants, recipes, and was exausted with anything and everything had to do with Chicken, Turkey, and Fish. I exuberantly reminisced things like:

1) Tacos, Carne Asada Tacos, Buche and Lengua Tacos, Carnitas Burrito
2) Pho, more Pho
3) Burgers..... Bacon on a Burger...... Bacon Alone.
4) Steaks..... Steaks wrapped in Bacon.... Bacon Alone.
5) Ribs, beef ribs, baby back ribs, any animal that had meat on ribs.
6) the list goes on and on.
7) Tacos.

I was eating red meat daily, wow. It doesn't matter what meal or how it was cooked, I DEFINITELY had more red meat than an average person should.

Going back to the diet. This new diet has made eating EXTREMELY difficult. I used to drive to work thinking about a special/great/delicious lunch place to eat. Now I drive to work thinking about the same thing, only to be disgusted by the thought of some bland Chicken/Fish/Salad Dish. All of my favorite restaurants are dead to me as my taste buds suffocate in a pool of red meat-less saliva. Nothing sounds good. I mean, how much Tuna Salad can I really eat? Or Turkey Sandwiches? Or Cobb salad? Maybe a "Grilled" Chicken Sandwich? Lets face it, the only thing that should ever be "Grilled" is either a huge slab of ribs or a thick cut of any meat from a cow.

Did I tell you I miss watching that little drop of grease drip through the BBQ grill, only to land on the charcoal slightly underneath and it makes that little splash sound followed by a sensational smell of smoke? That was fantastic, now everything is not so fantastic.

The good news? I shed a few lbs, probably lowered the cholesterol and blood pressure a little bit, that's about it. Living healthy isn't easy, but somebody has to do it huh? This little "Challenge" of mine ends on the 4th of July. I plan to pig out on July 5th until I can't walk anymore. After that, I am going back to red-meatless weekdays, treat myself on weekends. I hope this can balance and satisfy my crave fPublish Postor Fogo De Chao.

Lastly, I have quite a few "explorations" prior to this life-changing lifestyle I acquired that I still have to write about. The next few blogs will have pictures and my love for beef, but it was all done in advance. I apologize for the act of disappearance.

Subway, Eat Fresh

I have a Subway store underneath the building I work in. I visit them no less than twice a week. I am a Subway fan. Most people don't mind Subway, but probably prefer other deli sandwiches or chains such as Quiznos or ToGo's. I like them too, Subway is just convenient. If there were a Quiznos downstairs instead, I'd go just as much.

Its funny how large corporations market themselves. This is how I feel whenever I am in one of these sandwich shops

Subway - Slogan; "Eat Fresh". Imagine eating a sandwich with only a couple grams of fat. Whenever I walk into a Subway, its always refreshing, I feel healthy. I usually order the foot long Tuna on Jalapeno Cheddar toasted bread with everything except Mayo and Olives. I always pause for a few minutes before I order because Ms. Marketing does a good job making me feeling guilty for looking at anything BUT those 6 grams of fat sandwiches on the overhead menu. Their store layout is also ingenious. The veggie layout are designed so that lettuce, onions, tomatoes are the closest to your open-faced empty bread. Think about this, I'm already thinking healthy, I'm feel great standing inside of a Subway, now all of a sudden the sandwich maker presents me with veggie options? WOW, this is awesome. I am going to eat healthy and stay fit. They have a wonderful advertising campaign and marketing strategy.

Quiznos - it's a little more "in your face" advertisement. "We oven toast your sandwich, boom!" "We stack and pile on the meat, boom!" You are getting your money's worth when you come to Quizno's, that is how I feel when I walk in. I don't feel like looking at any grams of any fat, no calorie meter, I only want to assure the sandwich maker to make me the biggest sandwich he/she has ever made in their entire life.

Togo's - the middle man. I know I will get a quality, big, and fresh sandwich whenever I walk into Togo's. Too bad there are not many of them around. I believe with the right marketing, Togo's can monopolize the sandwich market. I love numbers, I remember random numbers, but for some reason Togo's sandwich menu doesn't stick in my brain. I can't remember if its the large #16 or the large #30 that I liked.

By the way, if you are a Tuna fan, Subway by far has the best Tuna sandwich, anywhere, period. not too much mayo and not too dry.

Bhangra Bhangra

I recently was invited to a buddy's wedding. It's a traditional Indian wedding that I have only heard of up to this point. The wedding was a "time of my life" weekend. There were so much culture and vibe that I was speechless by the entire extravaganza. The women had on these extraordinary sarees which were mesmerizing and enticing; as they dance the night way, I was reminded by myself that I love Indian food.

Although having probably hundreds of Indian meals from numerous restaurants, I am no expert in critiquing Indian food. I can only list the Indian restaurants I have visited and give you my honest two cents. In return, I welcome you to express and share your opinion by leaving a comment so, I, can one day have a life-changing Indian meal.

New India Grill - Westwood, CA, - Lunch Buffet $7,99.

Jaipur - West Los Angeles, CA - flavorful curry, but a bit too "milky". Lunch Buffet $7,99.

Peacock Gardens - Diamond Bar, CA - Lunch Special, $6,99

India's Oven - Los Angeles, CA - Not sure if they have a lunch special, I need to find out

Yasemeen's Indian Cuisine - Ventura, CA - Lunch Buffet, $5,99. Used to be one of my favorite places to go when I worked in the (805).

Do you see a comment trend? Lunch Buffet/s. Scoping out the lunch buffets before hand is a must. I always get my money's worth. I don't ask for much when I am there;1 a little Chicken Tikka Masala and Tandoori Chicken, I am good. Even though all other dishes are congenial, these (and white rice) are the main ingredients for my diet. Oh, and of course, that Naan bread? Its a must.

For those of you who has now read this but have no clue what I am talking about, shame on you. Get in your car and hurry curry to an Indian restaurant near you.

Again, I hope to get some feed back in the comments so I can one day write about the perfect Tandoori Chicken.