My 100th Post-- Count the Cost

One of the world's largest suppliers of rice and cotton, Olam International,said in a Bloomsberg TV interview 2/14/11 that corn prices will escalate to a record, pushing up food inflation costs and thus increasing hunger. They believe that the climate around the world is changing and that will cause massive disruptions. Corn is involved in much of the food we eat- animals feed on corn, drinks contain corn fructose and the owner of Montana Bread mentioned that when corn prices are high, wheat fields are instead used to plant corn, causing less supply and higher prices for wheat. Now add higher fuel cost to all this, count on your food costs to go up. Look what I read last night in "American Colossus: The Triumph of Capitalism 1865-1900" by H. W. Brands. We can learn from the industrial giants. Andrew Carnegie (the steelmaster)"...obsessed over cost because it was the one part of his business he could control. Carnegie never wanted to know the profits...He always wanted to know the costs...Carnegie's genius ...was his talent for organization." John D. Rockefeller, creator of the Standard Oil empire, was also "...relentless [in his] pursuit of efficiency." It's time to count the costs- know what it costs to make a meal verses eating out and then work on the efficiency of cooking in quantity with cooking co-op. That is capitalism at it's best!

Presidents Need Wisdom

Happy President's Day! I love history and this country is so blessed that just the right leaders and Presidents have been at the right place at just the right time to guide our country through many stormy "seas" of opinion and need for action. In Sunday school, we are still in the 1st chapter of Daniel. We discovered Daniel was given wisdom to solve dilemmas and that wisdom is needed when there are shades of gray. Just like our political leaders today, we adults need wisdom to deal with the daily dilemmas we face. And we parents need to exhibit right thinking in our family settings. So last week, Ron came to our office for a high priority meeting. He outlined the new regulations coming down the pike in our industry. As he was introduced, we found out he graduated from Williams College undergrad and Georgtown Law School. I went up to Ron later, thanked him and commented on his education. I found out he went to Woodberry Forest for high school. So I asked what his family did about mealtime as he was growing up. He shared his mom was a maid and his father a chauffeur. He said they regularly ate meals at the dinner table with the TV turned off! I respectfully ask that you conduct your own test for one month- either cook the meals yourself or recruit help through a cooking co-op to solve the dilemmas we face in education, soaring costs of food, obesity... just to name a few. You have just enough time to get organized for the month of March. Bring March in like a lion... hum.. Daniel and the lion's den!

It's Truly All About Food

WOW. What a week-end! It started well going out to eat with long time friends that we don't get to see much after my son's high school b-ball team beat their arch rival. Then Saturday night the men of the church fixed a beautiful and delicious Valentine's dinner followed by challenging games like each couple trying to gift wrap a box with your left hand. Then in Sunday school, we started the 1st chapter of Daniel. Guess what? It was all about food- the Lord blessed Daniel, had him eat veges and in "matters of wisdom and understanding" the king found Daniel "ten times better" than all the other wise men of the land. Since we had left overs, we had a another great meal after church- we looked like a crowded Last Supper. Then I made a healthier Brunswick Stew for my son's b-ball coach's family who's wife just had major surgery and will be out of the kitchen for a while. I used quick cooking barley instead of the hash browns. Taste good and healthier and I'm thrilled at my creative twist. Then, Lisa(cooking co-op expert and friend) and I surprised our 5:30am tennis gang with a beautiful bouquet of candy bars and home-made french toast to remind them not to forget Valentines. Maybe the guys let us win a few more games, we had fun talking around the table, and our week is off to a good start. What wisdom we gain by sitting around a table with family and friends and enjoying communion! Amen.

How American Mothers Could Be Superior

Interviews with the "Tiger Mom" continues as we hear her marching orders about how she chooses her children's daily activities. In talking with a business school professor who specializes in behavior decision -making, he said the down-side of this kind of up-bringing is a lack of creativity and innovation. One thing we know about Bill Gates, Billy Jean King, Katie Couric to name a few- the importance of the dinner table and the family meal in their lives. American mothers could be superior if we get back to this basic. Just this week, I spoke with Betsy. She started her first cooking co-op after reading the Richmond Times Dispatch article, "Cook for a night, Eat for a Week" in Feb, 2009. She is still loving the way it orders her and her family's life. She says she wants to "shout it from the rooftops" the benefits of cooking co-op. She shared with her 11th graders that she knew what her dinners would be for the next month. They wanted to see her menus and they too are fascinated with the cooking co-op concept. Food costs are on the rise and in this jobless recovery, families, like our government need to find creative ways to cut costs. the time for this up-rising in the kitchen is NOW!