A Word about Wheat

After 18 months of following a gluten-free (GF) diet, I have a few words to say on the subject. First, I feel and look better, have more energy and stamina, and no longer crave the carbs that once were the bulk of my diet. Second, I've read a lot on this topic since adhering to GF. One expert, Dr. William Davis, has even written a book on the subject of wheat and its effects on the general population.

"The compounds found in wheat are responsible for appetite stimulation, exaggerated rises in blood sugar, and the release of endorphin-like chemicals that get the brain hooked on breads, pastas and crackers, while increased wheat consumption can also be linked to higher incidences of celiac disease, diabetes, heart disease, arthritis and schizophrenia." 

Here are 7 ways wheat might be impacting your health:

1) Removing wheat from one's diet almost guarantees weight loss. Dr. Davis sees an average of 27 lbs lost in 6 months among those who go GF.

2) Wheat contributes to belly fat, the result of increased insulin production needed to metabolize the sugars produced by ingesting a steady diet of gluten.

3) Carbs create cravings every 2 hours, as a result of surges and drops in glucose and insulin that follow eating foods containing gluten.

4) For women, wheat messes with estrogen; a surplus of estrogen caused by excess belly fat raises the risk for breast cancer.

5) Wheat eaters consume an extra 400 calories a day, generally. This can be the equivalent of 42 pounds per year. Ouch. A year or two of that and one is in serious trouble!

6) Other grains (rice, millet, flax, etc) don't have the addictive property of wheat, which Dr. Davis says binds "to the brain's morphine receptors, the same receptors to which opiate drugs bind, producing a sense of reward or mild euphoria."

7) GF foods are not the answer, because many of the starches used in GF foods (corn starch, potato starch, tapioca starch) can produce the same metabolic patterns as wheat-based foods, leaving one hungry every 2 hours. Replace flour-based foods with chicken, fish, fruits, and vegetables, nuts and eggs.

Small, Small World

Peteetneet School in Payson, Utah

Last week I entertained a group of unaccompanied military personnel, which included a guy who lived in Payson, Utah. Not only did he live in Payson, but he and his family were involved in community theater there. When I told him that I had raised my four kids in Payson, and had worked in the community theater group, we began comparing names -- only to find that we know a lot of the same folks. Guess where he lived there? In the "scary" big blue house across the street from (north of) Peteetneet School. Of course, I knew exactly which house he was referring to. And when I told him which house had been mine, he knew which one it was, as well. Small, small world. 

Polly Klass (1983-1993)

More "Small, Small World":
A few weeks ago, I read John Walsh's book on the history of his television program, "America's Most Wanted." He included the story of how AMW helped to find the killer of Polly Klaas in 1993. She was abducted from a sleepover in her own home in Petaluma, California.

One of my new friends here in Osan is a psychologist from Petaluma, California. She and I went to dinner the other night and I asked her about her involvement in this case. Polly was a classmate of my friend's children, and she herself was the psychologist who worked with the two girls who witnessed the kidnapping. She told me details about the story that helped me to understand that it wasn't a random event. But I also came to understand how such an event can damage and alter the lives of an entire community. My friend picked up her kids and moved out of Petaluma after it was over.

The world is a small place. Here I am in Korea, sharing what I have read about a murder, only to find that my friend and her kids are survivors of that ordeal. Wow. I feel really humble to know her, and to know that she helped the other families in some small measure.

Bok choy…who knew?

The local Outback restaurant nearby serves some delectable side dishes with their steaks. That's how we discovered this wonderful delicacy that has eluded us until now.  We now make these at home: take tiny heads of bok choy and cut them in half. Lay the flat side of the halves on the same grill as the steak and cook 2-3 min -- just until heated through, to give the greens a wonderful flavor while leaving it crisp and fresh. I never knew the flavors and textures of meat and veggies could combine this favorably!

I Love My Students!

Can I just say that I love my students? For so many reasons, I just love these kids:

• One of my 9th graders (whose single mom disowned him when he was 14) came up to me during lunch last week and gave me a big hug. I was so surprised, and delighted that he felt comfortable enough with me to do that. He came in a few days later and asked how my weekend had been. We had a good conversation about what we did over the weekend.
• I gave my drama students (grades 9-12) the St. Crispian speech the first day of class. The second day of class, most of them came with it memorized. Enough so that we could perform it as an ensemble. It was awesome! They are the most cooperative, hard-working group of drama students I've ever had in class.
• Last week, when the stress of directing five 1-act plays hit me, I barked at one of my actresses when she announced she was unable to come to the performance. I love that she accepted my apology, with tears running down her face. "You were so mean," she cried. "I know. I really don't like it when I say mean things. Please forgive me," I said.  Tomorrow she's auditioning for our drama competition team. 
• The district superintendent came into my classroom today, to observe what was going on. The Smartboard was lit up, displaying the theme; the whiteboard was covered with questions; and all students were engaged in the learning process. Each student had an open text book, a notebook they were writing in, and listened carefully as our guests addressed them. I was so proud of their behavior!

Exercise! Exercise!

     No, I'm not talking about getting some. I'm just documenting the most recent Emergency Exercises being conducted in South Korea (ROK).  Every few months our installation puts the military folks through their paces, bedecked in full head-to-toe combat gear, with weapons at the ready. And while every installation has readiness exercises, those in this country do things differently. Why? Well, having an aggressive communist-led nation just 60 miles away probably has something to do with the local modus operandi.

     The day began at 5am, when we heard the air raid sirens on the base (2 miles away), accompanied by the big voice slowly enunciating: "Exercise! Exercise!" Went back to sleep, only to hear the call to action again at 5:45am and 6:30am. We took that in stride, and I made it to class by 8am. During the morning, my students clearly heard machines guns being fired on base. That got our attention -- didn't hear machine guns last time around. More sirens and machine guns throughout the day kept us on alert. At 2pm, the Republic of Korea (ROK) held their own readiness alert, with sirens in every community. Fifteen minutes later, everyone went back to business as usual.
     The Korean people are so resilient - they take in stride these efforts that keep them safe. The exercises set one on alert, without setting them on edge. They endure the bullying from North Korea with stoicism. They put up with a tremendous U.S. presence in their communities and neighborhoods. We in the USA tend to be much less tolerant of the foreigners who "invade" our schools, workplaces, and neighborhoods.  The next time you hear someone complaining about immigrants taking jobs, dropping our standardized test scores, and making too much noise at night, remind them (or yourself) that there are hundreds of thousands of Americans living abroad in much the same way. And most of us don't make the effort to learn the language of the people we're living around.
     I am grateful to be in Korea, where it's nearly impossible to take for granted the security and well-being that our troops provide. I'm happy to be serving those who serve!

Kimchee et al

Traditional Korean foods, handmade by a friend.

     Koreans smell like kimchee. They probably don't realize it -- like Turks don't know they smell of mutton and garlic. All Koreans eat kimchee, everyday, with every meal. So it is no surprise they smell like kimchee. They make it with any vegetable available, soaked in a vat of vinegar, horseradish, garlic, red chili, and a smidge of sugar. They leave this to ferment in covered, brown clay pots on the porch for a given number of weeks. The end result smells a lot like offal. The above photo is a plate of food made by my Korean neighbor, hand delivered to us on a national holiday. If you look closely, you can see a veggie with a bite out of it. 'Nuff said. The white and purple egg-shaped balls are a desert that have no taste, but have the texture of playdough or silly putty. You might also notice there is no bite out of these delicacies. Hmmm. (Took one bite and tossed it.)

Kimchee display in the commissary on base.

     So, what does someone smell like after a steady diet of kimchee? Well, let me share an anecdote from this week: I walked into a small room to make copies on the copy machine, and while waiting for my copies I became aware that the room smelled of skunk. I stopped dead in my tracks, because there's no way I could smell a skunk: there are no skunks in Korea. And since I knew I couldn't possibly smell of skunk, my powers of observation compelled me to turn around and notice a Korean student typing on the only computer in this tiny room.
     Indulge me in one more anecdote, to prove I'm not a racist: I picked up fried chicken from a takeout shop last night. The chicken smelled great. When I got it home, the bag also contained an added surprise -- a container of white chunks in clear liquid. I hoped it might be raw potatoes to fry on stovetop. Alas, when the lid was removed, my dear husband gasped and asked, "Why does the kitchen smell like a dirty diaper?" Then he saw the take-out bonus -- kimchee. Fresh kimchee. Mmmmm.
     I won't be eating kimchee anytime soon.

Octoberfest in Seoul -- here are some photos of our most recent excursion to the BIG city. And "big" doesn't even begin to describe this amazing city.  It makes Manhattan look like a hamlet. For $11 roundtrip, we take a 60-minute bus ride from Osan Air Base to the Yongsan army garrison in Seoul, which serves as the military HQ for the entire Korean peninsula, plus embassy housing. The hotel at Yongson is 4-star: The Dragon Hill Lodge.

We spent five hours visiting one of the best museums ever: the Korean Military History museum. It's beautiful, and hundreds of people visit it everyday.

Seoul is Nice

I spent two days in Seoul last week, at an orientation workshop. They put me in a room on the top floor of the hotel -- a beautiful suite. Mark took these photos from our hotel room window. Above is the garden surrounding the hotel, and below is a skyline shot of Seoul. It spreads out for miles in all directions, but is really a beautiful city with lots of forests and parks everywhere, and through which the Han River runs.

School starts on the 28th, and my classroom is almost ready. I am teaching five different classes, so my prep time is pretty demanding. But we have lots of materials and many helpful co-workers who have offered to help out. I'm excited to meet my students next week. Stay tuned, because we'll post photos next week of the amazing apartment we're moving into. Love from Korea.