Category: Dear Dad

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Staying in touch… by knowing what time it is in their world

Keeping in touch... that's what is important in maintaining relationships

I have a variety of clocks decorating my wall above our dining nook and each is set to where someone we love lives…. a  world clock  would help. If it is 12 noon in Kristin’s world (Hawaii), then it is 12 midnight in Karen’s (Capetown) and 3 in the afternoon in sleepy San Luis Obispo, California where ol Mom and Dad live. This doesn’t count the numerous relatives living in every possible time zone imaginable.

On the road, my “Treo” helps me keep it all straight. I certainly don’t want to call someone when they are asleep, but as Kristin reminds me… that is what ‘text messaging’ is all about.

Roger Freberg

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On Jenny Craig and we’re down 69.8 lbs & 64 lbs

Hey.... down 69.8 lbs for me....looookin' good!Well, we went in for our weekly ‘weigh in’ at Jenny Craig and although I have only dropped only a pound in the last two weeks, I have lost 69.8 lbs in total since the beginning of December!

Laura has also done an excellent job…. dropping 64 lbs on a much smaller frame. However, this is the weight that she has lived most of her life … and I think she’s feeling good to be back in familiar territory.

‘Evil’ daughter Karen has been sending wonderful pictures of food and fun from South Africa and all I can say is… yummy!

My daughter Kristin is no better, she is constantly telling me how yummy her Starbucks Chocolate Coffee grande’ carmel latte’ expresso with creamy foamy delicioso whatever is. I really don’t need to know this. She uses some sort of toffee bar as a swizzle stick! sheeeesh!

In any event, laura and I have dropped a long way in the direction of our final goal weight and it feels great!

Have a yummy day!

Roger Freberg

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Birthday “Gooseducken”!

why couldn't it be... eat as much as YOU want?

In our family, and for very special occasions, we will often fix one of these bird-within-a-bird meals! Karla had requested a chicken within a duck within a goose for her birthday…. hmmm… I don’t think this is on my diet.

It’s not all that hard to prepare once you’ve done it a few times. First you debone completely the chicken and duck… I also remove the skin. Secondly you debone the goose leaving the wings, leg and skin. Spread out & season the meat and add the stuffing between each layer of bird. Wrap.

I used a different type of stuffing for each bird… more or less what is typical… but always with a twist.

This is a delicious meal… but as they say… “some assembly required”.

Happy Birthday, Karla!

Dad

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Fragrance 101 — Perfume for Beginners

Aaaaah... the joys of fragrance, it's transports us somewhere very specialFirst, I claim no rare  expertise … I am just a fan with a long time interest in fragrances. Nevertheless, recently, I was ‘asked’ by my wife to discuss the sense of ‘smell’ in her “Sensation & Perception” class.

The problem — for me — was not in teaching as I have taught university classes before . The challenge was to take a mountain of information and distill (no pun intended) it all into something that the students would find interesting and — possibly — enjoyable.

Taking a subject you love and creating a spark then a flame of interest is always a challenge…. especially among young American males, of which a few were in attendance.

The world of fragrance is one of analogy… and it was with the use of analogy that I put together a brief — at least to me — presentation within 2 hours.

To do it right, I thought we needed a demonstration. I located aromatherapy jars containing various mysteries and paired them with 4 of Guerlain’s wonders and asked the students to discover which came from which. After all, you can’t shove some perfume under someone’s nose and ask them what’s in it… you must provide a reference point. This is where aromatherapy essentials come in.

Which contained Ylang Yang? Sandalwood? Jasmine? I was surprised how well they did. Top marks all around.

It is important to put perfume in context of societal norms of the times. How did fragrances develop through history culminating in the Designer fragrances of today? 

Lastly and most importantly, I was able to acquire samples of a few current products for the students to take home… some Armani for men and some Juicy Couture for women … and for the most adventurous and fortunate some of Frederick Malle’s collection to explore.

I enjoyed myself…

Here are a few links for fun!

Karen Freberg’s Links on Perfume!
the American Society of Perfumers
Fifi Award!
Grasse’s Perfume Museum
House of Guerlain
Luca Turin’s Guide!

Roger Freberg

 

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Super Tasters & “foodies”

Krudo, Ostrich, Crocodile, Springboek and other yummy things

Here I am on a Jenny Craig Diet and my daughter sends me these wonderful pictures of meals from South Africa. The dinner above features Krudo ( a kind of deerlike creature), Crocodile, Springboek (antelope like) and Ostrich! The lemons don’t tempt me… but the rest looks fantastic! After all, Karen has pointed out that I am a ‘foodie’ (someone who has spent a lot of their career in and around the food industry)… but I do enjoy food… and just possibly more than most people for reasons that are becoming more understood.

My wife Laura discussed something about ‘super tasters’ in her Bio Psychology Class. Super tasters are folks who can literally ‘taste’ more from their food because of the increased density of taste receptors on their tongue. After some checking, it appears that my daughters and I are cursed or blessed with this affliction. It’s like everyone else in the world tastes in color while we taste in high definition. This has always made dieting a challenge for me and I have sought out the boredom of monotonous diets to counteract the fireworks presented by many new, exciting and interesting dishes. I have found that variety adds to my waistline while monotony doesn’t.

Are you a super taster? Take the test!

Karen has earned the the unsurprising ( to me ) reputation for being willing to try new South African dishes. She — like the rest of us — loves to try new things. This is no surprise to those of us who really enjoy the ‘taste’ of our food… 

Roger Freberg