Thinking About Food, Glorious Food

Thinking about food seems to have been quite a theme for me these last few days. Not obsessing about food and tasty tid-bits, but really savoring food and looking forward to different types of food.

We went to see a local production (on the Isle of Man) of the musical "Oliver" the other day, and needless to say the refrain of "food, glorious food" rang in my ears for a couple of days afterwards. This rendition of Oliver was absolutely splendid and everyone left the theatre on a real high, smiling and happy.

I am also incredibly aware of how lucky we are. We have so much access to delicious food in a seemingly unending flow of both quantity and description; a far cry from a solitary and rather meager bowl of sloppy and tasteless gruel each day. No wonder we as a nation are currently rather prone to being overweight or suffering from obesity.

I am aware too of the contrasts in dietary availability and habits between different countries and cultures. There are even small variations from one county to another in England or from one State to another in America.

In England in general we have access to shop bought gourmet ready meals from Marks and Spencer's, Tesco's, Sainsbury's and so on. We can just pop into the super-market, pick up a beautifully prepared and presented meal, take it home, pop it in the oven and thirty minutes later it's ready to be eaten. Easy and delicious; no mess, no hassle. You can eat five star meals without even knowing how to cook.

An interesting knock on effect of this ready availability of great meals is that it is naturally possible to spend far less time thinking about food, or worrying about what to prepare for dinner. For those who are conscious of their weight, you can simply turn the packet over and immediately see the number of calories or grams of fat in each portion. Neither do you have to think about portion size. It's all done for you. It's really very easy to set yourself upon a gourmet diet!

I have to admit that I was surprised to find no real equivalent in California. Coming from the Isle of Man you tend to think that if you go somewhere bigger you will have a greater selection of everything, including food. And yes, there are so many more restaurants and more basic food ingredients readily available and definitely a load more fast food outlets. But gourmet meals to go are less available (almost extinct) in the local markets. And need I say anything about portion sizes? Chicken breasts look as if they have been taken from prize fighting turkeys and I woudn't like to imagine how big American cows are!

A quick contemplation of this lack of fresh gourmet meals to go allows one to arrive at the conclusion that America is just too big a country to make this a truly viable business. A trucker can drive your meals from one end of England to another in a day without issue and so fresh food stays fresh. You simply couldn't keep that food fresh for the length of time it takes to drive across America. And frozen ready meals simply do not have that five star gourmet quality.

When we are in California we also really miss our British and French cheeses. We think about cheese, search for good cheese and almost (but not quite) dream about lovely strong creamy textured cheeses. I have yet to understand why American cheese cannot have that same flavor and texture. But when we are in England we miss the wonderful barbequed American steaks and delicious salads and salad dressings. Yummy; food, glorious food!

The answer is always to make the most of what you have got. Enjoy what is readily available locally no matter where you are. I find it a great shame that so many people think about food to the extent of obsession and yet still manage to overlook its enjoyment. Instead of savoring each delicious bite they gobble their food quickly whilst suffering from a guilt complex at the same time. No wonder they become overweight; they do not appreciate their food and so cannot feel satisfied from eating it.

Overweight people tend to think that they should stop thinking about food. I am a firm believer that they have totally missed the point; you do not need to stop thinking about food. Rather, you need to learn to allow yourself to think about food in a different way which allows you to savor and enjoy it, take your time eating and feel fully satisfied as you detect it different textures and flavors.

You are, in this day and age, unlikely to obsess about food for the same reasons as poor Oliver. You are far more likely to have begun this food obsession as a result of thinking that you shouldn't think about food or eat as much. To overcome this obsession and enable yourself to lose weight easily all you actually have to do is to think about food in a different way. Hypnosis mp3s designed to help you lose weight are perfectly designed to get you doing just this.

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Ali Wentworth: A comedian thinking Guide for the parties

In the new memoir Ali in Wonderland, comedian Ali Wentworth shares fun stories about growing up as the daughter of the White House social Secretary. Here, she tells F & W Christine Quinlan, as she and husband of George Stephanopoulos talk.

My goal is for simple elegance with mood. No matter, the Group - and we have the gamut family, people, the secret service be protected from must - mean husband and I to talk the same way. We always cooking and served Family-style at a long table - the more crowded, the better. At one point we lived in a brownstone Georgetown and had 100 guests for a dinner buffet. Of course, we could not all with us at the table space, so we had people hunkered down on cushions on the floor of the fire, and in the sit on the stairs, which was a lot of fun.

I'm big on presentation; I can be excessive with decoration. In the summer, I use mussels and wild flowers. the winter is Mercury glass Votives and pine cones; Spring is all of tulips, baby nests with chocolate eggs. My kids love make place cards.

Usually classical or jazz. I really like Rachmaninoff, but do get a little strange at parties. Occasionally, in the summer, I try the grateful dead, but this never works. Sometimes my kids have their music in the CD player in the middle of a party, we suddenly an explosion of Lady Gaga get.

George cooks or I do. We cook together, because we both have a tendency to very alpha in the kitchen. He will change the temperature of the oven on me, or I will tell him that he too thick the onions cut is.

We make no heavy hors d'oeuvres. We, only from Moroccan Spiced nuts or raw food. We have usually cocktails and wines; George is a great wine. Beef Bourguignon or chicken Marbella would like to serve. I recipe for the chicken, but I'm using the silver palate there have my own over the years by using less capers and much more wine. If there is a small group, such as just my friends, I will do a pfefferschnitzel only three on each side in the Pan minutes.

No family, because you get a free pass with them basically. If we a group of people who know each other, not, which have to be hard. But we try to introduce guests, things in common: "Oh, you both take care Orphans…" It is the opposite of, if I over a few of my girlfriends have and there are a lot of red wine, and we laugh hysterical and get in trouble.

When George and I got married, was his side of all political men and Diane Sawyer and Barbara Walters. My page was Hollywood people, such as Marisa Tomei. I remember me, arrangement of seats to confuse the pages I thought, it would be interesting for all. I sat next to a Greek nun Mike Nichols.

"When I was five years old, I a have at a tap dance for Henry Kissinger at one of my mother parties." "I remember feeling, Ooh, I like perform."

"I may be a large block of really good Parmesan cheese or, if I equipped for the weekend, a basket with towels and Molton Brown remained SOAP or lotion." moltonbrown.com.

"I am very Waspy." I'm so happy in jeans and a Blazer Ralph Lauren. "I tried to be hip, but it goes against my nature."

"I use many votive candles because rejuvenated people block ads themselves." "I try to keep everything even flowers, very low."$5; westelm.com.

Comedian Ali Wentworth shares secrets of her party. Photo © Ted Sabarese.

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