Ostrich -- It's what's for dinner. Photo sourced from National Geographic.com



Seems like thieves are everywhere and with today's economy it is hard not to empathize a little. With all the talk of high oil prices hurting adult entertainment industries, has anyone wondered if the panhandlers are also taking a hit? I guess naked girls are more interesting news fodder than strung-out, crazy hobos.

These are pro-thieves, however, the kind that have a modus operandi, like the ones who managed to hit my laundry room not so long ago and stole the machine which puts money onto cards. Most new laundry rooms in apartment complexes have switched to these systems because it's easier for a maintenance person to empty one machine rather than several dozen washers and dryers. Not to mention if you lose a card or simply move out, you generally don't get a refund for whatever is left on the card. The thieves hit a bunch of machines in neighboring blocks, even getting into secured buildings (such as mine) and disabling the security cameras before breaking open the machines. I had no idea several hundred dollars in cash could be stored in one tiny machine. They weren't as smart as they could have been, however, on account they left behind some fingerprints. Still, you have to have a suspect before you can be convicted, and I think the police were really stumped for leads.

Another new set of thieves steals the catalytic converters from your car. They generally use a hacksaw to cut the whole piece off, then sell the scrap metal. The theft has become so rampant, an Ohio company has developed a device to protect your converter. There's only one problem. The device costs around $300, and I'm not sure if that includes installation. Most catalytic converters run from $100-$300, although that doesn't take into account the repair work necessary once your car has been hit with a saw. If the device were $100 cheaper, I'd probably recommend it. Then again, the most robbed car is a 4-Runner, and in my opinion anyone still hanging onto a gas guzzler in high-crime urban areas probably gets what they deserve. (The crooks are mostly hitting parking lots and garages, where they can get to several cars all at once.)

For home valuables, In.Security has created a strong room for your home or business which can easily be installed in a pre-existing structure. It can stand up to a .50-cal or rocket-propelled grenade. No word on price, but then if you have to ask....

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One thing more important than our cars or our jewelry is our health. In an effort get in shape, manage my blood sugar, feel better, and look great, I've started reading up on all kinds of health foods. This effort has been ramped up since some idiot at a Five Guys congrulated me on my upcoming kid. (I am not pregnant.) I gain weight like an Asian, around the waist in the middle, hence the phrase "Buddha-belly". This effectively ruined all pleasure in eating my just-ordered, forbidden double bacon-burger. I didn't know whether to laugh at his stupidity, cry about my body image, or get angry because he ruined my meal. It's been months since I've allowed myself a hamburger (I'm not supposed to have any beef or dairy at all, on account of a food intolerance) and when I finally decide to go all out and chow-down, something like that happened.

So last night I made a dish using ostrich for the first time, instead of beef. Once I had the meat properly spiced, it tasted close enough that someone who didn't know better might mistake it for beef. Admittedly, I was a little leary about eating it so I spiced it a bit more than I would have if it had come from a cow. Finally, a healthier alternative that doesn't taste like crap! The meat is lower in calories, with less fat, and more eco-friendly. (Ostrich has the greatest feed to weight gain ratio of any commercially raised land animal.) Cow in almost every form has left my diet for good, with the exception of tiny quantities of butter or the occasional ice cream treat. Next to go? Processed white flour and refined starches, which can have almost as bad an impact on blood sugar as candy.

DIRECTIONS FOR COOKING BROWN/WHITE RICE MIX:
I detest brown rice, in much the same way I dislike popcorn. It's not the flavor I object to, it's the tiny husks which always seem to stick in my teeth. But my doctor says, NO WHITE RICE, on account of my reactive hypoglycemia. Now, how's an Amer-Asian girl supposed to give up her primary grain staple just like that? By mixing! Now we just have to adjust the cooking times accordingly, because brown rice takes twice as long to cook.

This is for a 1:1 ratio of white to brown rice.
1 cup brown rice
1 cup white rice
water

1. Boil the water for the brown rice, which should be about 2 1/2 cups.
   
2. Add brown rice to boiling water. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. (The only good thing about this recipe is you can pretty much walk away.)
   
3. Uncover. Add white rice and another 1 1/2 cups of water. Stir and bring to a boil.
   
4. Cover and simmer for another 20 minutes until done.
   

Neither AgtOrange nor I could really tell this version from regular white rice when we ate it. The same technique lends itself well to mixing wild rice with white, as wild rice takes even longer than brown to cook.

REFERENCES:
Gone in 60 Seconds
CatClamp can guard coveted catalytic converters
High Tech Modular Strong Rooms
The 29 Healthiest Foods
Ostrich Meat vs. Other Meat