BUUURP!!!

(Foreword: The inspiration to write this post came from the excruciating pain and discomfort experienced by the writer last weekend and the better part of this week, due to an immensely upset stomach. So, in order to have better health, stronger stomach and avoid overshooting the toilet paper budget, I have decided to eat healthier. Though I have also sidelined all suggestions, from friends, like refraining from publishing anything related to my cooking and hanging a jpg of nimbu-mirchi to ward off the evil eye, on my blog.)

"You are what you eat". Well, in most cases; Exceptions do exist (coz I would hate to be Beer n Pizza 2 days a week). With so many of us who arent staying in their parents home and dont have their 'mommies' to feed them, the headache of managing ones food lies directly on us. Now, as hard (and painful) as it may be, I have to admit girls do a better job at that than guys. Maybe because the kitchen is a not a completely alien territory.

But guys are catching up fast and the best thing is that we are learning quickly. So what does the poor bachelor do ? He has to manage on his own. I'm not just talking about ordering 'Chomin' from your neighbourhood "Chainese Food" outlet or pizza from Domino's on rainy/peak-traffic hours and waiting for it to be late. For a well informed guy there are many more options. Frozen food for one, Canned food, Bread-Omlette, the good ol' Maggie. So, eat healthy and just some tips which will help you in the pursuit.

(WARNING: I got this on the net, so go ahead at your own risk. The onus of establishing the credibility of the information provided hereafter lies on you, and you alone.)

The Ultimate Guide to Good Food Eating for Bachelors

1. BREAD: Sesame seeds and Poppy seeds are the only officially acceptable "spots" that should be seen on the surface of any loaf of bread. Fuzzy and hairy looking white or green growth areas are good indications that your bread has turned into a pharmaceutical laboratory experiment.

2. CANNED GOODS: Any canned goods that have become the size or shape of a softball should be disposed of. Carefully.

3. CARROTS: A carrot that you can tie a clove hitch in is not fresh.

4. CEREAL: It is generally a good rule of thumb that cereal should be discarded when it is two years or longer beyond the expiration date.

5. CHIP DIP: If you can take it out of its container and bounce it on the floor, it has gone bad.

6. DAIRY PRODUCTS: Milk is spoiled when it starts to look like yogurt. Yogurt is spoiled when it starts to look like cottage cheese. Cottage cheese is spoiled when it starts to look like regular cheese. Regular cheese is nothing but spoiled milk anyway and can't get any more spoiled than it is already. Cheddar cheese is spoiled when you think it is bleu cheese but you realize you've never purchased that kind.

7. EGGS: When something starts pecking its way out of the shell, the egg is probably past its prime.

8. EMPTY CONTAINERS: Putting empty containers back into the refrigerator is an old trick, but it only works if you live with someone or have a maid.

9. EXPIRATION DATES: This is NOT a marketing ploy to encourage you to throw away perfectly good food so that you'll spend more on groceries. Perhaps you'd benefit by having a calendar in your kitchen.

10. FLOUR: Flour is spoiled when it wiggles.

11. FROZEN FOODS: Frozen foods that have become an integral part of the defrosting problem in your freezer compartment will probably be spoiled (or wrecked anyway) by the time you pry them out with a kitchen knife.

12. GAG TEST: Anything that makes you gag is spoiled (except for leftovers from what you cooked for yourself last night).

13. LETTUCE: Iceberg lettuce is spoiled when you can't get it off the bottom of the vegetable crisper without sandpaper. Romaine lettuce is spoiled when it turns liquid.

14. MAYONNAISE: If it makes you violently ill after you eat it, the mayonnaise is spoiled.

15. MEAT: If opening the refrigerator door causes all stray animals within a three-block radius to congregate outside your house, the meat is spoiled.

16. POTATOES: Fresh potatoes do not have roots, branches, or dense, leafy undergrowth.

17. RAISINS: Raisins should not be harder than your teeth.

18. SALT: It never spoils.

19. UNMARKED ITEMS: You know it is well beyond prime when you're tempted to discard the Tupperware along with the food. Generally speaking, Tupperware containers should not burp when you open them.

20. GENERAL RULE OF THUMB: Most food cannot be kept longer than the average life span of a hamster. Keep a hamster in or near your refrigerator to gauge this.