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Show r The Daily Herald "So what we want for the Christmas play is for your daughter to come dressed as a sparrow. She's a main character." said Kari's music teacher on the phone. "Do you think you could put together a costume for her? Maybe some tights for the legs and some wings and a beak or something like that?" I thought rapidly. Let's see. Yes, I do costumes. I haven't done sparrows but I just did a raven for Halloween. In fact, over the years, I've dressed dozens of , trick-or-treate- rs A Tidbits and even a couple of grown-u- p community theater bit players. I've created ghosts and ghouls, a Little Mermaid and a Princess Leia, Ghostbusters and red devils. I once made a cow. Another year I made this great fuzzy yellow chicken. I've learned to be creative with household material and scraps of fabric left from the year before. "Yes," I said. "I think I can do something. How soon are we talking ready here?" I was thinking about my broken sewing machine, wondering if I would have time to get it into the repair shop and back again. "Oh," said the teacher. "We need it as soon as possible so the kids can practise in their costumes. Maybe by Tuesday?" : OK. That makes it a little harder since this was Wednesday. I realized as I hung up the phone that dressing a sparrow would have its definite challenges. Maybe I could rent one somewhere. That would be easy. But I knew my husband had just blown $40 renting an Elvis disguise for a recent Scout shindig. ; - I'd harassed him about the frivolity of the expense so I really didn't want to turn around and copy his behavior. I could find a pattern somewhere for something like a bird and adapt it, but without a working sewing machine it would really be hard. I decided to work on the project piece by piece. women's tights would Legs do for legs, since they would be too big for Kari and thusly, stay nice and dark brown on her limbs. hmmm. Wooden ones Wings would be too immobile. Cardboard "would be awkward. I could try ) wiring her to some feathers. I once had a felt beak 1 Beak rolled up in a little cone and tied ; around my face with elastic string. That was no fun. I could buy her a hat with an orange brim or a plastic yellow visor. J, We pulled out the encyclopedia Jand checked out the sparrow sec- tion. ; Sparrows, it said, were brown and black and white with feathered tummys and speckled wings. - Now we needed a fat little tum--J my too. ; Hmmm. Tummy we'd need a pillow and something stretchy. t:We considered sweater tops, body suits and thermal underwear dyed dark brown. ; : We started shopping. Z j :We found light brown velvet at j the fabric store. Uncut, it covered Kari's head and shoulders and could serve as t wings if we just cut triangles out of rthe bottom. We gathered the neck to give her ! J I - a little hood. ; We found poofy feathers in a shawl. ; marabou We put Kari in a dancer's leo- -' tard and stuffed her with a couch : toss-arou- Jpillow, then sewed the feathers right onto her "tummy." I the neck and -- hand-gathere- d sewedonasnsp. " We bought tights. - We bought feathers. : We bought gloves. I spent right around $40 and rhave yet to tell Marc about it. the proper dis-- ; Eut after all guise can make all the difference. ; It can make the difference be-- ; tween a proud sparrow and an un- hapny fowl creature. 'I - . Friday, December 3, 1993 By ELLEN O'BRIEN Knighi-Ridd- Newspapers er - PHILADELPHIA Today, for "lite" relief, how about a tour of your refrigerator? Ah. There on the top shelf, n there's a of 1 percent milk. And what's that next to it? A mayonnaise. And jar of what can this be? Orange juice, no sugar added ... Now, right down a little J C r what's Good 'to at FtoSie s3iwidd Costumer is her mother in disguise I n iMfljMMj P'IC, h on ri "" i j ... i ' half-gallo- fat-fr- ee here. Three chicken breasts, broiled in polyunsaturated fat, for chicken salad. And here's the tuna for tonight, canned in water, and what's this? An organic pineapple. In the crisper? More organic! Boston lettuce, greenleaf lettuce, mushrooms, bell peppers, tomatoes, scallions. And this is ... Hey. Wait a minute, back up a minute. No. Back up here. Behind the pineapple. Can it be? liverwurst? Can it truly be are we Processed meat? And can it be ... really seeing this? BUTTER? OK. Stop trying to explain. You aren't the only one whose eating habits are schizoid these days. Plenty of people are beset with eating angst. They're some of the folks who drop by for lentils at Dennis and Cynthia Tice's lunch counter at Center Foods health and then pick up dinner at store Frank Oliveri Jr.'s counter at Pat's : "fat-free- '-' Un-Heal- th "A decreasing number of Americans said that they are doing all they can to achieve a healthy diet 39 percent, down from 44 percent in 1991," says the executive summary of the 1993 Survey of American Dietary Habits, conducted by the Wirthlin Group for the American Dietetic Association. Those numbers cross demographic lines. Of 1,000 people canvassed, the survey states: "Twenty percent say conflicting studies about what is good for them are confusing," and the same percentage "believes that it takes too much time to keep track of a healthy diet." the nutrition industry, Dorothy Peterson, vice president of the Wirthlin Group, said she didn't believe those figures inwas dicated losing ground. "Aside from the question 'Are you doing all you can?' the numconsumbers (of nutrition-minde- d ers) haven't gone down," Peterson Defending health-consciousne- ss said. But, she acknowledged: '' "They haven't gone up. The report itself warns: "We that have to show consumers-..-. they don't have to sacrifice their favorite foods to eat a balanced diet. We have to provide them with quick and clear ideas for making improvements, and we have to help them sort through the mass of so much nutrition information that confronts of it conflicting them every day." Meanwhile, the National Restaurant Association found in its own recent study: "The propor- Food-snitchin- g er " j V T , " u- - - . f IIMIIIII MllHITIIMmmi IWffln M ItfMlli ,, r r - ...- - -- ,f Vt;': ... S ' i V " y., -- V t. ." s , '' - ., , nr d&tcm Knight-Ridde- r ih'J irt Photo On the nutrition spectrum, most folk veers between the likes of Pat's Steaks, served by Manager Frank Oliveri Jr., and grocery stores. Many consumers are starting to have schizoid eating habits. of adults who reported that they are often concerned about their health has steadily declined, from 77 percent in 1986 to 68 percent in 1992." The restaurateurs' study goes on: "It appears that consumers may have had their fill of on nutrition advice. Nearly (say) that they are tired of hearing about what's good and bad for them when it comes to food. " And the Food Marketing Institute, which conducts annual customer surveys for the supermarket what? tion flip-flo- "What are you supposed to do? That's the question," Borra said. "Someone does a study, and there's some relationship. And then there's publicity and there's all that attention by the media. ... What do (people) do? Do they run out and drink all the red wine they can get their hands on? " Good question. The health issues surrounding our eating habits are real. They involve strokes and heart attacks, and they involve saturated fats and ps one-ha- lf They're the ones with the shopping carts jammed with the "lite" cheese and the " muffins and the frozen White Castle cheeseburgers. industry, found this year that 43 percent of 2,000 people polled said "there is so much conflicting information about food that they aren't sure what to eat anymore," according to Edie Mdeski, director of media relations for the institute. "We beiieve the nutrition community is indeed confusing customers with different messages based on the research," Meleski said. So if you don't know what's good for you, you're in good company. After all, you grew up with the four food groups. Then you learned about the pyramid of nutrition. Then there was the news about eggs. And red meat. And wine. And butter and margarine. "A case example is the wine paradox. The 'French Paradox,'" said Susan Borra, a registered dietitian with the American Institute of Nutrition in Washington. She was talking about the "60 Minutes" take on red wine two years ago, lauding its benefits for the heart. But for whose heart? And what about The study was the toast of imbibers everywhere, but all the acside-effect- s? companying medical caveats, about moderation and alcoholism and blood pressure, quietly sank like so much sediment in the public's consciousness. Leaving , "Nutrition used to be confined to dietitians and home-e- c classes," he said. "And now the surgeon general is talking about it. And those concerns are being heard by corporate America." To that, Carolyn Wyman, syndicated columnist and author of the book "I'm a Spam Fan," counters: Oh, yeah? "I've always been of the opinion that this health thing was a kind of a trend, and that if we just waited long enough it would all go away," Wyman said. She con- Oliveri runs Pat's Steaks at Ninth and Passyunk in Philadelphia. Neither sees himself as an extremist. "Moderation is the key," said Tice, who rarely eats fowl, and eschews red meat: "Proper nutrition and diet is a lifestyle, not a habit." "In my opinion, everything in .moderation is fine," said Oliveri, who may eat three cheesesteaks in an emergency. "People have been eating meat for hundreds of thoutends a good number of snack sands of years. " On one thing, though, Tice and foods and fast foods including soda, which Jacobson dismisses as Oliveri agree: A good many people n suffer from were, first mar"just pure junk" keted as health foods. overload. "Now they sell Kraft "If you're going to be like sheep tartar sauce," Wyman scoffed. and just follow what you read in "Now, what do you put your tartar the paper, you're going to find out that what you read on Friday is sauce on? I don't know about you, but I put it on fried fish. ... going to change on Monday," said who admits he still day"There's a lot of talk about Tice about dreams But health. to eating steak. physical you've got "I think scientists are dissecting remember mental health, too. I'm not talking about if you have a everything that we eat a little too whose wife cholesterol level of 1 ,050. If you much," said Oliveri have genetic problems, if you have now serves his family skim milk. had a heart attack, those are special Stephen Elmoi.t, president of situations. (But) I think the popular the National Restaurant Associapress says 'Let's all act like we've tion, said he entertained both Tice had a heart attack. Let's all act like types and Oliveri types in his own we have genetically high cholesterupscale restaurant, the Mirabelle, nutrition-informatio- 'fat-fre- e' "fat-free- cholesterol. And, despite the babble of information, it appears some of those real issues are being addressed. In June, the National Center for Health Statistics announced cholesterol levels in Americans had dropped by 6 percent since 1978. About half the population has safe blood levels. And, according to the recent Food Marketing Institute survey, 65 percent of American shoppers say they are eating less red meat and more chicken than in the past, and 72 percent say they are eating more fruits and vegetables. "I think there's confusion around, perhaps, some of the more subtle points. But not the major points," said Michael Jacobson of the Center for Science in the Public Interest. Considering the studies that indicate otherwise, he said: "Some people clearly have bigger things on their minds. They just got fired, their kid is smoking crack. Clearly s eople have more important than whether they should use butter or margarine at the moment." prob-em- Despite the individual consum- er's confusion, Jacobson believes die field of nutrition has acquired permanent importance for the public. And he sees that as more significant. ol. ...' "We've forgotten. Food is not medicine. It's not meant to solve ' your health problems. ' She dismisses new health foods, such as cheese products: "They belong in the stores where they sell the crutches and the walkers They give a dim memory of what it was to taste cheese, but they are not appropriate for a supermarket. ... "I guess people are buying these things because they've been made to feel guilty," she said. "But to me, if you want to have Cheez Whiz, then have Cheez Whiz. And if you want to lose weight, just don't eat as much Cheez Whiz. ' ' When it comes to nutrition, most people veer somewhere between Dennis Tice's health food grocery and Frank Oliveri Jr.'s steak counter. With his wife, Cynthia. Tice runs the Center FoodsNatural Grocer store and lunch counter in Philadelphia. fat-fr- ee in Boston. ss And he thinks public has peaked. "Like any trend that happens in America, we become enchanted with it, and throw our whole body into it, and only a little bit of it sticks. And what I think happened is, we've seen the permanent shift for this generation," Elmont said. But he does think that shift, however erratic, has contributed to substantial dietary changes. He sees it in his inventory. "If we're going to sell, in the course of a week, 1,800 meals, no more than 1 percent of those is nutrition-consciousne- going to be steak," he said. "We've done everything, to the extent of lowering the price of steak by five dollars, just to see if it's a issue. And it price-sensiti- ve wasn't." As for Mirabelle regulars: "They gravitate toward vegetarian dishes, or skinless chicken or broiled dishes. boss is a compulsive eater who needs help problem. She is a compulsive eater. Whenever the woman sees Dear Ann Landers: Help us, Ann. We need your objective opinion. Our boss is an overweight woman with a definite eating disorder. She eats anything and everything, all day long. Needless to say, she can buy all the food she wants. But here is our problem. Every day when my and I sit down for our morning coffee break or our afternoon lunch, Madame Boss comes by and picks food off our plates with her fingers. She sticks her long, dirty fingernails into our salads and plucks out the olives. Yesterday, she licked off her knife and stuck it into a container of cream cheese a had brought from home. The woman was so disgusted she ended up throwing away the rest of the carton. " ? r- Steaks. You've seen them, stalking supermarket aisles everywhere, with what could be called "an attitude" about nutrition, bemused by a constant stream of frequently alarming and frequently conflicting eating advice. They're the ones with the shopping carts jammed with the "lite" cheese and the muffins and the frozen White Castle cheeseburgers. Several nutritionists say a new trend is surfacing, in fact. Call it the Trend. Some of the best recent studies are finding that people say they're slacking off on their healthful diets. And, perhaps as important, people are saying they're overwhelmed with nutrition information. - ..v -- food, she simply must have "a taste." Is there anyplace you can eat where she will not see you? Outside? Down the hall? Another room? An alternative strategy: Bring a small container of w hatever you fix for yourselves for this pathetic creature. This woman has a compulsion that she is unable to control. Advice Columnist We're all afraid to say anything because after all, she's the boss and our fate is in her hands. Will you kindly tell us how to handle this annoying problem? No name, please, just Grossed Out in Fall-broo- k, Calif. Dear Grossed: There's more than piggishness or bad manners involved. Your boss has a serious Dear Ann Landers: That letter from the Michigan mother whose daughter was doing her boyfriend's laundry brought back memories of my college days in the early 1970s. It was common then to see girls doing their boyfriends' laundry and ironing in our dorm. I thought it was disgusting that these guys came to college not knowing how to take care of themselves. Once, a fellow in math class asked me to sew a button on his shirt because he didn't own a needle or thread. Things haven't changed much. Moms are still doing entirely too cleanmuch for their little boys ing, vacuuming, purchasing food, kitchen cleanups, selection and care of furniture and upholstery, clothing repair, alterations, etc. At a time when high schools are dropping their Home Economics or Family Living Skills classes, we need them more than ever. Parents should be doing it, but they aren't. TV commercials are how most people learn to clean bathrooms, mop floors and do laundry these days. Please print this letter and shake f 'em up, Ann. Montevideo, Minn. Dear M.M.: The game has changed. Look again, and you will see more men than ever doing marketing. (Meat markets have become MEET markets for singles. Haven't you heard?) These same men can be found in laundromats doing their towels, bedLsheets, socks and shorts. They clean their own apart- ments, and many are darned good cooks. Welcome to the '90s! It's a different world out there. Women are opting for law, medicine and engineering. (No longer is it only nursing or teaching.) Men are looking after themselves as Ihey never have before. I think the new American male is terrific. |