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Winebibber’s Grapevine  

Dolf Riks:  The Diet revolution of the good Doctor Atkins

Now that the reflective years are upon me, I spend considerable time in front of my computer as well as browsing through my library, instead of visiting far away countries to investigate what the world is coming to or rather, what is left of it. It is during these solitary sessions that my memory often takes me back to the so-called "good old days" and the personalities who inhabited it. Some are immortal while others are long forgotten and only remembered by a few historians and individuals like me. One of these was a man who was going to change the physique of the average American into something like classical Greek gods or sylphs, the epitome of beauty and grace.

The name of this enterprising man was Dr Atkins. He was an American doctor - at least that’s what he claimed to be, who - being excessively overweight - decided to go on a drastic diet of his own creation. The regime was such a success that he wrote an amazing book about it titled, "Dr. Atkin’s Diet Revolution". The idea was that through his revolutionary ideas, the American public was going to loose all that blubber caused by the incessant consumption of greasy hamburgers, junk food, ice-cream and TV viewing. The book became an overnight best seller and Dr. Atkins made a fortune, but a revolution - I regret to say - it never was. According to my latest information, the American populace is still struggling with their weight problems.

His theory was based on the misconception that humanity could very well live without carbohydrates and this means not only without candies and refined carbohydrates like sugar but also rice, bread, potatoes and other starch. He also included alcohol, a substance acting in most ways like refined sugar. This last requirement restricted the diet’s popularity somewhat. Still, for the desperate ones who don’t seem to able to loose weight whatever they do, it seemed to be the last resort.

Dr. Atkins tried to make us believe that pre-historic man, before the Neolithic revolution, was carnivorous and living almost entirely on protein. He said that it is against our metabolism to consume carbohydrates and he was especially alarmed by the intake of refined sugar during the last hundred years. Research has proved that there was a ten fold increase from the mid 19th century until the nineteen fifties, caused by the greater availability of refined sugar.

Many people in the West as well as the East think that the world ends beyond their border. This is a parochial train of thought especially common among the less educated. Not that Dr. Atkins was not educated, heaven forbid, but if he had travelled to our part of the world, for instance, he would have noticed at the time that people in Southeast Asia ate a lot of carbohydrates but were not particularly overweight. I use the past tense as since then, the American lifestyle has taken root in these countries and more and more people have to resort to strenuous exercises and intermittent dieting to keep in reasonable shape. In my own opinion, part of the problem is also the insane consumption of cow’s milk even by grown up people. Milk is food for baby animals and cow’s milk is meant for calves, not for people. Southeast Asians and the majority of the Chinese did not drink milk, until the milk industry started their campaigns by getting small children on the substance.

Some points in the good doctor’s theory I have no quarrel with. Modern humans do eat too much refined carbohydrates. There is no doubt that this contributes to obesity if there is a tendency to plumpness. Some people are such compulsive sweet lovers that they have been given the name carboholics. However, many members of the medical profession agree that a total absence of carbohydrates in the diet is harmful for one’s health, as is a surfeit of it.

I totally disagree with the theory that our ancestors were carnivores. On the contrary, having given it a lot of thought while sitting in my study, I have come to the conclusion that our distant ancestors started their careers as herbivores or at the most omnivores. Our relatives, the great apes who live primarily on greenery, nuts, seeds, fruits, roots, insects etc., have never taken to T-bone steaks and Eisbein (pork knuckles). At least so I was told. Creepy crawleys are probably the only animal protein food they consumed.

I have to admit that I gave Dr. Adkins’ marvelous diet revolution a try. This was in the early seventies when I became very worried about my silhouette. It was no carbohydrates at all during the first week of the regime. Even salads and fruits were forbidden. This works like a diuretic and the bathroom scale will tell you that you lost a lot of liquid if nothing else. After that, the daily weight loss becomes less spectacular. The second week one can have some fruits and the patient is advised to buy strips of prepared test paper called Ketostixs to test the urine on ketones which are burned fat particles. The strips will turn shades of purple when one is burning fat and proof that lard is going down the drain.

I was on this diet for about a month, checking on my ketones whenever possible but, as with all diets, I became bored. In a way it was quite successful because I lost something like seven kilos including the liquid. Only later did I come across some literature that claimed that the diet is harmful as it causes gallstones as well as gout and other discomforts. Meanwhile I had regained the kilos I so bravely lost, plus some more. Out of a favourite book of mine written by Paul Levi and Anne Barr called "The Official Foodie Handbook", I quote the following on the subject:

An Oxford don persuaded two of his don friends to try the Atkins diet for two weeks. One of them lost two stone (a peculiar British weight unit equalling 14 pounds or 6.3 kilograms). The next one, 15 pounds and his gall bladder. The learned man’s insides have never been the same since. The third participant lost seven pounds, but what he had not realised was that his chronic low blood sugar made the diet dangerous. He passed out and was rushed to the Radcliffe Infirmary in a hypoglycemic swoon. The doctors said that if he had really given up drink he had probably died. "I do not want to hold Dr. Atkins responsible for this but in 1984, I, in a state of great distress, was rushed to the hospital in order to remove my gall bladder."

A final disquieting thought on the Atkins revolution. What would feed the masses when Dr. Atkins had his way and most people were eating nothing else but other animals?

I have not produced recipes recently. I apologise and here is one I recently tried out.

Recipe: Filet of Fish with Dill Butter

Buy some quality fish that can be filleted like Plah Kapong (white seabass) or grouper. Of the grouper family, one of the best is called Plah Ku Salah. It is a rusty bright orange fish with beautiful emerald blue polka dots. Make the filets and reserve one 150 to 200 gram piece for each diner.

Soften a package of real butter in your kitchen near the stove until creamy. Let it become soft. Take a generous bouquet of dill (Pakchee Lao) and remove the stems. Chop the leaves a bit and add it to the butter. Also add a dash of tarragon vinegar, some salt if the butter is sweet, and ground white pepper. Mix it all together and taste.

Place the butter on a piece of wax paper or aluminum foil and make a sausage like roll which you keep in the refrigerator. Whenever you need the butter just slice off a piece and return the roll to the refrigerator. Place the fillets in a casserole or individual containers suitable for micro wave cooking. Place a generous piece of butter on every piece of fish as well as a slice of lime. You may add a dash of a dry white wine as well. Cover with cling plastic and pop in the microwave for a few minutes until the fish is done. Don’t overcook. Serve with mashed potatoes.

Dear Hillary,

I am a Thai woman, married to a Dutch man for three years. My husband is 24 years old. We have a little boy who is fifteen months old. My husband comes from a very large family, but his parents had no money and therefore gave all the children away. My husband grew up with foster parents. About half a year ago, his sister, who is three years younger, came for a short visit. They hadn’t been in contact since they were very young, but it was obvious that they liked each other a lot as soon as they saw each other again. My sister in law left after two weeks, but recently she came back with all her belongings and now stays with us. It would be all right if both would behave like siblings, but there is much more to it. A few weeks ago I caught my husband sneaking into his sister’s room. At first I didn’t think anything was going on, until I heard the typical sounds of lovemaking. I went into the room and saw them together in bed. It was such a great shock for me. My husband tried to calm me down by saying that he loves me very much but, on the other hand, fell in love with his sister, too. He said he just can’t help it and I would have to cope with it. My sister in law is also very open about it and both don’t seem to care what other people might think of it. She even told me she’d prefer it if I would move out and leave them alone. I know my husband loves his son dearly and he wouldn’t allow me to take him away. I still love my husband for he was always very good to me, until now. I want to save our marriage, but I don’t know what to do anymore. I just know I cannot go on like this. Please tell me what I should do!

Betrayed.

Dear Betrayed,

It is totally understandable that you want to save your marriage for your baby’s sake and also for your own. On the other hand, if this goes on, you would feel terrible living with them in the same house.

The explanation for their incestuous affair could be that they didn’t know each other too well, or probably not at all, and therefore they don’t feel like brother and sister. They might see in each other only an attractive person of the opposite sex. This strange and strong attraction could also be because of having the same genes. Whatever the reason it is, both of them should be aware that they are breaking the law. If somebody finds out about it - one cannot hide the facts forever - they might even go to jail.

The only way to finish this fatal affair is to send the sister home, even if you have to threaten her with the law. Talk to your husband very seriously to let him know that you are willing to forgive him, but only if he is willing to send his sister away. Maybe you could get help from a priest or a monk. They are not allowed to talk about what you will tell them, but on the other hand they could have a word with your husband and probably his sister to talk some sense into them.

If things really don’t work out, take your son and just leave them alone. You have to be strong and stand your ground, but if there is no other way, better get out of this situation and bring your child up alone, far away from this incestuous couple.

Dear Hillary,

My best friend is beautiful, sexy, intelligent and nice. We understand each other perfectly and I like her a lot. I believe she likes me a lot too, except she likes to be the center of attention all the time. Everything is perfect with her as long as people compliment her and only her. As soon as she gets the impression that people, especially men, give me more attention than her, she gets upset. She won’t show it openly, but knowing her I can see it. She then tries to gain back the attention of these people in any way she can, whether she’s interested in them or not. She is, as I said before, very attractive and it isn’t necessary for her to act as she does. She even tries to flirt with my boyfriend all the time and I have the feeling that he’s responding to her very open flirtation. I am sure she is not really interested in him, but I guess she only needs the feeling that she’d be able to take him away from me, whenever she want’s to do so.

Friendship

Dear Friendship,

I believe your friend has a big problem. Either she is very self-centered and doesn’t care about people’s feelings, or she has a great lack of confidence and therefore wants to prove all the time how perfect she is. Talk to her and point out clearly what you don’t like about her. Tell her it might be easy for her to get the attention of guys (but for how long?), yet on the other hand how hard it is to find a real good friend. Help her realise that after a while she might end up losing all her friends by acting the way she does, because I doubt that too many people can stand always being worried about their husbands or boyfriends whenever she is around. If she is a "real" friend, she will accept your feelings. If not, she will call the friendship off. Don’t forget to talk to your boyfriend about it. Explain to him how badly hurt your feelings are by watching him falling for your friend.

  Thai Idiom: Lay-Toom Pay

Come apart, Boom!, Exactly

‘These guys are on something.’

‘Maybe they’ve been reading too many books by Shirley MacLaine.’

‘Could be. That would make anyone’s neurons misfire.’

This is actually an accurate translation of these words when isolated. Lay and Toom are compatible, but we must admit, the ‘exactly’ component mystifies us too. It could be in the phrase to make a ‘bookend-style’ rhyme which is common to many East-Asian languages.

Put together, this idiom refers to a total state of disarray. It could mean ‘benign havoc’ or ‘complete disarray’. If cooking oil were poured on the floor of a restaurant and waiters began slipping, dropping trays of shrimp cocktails and knocking customers over like bowling pins, this could be described as Lay Toom Pay.

The pronunciation is a bit tricky. The first and third syllables are pronounced on very short high tones. The middle syllable is pronounced like the English ‘Boom!’

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