Conversion Therapy Does Not Work!

And now we have the most extensive review of all the evidence that shows this.

The report, released by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, reviewed the scientific evidence on conversion therapy and concluded that the practice is not effective and is often harmful.

An expert panel convened by the American Psychological Association also published in the report a consensus statement warning of the dangers of conversion therapy and confirming that variations in sexual orientation are normal.

The SAMHSA report can be obtained here.

Will this stop all these conversion therapy? Of course not. After all, there are still people  who believe the universe is only 6000 years old, despite all the physical evidence. So why would something like this change their minds? The only way to stop  this is to make it illegal in each state or country. Do you think politicians, or your politician, care about scientific evidence?

Zz.

Chapati With Malaysian Chicken Curry

This is what we had for dinner tonight.

Made the Malaysian chicken curry last night for dinner with rice. And since curry tastes so much better the next day, I decided to have it again tonight, this time, I accompanied it with my own homemade chapati.

The curry used 2 packets of Malaysian meat curry powder. But I added my own touches which, based on my own recollection, is what a Malaysian current should  be. I added whole star anise, whole  cloves, whole cardamon, and cinnamon sticks. These all are cooked with the curry broth for at least half an hour to impart the aroma and flavor.

In some cases, the Malaysian curry has a base made of shrimp paste (belacan). Since I didn't have any, and since someone here is allergic to shrimp, I substitute that with anchovy paste, and then added fish sauce as a finishing touch. The end result is scrumptious, if I may say so myself.

The chapati is 50/50 combination of all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour. I added some salt, about 1/4 cup  of olive oil, and then added some water until I can kneed it into a dough ball. I let it rest of 10 minutes before rolling out golf-ball size dough into flat disk about 1/4 inch thick. Then fry them in some oil on a griddle, and you have chapati.

The chapati went very well with the curry.

Zz.

I'll Have What Phil's Having

Hands down, and without any doubt, this is the BEST new food and travel series on TV right now. Period!

"I'll Have What Phil's Having" follows the food travel of Phil Rosenthal, the creator of "Everybody Loves Raymond". Two episodes into the series on PBS, it has become a very endearing show on TV. The first episode where he went to Tokyo, was a riot! That egg-cream scene at the end is destined to be a classic. And the reunion scene at the end of the Florence episode will make you cry.

And that is one of the emotions you'll run through during an episode. It'll make you laugh, gasp, cry, etc. It is as much a story of people as it is about food.

Read more of a Q&A with Phil Rosenthal and why he created this series in this news article.

Q. What is the most fun about doing this show?
 
A. All of this is really just an avenue: The food, the travel, the humor . . . it’s just a way to get to the people. That’s what the show is about — getting to know and meet people and trying to connect them through the food, through the humor and through the traveling.

My wife [actress Monica Horan, who played Amy on “Everybody Loves Raymond”] showed the Paris episode to a friend of hers who had never gone on a family vacation. After watching it, she called me, and my hand to God, she said, “Phil, I booked tickets and I’m taking my family to Paris because of the show.” It was the greatest compliment and I got very emotional because this was really all I wanted. 

To me, the best shows about food are not on The Food Network. Bizarre Food with Andrew Zimmern, America's Test Kitchen series, A Chef's Life, and now I'll Have What Phil's Having are all amazing shows that transcend beyond just food. These are the shows that The Food Network does not have the guts to produce! Shame on them!

Zz.