Can food influence your luck?

Today is Friday the 13th

To many this is just another day but for over a reported 17 million people fear Friday the 13th – It even has it’s own name: paraskevidekatriaphobia

So naturally on our Women in  the City Radio show today our main topic was superstitions.

Ten minutes into the show and interviewing our first guest and their microphone stopped working, we thought it was fixed and it went again – was this because of the ‘unlucky’ day, were we mocking the spirits?…

Whatever the reason it did see Maria and I knocking on wood, crossing our fingers and the third time lucky we got the interview!

Being the food expert on the show, I shared the following foodie superstitions:

Garlic

Garlic is not just great to spice up your food and ward off colds – it also wards off bad spirits.

If you want to prevent someone from giving you the Evil Eye and bestowing bad luck on you, you should always carry some garlic in your pockets.

Garlic is also a powerful deterrent for demons, werewolves and vampires.

To protect yourself from vampires, wear bulbs of garlic around your neck, hang it in windows, rub it on chimneys and keyholes or place wreaths of garlic over your doors.

To protect your newborn baby from evil spirits, hang some garlic in the room.

Onion

The ancient Egyptians thought onions kept evil spirits away. When they took an oath (made a promise), they placed one hand on an onion.

Salt

Spilling salt is considered very unlucky.

This is probably due to the fact that it was a very expensive commodity in the past – wasting salt was like wasting money!

If you spill salt, the only way to turn your bad luck around is to throw some salt with your right hand over your left shoulder. It is believed that the salt will go into the devil’s eyes and blind him from seeing your stupidity and taking your soul.

In Hungary, salt is thrown on the threshold of a new house because it is thought that salt will protect the inhabitants from evil.

Bananas

Bananas are a very bad omen for seamen and you should never try to take a banana on board a ship.

It’s believed that they will bring bad luck and that boats carrying bananas won’t carry any fish. Another possible reason for their perceived bad luck is that many vessels that were lost at sea in the 1700s had bananas on board.

Oranges

Oranges are considered a lucky fruit and brides should carry an orange blossom in their bouquets to bring them good luck.

If you love someone and you want them to love you back, give him an orange.

Lovers who give each other oranges will be drawn even closer together.

Peaches

Eating peaches will give you wisdom. A peach is also supposed to bring you a long life and to keep evil away.

Apples

When it is time to harvest the apples, it is considered bad luck to leave one apple on the tree after the rest have been picked.

If you leave just a single apple on the tree, a death will occur the following spring.

Rice

The custom of throwing rice at weddings goes back to the time when people thought rice, a symbol of health and prosperity, would appease evil spirits so they would not bother the wedding couple.

Are you superstitious  - If you are I’d love to hear what you do or don’t do – just post your comments below:

Women in the City Talk Summer Food

When I think of summer food I think of juicy salads and fresh berries, and yes as a member of the Women In The City Team pointed out it is also barbecues…

However for today’s post I want to focus on salads and summer berries – And what a combination!

During the radio show I asked the team if they ever put berries, in particular I love strawberries, in their salads and none of them had.

People, you are missing out!

Next time you create your favourite salad try throwing in a handful of chopped strawberries. They are divine, just imagine eating your salad and then getting a refreshing burst of sweet juiciness as you bite into the strawberry – wow!

Or if you didn’t want to add them directly to your salad, why not transform your salad dressings with this seasons berries. You could try adding the following combinations to your standard dressing:

• Blueberry and Lemon
• Raspberry and lime
• Strawberry and basil

I’m a firm believer that salads should not be boring, they are light, crisp, refreshing and with the addition of some fruity berries to play with they will delight your taste buds and reawaken your senses. (Not to mention get you feeling sexy for the beach, but that’s for another post….)

So what are you waiting for – get creating!

Of course this all sounds delicious, but I want you to take action – get creative and share your favourite fruit that you add to your salads or dressings in the comments box below – don’t be shy…

Barbecues Vs salads and strawberries in salads or strawberries in wine – these were our radio side chats ha ha

Women in the City – Talking Festival food

This week I had my first live show as part of the Women in the City team on Wolverhampton City Radio – I am the food expert, focusing on healthy eating and of course encouraging people to eat raw food.

This week we were talking about festivals and the food that you can take to festivals.

Festival food that is easy to carry and will last at the bottom of your bag and not be ruined if you accidently sit on it (yes, been there done that at a festival ha ha)…

We all agreed that a trail mix would be good, especially as at festivals you tend to graze… and need that energy for exploring, dancing and keeping up with the kids!