The Pakistani Diet: Tips for Healthier Eating
When it comes to life expectancy, Pakistan comes in at number 136 out of 191 countries in the world. The average life span in Pakistan is 64.9 years according to the CIA World Factbook 2009 Estimates. There are numerous reasons for this, including poverty, infant mortality, lack of clean drinking water, poor sanitation, not having access to medical care, etc., but dying younger is not limited to only the poor.
I have met many middle class and upper class Pakistanis who suffer from health problems such as high cholesterol and high blood pressure as early as in their 20s. A nurse friend of mine living in Pakistan was convinced that the Pakistani diet factors into the low life expectancy, and I could see why!
If you are accustomed to eating a typical “Desi Diet,” here are some tips to help you eat and live a healthier, longer life.
Tip for Healthier Eating #1 – Say No to Ghee and Use Less Oil
You may love your sweets, treats and meats swimming in ghee (animal fat), but the best thing you can do for yourself and your family is to stop cooking with ghee altogether. My husband and I always found it shocking, and a bit sickening, how much cooking oil is on sale at the supermarket. Do your regular cooking with olive oil, and cut down the amount of oil that you use significantly. A few tablespoons of oil are enough for most dish. Olive oil is more expensive, but the health benefits are worth it.
Continue reading more tips here
Fees to Deposit Money in the Bank!?
So I opened a dollar account recently at Askari Bank in Lahore. The minimum initial deposit was $500, so I changed some rupees into dollars and deposited it. Today when I went to check on the account balance, it was only $497! I was confused and asked the guy, “Where did the $3 go since I deposited $500?”
“There is a cash handling fee,” he replied.
I was thinking (but didn’t say), “What? A fee for handling cash? Isn’t that what a bank does?”
I read the account opening forms thoroughly, and I don’t remember it saying anything about a cash handling fee for foreign currency accounts.
If I’m going to lose money every time I make a deposit, then why should I keep an account there? Maybe this ‘cash handling fee’ is normal in Pakistan, but if I put in dollars into a dollar account, I don’t understand why there should be any fee. Banks here don’t do currency exchange, you have to go to Western Union or other money changers to do that, and there you lose a bit of value when you exchange currency. If you open a dollar account at Askari Bank, you will lose some money when you exchange your money into dollars, and then you’ll lose more money when you pay the cash handling fee.
If the ‘cash handling fee’ is normal for foreign currency accounts, the bank employees should at least tell you before you open the account.
Sunday Brunch at GunsSmoke in Lahore
Goodbye Party at Ali Institute
Our BEEPIN’ Neighbors!
One of the things that drives me crazy is people I call “beepers.” Beepers are too lazy to get out of their cars themselves and ring a doorbell or open a gate. They drive up a house and immediately start beeping. “Beep beep beep beeeeeeep!” Two seconds later (not near enough time for anyone to actually get out of the house and open the gate), “BEEEEEP BEEEEP BEEEP!”
These beepers have no concept of disturbing the peace. At least once every day I am woken up by a beeper. At four in the morning, when even most Pakistanis are sleeping, they seem to beep longer and louder than they do during the day. What a nice alarm clock. “Beep beep beeeep! Beep be beep beep beeeeeeeep!”
They beep in the morning. They beep in the evening. They beep when I am enjoying my dinner .They beep when I am sleeping. They beep when I’m talking on the phone. They beep so loud I can barely hear myself think. This is not a nice little ‘honk honk,’ but a laying on of the horn as if the driver is constantly in an aggravated state.
If you are a Pakistani who gets out of the car to open to your own door, I respect you. Thank you for being considerate and thinking about the sanity and peace of others. Even if you give a missed call to someone, but stay in your car, this is still much appreciated. Beeping is not necessary for doors to open and shut. My gate seems to open just fine without a password of “Beep beep beep beeeep!”
If you are a beeper, you may not think your beeping bothers anyone, but I’m sure you have woken someone up at some point with your incessant honking. If you ever move to a country where disturbing the peace is a crime, you will be faced with steep fines and a lot of angry neighbors. Beeping on the road at dangerous drivers is fine; but beeping in quiet residential neighborhoods is just plain rude.
Fried Chicken Cheese Balls: Wholesome Snacks?
I saw another funny billboard for the new Media institute opening in Defence:
Excited Career Opportunities!
Of course it should have read “Exciting Career Opportunities!” By using ‘excited,’ it makes it seem as if the career opportunities are excited about something. In this way, the ‘opportunities’ are personified and have their own personality.
Why do people spend so much money on advertising and paste it all over town without getting it checked over?
My Three-Year Love Affair with Lahore
This month I wrote a ‘letter to Lahore’ for the Pakistani e-zine The Green Kaleidoscope. It’s a reflection of my last three and a half years here.
Check it out:
Looking for an Upper Portion to Rent in Lahore?
Newly built house with independent entrance; Ideal location facing the park. 3 Bedrooms, 3 Bathrooms with a spacious living room and kitchen! Large rooms with an open floor plan. All Italian and Spanish fittings, sophisticated layout and contemporary architecture. Spacious master loft suite with luxury closet and modern baths. Available immediately. Must See!
It also has A/C, central heating, remote control main gate, anti-theft boundary wall, Phoenix Security System, central music system, generator, UPS, cable internet, telephone and internet. Wow! Talk about luxury.
To see how much they are asking for the rent or to arrange a visit, contact:
amara.bashir1@gmail.com OR amara.bashir@desconchemicals.com
Email me for her phone number
Car Air Filters in Pakistan – Change Every 2 Months!
Yikes!
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