#italy run by ferrero

[thisandthat-whatever]

I think I have already established that I have a sweet tooth. So, I like me some snacks.

When I moved to USA, I thought I was coming to the land of infinite varieties, and endless brands ……and in some cases that is true, but USA really lacks in chocolate snack category. They are obsessed with inserting peanut or peanut butter in everything which doesn’t suit chocolate as much as hazelnut does, but like I said, USA has a long running obsession with peanut butter, so anyway, I end up eating more Euro brand candies here than American ones, but Euro brands are limited here in variety. Sure, there is Kinder for example, but you only find Kinder Bueno and Joy egg mostly in stores.

But as some of you may know Kinder (despite its German name) is an Italian company. It was started in Italy and is owned by Ferrero who also brings you Ferrero Rocher and Nutella among other things. So, I always salute Ferrero for its contribution to children’s (and my) palate.🫡.

This is what American Kinder has in stores :

And these BELOW are all the additional Kinder products you can find in Europe but not in USA:

I just end up having to order these online. 😔

Come on USA, get with the program, and go beyond the Snickers and Reese’s bullshit.

[nycrunning]

well, August is always a good month because of SUMMER STREETS, literally, I should be hired by the Summer Streets People because I feel like a community evangelizer. That is all I talk about to anyone all year long. You know it. Anyway, to recap: I like Summer Streets. A bit. If you just met me or this is the first time you read this blog, Summer Streets happens 3 weekends in August, on Saturdays: they close traffic on Park Avenue in the Upper East Side all the way to the Brooklyn Bridge, for 5 hours. It’s MAGIC.

If you missed it, shame on you (and, how are we friends???). If you never heard of it, pen it in for next year and don’t make vacation plans or don’t say yes to weddings. If you don’t live in NYC, get tickets now. 

So, Summer Streets was awesome, even though it RAINED ALL THREE SATURDAYS as you can see in the pictures (ugh) and we have to chop one run short because there was lightning, thunderstorm and flash flooding (but mostly because with all that water I couldn’t keep my contacts inside my eyes…!). It was still awesome. 

The day after the first Summer Streets, July something, a Sunday, I run the NYRR Manhattan Mile, a new race and a distance I’ve never run. So, automatic PR you say? Meh I don’t count those, but I WILL COUNT THE NEXT TIME I RUN THIS DISTANCE because I run it as slow AF. So, here we go: I have a bum knee. It’s not chondromalacia patellae, it’s not ITBS, I’ve ruled out a lot of things but it’s just weird because it hurts VERY randomly. AND, if I take time off, it hurts more. Go figure that one out. Good luck. Anyway, that day my knee was hurting so I struggled to finish. It was also like one hundred million degrees celsius/fahrenheit. 

Luckily I had Jackie, Michael and Brian to not only keep me company but throw power boosts at me during the last mile where they all decided to pick it up and I was just not into it. Aw, friends that throw stuff at you while you want to curl and cry are the BEST! ❤ I guess.

HA.

The next weekend was another combo of Summer Streets and a race. This time I attempted to do two races on Sunday and it didn’t work out AT ALL. I wanted to do the France Run, a 5 miler in Central Park at 8, and then scoot out to Williamsburg (in Brooklyn, for all my international readers! This Wsburg is in BK, not Colonial Pennsylvania, as I had to be told a few times in my first years in NYC coming from Philly!!!) (where was I?) then scoot out to Williamsburg to race the Brooklyn Mile. My heat was at 9:30 am. Possible?? Not really. What was I thinking? Not only David and I run France Run as slow as we possibly could without bursting into a walk spider-crawl, BUT we then proceeded to be extra stooopid fun after we finished and pretend talk in French and rename everything. We then also decided, while it rained, to taste and eat all the French things they had… chocolate, financiers, it was good… oooops, it’s 9:30! CRAP. And the truth is, I wasn’t in any shape to race a mile. My knee agreed (probably).

The last weekend of August (am I missing one???) it was a doubleheader. I did the Percy Sutton 5K in Harlem on Saturday and the Henry Isola 4 Mile XC in Van Cortlandt, Bronx, on Sunday. Who knew I could handle it? The knee was stoopid all week so I run to the 5K with Kettia and David SUPER slow, like 11 pace and was thinking to maybe cheer. I felt 100% pain-free so I decided to race. It was slow (23:06 It think, 7:24 pace) well, yes, I haven’t done anything hard in 2 months so I couldn’t expect much more but I felt good and that is all I cared about. Plus it was fun. We met lots of people, Frankie run me in, we had an hour-long stop on the run back… it was all shit and giggles, the way a race morning should be (to me, don’t judge!).

We run back. I ended up with like 10 miles… then… the next day, cause I felt ok… (who feels ok the day after a 5k?) I decided to run to the Bronx to run the Henry Isola 4 miler. It’s in the trails and it’s cross country. Ummmmmmm I was an XC virgin and had NO IDEA what I was doing. I didn’t even know why my age and gender was on my bib! Or how we all run on the grass and not the path…? it was all so weird. So, I’ve done trail races, like ultras, or like Bear Mountain 50K, or stuff like that. But this was SOOO DIFFERENT. Fast but also trails, crazy. Anyway, I run to the Bronx, got there at 8 am, race was starting at 9 and it was SO BURNING HOT already… I started feeling all the heatnessticity before we even started. It’s a smaller race than the typical NYRR race, like a LOT smaller. 40% of it were we out of the trails and in THE SUN. The last loop was hard and I won’t admit this to myself but there’s a chance I didn’t negative split this race. It was still great though (if can call walking up Cemetery Hill twice because your legs can’t run up, then yes it was great).

I think you can tell how HOT it was. Maybe by the sun situation, or my sweat situation, or maybe becase my hair is fried. I didn’t run back home. At all. I tried. But no.

DATA DOWNLOAD

Total Miles: 157, biggest mileage month so far this year. Just checked and my biggest month was 187 miles in October 2016. 

Races: Four. Two were miserable/slow. One was ok, one was awesome.

Ups: UM, HELLO, SUMMER STREETS. Did you forget already??? Also, that’s the most miles I run in a month this year. Catching up.

Downs: THIS STOOOOPID KNEE. Sorry, sorry, I still need love you knee, please don’t hurt me, anymore, prettyplease?

Balance: I wanna feel un-pain again and run hard, and do speedwork and I hate this crap. 

July

I barely remember July already and it was just now. My parents were still visiting so we kept touristing around and we had an amazing Fourth of July with all the official NYC fireworks on the East River. Epic. I did two races, with meh performances. The first one was the NYRR

hair working hard for the picture, post-Retro 4 Miler

 Retro 4 Miler, and I was really lame to not dress up, or back?  I seriously will wear any costume but just like happens every single Thanksgiving Halloween, I don’t care enough to remember more than 1 minute ahead of time. Every year I tell myself I am totally going to dress up next year and then I forget. Then every year, when the costumey event happens, I tell myself I am gonna set a reminder in the calendar for a month BEFORE Halloween/race/etc so I can plan ahead… but I am a snooze-hitter with things I don’t really want to bother with (NOT the alarm, you KNOW I wake up before the alarm even goes off!), and I use my go-to motto: if I didn’t bother doing it so far, no chance in hell this is gonna get done ever. Just like with the emails at the bottom of my inbox. If it’s been 2-3 days, there’s a high chance they won’t get opened/read/replied to… AAAANYWAY, I didn’t wear a costume for the Retro Run because I am lame. But people do, and it’s SUPER fun and I really really really always wish I did. mooooving on. Ah, so, the race. Wasn’t feeling it. I met with Courtney to do about 4 or 5 miles before and I kept wanting to go home. I was THIS close. Does that ever happen to you?

Then, I also did the NYRR R U N 5K in Central Park last week. Also wasn’t fast or anything special. It was a bit like hell hot so I decided to hold it in a bit. I managed to not kill myself. It was meh, but I love that course, it’s pretty fast with just one hill. Saw like a million people I knew, which was fun as always to catch up and chit chat and all those things with lots of chs in them. cha cha cha.

If anything else exciting, fun, amazing happened, I either don’t remember or it’s totally private or NSFW! HAAA, got you thinking!!!

DATA DOWNLOAD

exciting huh? I am behind on my mileage… been behind since,… January??? I am lazy or having too much fun, you decide.

Total Miles: 152, not bad, not bad… not amazing but the most this year. July is a good month to run!

Races: 2. LAME!!!! Last month I had 6… so… AH THAT’S WHY MY MILEAGE IS UP!!!

Ups: I heart running in the summer. LOVE IT. JULY NEEDS TO BE 325 DAYS PLEASE.

Downs: omg my hair in the weather. HELP. Send the firemen or the paramedics or Paolo Puttanesca asap.

Balance: I have no idea. ALL I CARE ABOUT RIGHT NOW IS SUMMER STREETS. SUMMER STREETS STARTS IN TWO DAYS. SUMMER STREETS IS THE BEST. SUMMER STREETS HERE I COME. SUMMER STREETS IS THE BEST. DID I TELL YOU I LOVE SUMMER STREETS?

can you tell I am melting?

June

was a great month. Let me break it down before I forget it all (photos and a super organized calendar really do help!). I often wondered if I should do these weekly… there is so much to say but then I forget. Anyway, JUNE was BUSY, My parents came to visit from Argentina, which is awesome, they come every other year, for about a month and it was amazing. We did everything, we went everywhere, I got myself them so tired every single day…. it was awesome and rough at the same time. We literally did it all in a month. We even went to Miami for a few days of untamable hair and sticky skin. I forgot how insanely hot Miami is in the summer. #protip, don’t effing go to Miami in the summer, ever. or really, at any other time but definitely NO in the summer.

Anyway, the month started with the Italy Run NYC, a 5-mile race in Central Park, sponsored by Ferrero where I proceeded to smear Nutella all over me post-race, best celebration possible, correct? Before you ask, there are no pictures of that because it’s a LIE. Race was good; my performance… meh (actually, I don’t remember anymore!).

Literally 3 days later, I did another race, the Summer Series 5K in Prospect Park. It’s on Wednesdays at 7 pm, which REALLY messes up my sleep AND my Thursday morning run with my Flyers friends, BUT…I kinda love showing up because:

I see lots of friends I don’t see every day in Central Park

I cherish (and also hate) racing in a different course than the ones I did one million times in CP (though it’s also harder)

Love the small race ambiance

Also, don’t remember much I think (given there is a picture of my holding a medal, duh) that I placed and I got a medal. Oh, and I totally remember I got something like 71% AG. YEAH, nbd.

And… 3 days right after this one, I had the 3rd race in 6 days… can you imagine how that one is gonna go???? So, Saturday morning was a Mini10K, which is a mega party, so I wasn’t going to miss it. BUT, I also wasn’t going to miss the other mega party Friday night… So come Saturday morning I was a MESS… my feet hurt (from the heels or dancing, who knows!) and I was sleeeeeeepy, SO SLEEEEEPY. I have no idea why, NOT ONLY I SHOWED UP TO THE RACE, BUT I also met Elizabeth (she is real, I promise) to do 4 miles before the race. MENTAL.

But, it was all worth it. I run it, EASY, with 3 friends, and it was a frigging BLAST. I regret nothing. #noregerts.

Told you it was FUN! Yeah, I was physically miserable but no one remembers that… smh. So then my parents arrived and we started the daily tour of all the food and all the things we don’t tell the tourists about. AND the World Cup. June was literally mental. Somehow I managed to get to Queens the next weekend, early, to run the Queens 10K. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to make the trek because Argentina was playing at 9 am against Iceland and I’d miss the first half, but so happy I went… Not only I had tons of fun at the race, I SOMEHOW (…miraculously) managed to do OK. Noooo, not a PR or even close but I got up to 69% AG, I was just one minute off from my PR, which is from frigggggging 2013! Does that even count anymore? I say NO.

I am a sucker for high-fives!

Then, wait for this because the madness doesn’t stop there…. I did TWO races the next weekend!!!! YEAH, again, NBD! Crazy, right? I agree. It’s good that I am a biomechanics coach and I know what I am doing because otherwise my leggies would have fallen off by then… Saturday was the Pride Run and OMG I WAS NOT GONNA MISS THAT. I always race the Achilles Hope and Possibility race (which was going to the next day), so I decided to take the Pride Run easy and save my legs for Sunday. Only… I didn’t quite do that. I ended up with a lot of fun AND 12 miles… oooops. #mischiefmanaged (for you all PotterHeads!)

Jackie, Mary, Michael and I run the whole thing chatting from start to end. And the outfits were ON POINT.

Sunday I woke up to do a few miles before the Achilles Hope and Possibility race and I was wishing I had raced the day before… It was muggy, humid, gross and I was tired. You do what you can.

David and Patricia (and corrals B,C,D,E and F) smoked me but I was happy. My parents had come to spectate and it was AWESOME. They came both days. They LOVED IT. Those two races and really something. REALLY REALLY something.

The next weekend was a wash because I was out of town, and back just on July 1st to watch the husband race the NYC TRI, with the parents and my cheering crew along. TRIATHLETES ARE CRAZY, just saying. But he’s so cute, it evens out.

DATA DOWNLOAD

Total Miles: 139, eeeeeek. too much racing makes the mileage go puff!

Races: SIX. 6 races in month. That’s probably maybe a PR, at least this year… ha, I have 12 races this year, 6 in ONE MONTH. 

Ups: All the fun things I did with the parents…!!! The Nutella at the Italy Run was HEAVEN. The Mini10K was SO FUN. Queens was a MEGA REVELATION. Pride and Achilles get me teary every time…

Downs: Mileage was yuk and I am behind my yearly goal. Tapering before races and how sore I am sometimes after…

Balance: ALL AWESOME!!!! I can’t believe I did all those races with all the other stuff I had going on…!

May

May was a whirlwind!! So much happened, and so many races also! I remember I started the month with something we had planned since September last year: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child!

Call me a Potterhead, That was awesome! Twelve hours later, I was up early for the Newport 10K, just over the Hudson, one of my favourite 10Ks, because 1, it’s flat, 2, the finish line bagels (and I don’t really like bagels!). The race was a blast as usual: I’ve run it a few times and it always delivers! It’s usually hot but I love the vibe and the views!

Of course, as usual, there were many runs and stairs workouts sprinkled through the month:

And then there was the Japan Run. I remembered being tired from something but then, at the start, I met with Brian and Nick and Jackie, and we all decided to run together and pace Jackie. Those are my favorite types of races!

Way too much fun was had!! The next weekend, just so I wouldn’t fall off the wagon, I run the NYPD Memorial Run 5K. It was HOT and humid but I rallied and for the first time in months, I did OK. I measure my race performances by AG and I feel I do ok when I get close or over the 70% AG mark. Lately, I had been around 64% to 69%, and in this race I went back up to 70% wohoooo. Also, it was super fun to run on the West Side Highway. I really like how wide it is there.

Then, three days later, after a brutal stairs workout and speedwork, we raced the Prospect Park Summer Series 5K: no biggie. The course was slower (as there is a hill in Prospect Park) but I managed very similar results! Just like 10 or 20 seconds off. I find it so weird to race at night (well, 7 pm), that I find it quite amusing to try to figure out what to eat, how much, when, etc. Of course, then I slept like crap after because I was so wired!

That was a lot of racing…!

DATA DOWNLOAD:

  Total Miles: 147, coming back up, but it’s hard with those short races because I feel like I need a good taper before and then my legs are thrashed for a few days…

Races: FOUR, here we go. Racing season is upon us!

Ups: the NYPD and the Summer Series 5K were definitely a surprise! I wasn’t expecting to do so well (NOT IN PR SHAPE YET THOUGH, ok?) and even though I don’t feel as strong as I used to, feeling in control of the situation really helps! One more thing: Central Park blossoming is the BEST!

Downs: how tired my legs feel two days after any short race! YUK

Balance: VERY HAPPY

So, I need to race more. Even if I am not in fighting shape or without any kind of expectations, I really enjoy it. The fewer expectations I have, the more fun I have, and so I go out there controlled and just let the race happen. I’ve actually started measuring races and performance by the amount of time it takes me to get back home, aka “how much fun I have”. For example, the NYPD Memorial Run was at 9 am and I got home at 4 pm: THAT is a successful race in my eyes now. The truth is I am not always (or ever again!) be as fast as I used to be or as I would like to be or as I would expect to be, so what should I do? Stay home until I feel I am in shape? HECK NO. To me, races are not a test of my fitness or “what I get from the work I put in” but a chance to enjoy with the community of friends who like to get out and enjoy the park with one foot in front of another trying to stay healthy. Yes, I’ll push hard here and there, but if one day I don’t feel like it or I decide to stick with a friend, it’ll be no different: it just HAS to be fun. 

April

We started the month in Argentina, which was great because it was WARM and hey, it was vacations. Got to see the fam and a few touristy things of course, and yeah, a few runs with Juan. Oh and of course I ate my face away. Lots of asado and steaks but also a lot of nikkei, my favourite non-native cuisine while in Argentina (my favourite non-native in the US is Japanese and French, you always gotta know where to get what!). I got back, I did a 4 miler in Central Park, the Run as One… it was so long ago, I can barely remember, or maybe it’s because I’ve been racing a lot the last two months! Oh yeah, I remember I got really hot (I was overdressed) and started way too fast or something, here is one picture!

I obviously spent some time running around, exhibit A:

or working:

or with Juan, usually eating crap:

and/or usually with friends, running or not!!!

DATA DOWNLOAD:

Total Miles: 119. Ooops. That’s low. I really vacationed in Argentina… IT HAPPENS, OKAY?

Races: just one but it was more like a tempo, wasn’t expecting to go all out.

Ups: the fun runs!

Downs: didn’t get a lot done!

Balance: it was good -> lots of blossoming happening all over NYC made it amazingly beautiful!

March

March is always a good month because it is my birthday!!! HA. I started the month with a race, the NYRR Washington Heights Salsa, Blues and Shamrocks 5K (there is a post there), which wasn’t great time wise but it was fun. See proof here:

There was a lot of running, maybe not tons of miles, because it was still cold as hell Alaska? ok Alaska, but it got done. 

And the United NYC Half happened. I saw so many of you there. That was an intense week and I was REALLY just a bit jealous of everyone running the new course. I got to run parts of it last year and was on one of the Pro lead trucks on race day and it looked amazing!! and everyone looked SO happy at the finish line… Really jelly So happy for you all!!!

We then went to San Antonio for a few quiet days of pulled pork and warmer weather. For my bday. We ate a LOT.  We run a bunch too:

DATA DOWNLOAD:

Total Miles: 151, it’s starting to pick up

Races: one. and I was so not wanting to race!

Ups: I did a lot of really great runs

Downs: still not feeling my best.

Balance: not letting it get to me. Let’s hope the nicer weather brings better running!

Also, one more thing I forgot to report on this whole year. A few friends and I have been doing monthly challenges. January was squats, February was pushups, March was planks. We usually just grab one from popsugar.com. Basically it tells you how many to do every day and each day is a bit more. It’s interesting. Maybe you’d want to try it with a few friends? we all text each other to make sure we’re all doing them EVERY DAY… Protip: it works better with a reward at the end of the month!!!!!!!!!!

February

was weird. I happened so quick I barely noticed. Instead of ice-fest, we had a few meltdowns (all kinds of meltdowns!) and even one day in the 70s… OH OH what are people going to use now to discredit “””global warming“””? I feel so bad for those polar bears, and hey, we won’t be moving to Venice anytime soon. Glad I live in a 2nd floor too, but I digress… Anyway, my body decided also to have a meltdown and I had a couple of stooopid issues (my hormones have decided they need more attention than any Kardashian!) and even some very very easy runs where my heart rate was about 50 over the usual… anyway, I was signed up for the NYRR Al Gordon Brooklyn 4M, and I was literally too tired to get up. Of course, I ended up running 11 miles in Central Park instead but my pace was 10:00 and my heart rate was at 82%. Insane. You just can’t win them all, can you? About two weeks ago, I spent the husband and I spent two hours shopping for half marathons for me… I came up with not a lot. If you have any ideas, let me know. Also, my running is so up and down I’ve started questioning if I should try to take some weeks/months off so my body doesn’t feel pressured and maybe that would help?

ha, I was just kidding! I’d be super hyper and way too annoying after just two days and waaaaay unhappy. So, let me just slow down, do it when my body is ok with it, and just enjoy it with no pressure. Deal?

So, I had a few awesome runs, still.

  Plus it was Valentine’s Day and who thinks we’d let any reason to celebrate pass by? any excuse works!

Also, I got to spend some quality time at work (at NYRR) with some people you might know… Meb and Jenny. Do you even need last names? Don’t think so! Meb is now a Team for Kids Ambassador and Jenny is a Rising NYRR Ambassador and both were in town to run the Virtual For the Kids 5K race. If you haven’t check NYRR’s Virtual Races, you should.

  Anyway, it all went waaay too fast!

DATA DOWNLOAD

Total Miles: 124, emmm, got lazy a bit!

Races: big old zero for the year

Ups: weather got surprisingly “hot”. 40s and some 50s even.

Downs: not feeling my best.

Balance: i am getting a bit frustrated. cause, wtf.

January

was really cold. The first two weeks we set cold weather records. It was awful. Running was awful. I started the year working at the midnight run and it was really really cold. I wore everything and it was still crazy cold. But it’s a super fun race!

It was so cold that the races on the second weekend of January got canceled. I managed to run both Saturday and Sunday but it was insanely cold. Everyone kept asking me what I was training for, as most people assumed I had to get the miles in for some marathon or something. I am not really training for anything, just trying to not let the winter win. I can’t say I loved it, but I got out there.

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As you can see there was a couple of blizzards in there, snow, ice, and all the layers. Luckily we had planned a trip to Mexico for mid-January to escape the cold. The vacation part was uneventful but we had a few epic runs with Juan (the husband!).

First night in the hotel, a guy who worked there came up to talk to Juan as he was wearing his 2017 TCS New York City Marathon shirt, to ask him if he had run the marathon. Turned out that Armando, our new friend at the hotel, was a runner too and invited us to his team’s workout the next morning. So, at 6:30 am we went out to meet up the Red Runners, who were having a special run as one of their teammates had passed that week. There was a half an hour of a warm-up, everyone in a circle, probably around 130 people, and the coach had a microphone and big speakers. Before we headed out, we all got one white rose to carry for the memorial. We all run together to a gorgeous lighthouse I never would have seen, we got there with the sunrise, there were speeches, even a triathlete pastor, there were prayers, and we run back with the boombox in tow. Everyone was together. It was very moving. And everyone was so welcome to this stranger. It was very special.

  When I travel, to me, the best thing EVER is to hang with the locals. Nothing could have beat that run.

Juan and I did have a few osom runs. The day after the run with Red Runners, there was a race in town, which we didn’t sign up for because registration was miles and miles away but we run to the start and finish to cheer/spectate. Funnest part: Kukulcan road (the main drag) had no traffic for the race. Quite FUN!

  The next few days we did great. We did a tempo together and we run back to the lighthouse so Juan could see it. We managed to get the sunrise too.

  And like that, we were back and the month was over!

DATA DOWNLOAD!

Total Miles: 140

Races: not even one. But we spectated at one..!

Ups: the runs in Mexico!

Downs: running in the sub 10 temperatures (which is like minus 20 in Celsius). NOT FUN. WITH WIND!

Balance: can it be June now? I really miss racing a LOT.

August 2018 – the month that was well, August is always a good month because of SUMMER STREETS, literally, I should be hired by the Summer Streets People because I feel like a community evangelizer.

[daddy-ul]

21, 26, 71 and 82!

21. sandals or sneakers?

I’m always so fucking hot, so I love sandals-- but the ‘warrior’ type? Like, a couple of years ago I had this sandals that were amazing, super comfy and they were worthy of Xena. You know what I mean? I like sandals that could carry me in battle in the middle of the Coliseum, bc 1 I am that paranoid 2 in Italy you call someone “Attila” if they are someone that easily destroys stuff. It me. I am Attila scourge of god hdsajdkad and for that... my ‘Xena’ sandals lasted me for 2 months. I broke them in half running uphill in the woods to my aunt’s house.

So, at the end of the day... I gotta say sneakers for durability, style, grip and fighting resistance jdkfhsjf.

26. how many pillows do you sleep with?

I sleep with 1 or 0 pillows but on my bed I keep 3 of them bc i use them to create the perfect support for my back/neck/head when I read. I love reading in bed and sometimes I just forgo sleep and keep at it for hours and hours, till morning comes, ERGO I need them or I’ll get 56 kinks in my neck the next day.

71. tea or coffee?

Ice tea (I run hot). Barley. I swear jfdhkjshf.

(I dont like coffee at all and i barely sleep on my own so i dont need it to keep me awake fjdkshfksj)

82. favorite ice cream flavor?

THIS IS TOO HARD. I can’t choose. Ice cream is my fave thing ever and I live in a town with a fixation on good ice cream. I am still loyal to my fave gelateria, 15 years and counting. They used to make this ferrero roche flavored ice cream that tasted like hazelnut, dark chocolate, wafer + inside you found not only chuncks of ferrero roche BUT half or whole ferrero roche! And that shit aint cheap! plus the random whole hazelnut. I love so many of them, but this one isnt attainable anymore and I've never found it anywhere else, so I gotta chose this dhjkshdkjadha I chicken out!

[postsbyzarr-blog]

Field Assignment #6

Biography of a Hershey Chocolate Bar

The ingredients include: Milk chocolate (sugar, milk, chocolate, cocoa butter, lactose, milk fat, soy lecithin, PGPR, emulsifier, vanillin, and artificial flavor)

Working and living conditions of people who produce cocoa: Farmers who produce cocoa invest a lot of time and patience into their business. They earn very low incomes and have to put the money they receive into their land or their workers. They don’t earn enough to pay their workers so then end up cutting their salaries and also tend to use child labour. Some even end up treating their workers so bad. Some farmers tends to be below the poverty line meaning they only make about $1.25/day. Also farmers income is affected by the prices of the cocoa being sold; therefore, if nothing is being sold they cant receive any profit.

The way it is produced/child labour involved: It comes from cocoa bean which are on a cocoa fruit tree. The production of cocoa begins in the tropical regions where the hot and humid climate is well suited for growing cocoa trees. 70% of the world’s cocoa beans come from West African countries. 90% of cocoa is grown on small family farms; 5% comes from large plantations. Growing cocoa is hard manual work, as caring for and harvesting the beans requires close and continuous attention and also a lot of patience. The cocoa tree flowers and bears fruit throughout the entire year. It produces large cocoa pods, which need to be cut from the trees by machetes or sticks. Each cocoa pod contains around 20 to 30 seeds sitting in a sweet white pulp – these are the actual cocoa beans. It takes a whole year’s crop from one tree to make half a kilo of cocoa. Pods do not ripen at the same time, the trees need to be monitored continuously. Cocoa is a very delicate crop, easily affected by changes in weather and to diseases and pests. After the harvest, the ripe pods need to be cut open with machetes and the beans are taken out. The cocoa beans then need to be fermented, dried, cleaned and packed. When the beans are packed into cocoa sacks, the farmers are ready to sell. Because of all the hard work that is put through with this process, child labour does occur. Cocoa is then turned into many things such as butter, liquor, etc.

Cocoa being brought to the market: Intermediaries buy the sacks of unprocessed beans and sell them to exporters. When the beans reach the grinding companies in the global North, the cocoa still needs to be processed. The beans are crushed and the shells removed, roasted, and finally ground.

Prices set: They are mainly set by supply and demand levels; if the supply of cocoa is low then the price of the chocolate become higher. They also tend to create their prices way more then what they buy the cocoa more so they get the better end of the stick.

International company that dominates chocolate trade/ regulated by: Mars Wrigley Confectionery, division of Mars Inc (USA), Ferrero Group (Luxembourg / Italy), and Mondelēz International (USA) are three of the top companies that run chocolate. TransFair USA is a regulator for chocolate companies.

How chocolate is marketed: Each company has their targeted audience. Most companies use commercials to intrigue children into buying their product. They also use certain colors and shapes to target their audience.

Chocolate bought from: Most of these products are sold at markets or corner stores. Mine was bought from my local Rite Aid.

Profit made from store owners: Chocolate franchises make about 40-48%, chocolate enterprises make about 58-72%, and wholesalers/retailers make about 23-47%.

Hidden cost/health care cost: Taxes are a big hidden cost when buying these products. Eating too much chocolate can make you sick and you may end up in the doctors for it.

[lamilanomagazine]

Italy Run di New York, anche Giusy Versace tra i testimonial

Italy Run di New York, anche Giusy Versace tra i testimonial. C'era anche l'atleta paralimpica, scrittrice e deputato Giusy Versace ad applaudire il ritorno di Italy Run a Central Park di New York, la corsa di 4 miglia promossa dal Consolato Italiano a New York e dalla Ferrero, organizzata in collaborazione con il New York Road Runners. Come era già accaduto nel 2019, anche quest'anno la presenza della Versace era soprattutto legata alla sua attività di atleta paralimpica e donna impegnata nel sociale da oltre 10 anni con la sua associazione, la Disabili No Limits, grazie alla quale fornisce protesi e ausili utili a persone con disabilità che hanno il desiderio di avvicinarsi alla pratica sportiva. La sua testimonianza, raccontata sul palco di Central Park, è stata come sempre di forte impatto, ma soprattutto di grande stimolo per gli oltre 6.000 runners che erano in attesa di prendere il via alla gara. «Sono davvero felice che Italy Run sia tornata a disputarsi dopo i due anni di stop dovuti alla pandemia, e sento ancora più forte in tutti noi l'entusiasmo di essere qui oggi. Rivolgo i miei complimenti al Console Generale Fabrizio Di Michele per essere riuscito a far rivivere quest'importante manifestazione, che testimonia la forte amicizia tra il nostro Paese e gli Stati Uniti e rappresenta un momento importante non solo per la comunità italiana che vive a New York, ma per tutte quelle persone che hanno nel cuore l'Italia», ha dichiarato Giusy Versace. Durante la manifestazione la Versace ha anche ricevuto una medaglia alla carriera dal rappresentante in USA del Coni Mico Delianova Licastro: «Sono davvero onorata di aver ricevuto questo riconoscimento inaspettato e molto gradito». Oltre a Giusy Versace, testimonial della manifestazione è stata anche la pattinatrice di velocità Francesca Lollobrigida.... Read the full article

[palmoilmillmachine-blog]

Who's using sustainable palm oil?

Who’s using sustainable palm oil? Eco-Business spoke to three companies that use sustainable palm oil. Why did they take the greener path, and what was their experience on the way?

Sustainable palm oil is regarded by some environmentalists as an oxymoron. How can a vegetable oil linked to deforestation, toxic haze pollution and worker exploitation be in any way sustainable?

But sustainably grown plam oil is possible, to varying degrees, and certification bodies such as the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) work to ensure that what is marketed as sustainable palm oil is not associated with slash-and-burn forestry and starving orangutans.

Some of the world’s biggest consumer goods firms such as Unilever, Colgate-Palmolive and P&G have made public commitments to sourcing sustainable palm oil. To understand the challenges and benefits of using sustainable palm oil, Eco-Business spoke to three multinational companies.

Mewah Group: Planet before profits

If you want milk in future, don’t slaughter the cow today. The same lesson can be applied to companies and their relationship with the environment, said Danny Chua, senior executive, controlling, for Malaysian edible oils firm Mewah Group.

This principle underpins Mewah’s decision to use RSPO-certified sustainable raw materials. The company churns out a hefty 2.5 million tonnes of vegetable and cooking oil each year, of which 2.15 million tonnes is palm oil. This is 3.5 per cent of global palm oil production.

The Singapore-listed agribusiness firm owns four RSPO-certified palm oil refineries and produces 150,000 metric tonnes of segregated and mass balance plam oil, or about 7 per cent of its total palm oil business.

The decision to start producing sustainable palm oil was driven by both external and internal factors, Chua said. Growing awareness of the impact of palm oil cultivation had led to stronger pressure from consumers, non-governmental organisations, and clients looking to source sustainable palm oil in line with their sustainability policies.

“A lot of our palm oil goes to Europe, where companies have more stringent sustainability standards and sustainable palm oil quotas to meet,” Chua told Eco-Business. “In order to continue the business, our mills were certified in 2009.”

At the same time, pressure from the company’s own board members and investors had intensified, particularly during the haze of 2015, when large parts of Southeast Asia were choked by smoke from burning forests, he added.

“Don’t you think it’s pointless for a company to burn itself out to make huge profits with no regard for the future?” he asked, elaborating that for a business to continue to thrive, short-term profits cannot be the only consideration.

The biggest difficulty with sustainable palm oil is making the economics work as demand for it remains low due to the higher prices involved, he said. While Mewah is willing to bear the potential cost of sustainability — seen in how Mewah’s Cabbage brand sustainable palm oil retails at a higher than average price — Chua hoped that consumers would start to understand the true cost of being unsustainable.

“I hope that consumers can be educated [about sustainability] and the government encourages consumers to choose sustainable palm oil. When that happens, supply will align with demand,” he said.

In the meantime, Mewah is aiming to make its palm oil 100 per cent traceable to plantation by 2018, and source 100 per cent of its raw materials from certified sustainable sources by 2020.

Ferrero: Big brands, big responsibility

Ferrero, the maker of much-loved household brands Nutella and Ferrero Rocher, has emerged as a leader and champion of sustainable palm oil in Europe, even as other Italian food manufacturers avoid palm oil altogether.

When the European Food Safety Authority said in May last year that the commodity posed a potential cancer risk to consumers, the company spoke out in defence of palm oil. Ferrero uses palm oil to give its hazelnut-chocolate spread Nutella a smooth texture and extend its shelf life.

Since then, Ferrero has run an advertising campaign in Italy to reassure consumers and dispel concerns about the safety of Nutella and therefore, palm oil. Sales of the popular spread, which had dipped in the year up to August, bounced back by four per cent following the campaign in September.

Ferrero is a pioneer in the use of sustainable palm oil, and is one of a handful of companies in the world to use 100 per cent RSPO-certified segregated palm oil. The company sourced 180,000 tonnes of palm oil or 0.3 per cent of the 62 million tonnes produced globally.

It has been a member of RSPO since 2005, set up the Ferrero Palm Oil Charter in 2013 to monitor its supply chain, and started using 100 per cent sustainable palm oil in 2015.

“Once the first volumes of sustainable palm oil became available, Ferrero started systematically focusing on segregated palm oil,” said a Ferrero spokesperson, who added that while doing so costs more, the company was dedicated to ensuring the sustainability of its supply.

As a result of its efforts, Ferrero has been recognised by consumers and stakeholders as a leader when it comes to using sustainable palm oil. It is one of three companies on WWF’s Palm Oli Buyers Scorecard 2016 to use only segregated sustainable palm oil and has been recognised by Greenpeace as ‘on track’, in helping to end deforestation.

In 2015, Ferrero also became a member of the Palm Oil Innovation Group, which builds on RSPO standards to create a framework to weed out bad practices in the palm oil supply chain and claims to go further than the RSPO approach.

When asked why Ferrero decided to use sustainable palm oil, the spokesperson said: “Ferrero is aware of the responsibility that comes with having leading global brands, and has always been committed to leveraging its position to transform and innovate the palm oil industry.”

Ikea: Swaying the supply chain

A household name for affordable furniture, Ikea is less known for its efforts at sourcing sustainable palm oil.

According to the company's sustainability report 2016, the global retail giant used 41,686 tonnes of palm oil in 2015. The overwhelming majority—96 per cent—is RSPO-certified segregated sustainable palm oil, the second most sustainable form of palm oil. The remaining four per cent Ikea offsets via RSPO book-and-claim credits.

The versatile vegetable oil is used in three areas of its business: candle-making, food production and food preparation. Candles absorb more than 90 per cent of the palm oil purchased by the Swedish manufacturer, and Ikea-brand food products and kitchen operations utilise only sustainable palm oil.

The last piece of the puzzle is the local food supply chains including one-time purchases from vendors or small-scale suppliers. But Lee Hui Mien, head of sustainability, Ikea Southeast Asia told Eco-Business that the Ikea food team is working closely with its suppliers to explain why sustainable palm oil is necessary, and give them a timeline and provide them with references to experts on sustainable palm oil, such as WWF.

As a result, some of Ikea Southeast Asia’s major suppliers have started using sustainable palm oil in their businesses.

“Our biggest achievement is moving our local suppliers towards using sustainable palm oil as well,” Lee told Eco-Business, while acknowledging that it would take a “longer time” to convince all the food suppliers Ikea Southeast Asia works with.

“Hopefully one day sustainable palm oil becomes the norm, then we don’t even have to talk about it because all the oil you buy will be sustainable,” she added.

Ikea Southeast Asia’s food sourcing team replaced conventional palm oil with its sustainable counterpart in the production in 2015. “It took time to find palm oil suppliers who could provide segregated certified sustainable palm oil as the market was not very developed. We only managed after asking current suppliers to source for it,” Lee said. The cost price was not passed on to consumers—despite the premium on sustainable palm oil for cooking being six per cent over conventional palm oil at the time.

When asked how Ikea communicates palm oil policy, Lee said that Ikea’s emphasis is on secondary communication such as in-store messaging, rather than relying on primary labelling or the use of logos on packaging, which is “not the most cost-effective way”.

Furthermore, palm oil tends to form a small percentage of the ingredients that go into foods. “When labelling chocolate, for instance, you’d choose a Fairtrade cocoa logo over the RSPO one due to its content ratio,” said Lee.

[travelonlinetipsofficial]

10 Best Romantic Restaurants in Rome

New Post has been published on https://www.travelonlinetips.com/10-best-romantic-restaurants-in-rome/

10 Best Romantic Restaurants in Rome

In planning the most romantic holiday of your life in Rome, the one thing you’ll need to know before you get there is where to eat. After all, what goes hand in hand with love and romance if not food? 

The eternal city is full of restaurants and bars and whether it’s a trattoria, pizzeria, a gelato or Michelin star dining experience you’re after, you can bet you’ll find it in the eternal city.

But that special romantic occasion, say a proposal or an anniversary or for when you really want to impress on Valentine’s Day, make a booking in advance at the best restaurant in Rome – if not Italy – La Pergola. Located at the Cavalieri Waldorf Astoria, it boasts 3 Michelin Stars and is the only one of its kind in Rome. Featuring a terrace with a spectacular view of the city, not to mention the food and wine, this is a once in a lifetime dining experience. For another terrace experience with views you won’t soon forget, Mirabelle doesn’t disappoint and Adelaide is one of the new gems in Rome, located at the elegant Hotel Vilon. 

Other favourites, boasting a star in the Michelin Guide include Francesco Apreda’s Idylio, located within the stylish Pantheon Iconic Hotel, Domenico Stile’s art deco Enoteca La Torre, Cristina Bowerman’s Glass Hostaria and Riccardo Di Giacinto’s All’Oro. Each with their own personality, the atmosphere or the food won’t disappoint. For the hottest addresses in town, you can’t beat Retrobottega or Pianostrada and for young, fresh and fun fine dining, head to Antonio Ziantoni’s Zia in Trastevere. 

Happy eating in the city of love!

Walking along Via dell’Arancio you could be mistaken for missing Hotel Vilon. This luxury boutique hotel sits inconspicuously in Rome’s high end Tridente shopping district and is an elegant and nicely hidden plush gem. The in-house restaurant Adelaide, is an ode to the Princess Borghese, former resident of this historic site. Procida native, Chef Gabriele Muro has devised a stylish and eclectic menu that brings together his coastal heritage, international experience and local produce. Seasonally changing, find dishes like his gragnano grain spaghetti ‘ajo, ojo e baccalà’ with salt cod, the roast octopus (polpo in Italian), entertainingly entitled Polp Fiction and one of his signature dishes, the tender braised veal cheeks on the menu. The roman classic pastas including the carbonara and amatriciana make an obligatory appearance too. Open at lunch and dinner, enjoy the warm hospitality of Adelaide away from the chaos of Rome. Be sure to say hi to Magdalena Rodriguez, the expert bar mixologist who will prepare a spectacular aperitif or after dinner drink for you. METRO: Spagna

Recommended for Romantic Dining because: Modern and elegant dining, right by the Colosseum is a win-win combination.

Maria’s expert tip: Arrive early and have a ridiculously good cocktail in the lounge bar.

Read more about Adelaide →

Mirabelle is perched on the 7th floor of the luxurious Hotel Splendide Royal and is home to one for the most elegant terraces in Rome. Unobstructed views of everything from the Pantheon to the dome of St Peter’s Basilica can be enjoyed from the roof garden which acts as a magical panoramic space all year round. Executive Chef Stefano Marzetti and Food and Beverage Director Luca Costanzi run the show here and what a delightful show it is. Their impressive wine cellar boasts a never-ending selection of Italian and international labels (over 700 to be exact) and the refined menu with gourmet touches will delight even the fussiest of fine diners. In addition to the a la carte menu, there are three tasting menus to choose from, including Rome’s current complete gluten-free degustation consisting of 5 delectable courses. The classic decor with the live piano gives it an olde world cabaret feel. One thing’s for sure: the meal, the staff and lively atmosphere will more than impress. The view will leave you speechless. Metro: Barberini.

Recommended for Romantic Dining because: What could be more romantic than dinner with a view of the Eternal City? Mirabelle delivers on both levels!

Maria’s expert tip: Try to get in before the sun sets for a pre-dinner cocktail with unforgettable views of the city.

Read more about Mirabelle →

Coincidently, Domenico Stile’s surname means ‘style’ in English. And it couldn’t be a more appropriate description for the service, cuisine and location of Enoteca La Torre. This fine-dining establishment is housed within the elegant Villa Laetitia – a property owned by the Fendi family, of international fashion house fame. Again, a fitting location for Stile’s philosophy because the stunning Art Deco interiors, particularly the floor-to-ceiling glass arched doorways that look out on to the property gardens, are as impressive and refined as his plates. Born in the Gulf of Naples, he began his career at age 15 and it has taken him across Italy and even as far as Chicago. In Italy, he learned from the best having worked with Antonio Cannavacciuolo, Enrico Crippa and Massimo Bottura – to drop just a few names. He and his brigade have managed the kitchen here since 2016 and at 30, is of the youngest chefs in Rome to have a coveted star in the Michelin Guide. He is accompanied by talented sommelier Rudy TravagIi who impeccably leads the wonderful service team. The dishes here provide the perfect balance between Stile’s technical capabilities and his passion for innovation and outstanding produce. His amuse bouche can include anything from toasted pasta parcels filled with carbonara to a play on the Ferrero Rocher with hazelnut-encrusted blue veined buffalo cheese balls. Highlights on the entree and first course list include tuna tartare with beetroot, Greek yoghurt and a roasted rabe broth; red shrimp with cardamom, stracciatella cheese, caviar, citrus essence and mint croquettes; pasta filled with ‘coda alla vaccinara’ (Roman-style braised oxtail); amatriciana semolina rice with a smoked squid twist; and a divine risotto infused with lemons from Amalfi. Take your pick for second courses with one of the standouts being the flame-grilled duck with coriander, offal croquettes, fennel chutney and blood orange. Like all the perfectly presented dishes, desserts are a treat for all the senses, particularly the adventurous meringue and biscuit crumble with wasabi sorbet. Outside the a-la-carte menu, there are two (blind) tasting degustations to choose from 5 courses at E95 or 7 at E130 (excluding beverages). Closed Sunday and Monday at lunch.

Recommended for Romantic Dining because: Stunning art deco details with outstanding elegant dishes to match.

Maria’s expert tip: The evening is special, but a daytime visit with light filtering the gorgeous glass doors won’t disappoint.

Read more about Enoteca La Torre →

If a change really is as good as a holiday, it looks like this guy has had ten of them! One of Rome’s most prominent and talented chefs (Michelin stars and various awards under his belt) caused an uproar in early 2019 when news of him leaving the historic Hotel Hassler was no less shocking for the Roman food world than what would have been, say had John Lennon left the Beatles at the height of their fame! Francesco Apreda made the controversial move after more than a decade and so Idylio was born. Set within the five-star luxurious design Pantheon Iconic Rome Hotel, the philosophy here is rebirth and it can truly be felt. The menu is devised by three distinct tasting menus (6, 7 and 8 courses, 120, 140, 160 euro respectively) and each dish can be ordered individually as you choose. Highlights include the panko-crumbed scallop with black truffle and a surprise buffalo mozzarella center, Apreda’s takes on the roman classics ‘Pollo ai Peperoni’ (his is slow-cooked for 4 days) and ‘Aglio, Olio e Peperoncino’ (this version is served with angel hair pasta and topped with smoked eel), and a delectable, sensory journey with a four-way prepared foie gras. As always, Apreda’s travels through Japan and India and his Neapolitan heritage can be savored throughout the menu. Apreda is supported in the state-of-the-art kitchen by the talented head chef Francesco Focaccia, sous chef Luca Caporilli and pastry chef Edvige Simoncelli. Around 600 labels make the wine list with more to come and the impeccable dining floor service led by Alessandro D’Andrea makes you feel right at home, a rarity in many fine dining establishments. Open for dinner Tuesday to Saturday. Bookings can be made online. Tram: 8, 3.

Recommended for Romantic Dining because: Cozy up for great food and cocktails with a side of jazz!

Maria’s expert tip: Bookings are a must and can be made online. Head over early in the warmer months to have a drink on the Divinity rooftop terrace.

Read more about Idylio by Apreda →

Young Roman chefs who take a risk with the drive to open their own restaurant in this current Italian economy must be applauded. And Antonio Ziantoni is the latest to venture out on his own after stints in some very reputable dining establishments. For four years he worked with Anthony Genovese of Rome’s two-Michelin starred Il Pagliaccio and even with England’s Gordon Ramsey. He chose Trastevere – a neighborhood in need of dining evolution – and his could very well be the Rome restaurant opening of the year. His stellar curriculum and talent will certainly stand him in good stead. The interiors and fit out at Zia are an ode to those all too familiar Scandinavian lines infiltrating the city but with Made in Italy design touches, Ziantoni and co. have truly made it their own. With less than 30 covers, it’s an intimate space and away from the more crowded zones of the quartiere. The menu will attract a crowd looking for quality and innovation on the plate, but the prices are extremely reasonable for Trastevere and for the refined technique you find on the plate. There are 5 entrees,5 first course and 5 main courses to choose from as well as a 5-course tasting menu (55 euro) and a 3-course lunch menu (30 euro). The menu will change each season and some of the current highlights include lamb sweetbreads with mozzarella and tomato; a delectable pulled pork salad; panzerotti with smoked cockerel; and a most tender lamb and mustard dish. And when it comes to dessert, Christian Marasca’s delights don’t disappoint, especially the spectacular Tourbillon. If innovative fine dining is what you’re after in Rome but you don’t want to break the bank, Zia certainly won’t disappoint. TRAM: 3 8. BUS: 75, H.

Recommended for Romantic Dining because: Fine dining without being stuffy, Zia is perfect for a special romantic outing.

Maria’s expert tip: Let the chef treat you to a degustation that you won’t soon forget.

Read more about Zia Restaurant →

Sleek and chic. If Retrobottega was one of Rome’s hottest addresses for contemporary dining before, its recent restyle has sure taken it up a notch. Located right in the heart of the city, between Piazza Navona and the Pantheon, there are only 26 seats at this modern eatery so you’ll have to book to get a seat. The venue has two dining spaces that are centered around the open kitchen so not only do you get to taste Giuseppe Lo Iudice and Alessandro Miocchi’s creations, you see their artistic preparation unfold right before your eyes. These young and experienced chefs (they count brands and names like Bulgari, Anthony Genovese, Il Pagliaccio and Enrico Crippa between them) are all about refined, seasonal dishes in a convivial, minimalist setting. Walking in off those off those old cobblestoned streets is a contrast from old and new and the design features and lighting stand out right away – here, your cutlery is built into the specially designed high top tables which always make for a great conversation starter! You can choose to dine from the menu or a 5-course degustation (where you select two starters, a first and second course and dessert) for 50 euro. The menu changes frequently but think squid and wild boar tartare for entree and first courses like blueberry and veal shank risotto or sea eel and fennel tortellini. On the main course list, you’ll find anything from cuttlefish to pork to pigeon. Dessert is a decadent affair too with an almond, licorice and raisin delight or heartwarming chocolate and salted caramel treat. The wine list is extensive and the staff is super knowledgeable and friendly. Open daily for lunch and dinner. BUS: 64, 70, 85.

Recommended for Romantic Dining because: Classy, fun and contemporary dining in Rome doesn’t get much better than this.

Maria’s expert tip: Look for your cutlery in a cute drawer built into the custom design tables.

Read more about Retrobottega →

Rome’s Ristorante All’Oro has a new home and a stylish one at that! Chef Riccardo di Giacinto and his partner Ramona Anello have just unveiled their 5-star boutique hotel The H’all Tailor Suite and All’Oro (not new to Rome, formerly in Via del Vantaggio) sit like a jewel in her crown. This is not your average hotel restaurant but in a sense, a fine dining restaurant with hotel rooms. Riccardo and Ramona have thought of every particular detail to make you feel as though you’re dining at their place! The restaurant is fitted with plush and luxury colorful interiors and everything from the charcoal fabric covered tables to purple velvet sofa seats are designed with client comfort in mind. The menu brings the same fun and spunk to their age-old signature dishes with a few new ones on the list. Some of the standout dishes included the potato and salt cod tiramisu; a deconstructed carbonara cream in an eggshell; mascarpone ravioli with duck ragu and red wine reduction; and the cheeky take on the old Roman classic, a ball of coda alla vaccinara (slowly braised oxtail) that resembles the Ferrero Rocher chocolate. The fun doesn’t end after dinner with a mirror prop arriving at your table for a Snow White ‘mirror mirror’ moment complete with small apple delights to cleanse the palate. All’Oro is a gastronomic journey that surprises and makes you smile at every turn.

Recommended for Romantic Dining because: Cozy and warm interiors and award-winning cuisine, All’Oro is the perfect romantic combination.

Maria’s expert tip: Bookings here are essential and there’s also a boutique hotel here if you want to take romance further!

Read more about Ristorante All’Oro →

Located in the heart of Rome’s Trastevere, an area full of casual trattorias and bars, Glass Hostaria stands out as a contemporary gem. With a Michelin Star, Cristina Bowerman and her team deliver fine dining in a sophisticated, yet relaxed atmosphere. The fine dining menu is inventive as modern as the interiors and the wine cellar is as impressive as one would expect of an establishment of this caliber. With an international and local crowd, the menu changes seasonally and a degustation experience is the best way to sample the outstanding selection. Tram: 8, Bus: 23, H.

Recommended for Romantic Dining because: Fine and innovative dishes in a timeless contemporary setting.

Maria’s expert tip: Don’t go past Cristina Bowerman’s steak tartare – it is the best in Rome.

Read more about Glass Hostaria →

what began as a hole-in-the-wall in Trastevere, Pianostrada Laboratorio di Cucina has slowly and quietly evolved into a Roman institution. It’s one of the hottest addresses in town and brings together high quality ingredients, contemporary style and service with a smile. You can take a seat on one of the open kitchen bar stools, in the eclectic main dining area or in their pretty, fairylight filled garden. Start off with their homebaked focaccia (the one topped with prosciutto, basil and fig jam never disappoints) and then opt for one of the fresh daily past specials or a the classic, baccaburger – squid ink bun and a delectable salt cod and zucchini flower filling. The ever changing desserts are also an event. The place is packed at both lunch and dinner, so bookings are recommended. TRAM: 8

Recommended for Romantic Dining because: Nothing says romance like views from atop the Spanish Steps in Rome.

Maria’s expert tip: Try the ‘baccaburger’ a burger with a squid ink bun and baccala (salt cod). It’s absolutely to die for!

Read more about Pianostrada Laboratorio di Cucina →

For those looking to add a little more bling to their dining experience and when money isn’t a question, eating at La Pergola restaurant is the icing on the cake. It will turn your Roman Holiday into the ultimate Dolce Vita experience. The exclusive restaurant located on the rooftop of the swanky Rome Cavalieri Waldorf Astoria Hotel. It boasts the best view of the city thanks to its prime position perched atop the Monte Mario hill of Rome. With 3 Michelin stars, it is ranked among the top 50 restaurants in the world. The sommelier can advise you on the best pairing of wine (over 1800 labels) to choose from with your meal. Award-winning chef, Heinz Beck whips up refined and innovative dishes such as veal fillet with black truffles and apple puree, carpaccio of scallops on amaranth, and beef tartare on liquorice-gelatine with caviar. Expect to pay a pretty penny (at least 150 euro a person and that’s on the low-end of the spectrum). BUS: 913.

Recommended for Romantic Dining because: La Pergola is the best restaurant in Rome, if not Italy.

Maria’s expert tip: You will need to make your reservation at least two months in advance.

Read more about La Pergola →

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[pmehtapooja]

Real & Compound Chocolate Market Demand, Global Industry Share, COVID-19 Analysis and Growth 2024

Real and Compound Chocolate Market Overview

The latest studies conducted by Market Research Future (MRFR) propose that the Real and Compound Chocolate Market is slated to touch the valuation of USD 136.99 billion by 2023. The studies also indicate that the real and compound chocolate market will be growing at a rate of 2.11% and 2.81% respectively.

Real and Compound Chocolate Market Drivers and Key Barriers

Cocoa butter replacers are derived from vegetable oils which are themselves processed fat molecules. These processed fat molecules are uniform in nature and therefore, do not require any tempering. At a global level, real chocolate is generally processed and then packaged mainly for direct artisans and consumers. On the other hand, compound chocolates are primarily processed and then packaged for industrial use, confectioneries, bakeries, among others. On that note, new product developments coupled with creative packaging is resulting in the lavish growth of the global real and compound chocolate industry report.

Furthermore, with the drastic improvement in technology, including the processing of chocolate bars and harvesting of cocoa beans, the global market is expected to have a highly gainful run in the coming years. In addition, the growing emphasis on the marketing of products by noteworthy vendors is proving to be instrumental in the real and compound chocolate market size.

The sale of compound chocolate is rising at a rapid pace on account of its lower cost. Ingredients like palm oil, coconut oil, rapeseed oil, cottonseed oil, and soybean oil are considered more pocket-friendly than cocoa butter. Also, substances, including vegetable oil, are replacing cocoa butter for the production of compound chocolate. 

Access Full Report Details and Order this Premium Report @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/real-compound-chocolate-market-1882

Real and Compound Chocolate Market Segmentation

The report states that the global COVID-19 analysis on real and compound chocolate market report has been segmented on the basis of type and application.

The market, depending on the type, can be categorized into real chocolate and compound chocolate. Real chocolate is further segmented into white, dark and milk chocolate, whereas compound chocolate is sub-segmented into dark, white, milk and others. Among these, the milk chocolates currently rule the global market based on its increasing use for the preparation of beverages and food products. Furthermore, dark chocolates are noting tremendous growth as well, owing to a wide host of health benefits associated with its consumption.

Application-based segments in the global real and compound chocolate market share include spreads, seasoning, syrups, desserts, confectionary and bakery. Here, seasonings control the bigger market share with the growing consumption of exotic food products across the globe.

Real and Compound Chocolate Market Leading Players

The leading players in the global real & compound chocolate market include Republica del cacao (South America), Barry Callebaut AG (Switzerland), Mars Inc. (U.S.), Aalst Chocolate Pte. Ltd. (Singapore), Nestle S.A. (Switzerland), Lindt & Sprüngli SpA (Italy), Foley’s Candies Ltd. (Canada), Beryl's Chocolate & Confectionery Sdn. Bhd.(Malaysia), PURATOS Group NV (Belgium), Blommer Chocolate Company (U.S.), Alpezzi Chocolate (Mexico), Valrhona Inc. (France), TCHO (U.S.), Fujian Yake Food Co., Ltd. (China), Ferrero SPA (Italy), Puratos Group NV (Belgium), The Hershey Co. (U.S.), Guittard Chocolate Company, Meiji Co., Ltd. (Japan), Mondelez International, Inc. (U.S.), Ghirardelli Chocolate Company (U.S.), Barry Callebaut AG (Switzerland), and others.

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[priyakadam137-blog]

Confectioneries/Sweets Market 2019 | The demand For Market is Growing Worldwide…

The research study, titled “Global Confectioneries/Sweets market Research Report 2019,” evaluates the historical performance and the current status of this market for a detailed understanding, emphasizing especially on the dynamics of the demand and supply of Confectioneries/Sweets in 2025. This report presents a detailed study of the global market for Confectioneries/Sweets by evaluating the growth drivers, restraining factors, and opportunities at length. The examination of the prominent trends, driving forces, and the challenges assist the market participants and stakeholders to understand the issues they will have to face while operating in the worldwide market for Confectioneries/Sweets in the long run. Request for Sample Report Here @ https://www.acquiremarketresearch.com/sample-request/78157/ The research study further offers a study of the existing status of the key regional markets for Confectioneries/Sweets, namely, China, North America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Japan, the Middle East and Africa, and the Rest of Asia, on the basis of a number of significant Confectioneries/Sweets market parameters, such as, the production volume, pricing of the product, production capacity, sales, demand and supply dynamics, revenue, and the rate of growth of this Confectioneries/Sweets market in each of the regions.

Several segments of the worldwide Confectioneries/Sweets market have also been discussed in this research report with thorough information, considering their historical and existing performance in the global arena. It further maps the competitive landscape of this Confectioneries/Sweets market by evaluating the company profiles of the leading market players, such as Delfi Limited (Singapore), Ezaki Glico Co., Ltd. (Japan), Ferrero SpA (Italy), Lindt & Sprüngli AG (Switzerland), Lotte Confectionery Co. Ltd. (South Korea), Mars, Incorporated (U.S.), Mondelez International, Inc. (U.S.), Nestlé S.A. (Switzerland), The Hershey Company (U.S.), Wrigley Jr. Company (U.S.). On the basis of the product, the market has been classified into: Sugar, Chocolate, Fine bakery wares, Others Based on the application, the market has been categorized into:  Adult, Child For More Information On This Report, Please Visit @ https://www.acquiremarketresearch.com/industry-reports/confectioneries-sweets-market/78157/ The report implements various analytical tools including SWOT analysis, Porters Five Forces analysis, and Capacity Utilization analysis to render a validated evaluation of the Confectioneries/Sweets market. It also comprehends futuristic business opportunities, scope as well as market threats, challenges, barriers, obstacles, and regulatory framework to give a profound idea about the Confectioneries/Sweets market that aids reader to form own business stratagem accordingly to meet their resolved business goals. The growth trajectory of each of the segments has been provided in this study, in global terms and in each of the regional markets, creating a descriptive analysis of the overall Confectioneries/Sweets market. This research study has also discussed the current and the upcoming ventures in the worldwide market for Confectioneries/Sweets at length, making it of special value for companies, consultants, and other stakeholders functioning in this Confectioneries/Sweets market.

[mujaitaly17-blog]

Italians go nuts over 70-year-old spread

by Molly Mehle

After a few weeks in Italy, there are certain commonalities that I’ve picked up on about which foods Italians fancy. Every street corner and road is lined with gelaterias and little shops, offering endless amounts and varieties of desserts and delicacies. Aside from the various treats Florence has to offer, I’ve noticed an astonishing amount of Nutella. Nutella gelato, Nutella crepes, Nutella muffins; basically, Italians incorporate Nutella into just about everything. 

A large sign advertising Nutella hangs from a store ceiling on a hot day in Florence on June 15, 2017. Crepes con Nutella are a common type of dolce delicacy in Italy.

It may just be considered a chocolate and nut spread to Americans, but the Nutella we now know and love has historical roots in Italy. Following World War II in around 1946, the invention of Nutella sprung from a lack of cocoa. Pietro Ferrero, born in the Italian region of Piedmont, combined his pastry making skills with innovation and created a sweet, hazelnut paste that didn’t need as much cocoa. The spread was originally intended to be paired with bread and was labeled as “SuperCrema” in 1951. By 1964, the familiar and famous brand name “Nutella” was born.  

In current-day America, you can find a jar of Nutella at basically any convenience store. They make mini packets for eating on the go, some even with wafers for dipping. Through my time in Italy thus far, I’ve picked up on the traditional meal protocols for Italians regarding breakfast, lunch, and dinner. For instance, as opposed to the American-style breakfast with eggs, hash browns, and bacon, Italians have a light breakfast of bread and fruit with café (café Americano, that is). I’ve seen sidewalk cafes offering Nutella-filled croissants, Nutella muffins, or simply bread with Nutella spread, all of which make ideal, easy breakfast choices for Italians.

A container of “Nutella-& Go” sits on the shelf of a Florence tabaccheria on June 15, 2017. Originally sold simply in a glass jar, the Nutella brand has created different products expand on its success.

Through the large amount of gelaterias and cafes in which I’ve been in the last few weeks, I’ve noticed many places with a giant Nutella jar replica either hanging from the ceiling or perched on the glass above gelato flavors. Considering the popularity of Hazelnuts in the area, it’s been interesting to see just how many ways Italians enjoy Nutella in their day-to-day cuisine choices. Florence is loaded with shops for dolci, or sweets, and almost all I have seen offer some sort of Nutella pairing. In a city of artisans and expert foodies, it’s only natural that the legacy of hazelnuts in Italy lives on in cuisine today.

To put the Nutella craze into perspective, Italians as a whole consume at least 60 million jars yearly, whether it’s spread on bread or eaten straight from the container. The Italian recipe for Nutella contains 56 percent sugar, 19 percent vegetable oils, 13 percent hazelnuts, 6.6 percent skimmed milk powder, whey powder, soy lechitin, and cocoa. Although America has embraced the popular spread and is sold in many other countries as well, Italians take pride in the fact that Nutella originated in Italy.

A tall “Nutella-&-Go” display stands in a Firenze Santa Maria Novella train station café on June 14, 2017. While the café offers a variety of snacks and treats, the highly popular Nutella display dominates the space.

Today, people around the world think of Nutella as a chocolaty spread; it can go on toast, fruit, or licked off a spoon. Rewinding back to 1946 in Piedmont, Italy, Pietro Ferrero claimed ultimate authority over Nutella’s fame. Popping in and out of markets and tobacco shops here in Florence, it’s fascinating to find a jar of the authentic cocoa hazelnut spread with which Italians are familiar. Sure, there are jars and jars of Nutella, Nutella to Go, B-ready bars, and so forth, but the authentic spreads can sometimes be found right beside the bright white and red Nutella labeled jars. Especially in Italian specialty food shops, I’ve noticed the price difference of Nutella in comparison to the real stuff. A jar of Majani Crema Fiat Noir, for example, costs 10,50 € . Sitting on the shelf to the right, a jar of branded Nutella is only about 5 €. All in all, it’s clear that there are perceived values of the different qualities. 

On the far right, a jar of Ferrero Nutella sits on the Florence market shelf, costing 5 € on June 15, 2017. Other brands of similar spreads including “La Regale” and “Novi” have costs between 5,50 € and 9,90 €, illustrating the effect quality can have on price.  

During my time abroad, I’ve heard a few times about the impact of Americanizing Italy on native Italians. There has been a lot of emphasis on the importance of food and cuisine as a part of Italian culture, hence the lack of enthusiasm Italians show towards American chains popping up in Italian cities. As one country starts merging aspects of another country, it makes sense that there can be hesitance from local Italians. While having American chains such as McDonalds, Subway or Burger King are obvious examples, even an Americanized version of Nutella can disrupt the origins of Italian culture. After living in Italy, especially for those born and raised here, the small cultural disruptions can add up and shed a negative light on America.

Despite the sometimes problematic run-ins with Americanized Nutella, Italians still have a love for the spread. Since 2007, February 5 has been considered “World Nutella Day,” which illustrates the world’s obsession. While there may be differences in details and recipes, Ferrero hit the jackpot with the invention of Nutella. On each jar of Nutella and any Nutella-associated product, Ferrero is written in bold print. Although the recipe has been altered to a point for production in the U.S., Pietro Ferrero still takes the cake for inventing the famous chocolate hazelnut fad, and his name is there to prove it. 

An extremely common sight in Italy, a local gelateria showcases a large jar of Nutella on June 19, 2017. Many shops serve a chocolate hazelnut gelato flavor, which continues to be a popular indulgence for Italians.

[nycrunning]

November was something… I ended up with the most mileage and tons of great runs… It started with the Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5K, a hilly 5K through many NYC touristic attractions like the United Nations, Grand Central Station, the NY Public library, Central Park, etc, all the way to the NYC Marathon finish line. I made a little video if you want to see what it looks like. It’s quite fun.

The next day, of course, was the marathon… I started the day early with a 12 mile run before spectating. It was a gorgeous day.

The Argentinian flag by the finish line!

We started the cheering around 10:30, when some of the wheelchair athletes were still going through First Avenue. We saw the pros and a LOT of friends, a LOT.

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We then moved the cheering party to Fifth Avenue for a few hours. I had little voice left but we managed to yell and cheer for a few more hours.

After a quick lunch and regroup we headed to the finish line to cheer on the last finishers. That is the biggest party!

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November has a lot of races and amazing runs… because the leaves change, it’s just magical out.  Here is one example:

I run a bit of the 60K to keep Michael company, that was fun:

The next day, I was signed up for two races. I know people who have done this but I never had. First, a 4 Miler in Central Park, at 8 am:

That went fine. Then some caffeine and up on the 1 train to Van Cortland Park for a trail 5K at 11:30 am.

That was intense… Legs were stiff right at the start of the 2nd race (it was a bit cold) but once we got moving it was fine. Happy it was a short race or I would have gotten hungry.. it was noon and all!

A few days later was Thanksgiving and spent it with family!

I am also lucky that I have a friend who lives close to my family and took me out for a 7-mile trail run, post-Turkey.

Looks sunny but don’t be fooled: it was freezing!!

That weekend we also did an exploratory long run into Queens and the neighborhoods that would be affected by Amazon’s takeover of the area. The LIC QNS waterfront has been evolving a lot in the last few years and it looks amazing. For now at least.

Told you it was a LOT!!

DATA DOWNLOAD

Total Miles: 173, that IS GOOOOOD!

Downs: Not one.

Ups: All the fun fall folliage runs… Running can be quite epic in November, when there is daylight to see it! Also, finally caught up with my yearly mileage!

Balance: ALL so good. Hey December, TOP THIS!

October

Don’t call it a comeback, but I wish it was! In October, my legs finally felt good to go again, after about 3-4 months of some twinge, strain or whatever it was. I should have stopped running and I would have been fine in a month or two, BUT I was not going to miss Summer Streets… that really messed it all up. And I was managing it properly so I didn’t have to stop running but it took waaay too long because I didn’t really take the time to fix it. Anyway, I did the Bronx 10 miler (here is the report and here is a short video of the race),

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and a week later I did the Divas Half Marathon in Long Island -a tough race for me as I was all alone after mile 4 (how do the elites do it??). Here is a video of the race.

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Then, I took a last-minute flash trip to Argentina to see the family, especially my pregnant sister and I had some amazing runs. I did a long run from Palermo to Vicente Lopez and back, and a few more runs around Palermo and inside El Rosedal. It was epic. Here is a little video I put together.

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When I came back home, there were many great runs, as it was the few weeks before the TCS New York City Marathon and there are really waaaay too many events. Which is a great thing if you can clone yourself. Otherwise, it’s FOMO all day long as it’s impossible to go to everything. Take your picks and don’t look back!

The last weekend of the month, and the week before the marathon, I do the Polland Spring 5 Miler. It was a great run with Michael, we chatted the whole way and it was my 21st race this year, a PR. Not a really a PR but I’ll take it! I am behind on mileage and still really really slow so that’s all I have these days…! Good enough for me!

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Closing up the month with a visit to the marathon expo to pick up my bib for the Abbott Dash 5K, will report on that soon!

DATA DOWNLOAD

Total Miles: 140, oh well. SO behind my goals this year

Downs: NONE

Ups: running in Buenos Aires was literally epic. I can’t get over how fun that was!

Balance: ALL thumbs up!

September

hello Friends!

September was more work and socials and running… Is that a good thing? emmmm. You can decide (and keep it to yourself, as I like to say). There were some epic runs and some crappy runs. Mileage was pathetic not impressive. Some runs made it all worth it. We did a run to the Little Red Lighthouse, which was awesome.

I had no pain and I felt strong. The next long run was awful. The day after was AWESOME. Get the jist? A run to the Bronx and back last week was great. I was a bit all over the place (meaning: not just in Central Park) but I really like that. Had a few long runs with Kettia and Khris (as you can see I have a favorite pair of Oakleys).

The run to the Bronx was awesome but I got no pictures. I get distracted sometimes, I AM truly sorry!

Ah the sad part: Juan was ready and all packed to leave to China for his half Ironman and the RACE GOT CANCELLED…

Sad. Now we’re BOTH going to another one in November… in China also. It’s about 33 hours door to door, exciting! Gotta learn some Mandarin, help please!

and then I started feeling better. It was instantaneous. The little itch I had in the back of my leg went away last Thursday and voila… there goes 4 months of what the hell is this? but I am back! 

And Sunday was the New Balance Bronx 10 Miler, ohoooo. I’ll refer you to the official post, but it was fun. Slow as F but fun. Oh well, here comes the time to pick back up the speed. yeeeeeey.

DATA DOWNLOAD

Total Miles: 116, ooops, went from the biggest month to a very small one. OK.

Downs: my knee had a weird twitch and I was getting very tired of it. Had to skip the Newport Half to make sure I was giving it the rest and time it needed.

Ups: I finally felt ok in the last week: strong and ready to push back. 

Balance: Good now. I feel I am back to normal. Slow but normal.

August

is always a good month because of SUMMER STREETS, literally, I should be hired by the Summer Streets People because I feel like a community evangelizer. That is all I talk about to anyone all year long. You know it. Anyway, to recap: I like Summer Streets. A bit. If you just met me or this is the first time you read this blog, Summer Streets happens 3 weekends in August, on Saturdays: they close traffic on Park Avenue in the Upper East Side all the way to the Brooklyn Bridge, for 5 hours. It’s MAGIC.

If you missed it, shame on you (and, how are we friends???). If you never heard of it, pen it in for next year and don’t make vacation plans or don’t say yes to weddings. If you don’t live in NYC, get tickets now. 

So, Summer Streets was awesome, even though it RAINED ALL THREE SATURDAYS as you can see in the pictures (ugh) and we have to chop one run short because there was lightning, thunderstorm and flash flooding (but mostly because with all that water I couldn’t keep my contacts inside my eyes…!). It was still awesome. 

The day after the first Summer Streets, July something, a Sunday, I run the NYRR Manhattan Mile, a new race and a distance I’ve never run. So, automatic PR you say? Meh I don’t count those, but I WILL COUNT THE NEXT TIME I RUN THIS DISTANCE because I run it as slow AF. So, here we go: I have a bum knee. It’s not chondromalacia patellae, it’s not ITBS, I’ve ruled out a lot of things but it’s just weird because it hurts VERY randomly. AND, if I take time off, it hurts more. Go figure that one out. Good luck. Anyway, that day my knee was hurting so I struggled to finish. It was also like one hundred million degrees celsius/fahrenheit. 

Luckily I had Jackie, Michael and Brian to not only keep me company but throw power boosts at me during the last mile where they all decided to pick it up and I was just not into it. Aw, friends that throw stuff at you while you want to curl and cry are the BEST! ❤ I guess.

HA.

The next weekend was another combo of Summer Streets and a race. This time I attempted to do two races on Sunday and it didn’t work out AT ALL. I wanted to do the France Run, a 5 miler in Central Park at 8, and then scoot out to Williamsburg (in Brooklyn, for all my international readers! This Wsburg is in BK, not Colonial Pennsylvania, as I had to be told a few times in my first years in NYC coming from Philly!!!) (where was I?) then scoot out to Williamsburg to race the Brooklyn Mile. My heat was at 9:30 am. Possible?? Not really. What was I thinking? Not only David and I run France Run as slow as we possibly could without bursting into a walk spider-crawl, BUT we then proceeded to be extra stooopid fun after we finished and pretend talk in French and rename everything. We then also decided, while it rained, to taste and eat all the French things they had… chocolate, financiers, it was good… oooops, it’s 9:30! CRAP. And the truth is, I wasn’t in any shape to race a mile. My knee agreed (probably).

The last weekend of August (am I missing one???) it was a doubleheader. I did the Percy Sutton 5K in Harlem on Saturday and the Henry Isola 4 Mile XC in Van Cortlandt, Bronx, on Sunday. Who knew I could handle it? The knee was stoopid all week so I run to the 5K with Kettia and David SUPER slow, like 11 pace and was thinking to maybe cheer. I felt 100% pain-free so I decided to race. It was slow (23:06 It think, 7:24 pace) well, yes, I haven’t done anything hard in 2 months so I couldn’t expect much more but I felt good and that is all I cared about. Plus it was fun. We met lots of people, Frankie run me in, we had an hour-long stop on the run back… it was all shit and giggles, the way a race morning should be (to me, don’t judge!).

We run back. I ended up with like 10 miles… then… the next day, cause I felt ok… (who feels ok the day after a 5k?) I decided to run to the Bronx to run the Henry Isola 4 miler. It’s in the trails and it’s cross country. Ummmmmmm I was an XC virgin and had NO IDEA what I was doing. I didn’t even know why my age and gender was on my bib! Or how we all run on the grass and not the path…? it was all so weird. So, I’ve done trail races, like ultras, or like Bear Mountain 50K, or stuff like that. But this was SOOO DIFFERENT. Fast but also trails, crazy. Anyway, I run to the Bronx, got there at 8 am, race was starting at 9 and it was SO BURNING HOT already… I started feeling all the heatnessticity before we even started. It’s a smaller race than the typical NYRR race, like a LOT smaller. 40% of it were we out of the trails and in THE SUN. The last loop was hard and I won’t admit this to myself but there’s a chance I didn’t negative split this race. It was still great though (if can call walking up Cemetery Hill twice because your legs can’t run up, then yes it was great).

I think you can tell how HOT it was. Maybe by the sun situation, or my sweat situation, or maybe becase my hair is fried. I didn’t run back home. At all. I tried. But no.

DATA DOWNLOAD

Total Miles: 157, biggest mileage month so far this year. Just checked and my biggest month was 187 miles in October 2016. 

Races: Four. Two were miserable/slow. One was ok, one was awesome.

Ups: UM, HELLO, SUMMER STREETS. Did you forget already??? Also, that’s the most miles I run in a month this year. Catching up.

Downs: THIS STOOOOPID KNEE. Sorry, sorry, I still need love you knee, please don’t hurt me, anymore, prettyplease?

Balance: I wanna feel un-pain again and run hard, and do speedwork and I hate this crap. 

July

I barely remember July already and it was just now. My parents were still visiting so we kept touristing around and we had an amazing Fourth of July with all the official NYC fireworks on the East River. Epic. I did two races, with meh performances. The first one was the NYRR

hair working hard for the picture, post-Retro 4 Miler

 Retro 4 Miler, and I was really lame to not dress up, or back?  I seriously will wear any costume but just like happens every single Thanksgiving Halloween, I don’t care enough to remember more than 1 minute ahead of time. Every year I tell myself I am totally going to dress up next year and then I forget. Then every year, when the costumey event happens, I tell myself I am gonna set a reminder in the calendar for a month BEFORE Halloween/race/etc so I can plan ahead… but I am a snooze-hitter with things I don’t really want to bother with (NOT the alarm, you KNOW I wake up before the alarm even goes off!), and I use my go-to motto: if I didn’t bother doing it so far, no chance in hell this is gonna get done ever. Just like with the emails at the bottom of my inbox. If it’s been 2-3 days, there’s a high chance they won’t get opened/read/replied to… AAAANYWAY, I didn’t wear a costume for the Retro Run because I am lame. But people do, and it’s SUPER fun and I really really really always wish I did. mooooving on. Ah, so, the race. Wasn’t feeling it. I met with Courtney to do about 4 or 5 miles before and I kept wanting to go home. I was THIS close. Does that ever happen to you?

Then, I also did the NYRR R U N 5K in Central Park last week. Also wasn’t fast or anything special. It was a bit like hell hot so I decided to hold it in a bit. I managed to not kill myself. It was meh, but I love that course, it’s pretty fast with just one hill. Saw like a million people I knew, which was fun as always to catch up and chit chat and all those things with lots of chs in them. cha cha cha.

If anything else exciting, fun, amazing happened, I either don’t remember or it’s totally private or NSFW! HAAA, got you thinking!!!

DATA DOWNLOAD

exciting huh? I am behind on my mileage… been behind since,… January??? I am lazy or having too much fun, you decide.

Total Miles: 152, not bad, not bad… not amazing but the most this year. July is a good month to run!

Races: 2. LAME!!!! Last month I had 6… so… AH THAT’S WHY MY MILEAGE IS UP!!!

Ups: I heart running in the summer. LOVE IT. JULY NEEDS TO BE 325 DAYS PLEASE.

Downs: omg my hair in the weather. HELP. Send the firemen or the paramedics or Paolo Puttanesca asap.

Balance: I have no idea. ALL I CARE ABOUT RIGHT NOW IS SUMMER STREETS. SUMMER STREETS STARTS IN TWO DAYS. SUMMER STREETS IS THE BEST. SUMMER STREETS HERE I COME. SUMMER STREETS IS THE BEST. DID I TELL YOU I LOVE SUMMER STREETS?

can you tell I am melting?

June

was a great month. Let me break it down before I forget it all (photos and a super organized calendar really do help!). I often wondered if I should do these weekly… there is so much to say but then I forget. Anyway, JUNE was BUSY, My parents came to visit from Argentina, which is awesome, they come every other year, for about a month and it was amazing. We did everything, we went everywhere, I got myself them so tired every single day…. it was awesome and rough at the same time. We literally did it all in a month. We even went to Miami for a few days of untamable hair and sticky skin. I forgot how insanely hot Miami is in the summer. #protip, don’t effing go to Miami in the summer, ever. or really, at any other time but definitely NO in the summer.

Anyway, the month started with the Italy Run NYC, a 5-mile race in Central Park, sponsored by Ferrero where I proceeded to smear Nutella all over me post-race, best celebration possible, correct? Before you ask, there are no pictures of that because it’s a LIE. Race was good; my performance… meh (actually, I don’t remember anymore!).

Literally 3 days later, I did another race, the Summer Series 5K in Prospect Park. It’s on Wednesdays at 7 pm, which REALLY messes up my sleep AND my Thursday morning run with my Flyers friends, BUT…I kinda love showing up because:

I see lots of friends I don’t see every day in Central Park

I cherish (and also hate) racing in a different course than the ones I did one million times in CP (though it’s also harder)

Love the small race ambiance

Also, don’t remember much I think (given there is a picture of my holding a medal, duh) that I placed and I got a medal. Oh, and I totally remember I got something like 71% AG. YEAH, nbd.

And… 3 days right after this one, I had the 3rd race in 6 days… can you imagine how that one is gonna go???? So, Saturday morning was a Mini10K, which is a mega party, so I wasn’t going to miss it. BUT, I also wasn’t going to miss the other mega party Friday night… So come Saturday morning I was a MESS… my feet hurt (from the heels or dancing, who knows!) and I was sleeeeeeepy, SO SLEEEEEPY. I have no idea why, NOT ONLY I SHOWED UP TO THE RACE, BUT I also met Elizabeth (she is real, I promise) to do 4 miles before the race. MENTAL.

But, it was all worth it. I run it, EASY, with 3 friends, and it was a frigging BLAST. I regret nothing. #noregerts.

Told you it was FUN! Yeah, I was physically miserable but no one remembers that… smh. So then my parents arrived and we started the daily tour of all the food and all the things we don’t tell the tourists about. AND the World Cup. June was literally mental. Somehow I managed to get to Queens the next weekend, early, to run the Queens 10K. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to make the trek because Argentina was playing at 9 am against Iceland and I’d miss the first half, but so happy I went… Not only I had tons of fun at the race, I SOMEHOW (…miraculously) managed to do OK. Noooo, not a PR or even close but I got up to 69% AG, I was just one minute off from my PR, which is from frigggggging 2013! Does that even count anymore? I say NO.

I am a sucker for high-fives!

Then, wait for this because the madness doesn’t stop there…. I did TWO races the next weekend!!!! YEAH, again, NBD! Crazy, right? I agree. It’s good that I am a biomechanics coach and I know what I am doing because otherwise my leggies would have fallen off by then… Saturday was the Pride Run and OMG I WAS NOT GONNA MISS THAT. I always race the Achilles Hope and Possibility race (which was going to the next day), so I decided to take the Pride Run easy and save my legs for Sunday. Only… I didn’t quite do that. I ended up with a lot of fun AND 12 miles… oooops. #mischiefmanaged (for you all PotterHeads!)

Jackie, Mary, Michael and I run the whole thing chatting from start to end. And the outfits were ON POINT.

Sunday I woke up to do a few miles before the Achilles Hope and Possibility race and I was wishing I had raced the day before… It was muggy, humid, gross and I was tired. You do what you can.

David and Patricia (and corrals B,C,D,E and F) smoked me but I was happy. My parents had come to spectate and it was AWESOME. They came both days. They LOVED IT. Those two races and really something. REALLY REALLY something.

The next weekend was a wash because I was out of town, and back just on July 1st to watch the husband race the NYC TRI, with the parents and my cheering crew along. TRIATHLETES ARE CRAZY, just saying. But he’s so cute, it evens out.

DATA DOWNLOAD

Total Miles: 139, eeeeeek. too much racing makes the mileage go puff!

Races: SIX. 6 races in month. That’s probably maybe a PR, at least this year… ha, I have 12 races this year, 6 in ONE MONTH. 

Ups: All the fun things I did with the parents…!!! The Nutella at the Italy Run was HEAVEN. The Mini10K was SO FUN. Queens was a MEGA REVELATION. Pride and Achilles get me teary every time…

Downs: Mileage was yuk and I am behind my yearly goal. Tapering before races and how sore I am sometimes after…

Balance: ALL AWESOME!!!! I can’t believe I did all those races with all the other stuff I had going on…!

May

May was a whirlwind!! So much happened, and so many races also! I remember I started the month with something we had planned since September last year: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child!

Call me a Potterhead, That was awesome! Twelve hours later, I was up early for the Newport 10K, just over the Hudson, one of my favourite 10Ks, because 1, it’s flat, 2, the finish line bagels (and I don’t really like bagels!). The race was a blast as usual: I’ve run it a few times and it always delivers! It’s usually hot but I love the vibe and the views!

Of course, as usual, there were many runs and stairs workouts sprinkled through the month:

And then there was the Japan Run. I remembered being tired from something but then, at the start, I met with Brian and Nick and Jackie, and we all decided to run together and pace Jackie. Those are my favorite types of races!

Way too much fun was had!! The next weekend, just so I wouldn’t fall off the wagon, I run the NYPD Memorial Run 5K. It was HOT and humid but I rallied and for the first time in months, I did OK. I measure my race performances by AG and I feel I do ok when I get close or over the 70% AG mark. Lately, I had been around 64% to 69%, and in this race I went back up to 70% wohoooo. Also, it was super fun to run on the West Side Highway. I really like how wide it is there.

Then, three days later, after a brutal stairs workout and speedwork, we raced the Prospect Park Summer Series 5K: no biggie. The course was slower (as there is a hill in Prospect Park) but I managed very similar results! Just like 10 or 20 seconds off. I find it so weird to race at night (well, 7 pm), that I find it quite amusing to try to figure out what to eat, how much, when, etc. Of course, then I slept like crap after because I was so wired!

That was a lot of racing…!

DATA DOWNLOAD:

  Total Miles: 147, coming back up, but it’s hard with those short races because I feel like I need a good taper before and then my legs are thrashed for a few days…

Races: FOUR, here we go. Racing season is upon us!

Ups: the NYPD and the Summer Series 5K were definitely a surprise! I wasn’t expecting to do so well (NOT IN PR SHAPE YET THOUGH, ok?) and even though I don’t feel as strong as I used to, feeling in control of the situation really helps! One more thing: Central Park blossoming is the BEST!

Downs: how tired my legs feel two days after any short race! YUK

Balance: VERY HAPPY

So, I need to race more. Even if I am not in fighting shape or without any kind of expectations, I really enjoy it. The fewer expectations I have, the more fun I have, and so I go out there controlled and just let the race happen. I’ve actually started measuring races and performance by the amount of time it takes me to get back home, aka “how much fun I have”. For example, the NYPD Memorial Run was at 9 am and I got home at 4 pm: THAT is a successful race in my eyes now. The truth is I am not always (or ever again!) be as fast as I used to be or as I would like to be or as I would expect to be, so what should I do? Stay home until I feel I am in shape? HECK NO. To me, races are not a test of my fitness or “what I get from the work I put in” but a chance to enjoy with the community of friends who like to get out and enjoy the park with one foot in front of another trying to stay healthy. Yes, I’ll push hard here and there, but if one day I don’t feel like it or I decide to stick with a friend, it’ll be no different: it just HAS to be fun. 

April

We started the month in Argentina, which was great because it was WARM and hey, it was vacations. Got to see the fam and a few touristy things of course, and yeah, a few runs with Juan. Oh and of course I ate my face away. Lots of asado and steaks but also a lot of nikkei, my favourite non-native cuisine while in Argentina (my favourite non-native in the US is Japanese and French, you always gotta know where to get what!). I got back, I did a 4 miler in Central Park, the Run as One… it was so long ago, I can barely remember, or maybe it’s because I’ve been racing a lot the last two months! Oh yeah, I remember I got really hot (I was overdressed) and started way too fast or something, here is one picture!

I obviously spent some time running around, exhibit A:

or working:

or with Juan, usually eating crap:

and/or usually with friends, running or not!!!

DATA DOWNLOAD:

Total Miles: 119. Ooops. That’s low. I really vacationed in Argentina… IT HAPPENS, OKAY?

Races: just one but it was more like a tempo, wasn’t expecting to go all out.

Ups: the fun runs!

Downs: didn’t get a lot done!

Balance: it was good -> lots of blossoming happening all over NYC made it amazingly beautiful!

March

March is always a good month because it is my birthday!!! HA. I started the month with a race, the NYRR Washington Heights Salsa, Blues and Shamrocks 5K (there is a post there), which wasn’t great time wise but it was fun. See proof here:

There was a lot of running, maybe not tons of miles, because it was still cold as hell Alaska? ok Alaska, but it got done. 

And the United NYC Half happened. I saw so many of you there. That was an intense week and I was REALLY just a bit jealous of everyone running the new course. I got to run parts of it last year and was on one of the Pro lead trucks on race day and it looked amazing!! and everyone looked SO happy at the finish line… Really jelly So happy for you all!!!

We then went to San Antonio for a few quiet days of pulled pork and warmer weather. For my bday. We ate a LOT.  We run a bunch too:

DATA DOWNLOAD:

Total Miles: 151, it’s starting to pick up

Races: one. and I was so not wanting to race!

Ups: I did a lot of really great runs

Downs: still not feeling my best.

Balance: not letting it get to me. Let’s hope the nicer weather brings better running!

Also, one more thing I forgot to report on this whole year. A few friends and I have been doing monthly challenges. January was squats, February was pushups, March was planks. We usually just grab one from popsugar.com. Basically it tells you how many to do every day and each day is a bit more. It’s interesting. Maybe you’d want to try it with a few friends? we all text each other to make sure we’re all doing them EVERY DAY… Protip: it works better with a reward at the end of the month!!!!!!!!!!

February

was weird. I happened so quick I barely noticed. Instead of ice-fest, we had a few meltdowns (all kinds of meltdowns!) and even one day in the 70s… OH OH what are people going to use now to discredit “””global warming“””? I feel so bad for those polar bears, and hey, we won’t be moving to Venice anytime soon. Glad I live in a 2nd floor too, but I digress… Anyway, my body decided also to have a meltdown and I had a couple of stooopid issues (my hormones have decided they need more attention than any Kardashian!) and even some very very easy runs where my heart rate was about 50 over the usual… anyway, I was signed up for the NYRR Al Gordon Brooklyn 4M, and I was literally too tired to get up. Of course, I ended up running 11 miles in Central Park instead but my pace was 10:00 and my heart rate was at 82%. Insane. You just can’t win them all, can you? About two weeks ago, I spent the husband and I spent two hours shopping for half marathons for me… I came up with not a lot. If you have any ideas, let me know. Also, my running is so up and down I’ve started questioning if I should try to take some weeks/months off so my body doesn’t feel pressured and maybe that would help?

ha, I was just kidding! I’d be super hyper and way too annoying after just two days and waaaaay unhappy. So, let me just slow down, do it when my body is ok with it, and just enjoy it with no pressure. Deal?

So, I had a few awesome runs, still.

  Plus it was Valentine’s Day and who thinks we’d let any reason to celebrate pass by? any excuse works!

Also, I got to spend some quality time at work (at NYRR) with some people you might know… Meb and Jenny. Do you even need last names? Don’t think so! Meb is now a Team for Kids Ambassador and Jenny is a Rising NYRR Ambassador and both were in town to run the Virtual For the Kids 5K race. If you haven’t check NYRR’s Virtual Races, you should.

  Anyway, it all went waaay too fast!

DATA DOWNLOAD

Total Miles: 124, emmm, got lazy a bit!

Races: big old zero for the year

Ups: weather got surprisingly “hot”. 40s and some 50s even.

Downs: not feeling my best.

Balance: i am getting a bit frustrated. cause, wtf.

January

was really cold. The first two weeks we set cold weather records. It was awful. Running was awful. I started the year working at the midnight run and it was really really cold. I wore everything and it was still crazy cold. But it’s a super fun race!

It was so cold that the races on the second weekend of January got canceled. I managed to run both Saturday and Sunday but it was insanely cold. Everyone kept asking me what I was training for, as most people assumed I had to get the miles in for some marathon or something. I am not really training for anything, just trying to not let the winter win. I can’t say I loved it, but I got out there.

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As you can see there was a couple of blizzards in there, snow, ice, and all the layers. Luckily we had planned a trip to Mexico for mid-January to escape the cold. The vacation part was uneventful but we had a few epic runs with Juan (the husband!).

First night in the hotel, a guy who worked there came up to talk to Juan as he was wearing his 2017 TCS New York City Marathon shirt, to ask him if he had run the marathon. Turned out that Armando, our new friend at the hotel, was a runner too and invited us to his team’s workout the next morning. So, at 6:30 am we went out to meet up the Red Runners, who were having a special run as one of their teammates had passed that week. There was a half an hour of a warm-up, everyone in a circle, probably around 130 people, and the coach had a microphone and big speakers. Before we headed out, we all got one white rose to carry for the memorial. We all run together to a gorgeous lighthouse I never would have seen, we got there with the sunrise, there were speeches, even a triathlete pastor, there were prayers, and we run back with the boombox in tow. Everyone was together. It was very moving. And everyone was so welcome to this stranger. It was very special.

  When I travel, to me, the best thing EVER is to hang with the locals. Nothing could have beat that run.

Juan and I did have a few osom runs. The day after the run with Red Runners, there was a race in town, which we didn’t sign up for because registration was miles and miles away but we run to the start and finish to cheer/spectate. Funnest part: Kukulcan road (the main drag) had no traffic for the race. Quite FUN!

  The next few days we did great. We did a tempo together and we run back to the lighthouse so Juan could see it. We managed to get the sunrise too.

  And like that, we were back and the month was over!

DATA DOWNLOAD!

Total Miles: 140

Races: not even one. But we spectated at one..!

Ups: the runs in Mexico!

Downs: running in the sub 10 temperatures (which is like minus 20 in Celsius). NOT FUN. WITH WIND!

Balance: can it be June now? I really miss racing a LOT.

November 2018 - the year is almost over! November was something... I ended up with the most mileage and tons of great runs... It started with the Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5K, a hilly 5K through many NYC touristic attractions like the United Nations, Grand Central Station, the NY Public library, Central Park, etc, all the way to the NYC Marathon finish line.

[gabrieldeflorio-blog]

What the Nutella inventor taught us

New Post has been published on https://gabrieldeflorio.com/what-the-nutella-inventor-taught-us/

What the Nutella inventor taught us

  As you already know if you’ve been following me for a while, I’m Italian. As you can guess from the proliferation of the tricolor if you have come here by chance, I am Italian. My country is famous in the world for so many wonderful things. You will probably know Nutella for example: hazelnut chocolate cream famous all over the world.

But we rarely talk about entrepreneurs, especially if they are of the highest level.

The inventor of Nutella was called Michele Ferrero: born in Dogliani (in Piedmont) in 1925 and died in 2015 he was the creator of an avalanche of successful products from his group. He was the richest man in Italy for years, a fortune estimated by Forbes in 24 billion dollars, at that time almost three times that of the much better-known Berlusconi.

Today I am talking about him because a document I had gently put aside to preserve it and that I think contains an infinity of wisdom of other times, came into my hands.

These are some guidelines that Ferrero wrote in a letter to his managers to “instruct” them to the best. I translate them because you can learn a lot:

Maximum to follow in contacts with the staff: “When you talk to an individual remember: he is also important”.

Put your employees at ease in your contacts: – Dedicate the necessary time to them and not the “crumbs”. – Take care to listen to what they have to say to you. – Do not give them the impression that you are on thorns. – Never let them feel “small”. – The most comfortable chair in your office is for them.

Make clear decisions and get help from your employees, they will believe in the choices they have made.

Make the collaborators participate of the changes and discuss them before their implementation with the interested parties.

Communicate the favorable comments to the workers, the unfavorable ones communicate them only when necessary, in this last case do not limit yourself to a criticism, but indicate what must be done in the future because it serves to learn.

Your interventions are always timely: “Too late” is as dangerous as “Too early”.

Act on causes rather than behavior.

Consider the problems in their general appearance and do not miss the details, leave a certain margin of tolerance to the employees.

Always be human.

Do not ask for impossible things.

Admit your mistakes serenely, it will help you not to repeat them.

Worry about what your employees think of you.

Do not pretend to be everything for your collaborators, in this case you would end up being nothing.

Beware of those who flatter you, in the long run they are more counterproductive than those that contradict you.

Always give what you owe and remember that it is often not a question of how much, but how and when.

Never make decisions under the influence of anger, concern, disappointment, worry, but ask for it when your judgment can be more serene.

Remember that a good leader can make a normal man feel like a giant, but a bad boss can turn a giant into a dwarf.

If you do not believe in these principles, give up being leaders.

What to say, all this was written over forty years ago, but in their simplicity and wisdom these guidelines should be followed by today’s managers, who, too often, show that they have lost their compass.

[ashafriesen]

The Making Of Kinder Joy – An Inside Tour

I am a great believer of consuming everything in moderation, which extends to chocolates and all packaged foods. As long as we keep everything under a limit, there is balance. As kids grow up, they will make their own choices and as a mother, it is my duty to keep their lifestyle choices in right balance. To think that my kids will only eat salads and vegetables, or only home cooked meals is not practically possible always. So honestly, I let them try everything if they primarily meet their nutritional goals and don’t get overboard.

I still remember the days when my uncle from Dubai used to get me Kinder Eggs. I would be delighted to eat the chocolate and would get excited to find the surprise toy in it. Time has passed and the Kinder egg has become a carefully packed Kinder Joy – with two separate segments, one with yummy snack and one with toy, but, yet I see the same happiness in my kid’s eye when he sees Kinder Joy.

I got an opportunity to visit the Ferrero India Plant in Baramati that manufactures Kinder Joy. I wanted to know how our favourite treat is produced, it’s complex packaging and the quality standards. In this post I will share what I learnt and saw to the best of my knowledge.

We were given a presentation about the Ferrero plant and social initiatives of the Ferrero Group. From maintaining high quality standards in sourcing raw materials, making their own machinery to keep the working and quality standards same across 20 plus countries. The Ferrero Group’s flagship Kinder joy treat follows five golden rules which include milk of high quality, selected raw materials and production processes with high hygiene standards.

There are ISO certified processes and close to 200 quality parameters against which Kinder Joys are checked before they are ready to be marketed to consumers. Samples from the Baramati plant are sent to the Ferrero Quality labs at Germany and Italy for random quality checks. I also learnt that the Ferrero Group is also involved in many social initiatives which contribute to the society around. We also were shown the Kindergarden project which is adjacent to the plant, will share details of the same later.

After the presentation, we were taken to see the plant and I was impressed with the mechanisation of the process and how efficiently it is executed. From the chocolate being produced with the careful selection, processing and proportioning of ingredients to ensure nutritional value. No wonder they produce around 2.5 million Kinder Joys in a day. Their packaging is polypropylene which is recyclable, and the toy used inside is made of resin and poses no choking hazards. All the toys are tested and approved for food grade quality. This assured me about giving my kid the Kinder Joy.

Did you know Ferrero family owns three largest confectionery groups? Nutella, Ferrero and Kinder Joy?

It was the ‘Charlie in the Chocolate Factory’ experience for me, seeing with glazed eyes at all those treats being running along the conveyor belts. How the two different parts of the egg just stuck to each other without any glue. Witnessing all the different steps in making of Kinder Joy was such an eye-opening experience. I am sure my little one would have also loved this experience.

The Ferrero plants has higher women population, more than 50%, globally. It was encouraging to see that the Ferrero group has one of the best CSR initiative – Kindergarden for the children of the Ferrero employees and local community. There are 140 plus kids associated with them currently. When we visited the kindergarten we were touched by the little ones who were studying there. The facilities were at par with high hygiene and quality standards.

Kinder Joy firmly believes that a happy child will be a better adult tomorrow and their commitment to this belief really shows in their well-designed portion size product and Ferrero’s global CSR initiative – Kinder+Sport. As part of its continuing efforts to bring the joy of movement into the life of every child, Kinder+Sport has developed the ‘Joy of Moving’ methodology, an innovative educational model, based on games and dedicated to the all-round growth of children. Developed in association with Rome University “Foro Italico”, MIUR of the Piedmont Region and the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI), the method is based on games created to promote the physical, cognitive and social development of children and increase their life skills.

The Ferrero Group is making a huge difference into the lives people around them.

I came back a satisfied mom. If you have any concerns regarding KinderJoy, I would be happy to take it up.

 disclaimer: While I was invited by Ferrero India for the plant visit the views expressed and opinions are my own and I have written to the best of my understanding of the product. 

The post The Making Of Kinder Joy – An Inside Tour appeared first on Maa of All Blogs.

The Making Of Kinder Joy – An Inside Tour published first on https://parentcenternetwork.tumblr.com/

[somar78]

The De Tomaso Mangusta – An Italian Cobra Killer Designed By Giugiaro

The De Tomaso Mangusta was built shortly after a falling out between two of the biggest personalities in the automotive world of the 1960s – Alejandro de Tomaso and Carroll Shelby.

Many have surmised that the name of the “Mangusta” was a direct jab at Shelby by de Tomaso – it means “Mongoose” in Italian, and the Mongoose is the only animal that hunts, kills, and eats Cobras.

The two men had an agreement in place to develop a race car called the P70 – it was intended to compete in the United States Road Racing Championship (USRRC), which was incorporated into the Can-Am Championship in 1968. Shelby had sent Peter Brock to Italy to work on the car with the Italian team, despite a wealth of racing experience and talent the project was a failure and Shelby pulled the plug.

He instructed Brock to get back to the USA as quickly as possible to work on a new project the company had just been assigned from Ford to race a car called the GT40 at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Exactly whose fault the failed P70 project was is open to debate, it’s true that de Tomaso had been unable to provide the engine he’d promised but it could also be argued that it was bound for an abrupt ending anyway, as the race series it was intended for (USRRC) was shut down.

Above Image: An original De Tomaso P70 chassis

Regardless of who was at fault, there was significant bad blood between the two men, so much so that Alejandro de Tomaso would take the chassis of the P70 and modify it to be used in a new road car intended to hunt down and beat Shelby’s Cobras.

Building The De Tomaso Mangusta

Alejandro de Tomaso had recently acquired Ghia (Carrozzeria Ghia), an Italian automobile design and coachbuilding firm, so he was uniquely placed to turn the P70 chassis into something for the road. He hired one of history’s all-time greatest automobile designers, Giorgetto Giugiaro, to design the car and he opted to use cheap, reliable, and easy to maintain Ford V8 engines to power it.

The sleek body designed by Giugiaro clothed a mid-engined supercar with two seats, two doors, and a pair of unique engine covers that opened up almost like wings. This was thought to be a reference to the pre-WWII engine covers used on traditional front engined cars that were hinged in the centre and could be opened together or individually, offering excellent access to the engine bay.

The Mangusta was offered in two main versions, a European version and an American version. The European version was powered by the more powerful Ford 289 cu. in. V8 mated to a reliable 5-speed ZF transaxle. The American version was fitted with the Ford 302 cu. in. V8 mated to the same gearbox, later examples of the European Mangusta would receive the Ford 302 also.

The rest of the running gear used on the Mangusta was as you might expect for a supercar of its era, it has disc brakes on all four corners, independent front and rear suspension, rack and pinion steering, alloy wheels, and a plush, comfortable interior with a gated shifter, power windows, and ample instrumentation.

Period tests put the top speed of the car at approximately 250 km/h (155 mph) however it’s likely capable of a little more in the right hands on the right piece of road.

The De Tomaso Mangusta Shown Here

The car you see here is an original 1970 De Tomaso Mangusta equipped with air-conditioning, electric windows, and an AM/FM radio. It was ordered new by a gentleman from Illinois in 1970 who loved it so much he kept it for 46 years – not selling it until 2016.

The car was given a repaint in the 1990s to freshen it, the interior is trimmed in black leather, and it has a period correct Ferrero wood-rimmed steering wheel and a wooden shift knob.

With its current owner the car has received new fuel and coolant hoses, a new fuel pump, as well as a carburetor cleaning upon its last service, it’s still accompanied by its tool roll, initial sales invoice, owner’s manual, select service records, and a previous registration card. Amazingly it has less than 13,000 miles on the odometer from new.

It’s believed that just 250 or so of the 401 Mangustas that were originally built have survived, RM Sotheby’s will be offering this example with an estimated value of between $200,000 to $250,000 USD and the sale has no reserve.

If you’d like to read more about the car or register to bid you can click here to visit the listing on RM Sotheby’s.

Images: ©2019 Courtesy of RM Auctions

The post The De Tomaso Mangusta – An Italian Cobra Killer Designed By Giugiaro appeared first on Silodrome.

source https://silodrome.com/de-tomaso-mangusta-supercar/

[oddepia]

Can a derivative turn Europe's green energy dream into virtual reality?

Can a derivative turn Europe's green energy dream into virtual reality?

Reuters – By Stephen Jewkes and Isla Binnie MILAN/MADRID (Reuters) – Italy’s Ferrero is famous for its red-and-white Kinder chocolate eggs. But soon it may hope to be able to slap more green on the wrapper. The confectionery giant, which runs its own Source: New feed

[pmehtapooja]

Real & Compound Chocolate Market Overview and COVID-19 Analysis Forecast to 2024

Real and Compound Chocolate Market Overview

The latest studies conducted by Market Research Future (MRFR) propose that the Real and Compound Chocolate Market is slated to touch the valuation of USD 136.99 billion by 2023. The studies also indicate that the real and compound chocolate market will be growing at a rate of 2.11% and 2.81% respectively.

Real and Compound Chocolate Market Drivers and Key Barriers

Cocoa butter replacers are derived from vegetable oils which are themselves processed fat molecules. These processed fat molecules are uniform in nature and therefore, do not require any tempering. At a global level, real chocolate is generally processed and then packaged mainly for direct artisans and consumers. On the other hand, compound chocolates are primarily processed and then packaged for industrial use, confectioneries, bakeries, among others. On that note, new product developments coupled with creative packaging is resulting in the lavish growth of the global real and compound chocolate industry report.

Furthermore, with the drastic improvement in technology, including the processing of chocolate bars and harvesting of cocoa beans, the global market is expected to have a highly gainful run in the coming years. In addition, the growing emphasis on the marketing of products by noteworthy vendors is proving to be instrumental in the real and compound chocolate market size.

The sale of compound chocolate is rising at a rapid pace on account of its lower cost. Ingredients like palm oil, coconut oil, rapeseed oil, cottonseed oil, and soybean oil are considered more pocket-friendly than cocoa butter. Also, substances, including vegetable oil, are replacing cocoa butter for the production of compound chocolate.

Access Full Report Details and Order this Premium Report @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/real-compound-chocolate-market-1882

Real and Compound Chocolate Market Segmentation

The report states that the global COVID-19 analysis on real and compound chocolate market report has been segmented on the basis of type and application.

The market, depending on the type, can be categorized into real chocolate and compound chocolate. Real chocolate is further segmented into white, dark and milk chocolate, whereas compound chocolate is sub-segmented into dark, white, milk and others. Among these, the milk chocolates currently rule the global market based on its increasing use for the preparation of beverages and food products. Furthermore, dark chocolates are noting tremendous growth as well, owing to a wide host of health benefits associated with its consumption.

Application-based segments in the global real and compound chocolate market share include spreads, seasoning, syrups, desserts, confectionary and bakery. Here, seasonings control the bigger market share with the growing consumption of exotic food products across the globe.

Real and Compound Chocolate Market Leading Players

The leading players in the global real & compound chocolate market include Republica del cacao (South America), Barry Callebaut AG (Switzerland), Mars Inc. (U.S.), Aalst Chocolate Pte. Ltd. (Singapore), Nestle S.A. (Switzerland), Lindt & Sprüngli SpA (Italy), Foley’s Candies Ltd. (Canada), Beryl's Chocolate & Confectionery Sdn. Bhd.(Malaysia), PURATOS Group NV (Belgium), Blommer Chocolate Company (U.S.), Alpezzi Chocolate (Mexico), Valrhona Inc. (France), TCHO (U.S.), Fujian Yake Food Co., Ltd. (China), Ferrero SPA (Italy), Puratos Group NV (Belgium), The Hershey Co. (U.S.), Guittard Chocolate Company, Meiji Co., Ltd. (Japan), Mondelez International, Inc. (U.S.), Ghirardelli Chocolate Company (U.S.), Barry Callebaut AG (Switzerland), and others.

Read more reports at: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/categories/food-beverages-nutrition-market-report

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NOTE: Our team of researchers are studying Covid19 and its impact on various industry verticals and wherever required we will be considering covid19 footprints for a better analysis of market and industries. Cordially get in touch for more details.