Dija Know… Joe’s Restaurant Newsletter -127 June 2016

Dija Know… Joe’s Restaurant Newsletter -127 June  2016

It’s all flooding in now –
the summer bounty from our farmers

 

 

Joe’s is open all day Fathers’ Day from 7:30am to 9pm. We serve our fabulous Brunch from 9 – 3. Dinner specials start at 5pm, and will include juicy, meaty baby back ribs along with other offerings.

Until I started researching brain health (2 years ago), I didn’t realize how dynamic the field is, how quickly it’s changing and how exciting the new findings are. There is reason to hold hope about neurodegenerative conditions (like Alzheimer’s, dementia, Parkinson’s). Last year I did a series on magic bullets for the brain – natural, of course. Now there is new information – information that shifts the spotlight from tangled beta amyloids as the fundamental cause to something called tau, a toxic protein. This new research by the Mayo Clinic and Northwestern U tells us that amyloid plaque in the brains of two cadaver study groups, those who had unusually keen minds and others who were “normal” for their age (in other words cognitively declined), was virtually the same! Well that blows the former “unquestionable” premise of beta amyloids being the causative factor! But the takeaway is – this new research showed significantly less build-up of tau (that newly recognized toxic protein) in the sharp-as-a-tack oldsters. So the latest best treatment (and prevention) appears be to reduce the tau proteins. As lay folk, is there anything we can do? Yes, indeed. Because different exciters (aka excitotoxins) can cause these proteins to tangle and swell the brain cells, it’s important to begin by avoiding these poisons. Excitotoxins like MSG and aspartame (Splenda etc) are commonly found in highly processed foods and do stimulate the tau brain tangles. Fluoride, aluminum and heavy metals do the same. So avoiding these toxins is a paramount first step. Next, one can take specific supplements for prevention and treatment. In an animal study Acetyl-L-Carnitine was found to prevent those tau protein strands from tangling. It is also helpful for Parkinson’s tremors. It appears that meats and dairy products are the best food sources of acetyl-l-carnitine. Curcumin (turmeric) is the new rock star of supplements. And no less so than in the prevention and treatment of dementia and cognitive disorders. Curcumin minimizes or eliminates plaque and inflammation. It’s noteworthy that India with its high consumption of turmeric has one of the lowest incidences of dementia. Learn more http://www.wellnessresources.com My opinion? I truly believe that exercise and whole food are the keys to avoiding or reducing most common health conditions.

Sheila will be following her heart (and her head!) by opening a wellness center, DancingBones. Very briefly this is a remarkable program that addresses, in a results-oriented way, bone loss (osteopenia and osteoporosis). It is a non-drug approach developed by Dr. John Jaquish who created a device that safely and precisely engages the bones in osteogenic loading. In less than 10 minutes once a week (yes, you read that right!) this triggers the bone-building and muscle-strengthening effects of high-impact exercise, but without the risk of injury. It has been proven and is trackable. There are many other client-reported benefits, including gains to athletes at every level. More info, ask your waiter for the flyer or go to DancingBones.us.

Friday July 1st from 7:30 – 11am, Richard Eeds returns to Joe’s, broadcasting the Morning Show live on Hutton FM 101.5. Richard does a brilliant job of keeping New Mexicans abreast of the times. During the broadcast, watch Richard at work and get a surprise discount on your breakfast! Just ask.

 

Joe’s fresh dark French chocolate truffles are a perfect gift for any and all of your loved ones, especially when gift boxed in our 4 or 6 truffle boxes. Mocha or hazelnut? Ask your waiter.


We in Santa Fe are fortunate to live in a community of very prolific artists. Our current artists, Ross Soleil, Michael Michuta and The New Deal art shovels have been diverse and wonderful visuals for Joe’s guests. Waiting in the wings are a newcomer David Marks’ acrylics on wood panels (“ancient splendor decaying over time”) and the welcome return of Bill Todino’s exquisite photographs.

It’s a bit early to be talking tomatoes, but I couldn’t resist posting this comment by a travelling Santa Fean. “I just returned from Italy. I had a Margherita Pizza. It was good. But yours is so much better.” Wow! As you know, we do not serve Margherita Pizzas until the local heirloom tomatoes are available and of course we make it with our own fresh mozz, as we have done since 1996.
No deeply held belief goes unopposed. I fully expect opposition. But I ask you to give this opinion some thought. I am not opposed to horse slaughter in the US. I preface my remarks with this – Roland and I have horses and love horses. When I was a wee tot, my mother often had her heart in her throat as she would catch me wandering in, under and around any horse that came my way. And as this is Santa Fe, you may nod when you hear that a local psychic once told me I had been a horse in a past life! I do love horses. The gut-wrenching problem of over population of horses, of unwanted, starved and/or abused horses is a problem that a band aide cannot fix. Burying one’s head in the sand as to what actually happens to those horses and supporting the feelgood opposition to horse slaughter, does NOTHING to solve the problem. Recently I was shocked to see that Senator Tom Udall supported the ban of horse slaughter facilities. The ASPCA similarly supported that Bill and I believe that the SFAS supports that Bill as well. And the damned Bill passed. Here is what I wrote to the ASPCA and to Mr. Udall. “Dear Senator Udall, As a lifelong horse lover and owner, I am appalled that you, by default, support the export of unwanted horses to Mexico where the slaughter practices are unconscionable and unregulated.  The problem of unwanted horses in the US needs to be addressed at its root.  Briefly, wild and mustang mares need to be spayed to reduce the wild horse population to manageable numbers.  And so-called animal advocates need to educate themselves as to the horrors of what REALLY happens to horses when they are not slaughtered HERE in the US under conditions that could be tightly regulated.  A second part to the solution of the problem is to have specific horse slaughter facilities designed (by someone like Temple Grandin, who has designed more compassionate cattle slaughter facilities) taking into consideration the temperament of the horse. Buying back our own horsemeat from Mexico is testament to the irony and insanity of the popular, but utterly misguided appeals, of ignorant and grossly shortsighted ASPCA officials and members.  It may feel good to ban horse slaughter in the US but it sends them to a far worse Hell.*  Horses deserve our respect and this terrible situation must be remedied at the root. We must deal with it here, not just shove it under the carpet – by shipping them across the border.”
*(Look up Southwest Livestock Auction Los Lunas/Dennis Chavez)
Robb Fraley, Monsanto’s chief technology officer: “Where farming is today is that farmers still buy their seed from one company, their chemicals from another, their fertilizers from another. They get their agronomic advice from someone else,” he said. “What farmers want and need is for all of those inputs to be integrated.” – Robb, You could not be more wrong.

Some of the farmers & ranchers who supply Joe’s: who get their seeds from heirloom seed banks, family and friends, their fertilizer from animals and compost and their agronomic advice from tradition: Monte Vista Organics, Jacona Farms, Green Tractor, Camino de Paz, Synergia Ranch, Romero Farms, Shepherd’s Lamb, LaMont’s Buffalo, Eve’s Ranch.

 

Why are we at Joe’s so annoyingly persistent about this “buy local” stuff? Many factors are out of our hands when it comes to our food supply. Most of what ends up on the American dinner table derives from a shockingly few giant agribusinesses. Their reach is long – from designing the (GMO) seeds to planting, fertilizing, processing and shipping. We as consumers cannot with confidence hand over the entire stewardship of our food to these few multinationals. Our passion here at Joe’s is for a local sustainable food supply – food produced by growers who are accountable for what they grow. KYG – Know Your Grower. We are able to look our local farmer in the eye and ask him about his growing practices or even visit his operation. This gives us the confidence that we are eating food that is healthy, wholesome, non-genetically engineered, often better than organic, humanely treated and minimally processed. It is grown with a smaller energy-use footprint and transported short distances. We cannot divorce human health, the economy, ecology, personal (perhaps spiritual) satisfaction or honorable work from food. Food is fundamental. What we eat, where it comes from, the stewardship of food animals, the nurturing and building of soils – all these factors affect us at a cellular and visceral level. Santa Fe is fortunate to have one of the very best Farmers Markets in the nation. Here at Joe’s we offer this bounty to you, keeping dollars in the community. In the interest of transparency, in 2008 Joe’s spent $30,000 on local foods. In 2009, $60,000. Each year since 2012 we have far exceeded $100,000 per annum (over 30% of our purchases).
Land, economy, health – inseparable.

Joe’s gives you $10. What’s the catch? Well the way we figure it, if you cut out the middleman by NOT using a credit card, we can give that back to you and then some. Using a credit card costs the retail merchant about 3-5% and extra time & paperwork. Now let’s be real – in today’s world one cannot function without a credit card, but there are still (legal) alternatives that reduce our dependency on the Big Banks and actually save us all money. We have a couple of suggestions: (1.) Joe’s Check List – If you are a “regular” and wish to pay by check, please ask your waiter to get you on the list. (2.) Joe’s own credit card/gift card – purchase a $100 gift card with cash or check or silver or gold coin, get a $10 free bonus! Yup your $100 gift card will actually buy you $110 worth of meals at Joe’s.

 

Joe’s Dining
2801 Rodeo Rd (at Zia Rd) Santa Fe, NM   87507
505-471-3800       www.JoesDining.com
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