Leuty Parker

Tag: #diabetes

  • Because AI is so woke right now

    You’ve likely noticed I’ve shared plenty of posts about AI, it’s a key part of my niche, blending fashion with technology alongside content on health maintenance (diabetes and TBI). This post continues that focus, while also keeping readers up to date with developments from a more professional perspective.

    Speculation has increasingly shaped global markets since the 1980s, as investors discovered that hype can generate greater returns than underlying business performance. This dynamic fuelled a series of boom-and-bust cycles — from the dot-com era to cryptocurrencies, NFTs and now AI — with AI investment currently driving much of the recent growth in the S&P 500. Yet, like previous speculative waves, signs suggest the AI surge may also be vulnerable to correction, even as investors begin searching for the next trend to replace it.

  • A spoon full of sugar…

    https://youtu.be/ftxnr28LDXc?si=fXfuRPwKIJx_PEck

    Makes the medicine go down…. Mediocre go down….

    But what happens when the sugar IS the medicine….!?!?

    I see a flaw in your logic, Mary Poppins

  • Future Directions

    If you’ve been following my blog (or even seen some posts) you might have understood that I HATE being out of work.

    Aside from lack of income, the main issue was lack of direction. Lack of objective. Most mornings, I’d wake, and think “there’s no reason for me to get out of bed”.

    So, both wishing to make others’ who are in my position’s life’s easier (grammar?), along with something to actually do, I started this blog.

    As well, it has clarified where my priorities are. What I find important. What makes me, me.

    The amount of tumult in spells of posting frequently, to nothing for weeks, helped me realise that this is perhaps, more of a recreation activity.

    BUT…..

  • The Scran and Scallie

    The diabetic restaurant reviews return!

    This is in Edinburgh, in Stockbridge. Address :

    The Scran & Scallie
    1 Comely Bank Road
    Stockbridge
    Edinburgh EH4 1DR

    Tom Kitchin’s Edinburgh restaurant may not deserve its Michelin star…

    To see the menu is in the pictures. The staff were very polite, the venue was lovely, too.

    Sadly 2 downsides, though;

    1: the dish I chose was a special, so not on the menu, albeit I did get some vegetable crisps to carb compensate What I did choose was probably a poor choice; pickled herring. It came with some rye bread which had a beautiful gingerbread flavour, and the added salad was nice. The main objective of a restaurant, should be good food. I’m not reviewing it to be poorly cooked, but probably poorly researched what the market would like?

    2: the menu is stupid. Totally confusing, to fool you into paying more than what you expected, after you ate it.

    See if you can initially understand what is going on:

    Poor menu design, particularly for the target market. Beautiful presentation though:

    Again, NOTHING(like most high end restaurants) about the nutrition.

  • Persuasion

    Everything relies on convincing the other party to take your choice.

    Having the stats, arguments and pros/cons are great. But the real killer is….

    Emotion.

    Empathy really will hit it where it hurts for them. To make them view it from your perspective.

    Or even better: pity.

    “Oh, woe is me. (In my case;) I have a 24 year career of type 1 diabetes. AND had a brain injury in 2019. This meant me having to relearn the ability to talk, remember, listen, read, write and walk”

    Little is it apparent I’m not doing this though :

  • Bread Street Kitchen

    Edinburgh’s answer to Gordon Ramsay, this restaurant has a nice ambiance & has a great, central location (on St Andrew Square) but every member is über lovely. But not in a patronising way.

    Not hugely creative, but a lot more than other restaurants, & offers a mix of classics (like Beef Wellington) & fish &. chips, to more innovative poké & sushi. Much

    Asian dishes on the menu. Although it holds the Ramsey name to advertise it, it doesn’t have such a gastronomic theme. Again, nothing on the nutritional information.

    For my food, however, I had a duck salad (see menu). It was tasty, has few carbs & an Asian theme with the addition of mooli.

    The only addition of a QR code involved advertisement & quicker easier ordering. This method must be a left over of the effect of the pandemic to this industry

    I’d really desire to see QR codes used in a more relevant way, to start with. This can then aspire to information transferred using NFDs (near field devices).

  • McLarens

    Why I tried this was because I was told they used ample WR codes, which really interests me. My idea is to provide nutritional information using QR codes…. Sadly this doesn’t suit the “classic” style most restaurants have though. Majorly, this industry is focussed on the “art” of cooking, not the data being it.

    So for this, it took ages to get there, the food was substandard, the decor was “pub-like” & there was a dog, barking there, owned by a customer. This, for me, ruined the atmosphere.

    An odd mix, but basically nothing of what attracted me there (the QRs). This was introduced as a method to adapt to “social distancing”, a great way to reduce the need of physical contact. Many modern restaurants have introduced this as a way to order. Pity that here didn’t carry on, or adapt this. They just kept the old fashioned style.

    This is very subjective, I know. But certainly not what I like.

    My main USP is reviewing restaurants as a diagnostic. No attractive of the food, rubbish atmosphere & “old-school” (obviously “pub grub”). Below is a picture of the menu, I had the risotto which didn’t fill me, so with side salad which had pomegranate, didn’t mention that on the menu. Ample fructose though, if I knew I would have reached.

    The pomegranates may have been the guilty party of why I left with high (& riding) BGL.

    It may have been because I stopped off for a tequila shot on the way back, but this made me happy, & very dancy.

  • The Village Club bar and grill

    Very out-of-trend, to go to a hotel to try the restaurant alone (and not an illicit rendezvous), but this was solely for researching this novel form of gathering customer feedback (what they made up with in this method, they lacked in quality)

    To do so, they had a QR code on the menu; shows they’re modern, and modern. With this novel method, they can’t have used this feedback well as they lacked in quality.

    The QR offered only calorie amounts, not any other nutrient information. And it didn’t even work in giving me the calories… maybe I was just being stupid but seriously lacking ease of use. It only led to hotter deals;

    The staff were lovely, the ambiance was average expected, the food was obviously hotel food.

    I had the “hearty teriyaki”. Which, again, was average. It ted on to the biological pleasure centres food gives you; good amount of salt, sweet enough but not too sweet. But was cooked rather poorly: broccoli much overdone, as was the couscous (but I like mine ardent rather than floppy) and salmon overcooked.

    A good thing (especially for diabetics) is this the first place (so far) including cauliflower couscous. So no carbs!

    In conclusion; novelty or quality?

    They capitalised on QR mania, but I suggest use that customer feedback to improve quality.

    Novelty or quality….?

  • Willy Wonka, Willie Wonka, the amazing chocolatier

    Chocolate…. Not so great with your diabetic though.

    But the film “Wonka” really makes you smile. I won’t write a synopsis, just trust you’ll take my word. It did really mean me smile. Great storytelling and much entertainment.

    Surprise cameos from Rowan Atkinson and Hugh Grant, and lovely backstory about chocolate cartels.

    But not too much about nutrition or ingredients/how it’s made. Apart from the fantastic ways Wonka makes his chocolates.

    Some facts about chocolate;

    it’s very nutritious (with big amounts of cocoa, much fibre and minerals including potassium, phosphorus, zinc, and selenium, and also has good, oil based fats. It contains stimulants like caffeine and theobromine too),

    Many antioxidants (dark has higher amounts of cocoa where all the goodie flavanols are. These are antioxidants that prevent problems with heart health).

    Improves blood flow and lowers blood pressure (this property is when the ingredient endothelial nitric oxide (NO) which lowers your blood pressure)

    Reduces the risk of heart disease (A flavonoids subtype called flavanols which, again, lowers heart disease. Funnily enough, studies found a smaller risk of insulin resistance and high blood pressure [mustn’t account for how dense it is in sugar….)

    Relevant to my brain damage it improves brain function (mproves brain function: Flavonols in dark chocolate have a positive impact on brain function, including better reaction time, visual-spatial awareness and stronger memory. Though research is ongoing, one reason for this may be that flavonols increase blood flow to the brain.

    Aside from the chocolate theme, very uplifting and interesting.

    “Every good thing in this world started with a dream, so you hold onto yours”

  • Visiting for the first time… again

    I have already said about my new objective(I think), writing restaurant; restaurant reviews from a diabetics perspective.

    Kind of a “nutrition consultant” , because nutrition is vital to all aspects diabetes life.

    This doesn’t just go for diabetes, but everyone’s life, in general.

    With this, too, I had a TBI where I lost my memory. So I get to try everything for the first time again.

    Before, on this blog, I reviewed the Table (see previous post) but

    So because this is what I want to focus my efforts towards (I’m diabetic, I LIVE eating out. A huge absence of nutritional information though m) I mean business. So I had;

    More recently, I went to a far more down market restaurant. This is a family favourite called Loon Fung, where I’ve been many times, just can’t remember any. The food was what you’d expect from Chinese food, because I’m no expert in this cuisine… yet. The experience was familiar, like coming home.

    As per usual, I can predict what dishes my company would have. A life theory is fine with you like, and stick to it. Younger people are more exploratory, because they’re still constructing their personality.

    Jasmine tea – no carbs (actually fish it LOWERS BG)

    Mum had hot and sour soup, which I had a mouthful. It was lovely

    They got prawn crackers, I had none as carbs…

    A friend had some noodles which I tried

    Curry shrimps

    To repeat, this is just an introduction for the lore of future projects. As this restaurant has a sentimental value, it influenced my experience. Evening was lovely, BGL totally fine (had 5 units of Novorapid, checked before = 8.0, aft= 8.8).