Wednesday, July 1, 2009

A view from my taste buds

I've just read that eating a curry once or twice a week can stave off Alzheimer's disease, which is good news for the owners of my favourite Indian & Nepalese curry-house, Mount Everest on Sihanouk Boulevard. I already go there twice a week, either for a sit-in or takeaway, so I must be well on course for avoiding Alzheimer's (memory loss, mood swings, confusion, stress). The gen is that curcumin, an ingredient in turmeric, which is used widely in Indian cuisine, is believed to prevent changes in the brain by blocking the spread of amyloid plaques - toxic protein deposits thought to play a key role in Alzheimer's. I nearly forgot to post this important information and got irritable and confused before I finally remembered it again, so maybe my curry intake needs to be increased! Just for the uninitiated, Mount Everest provide good quality and inexpensive meals, and I would recommend them to all.

Whilst scanning the newswires this morning, I see the Lloyds Banking Group in the UK is slashing more jobs, which will take them up to 7,000 job cuts since they acquired HBOS (Halifax and Bank of Scotland) and were bailed out by the British government in January. Before coming to live in Cambodia, I worked for LloydsTSB after they took over my long-time employer Cheltenham & Gloucester Building Society. To say things were never the same again after the merger, is an understatement. Working for Lloyds was a nightmare and to be frank, they treated me with utter contempt after 31 years as an employee of C&G and then Lloyds. At the beginning of June, Lloyds announced they will close all 164 C&G branch offices in the UK by November, axing 1,600 jobs as a result. Lloyds, who control 30% of the mortgage market, acquired C&G as their flagship mortgage name in 1995. 19 years before that, in 1976, I joined C&G as a post-room assistant (see my photo from that era) and working at C&G, as we made a name for ourselves locally and then nationally, was rewarding and fun. Merging with Lloyds changed all that. And it continues today for the C&G staff that are left, including my step-daughter. I'm glad I got out when I did but the attitude of Lloyds then and now, continues to leave a very bitter taste in my mouth.

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4 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi Andy,
what precisely does a post-room assistant??? very beautiful ur web space, thanks for my collaborating - Thuon

July 2, 2009 8:35 AM  
Blogger Andy Brouwer said...

Hi Thuon,
well it was my first job when I left school at 16 years old. Little did I know that I would stay with the same company for 31 years.
Post room assistant was my first position. Essentially it was putting letters into envelopes, sealing the envelope and then stamping the letter for postage. There were also other tasks involved like collecting mail from all the different office departments. I did that job for about 3-4 months I think. Then I moved to a department where I stayed for at least 10 years, probably more - my memory isn't what it used to be! I became a supervisor whilst still a teenager and loved working for the company and in that department, so I was very happy in my work. In those days it was a pleasure going into work every day, as the work was good but the comradeship was even better. I feel lucky to have experienced that for so long.
Thank you for asking.
Andy

July 2, 2009 9:20 AM  
Blogger Hartmut said...

Hi, as for the turmeric and the prevention of Alzheimer's disease: traditional Cambodian Amok Fish ("trey amok")is prepared with a lot of turmeric - tasty and (as I know now thanks to your in-deep research)healthy. Enjoy!
Cheers
Hardy

July 3, 2009 1:11 AM  
Blogger Andy Brouwer said...

Another reason to stay here in Cambodia Hardy and ensure Fish Amok is on the regular menu as well as Indian curry.
And I have more news...read this:
A study showed that people who live alone in middle-age and are widowed or divorced have the highest chances of developing dementia, including Alzheimer's disease.They are three times more likely to develop dementia, as are people who are single at middle-aged but also when they are older.

Currently I live alone, so to ensure I stay fit, healthy and without dementia, I'd better hurry up and get myself a female partner and continue with my curry and amok diet.
:-)
Andy

July 3, 2009 9:56 AM  

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