■ Book review
Porter’s ‘Hip Chick’s Guide’ cleanses
body, mind to remedy winter blues
A macrobiotic chef joins
a food regimen with
philosophy in her new book
BY AMY LICHTY
PULSE REPORTER
Fighting the winter blues is never
easy, especially with Eugene's noto
riously gray skies and long winters.
There are things people can do,
however, to improve their mood and
enhance their performance even on
the rainiest and gloomiest day. And
what better way is there to make you
feel happy than by looking rockin'
hot on the outside on those cold,
dismal days? Or even on the warm,
sunny ones?
"The Hip Chick's Guide to Macrobi
otics" by Jessica Porter is a solution
to fighting the winter blahs all year
round. Not only does this book give
detailed instructions on howto rid the
body and the cabinets of those overly
processed foods that can make you
feel like crap, but the entire first half is
devoted to making over the most im
portant parts of one's body—the
mind and the soul.
Porter uses macrobiotics — a diet
regimen used byfamous and incredi
bly fit celebrities such as Madonna,
Gwyneth Paltrow and Demi Moore —
as both a cleansing of the body and of
the mind. She encourages readers
with wit and humor to find an inner
peace that will bring a new sense of
enlightenment and will lighten the
waist atthe same time.
"One of the things I love about
macrobiotics is thatthere is a food
component and a philosophy compo
nent—theory and practice tucked
side by side on yourfork," Porter
writes. "You can start with your brain
or with your belly. You may wantto
jump straight to a de-sludging diet to
morrow or just read some of the phi
losophy over brown rice and see
what happens next."
Porter seems to know what she's
talking about. She is a macrobiotic
chef, cooking instructor, hypnothera
pist and even has her own radio show
in Portland, Maine. She studied mac
robiotics atthe Kushi Institute and
managed its program for nutritional
consulting to the seriously ill. Porter
explains what originally sparked her
interest and how she got involved
with the macrobiotic craze with
language thatkeepsthe reader
interested and inspired.
I had heard of macrobiotics be
cause of the famous clients it
serves, but I never was interested
enough to find out what it actually
entailed. And what I seem to have
found is that it is a system that will
change almost every aspect of your
life — from what you eat to what you
wear to ultimately and most impor
tantly how you feel. The foods in
cluded in the standard macrobiotic
diet are whole grains, a variety of
vegetables, beans and bean prod
ucts, sea vegetables, soups, pickles,
desserts, condiments and nonaro
matic teas. Items such as highly re
fined sugars, chemicalized and
processed foods, nightshade veg
etables (such as potatoes, tomatoes,
peppers and eggplant), dairy prod
ucts, eggs and most other animal
products are all discouraged and
thrown out of daily intakes.
"By practicing macrobiotics,"
Porter writes, "you will achieve a ra
diant mind ... By tuning into the big
ger forces, we are freed from former
limits; illnesses reverse themselves,
unnecessary conflicts disappear
and we become peaceful, playful
and free."
Porter also includes more than 80
recipes to get you started on devel
oping a new lifestyle. Crispy Rice
Treats, Lasagna,Tofu "Egg" Salad,
Tempura and Black-Eyed Pea Cro
quettes with Mustard Barley Malt
Sauce are just a few of the, urn, de
lectable dishes found in "The Hip
Chick's Guide To Macrobiotics."
amylichty@dailyemerald.com
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DIVA: Film forum hopes
to expand in the future
Continued from page 9
normally shown in Eugene.
"DIVA’s overall goal is to be a cat
alyst for the visual arts in downtown
Eugene, so we’re continuing the
same kind of goals forthe Second
Friday Film Forum," Eric Ostlind, also
a member of the Media Arts Com
mittee, said. "We show independent
films and artists that would other
wise not be seen at any other places
in Eugene. We're sort of in a niche;
we show films not usually able to be
shown here. They're not big enough
to go to the multiplexes or even to
the Bijou."
Another goal for this film forum is
to expand and grow into showing
more than just movies.
"We're going to be working with
more music and computer anima
tion as well, so it's not just film, but
visual and performance arts,"
Ostlind said.
Last month, the Media Arts
Committee created whatthey call
"OpenLens," an open mic-type
event that gave local filmmakers
the chance to show off their work
in front of a live audience and gain
valuable feedback. According to
DIVA's Web site, the event was a
"rousing success with over 80
film enthusiasts attending the
screening of local and regional in
dependent films." "OpenLens" is
currently only scheduled as an an
nual event, but given the amount of
interest in the first event, another
"OpenLens" may be planned for
spring 2005.
"'OpenLens' was really interest
ing because we had like 10 or 11 lo
cal artists from Eugene and about
six artists from places like Ohio,
Michigan and Illinois," Weintraub
said. "They all came and showed
their work. The attendance was
huge, so people were sitting and
standing in the halls. It was a really
good turnout."
The Media Arts Committee is also
adding other film and visual arts
events throughout the month and
the rest of the year. A schedule of
events can be found on DIVA's Web
site, www.divanow.org.
"We're definitely interested in
getting more U of 0 students and
faculty to come down and see our
stuff and get involved," Ostlind said.
The first Second Friday Film Forum
of 2005 will be held Friday night in
DIVA's gallery, at 110 W. Broadway in
downtown Eugene. At 8 p.m., film
maker Steve Swanson will present
and discuss his documentary "West
Coast Drive-Ins," which explores
some of the 30 remaining drive-in
movie theaters on the West Coast
and provides 12 interviews with own
ers and supporters upholding them.
The cost is $2 to $5 on a sliding scale
with donations welcome.
amylichty@dailyemerald.com
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