What's in the Cholent?

Please see my new article in The Times of Israel called "What's in the Cholent?"

Anyway, for all of you who have had the experience, I am sure that you will agree that it's truly not a Shabbat meal without a big pot of cholent (or, should I say, dafina, as my Sephardic friends say). And it's not a bowl of cholent that you want to eat unless you've hand-picked every single scoop of it yourself, even if you don't quite know what it is you're looking for to begin with.

(Credit photo: Becky via https://www.flickr.com/photos/35694730@N00/2738330081/in/photolist-5aYE8B-5LdtsL-5YkAgM)

What's in the Cholent?

Beautiful Hamentaschen

Hamentaschen for Purim in the making.

Minna Blumenthal work of art!  ;-)

(Credit Photo: Minna)

Beautiful Hamentaschen

Taste The Snowman

Thought this was quite creative 

And probably tasty too. 

A snowman made out of vanilla ice cream. 

With red fruity eyes. 

(and a dangerous--do not eat--green thumbtack nose!) 

The hands are little flags from the Silver Diner. 

Very cute, festive, and mostly edible. ;-)

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Taste The Snowman

Measured {Leadership + Management} + Staff = Success!

So I heard from a colleague this week an argument about:

Too much leadership dilutes good management. 

AND [similarly]

Too much management dilutes good leadership.

What is this a tug of war (without the showy skirts please!)?

Or 

Can you ever have too much of a good thing? 

Typically, leaders provide the vision and managers the execution.

I don't see how it is really possible to have one without the other and have anything useful at the end of the day.

A vision without delivered execution is just another big idea.

And

Execution without a meaningful vision is just chasing your tail.

Too much leadership with grandiose vision after vision overwhelms the ability to manage a successful execution.

Too much management of the devils-in-the-details and even the best leadership vision isn't going to see the light of day.

So the conclusion:

Great leaders need to set the goal posts high but doable and then get out of the way so that talented managers can make sure to get the job done and done right.

And don't forget that it's a diverse and skilled staff that actually does the heavy lifting and need to be respected and appreciated.

Tug of war over! ;-)

(Source Photo: here with attribution to Jamie McCaffrey)

Measured {Leadership + Management} + Staff = Success!

Technology, Just Eat It

What is with the iPhone and food?

Yesterday, one of my dear wonderful relatives showed me a blog with a recipe and pictures for the iPhone cake from the end of last year.

Like who would think of eating an iPhone--even as a cake???

Then today, I came across, the iPhone fruit bowl--an iPhone made up of all different colorful fruits posted to YouTube this week.

As I started to get curious about this iPhone food phenomenon, I researched a little further.

Now, I found iPhone cupcakes going back a few years to 2008.

The iPhone was only first released at the end of June 2007, so only about a year after, the iPhone as food started making it's debut.

Then here's another twist on this, an iPhone food-encrusted case "decorated with whipped cream, berries, star-shaped cookie, heart-shaped macaron, ice cream and sliced apple."

So, with the iPhone, what I thought was just an amazing technology, I have come to learn is in just about every sense of the word something to salivate over and when edible--chump away at.

The iPhone not only makes us want to call home, search the Internet, listen to music, watch videos, and go Apps crazy, but also all the while build up a healthy appetite for more amazing technology innovation.

I think I'll have a bit of that iPhone cake now!

Happy 4th to all. :-)

P.S. And here's my contribution to the iPhone's culinary delights--it's a yum chocolate cake that says "iPhone."

Technology, Just Eat It