“Every week for the past thirty years I host a Sunday dinner in my home in Paris. People, including total strangers, call or email to book a spot. I hold the salon in my atelier, which used to be a sculpture studio. The first 50 or 60 people who call may come, and twice that many when the weather is nice and we can overflow into the garden. 

Every Sunday a different friend prepares a feast. Last week it was a philosophy student from Lisbon, and next week a dear friend from London will cook.

People from all corners of the world come to break bread together, to meet, to talk, connect, and often become friends. All ages, nationalities, races, professions gather here, and since there is no organized seating, the opportunity for mingling couldn’t be better. I love the randomness.

I believe in introducing people to people.

I have a good memory, so each week I make a point to remember everyone’s name on the guest list and where they’re from and what they do, so I can introduce them to each other, effortlessly. If I had my way, I would introduce everyone in the whole world to each other.

People are the most important thing in my life. Many travelers go to see things like the Tower of London, the Statue of Liberty, the Eiffel Tower, and so on. I travel to see friends, even—or especially—those I’ve never met.

In the late ‘80s, I edited a series of guidebooks to nine Eastern European countries and Russia. There were no sights to see, no shops or museum to visit; instead, each book contained about a thousand short biographies of people who would be willing to welcome travelers in their cities. Hundreds of friendships evolved from these encounters, including marriages, and babies, too.

The same can be said for my Sunday salon. At a recent dinner a six-year-old girl from Bosnia spent the entire evening glued to an eight-year-old boy from Estonia. Their parents were surprised, and pleased, by this immediate friendship.

There is always a collection of people from all over the globe. Most of them speak English, at least as a second language. Recently a dinner featured a typical mix: a Dutch political cartoonist, a beautiful painter from Norway, a truck driver from Arizona, a bookseller from Atlanta, a newspaper editor from Sydney, students from all over, and traveling retirees.

I have long believed that it is unnecessary to understand others, individuals, or nationalities; one must, at the very least, simply tolerate others. Tolerance can lead to respect and, finally, to love. No one can ever really understand anyone else, but you can love them or at least accept them.

Like Tom Paine, I am a world citizen. All human history is mine. My roots cover the earth.

I believe we should know each other. After all, our lives are all connected.

Okay, now come and dine.”

Jim Haynes was born in Louisiana, ran a bookstore in Scotland, created a theater company in London, launched a newspaper in Amsterdam, and taught media studies in Paris. Guests to his Sunday dinners have included Allen Ginsberg, R. Crumb, and Molly Ivins. Contact Haynes about his Sunday salons.

I’m currently making the 16 hour trek from Horseshoe Canyon Ranch, Arkansas to Hueco Tanks, Texas.  Last night I put in 5 hours of the drive, which went by surprisingly quickly thanks to podcasts.  Some of my favorite podcasts include WSJ: This Morning (allowing me to keep apprised of business news), The Economist (I enjoy their world news coverage), Barack Obama’s Weekly Radio Addresss (though only 5 minutes long, it is inspirational) and Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me (my favorite podcast, though completely silly).  I’m always trying out new podcasts and today I found a great one: The Nutrition Diva.

The Nutrition Diva provides 5 minute long podcasts addressing health topics that I truly am interested in, for instance “Organic, Schmorgaic”, “Just the Flax, Ma’am”, “Is Going Meatless the Answer”, “High Fructose Hysteria” and many more.  I catch myself learning so many great facts that I can easily implement in my life.

Some of the great take-aways I learned yesterday were:

• High fructose corn syrup isn’t any worse than normal sugar.  What is more important is watching how much sugar is consumed.  On average, the normal person should intake less than 50 grams of sugar.
• High fiber diets are great because they help you lose weight, prevents disease, keeps you regular and fiber is usually found in foods that contain vitamins and antioxidants.  One should try to consume at least 25 grams a day, though ideal consumption would be between 35 – 40 grams.
• Organic is not always nutritionally better than conventional fruits and vegetables.  It instead depends on how fresh the vegetable is, meaning when it was picked.  However, organic is substantially better for the environment and for personal pesticide ingestion.  If on a tight budget and can’t always afford organic, follow the Dirty Dozen rule.  Avoiding or buying organic of these 12 fruits and vegetables will cut your pesticide ingestion by 90%: peaches, apples, bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, pears, spinach, lettuce, imported grapes and potatoes.
• Flaxseed really is all that it has been hyped up to because it is high in fiber and protein, includes high contents of ligands (protection against cancer) and is very rich in Omega-3 fatty acids..  For full benefits, the flaxseed must be in a ground up form and kept in a refrigerator once it is opened.  Buy it in small packages and try to use within a couple weeks.
• Raw vegetables do contain the most vitamins and minerals and how you cook them can have a significant impact.  Here are the cooking techniques from worst to best. Worst: cook foods for a long time and throw away the cooking water.  Better: boil or stew foods, but incorporate liquids into the dish or another dish.  Good: steam foods or microwave them.  Best: don’t cook them at all.
• Nuts are a great snack, but too much can easily pack on the pounds.  The key is to have two tablespoons of nut butter (peanut butter, etc.) or one handful of nuts.  There isn’t one nut that is better for you than others rather each one provides different benefits.  Peanuts are high in protein; almonds are high in fiber; English walnuts high in antioxidants.  Cashews, unlike the myth, are not any fattier than the previously mentioned nuts; whereas, pecans are the fattiest out of the bunch.

Nutriential Diva really is quite an intriguing podcast.  If you listen to it, feel free to post up your thoughts and / or favorite episode.