Table setting

Table setting (laying a table) or place setting refers to the way to set a table with tableware—such as eating utensils and for serving and eating. The arrangement for a single diner is called a place setting. The practice of dictating the precise arrangement of tableware has varied across cultures and historical periods.

Place setting[edit]

Informal settings generally have fewer utensils and dishes but use a layout based on more formal settings. Utensils are arranged in the order and according to the manner in which the dinner will use them. In the West, forks, bread plate, butter knife, and napkin generally are placed to the left of the dinner plate, and knives, spoons, stemware and tumblers, cups, and saucers to the right. (By contrast, formal settings in Armenia and Turkey place the fork to the right of the dinner plate.)Sauceboats and serving dishes, when used, either are placed on the table or, more formally, may be kept on a side table.

Informal[edit]

Informal setting with pancakes in a California mountain cabin.

At an informal setting, fewer utensils are used and serving dishes are placed on the table. Sometimes the cup and saucer are placed on the right side of the spoon, about four inches from the edge of the table. Often, in less formal settings, the napkin should be in the wine glass. However, such objects as napkin rings are very rare in the United Kingdom, Spain, Mexico, or Italy.

Formal[edit]

A formal table setting for one person.

Utensils are placed about an inch from the edge of the table, with all placed either upon the same invisible baseline or upon the same invisible median line. Utensils in the outermost position are used first (for example, a soup spoon and a salad fork, then the dinner fork and the dinner knife). The blades of the knives are turned toward the plate. Glasses are placed an inch or so above the knives, also in the order of use: white wine, red wine, dessert wine, and water tumbler.

Formal dinner[edit]

The most formal dinner is served from the kitchen. When the meal is served, in addition to the central plate (a service plate or dinner plate at supper; at luncheon, a service plate or luncheon plate) at each place there are a bread roll (generally on a bread plate, sometimes in the napkin), napkin, and flatware (knives and spoons to the right of the central plate, and forks to the left). Coffee is served in Butler Service style in demitasses, and a spoon placed on the saucer to the right of each handle. Serving dishes and utensils are not placed on the table for a formal dinner.^[1] The only exception in the West to these general rules is the protocol followed at the Spanish royal court, which was also adopted by the Austrian court, in which all flatware was placed to the right of the central plate for each diner.

At a less formal dinner, not served from the kitchen, the dessert fork and spoon can be set above the plate, fork pointing right, spoon pointing left.^[2]

Gallery[edit]

Formal dining
Formal Place Setting for 8 Course Dinner  Appetizer Course  Soup Course  Fish Course  Entrée Course  Palate Cleanser  Main (Releve) Course  Salad Course  Fingerbowl Before Dessert  Dessert Place Setting Before Dessert  Dessert Course  Coffee/Tea Course  Tea Service

Source : wikipedia

Banana leaf rice

Banana leaf rice is a traditional method of serving rice dishes in South Indian cuisine.^[1] Due to the migration of South Indians, banana leaf rice can also be found in areas with significant ethnic South Indian diaspora like Malaysia and Singapore.

In banana leaf meals, white rice (or parboiled rice in authentic South Indian restaurants) is served on a banana leaf with an assortment of vegetables, pickles, papadum and other regional condiments (usually sour, salty and/or spicy). The banana leaf acts as a disposable plate and it in itself is not consumed. The choice of banana leaves is mainly due to the broad leaves as well as to the ubiquity of the plant in South India. Typically, only vegetarian gravy (e.g. sambar) will be served on the rice as it is meant to be a traditional vegetarian dish. However, sometimes boiled eggs, curried and/or fried meat or seafood are served as well. Traditionally there will be two servings of rice, with the first being served with gravy, side dishes and condiments whilst the second serving will be just rice with curd as a palate cleanser.

Banana leaf meals are eaten with hand. Banana leaf meal etiquette also dictates that, after the meal, the guest must always fold the banana leaf inwards as a sign of gratitude to the host, even when the host is the proprietor of an eatery. However, when meals are served at funeral wakes, the leaf is folded outwards as a sign of condolence to the family of the deceased. Due to this, folding the leaf outwards is considered rude in any other circumstance. In Malaysia, some Malaysians of non-Indian origin sometimes fold their banana leaf outward as a sign of dissatisfaction with an eatery's banana leaf meal. This is due to the erroneous belief that folding the leaf inwards or outwards is a way of rating the meal.

=================

Kayi Saasive Anna (Coconut Mustard Rice)

Here is the traditional way of serving food on plantain leaves in the traditional Madhwa Shivalli Brahmin style (Photo & information courtesy: udupipages. Thanks for their effort)

1. Uppu (Salt)
2. Uppinakai (Pickles)
3. Chutney Pudi (Chutney Powder) (Note*)
4. Kosumbri (Green Gram Salad)
5. Kosumbri (Bengal Gram Salad)
6. Kayi Chutney (Coconut Chutney)
7. Pallya1 (Vegetable Stirfry 1)
8. Pallya2 (Vegetable Stirfry 2)
9. Chitranna (Lemon Rice) /Kayi Saasive Anna (Coconut Mustard Rice)
10. Happala (Papad)
11. Sandige (Crispies)
12. Kadubu (Steamed Rice Cake)
13. Anna (Rice)
14. Thovve (Dal)
15. Sihigojju (Raitha)
16. Saru (Rasam)
17. Uddinahittu (Black Gram Paste)
18. BadanePodi (Brinjal Pakoda)
19. Menaskai (Sweet And Sour Gravy)
20. Goli Baje (Maida Fry)
21. Avial (Vegetable Mix)
22. Gatti Baje (Ladies Finger Pakoda)
23. Gulla Koddel (Brinjal Sambar)
24. Sweet-1
25. Gojjambade (Masalwada Curry)
26. Sweet-2 to sweet-N (minimum would be 4 types of sweets)
27. Vangi Bath (Vegetable Bhath)
28. Bharatha (Sour Ginger Gravy)
29. Paradi Payasa (Sweet)
30. Mosaru (Curds)
31. Majjige (Butter Milk)

http://www.wikihow.com/Eat-Food-on-Banana-Leaf

Why is traditional food served on a banana leaf in the states of South India?

Especially in the southern Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala. Is it only because there is wide availability of these leaves in these states or historic/religious reasons also apply?

1. It is one of the most eco-friendly, disposable food serving systems. It degrades quickly and unlike a metallic/porcelain utensil, it requires very little cleaning with water or soap. Great for a water  scarce India. 
2. It is healthy. The antioxidants (polyphenols) in banana leaf is reported to help fight cancer. http://www.livestrong.com/articl.... Another research says the leaf contains polyphenol oxidase that help fight Parkinson's disease. http://ejournal.sinica.edu.tw/bb... Banana leaves are also used in some ayurvedic medicinal preparations. By serving hot food on a banana leaf, one could get a lot of those good stuff although the leaf is hard to digest for human when eaten as-is.
3. It  is hygienic. A simple sprinkling of water is enough to clean a banana  leaf. When you are eating at places with questionable hygiene it always  preferable to eat in a banana leaf than an inadequately cleaned plate.
4. It is practical. Other leaves are too small to have food in and Indian population is too big to have everybody use plastic utensils without screwing up the environment in a big way.
5. It is waterproof. South Indian foods involve a lot of liquids and many other bio materials don't fit in easily.
6. The leaves can be quite big and is great to present the diverse food stuffs in a South Indian menu. Most plates are not good in this aspect.
7. Since the leaf can hold a large volume of food, it requires less rounds of serving and thus it is easy when you are serving parties of 1000s of people (not unusual in Indian weddings).
8. It adds a nice aroma to the food and improves the taste of some foods like rasam (Indian soup).

Finally, we love to follow the ways of our ancestors (especially when they are right). It is nice to have a bit of history and culture when you are dealing with something as fundamental as food.

Source: http://www.quora.com/Why-is-traditional-food-served-on-a-banana-leaf-in-the-states-of-South-India

==================

Banana Leaves: Indian way of eating

In Hindu culture people used to eat from banana leaf. A banana leaf is a long leaf which has a long rib in the middle. Banana Trees are considered to be sacred tree. It is used all celebration like marriages, temple functions etc. Planting a banana tree in front of the house is considered very important. 

The banana leaf is also a practical kitchen tool. As a food wrapper, it functions like a plastic wrap, parchment paper, and aluminum foil to prevent drying, sticking and retaining heat. You can lay a banana leaf down and serve food on it like a plate or placemat, and fold it into various shapes as to-go containers. It's also great for lining steamer trays to prevent sticking. It's bio-degradable too. 

Banana leaves are so large they are used as umbrellas during monsoon season. The leaf also makes an attractive serving platter because of its size and sturdiness. The shrub produces only one leaf per month in winter and three to four per month in summer.

Cultural Beliefs:

A traditional meal on a banana leaf is a must at any South Indian celebration.one has to eat carbohydrates (rice) first, then protein (dal), iron-rich vegetables and fat (curd). This is the order in which food is served and consumed as well. It is even more traditional to sit on the floor on a mat and eat one’s food. One has to squat as if one is sitting in the padmasana (lotus) pose.

Eating from a banana leaf is considered hygienic and healthy. Any guest can be served on a banana leaf which is considered humble and respectful.

Benefits:

• Eating food served on banana leaf is found to be healthy. Serving hot food on banana leaf will emanate important nutrients from the leaf which will be mixed with the food and will be eaten. This is considered to be very good for health.
• In the past there were no plates available; banana leaves were easily available and were large enough to contain all the food. Also, there is no particular smell in the leaf that can put you off.
• Leaves are easily disposable and environment friendly. Even burning the leaves, the ozone layers are not affected.

Scientific Reasons:

Banana leaves contain large amounts of polyphenols such as epigallocatechin gallate, or EGCG, also found in green tea. Polyphenols are natural antioxidants found in many plant based foods. 

According to an article by Augustin Scalbert and colleagues published in the January 2005 issue of the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition," extensive research is ongoing to help determine the extent of how polyphenols affect human cells, the oxidative process and its impact on disease prevention.

Other Reasons:

As there is no chemical reaction, the food keeps its value intact: it can endure heat and react well without tearing apart from the heat. 

The green leaf adds value to food (just like any other greens) and it contains the leafy taste to make it better

Source: http://theancientindia.blogspot.in/2012/07/banana-leaves.html

=================

The Nutritional Value of Banana Leaves

ooks in Asia and India have use banana leaves in many of the same ways Western chefs use aluminum foil or parchment paper. According to an article on the Sampradaya Sun news site, banana leaves do not grow on trees but are actually the leaves of a large herbal shrub.

Significance

In India, banana leaves are so large they are used as umbrellas during monsoon season. They are used as natural food wrappers when steaming, grilling and baking different types of food. The leaf also make an attractive serving platter because of its size and sturdiness. The shrub produces only one leaf per month in winter and three to four per month in summer.

Nutrients

In addition to their value as food wrappers for cooking, banana leaves contain large amounts of polyphenols such as epigallocatechin gallate, or EGCG, also found in green tea. Polyphenols are natural antioxidants found in many plant based foods. According to an article by Augustin Scalbert and colleagues published in the January 2005 issue of the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition," extensive research is ongoing to help determine the extent of how polyphenols affect human cells, the oxidative process and its impact on disease prevention.

===========

Advantages Of Eating Food In Banana Leaf.

In This Modern And Fast Growing World , We Are Losing Our Traditions And Customs In India.Eating Food In Banana Leaf Is One In That.This Practice Have So Many Advantages And Good For Human Life.

1.Banana Leafs Are Cheaper Than The Plastic Items Like Papers And Cups.
2.Banana Leaves Are Easily Destroyable And Dilute In Earth In Rapidly.These Are Environmental Friends.
3.Usage Of Water Is Very Less While Comparing With Plastic And Steel Items For Cleaning Purpose.
4.Ayurveda Gives Most Important To Banana Leaf.It Is Widely Used In Many Treatments.
5.We Can Cut The Leaves In Different Sizes As We Like It.
This Is The One Of The Best Tradition For Telugu People Culture.
6.By Eating Food Daily In Banana Leaf And Sitting On The Floor, Will Acts As Best Remedy For Joint Pains.
7.This Will Help To Farmers To Earn More Income.
8.Hindu Traditions Are Suggesting This Practice.

We Can See This Culture Widely In Tamilnadu Hotels, Houses ,And Marriages Even In So Many Functions.This Is The Best Culture For Everyone.Glsobal Warming Is The Biggest Problem In Now A Days.The Main Reason Is Usage Of Plastics,These Are Not Easily Destroyable In Earth.It Will Damages The Ground Water Levels.So Try To Follw It.By Using This You Will Indirectly Helps To The Environment.

Source: http://swamulu.blogspot.com/2013/06/advantages-of-eating-food-in-banana-leaf.html

So eat healthy and live healthy.

Others sources: wikipedia and internet related searches

 

Rule of 72

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In finance, the rule of 72, the rule of 70 and the rule of 69 are methods for estimating an investment's doubling time. The rule number (e.g., 72) is divided by the interest percentage per period to obtain the approximate number of periods (usually years) required for doubling. Although scientific calculators and spreadsheet programs have functions to find the accurate doubling time, the rules are useful for mental calculations and when only a basic calculator is available.^[1]
These rules apply to exponential growth and are therefore used for compound interest as opposed to simple interest calculations. They can also be used for decay to obtain a halving time. The choice of number is mostly a matter of preference, 69 is more accurate for continuous compounding, while 72 works well in common interest situations and is more easily divisible. There are a number of variations to the rules that improve accuracy. For periodic compounding, the exact doubling time for an interest rate of r per period is

,

where T is the number of periods required. The formula above can be used for more than calculating the doubling time. If you want to know the tripling time, for example, simply replace the constant 2 in the numerator with 3. As another example, if you want to know the number of periods it takes for the initial value to rise by 50%, replace the constant 2 with 1.5.

Using the rule to estimate compounding periods

To estimate the number of periods required to double an original investment, divide the most convenient "rule-quantity" by the expected growth rate, expressed as a percentage.

• For instance, if you were to invest $100 with compounding interest at a rate of 9% per annum, the rule of 72 gives 72/9 = 8 years required for the investment to be worth $200; an exact calculation gives ln(2)/ln(1+.09) = 8.0432 years.

Similarly, to determine the time it takes for the value of money to halve at a given rate, divide the rule quantity by that rate.

• To determine the time for money's buying power to halve, financiers simply divide the rule-quantity by the inflation rate. Thus at 3.5% inflation using the rule of 70, it should take approximately 70/3.5 = 20 years for the value of a unit of currency to halve.

• To estimate the impact of additional fees on financial policies (e.g., mutual fund fees and expenses, loading and expense charges on variable universal life insurance investment portfolios), divide 72 by the fee. For example, if the Universal Life policy charges a 3% fee over and above the cost of the underlying investment fund, then the total account value will be cut to 1/2 in 72 / 3 = 24 years, and then to just 1/4 the value in 48 years, compared to holding exactly the same investment outside the policy.

Choice of rule

The value 72 is a convenient choice of numerator, since it has many small divisors: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, and 12. It provides a good approximation for annual compounding, and for compounding at typical rates (from 6% to 10%). The approximations are less accurate at higher interest rates.
For continuous compounding, 69 gives accurate results for any rate. This is because ln(2) is about 69.3%; see derivation below. Since daily compounding is close enough to continuous compounding, for most purposes 69, 69.3 or 70 are better than 72 for daily compounding. For lower annual rates than those above, 69.3 would also be more accurate than 72.

Rate	Actual Years	Rule of 72	Rule of 70	Rule of 69.3	72 adjusted	E-M rule
0.25%	277.605	288.000	280.000	277.200	277.667	277.547
0.5%	138.976	144.000	140.000	138.600	139.000	138.947
1%	69.661	72.000	70.000	69.300	69.667	69.648
2%	35.003	36.000	35.000	34.650	35.000	35.000
3%	23.450	24.000	23.333	23.100	23.444	23.452
4%	17.673	18.000	17.500	17.325	17.667	17.679
5%	14.207	14.400	14.000	13.860	14.200	14.215
6%	11.896	12.000	11.667	11.550	11.889	11.907
7%	10.245	10.286	10.000	9.900	10.238	10.259
8%	9.006	9.000	8.750	8.663	9.000	9.023
9%	8.043	8.000	7.778	7.700	8.037	8.062
10%	7.273	7.200	7.000	6.930	7.267	7.295
11%	6.642	6.545	6.364	6.300	6.636	6.667
12%	6.116	6.000	5.833	5.775	6.111	6.144
15%	4.959	4.800	4.667	4.620	4.956	4.995
18%	4.188	4.000	3.889	3.850	4.185	4.231
20%	3.802	3.600	3.500	3.465	3.800	3.850
25%	3.106	2.880	2.800	2.772	3.107	3.168
30%	2.642	2.400	2.333	2.310	2.644	2.718
40%	2.060	1.800	1.750	1.733	2.067	2.166
50%	1.710	1.440	1.400	1.386	1.720	1.848
60%	1.475	1.200	1.167	1.155	1.489	1.650
70%	1.306	1.029	1.000	0.990	1.324	1.523

History

An early reference to the rule is in the Summa de Arithmetica (Venice, 1494. Fol. 181, n. 44) of Luca Pacioli (1445–1514). He presents the rule in a discussion regarding the estimation of the doubling time of an investment, but does not derive or explain the rule, and it is thus assumed that the rule predates Pacioli by some time.

“

A voler sapere ogni quantita a tanto per 100 l'anno, in quanti anni sarà tornata doppia tra utile e capitale, tieni per regola 72, a mente, il quale sempre partirai per l'interesse, e quello che ne viene, in tanti anni sarà raddoppiato. Esempio: Quando l'interesse è a 6 per 100 l'anno, dico che si parta 72 per 6; ne vien 12, e in 12 anni sarà raddoppiato il capitale. (emphasis added).

”

Roughly translated:

“

In wanting to know of any capital, at a given yearly percentage, in how many years it will double adding the interest to the capital, keep as a rule [the number] 72 in mind, which you will always divide by the interest, and what results, in that many years it will be doubled. Example: When the interest is 6 percent per year, I say that one divides 72 by 6; 12 results, and in 12 years the capital will be doubled.

Thanks to :
Wiki

How to Select a Battery Backup for Your Computer

If you’re looking to be very conservative in your power estimation needs, go with the maximum rating of the PSU and peripherals (this way you’ll end up with extra battery life instead of too little battery life). Alternatively, you can increase the precision of your calculations by using a measuring device and allocate more of your budget towards UPS unit features you want and less towards buying a bigger battery.
Regardless of whether you use the less precise or more precise method, you now have a wattage value. For our calculation examples we’re going to use 400w as our value.
A simple rule-of-thumb calculation you can use to determine how much UPS is as follows:

1.6 * Wattage Load = Minimum Volt-Amperes (VA)

Volt-Amperes are the standard measurement used to describe the capacity of UPS units. Using the equation above we see that the minimum VA rating we’d want for our 400w needs would be a 640 VA rated system.
Now that we have a minimum rating, the next question on everyone’s mind is most likely: How long will that minimum system run the setup? After all you’re getting a battery backup system for your computer to keep everything running when the power is out.
Unfortunately there isn’t a super quick rule-of-thumb calculation for determining the runtime like there is for determining the necessary minimum VA. We’ll show you how to do the calculation so that you can double check manufacturer estimates if you wish, but it’s not a particular speedy or fun calculation to run through.
In order to calculate the estimate runtime of a UPS system you need to know four things: the VA rating of the UPS unit, the number of battery cells in the UPS unit, the DV voltage rating of those batteries, the capacity (or Ampere-Hours) of the batteries. Unfortunately not all of this information is easily cribbed off of a simple web site listing for the product you’re interested in running the calculation on so you’ll likely need to dig through a PDF of the manual, supplemental documents, and so on to get it all. In other words, it’s a huge pain.


Once you have all the requisite information, however, you can plug it into the following equation:

( Battery Voltage * AH Rating * Efficiency) / VA Rating =  X
X * 60 = Estimated Run Time in Minutes

So let’s pretend we’re looking at a theoretical UPS unit that has the following specs:

VA Rating: 700
Battery Voltage: 12
AH: 9
Efficiency: 0.9 (90%)

When we plug those numbers into the equation we get the following:

( 12 * 9 * 0.9 ) / 700 = 0.139
0.139 * 60 = 8.3 minutes

So this particular UPS unit could sustain the system under full load for a little over 8 minutes (longer if the system is under partial load).
We shared this exercise with you so that you can do the calculations if you wish but it’s not something we particularly recommend. It’s such an enormous hassle to dig up all the information (especially the efficiency rating); it’s much more expedient to use manufacturer estimate tables (which we’ve found to be on the conservative side anyways). You can check out the calculation/selection tools of the more popular UPS unit manufacturers here:




Thanks to:
http://www.howtogeek.com/161479/how-to-select-a-battery-backup-for-your-computer/ 

Sequential hermaphroditism - (the individual changes sex at some point in their life)

Sequential hermaphroditism (called dichogamy in botany) is a type of hermaphroditism that occurs in many fish, gastropoda and plants. Sequential hermaphroditism occurs when the individual changes sex at some point in their life. They can change from a male to female (protandry), or from female to male (protogyny)^[1] or from female to hermaphrodite (protogynous hermaphroditism). Those that change gonadal sex can have both female and male germ cells in the gonads or can change from one complete gonadal type to the other during their last life stage.^[2] Individual flowers are also called sequentially hermaphrodite, although the plant as a whole may have functionally male and functionally female flowers open at the same time.


In the film Jurassic Park, dinosaurs are cloned for a theme park and are kept from breeding because each one is cloned to be a female. The genetic coding of the dinosaur DNA is completed with the DNA of a frog, and as a result, the dinosaurs change their gender in order to breed, just as a West African bullfrog would in a single-sex environment.

Thanks to:
Wiki