Staying cool as a cucumber

During the hot summers, my favorite things to eat are foods that cool the body.

The wise Chinese view seasonality of foods in a more complex light, through the application of TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) wisdom to dietary habits. In short, certain foods are considered too yang, or hot to eat in excess during the warmer months, while others are prized for their yin ability to cool the body, useful in the heat of summer. If all that sounds a bit too wacky for you, simply try to avoid eating things like beef tripe or sauteed snake meat in summer. Much too much yang! Save it for Spring Festival, or your next trip to Iceland, or something. Overall, the goal is internal balance between yin and yang forces within the body.

I learned this while on one of our travels last year to Taiwan. It was such a treat to enjoy grass jelly desserts, fresh island fruits (pineapple, dragonfruit, guava, and lychee). The vegetarian restaurant our friend introduced to had the best selection of cold noodle salads, veggie sprout handrolls and blended ice drinks!

Slices of crisp English cucumbers between lightly toasted wheatbread, slathered with seasoned cream cheese are especially wonderful since they require little work and have lots of flavor. Fish, mushrooms, watercress, and chilled salads are also great at helping beat the heat.