Now there are scientists that say the same thing, you know the whole raw food craze ?  Turns out cooking your food is good for you.

Original article

And you believe cooking with that fire spurred the development of modern humans.

Here’s the way I tend to ask the question: I tend to think of the advent of cooking as having a huge impact on the quality of the diet. In fact, I can’t think of any increase in the quality of diet in the history of life that is bigger. And repeatedly we have evidence in biology of increases in dietary quality affecting bodies. The food was softer, easier to eat, with a higher density of calories—so this led to smaller guts, and, since the food was providing more energy, we see more evidence of energy use by the body. There’s only one time it could have happened on that basis; that is, with the evolution of Homo erectus somewhere between 1.6 [million] and 1.8 million years ago.

It’s hard to describe the differences between Europe and the US. Once upon a time you could just say you have a higher quality of life in Europe and you give that up for the ability to make more money in the US. That’s what I used to believe as well but spending time in Europe has made it clear that the reality is far from what I used to believe.

Quality of life really fails to describe the huge difference between life in Europe and US. Here’s a simple example I get 15 days of vacation a year, most people get 10. My counter part in Europe gets 28 days of vacation a year and that’s 2 down from what most of his friends get. That’s 28 working days not counting sick days. Imagine having that much time, being able to plan long vacations ahead of time, you know all those places you always wanted to visit ? You could visit them before retirement, tours in Africa, biking in Vietnam, diving in the red sea,…

I am not going to mention health care, I am just not. I looked over how much my PPO cost for me and my wife for the past year and immediately changed it to an HMO. When I had my diving accident in Palau I saw a Dr in Taiwan, the visit along with the medication cost me a whopping $12. Let’s not talk about this anymore. Europe would have been even cheaper.

Next up food, I ate well on this trip, really well. Nomad in Amsterdam was amazing, one of the dishes was so outstanding both me and my co-worker tried to re-create it to no avail. Later on Biblioteket in Copenhagen was outstanding. I am lucky enough to live near San Francisco which has a great selection of restaurants but still your average San Francisco restaurant doesn’t stand a chance against the average restaurant in Antwarp or Amsterdam or … The nicest thing about eating in Europe was the time, I don’t think we had a single dinner that took less than 2 hours, while McDonalds and KFC were everywhere “grown ups” eat in sit down places where your food takes time to prepare and cook and tastes like it took time as well.

Last but not least the women, we though the women in Amsterdam were hot but they looked downright plain next to the women in Copenhagen. Imagine hundreds of supermodels walking around and riding bikes. I walked into a bench as I couldn’t help but stare, my co-worker almost walked into a car yes the women were that good looking and this was in the middle of winter where everyone was wrapped up in jackets. My marriage would have been in trouble if I was there during summer. By the way if you are a single female living in the bay area enjoy it really there is no where else in the world quiet like it. If you are a single guy living in the San Francisco bay area, move out, it’s not worth it. Almost anywhere else you move to will be better. Don’t believe me ? Take a look at the pic below.

Convinced ? then enjoy the rest of your life. Part II will be coming soon.

The plane lands with a gentle thud and here we are again. From the moment the doors open and you walk into the airport there is a sense of confidence about the place. A place and people who are secure in their identity and their place in the world. There are ample signs for the trains but it’s been at least 15 years since I have been here and so I indulge in a taxi ride to the my hotel.

The Mercedes hums quietly on the dark highway the driver wearing a smart dark suit doesn’t say much. The meter is cleverly hidden away behind the gps system. This is a far cry from the regular SFO taxis. As we enter the city it’s clear that this is a walkers city. Small bridges and bike lots dot the narrow streets. We are at the hotel I cringe at the 45€ fee.

I stare out the window at the clear steel grey skies. They are the perfect background for the stern churches that rise up squatly in the background. There are no sky scrapers here. A rain soaked wooden shoe graces my neighbors window. Welcome to Amsterdam.