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A TASTE OF ENCHANTMENT: April 2002 Special Edition

"Achieving Positive States of Mind and Body Again and Again"

Produced by Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein , Psychologist, Life Coach, and Originator of THE ENCHANTED SELF(R)

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Welcome to the mid-month publication of The Enchanted Self's e-newsletter!  Each month I will focus on (and respond to) a question about enchantment and/or a reader's ideas on enchantment.

Question of the Month: Can I let myself go and travel to foreign lands I may never visit, via reading or the screen and also have the pleasure of traveling in my own memory?

Answer: Of course, you can.  In fact, sometimes some of our best mental adventures are stimulated by a good magazine article, a book, or a movie and then further stimulated by allowing the pleasure of our own memory search to occur.  Here is an example of my adventures when The New York Times Magazine Article on the Far East literally wet my appetite and then became the spring board to my own Far East .

Article: Ah! My Mouth Waters for the Far East --The Enchanted Self responds to The New York Times article, 'Night Markets of Beijing and Xian'

by Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein

Yes, my mouth is watering as I walk those exotic streets with author, Mimi Sheraton.  She has aroused all my senses with her descriptions of the night markets.  Enjoy a quote from her article with me: "The real magic begins at night, when after-dark markets come alive in a shimmering black-and-gold chiaroscuro.  Under the dramatic glow cast by the simple bare light bulbs to swaying garlands of red lanterns, cook-vendors hawk their wars as loudly as tropical birds ... clouds of steam and sizzles arise from fiery woks, and the air is filled with the mouthwatering scents of grilling meat, pungent spices and the hot sugar of frying sweet dumplings."

I'm famished and ready to sit down at a bare wooden table.  Let the treats begin.  I'll have the cubes of bean curd and the vegetables that look so fresh she said they might be still growing.  I'll pass on the true exotica.  After all, I grew up in New Haven , Connecticut and my stomach responds best to ordinary American fare, Italian, Jewish foods and of course, the Far East !

You may be wondering why I capitalized the Far East .  Actually, I mean the Far East Restaurant in New Haven .  That's where my food memories really begin.  At least once a week, my mother and father took me out to dine.  As soon as I could sit up without a high chair we were off to the Far East , located near Malley's, the biggest department store ever. 

Here's what I remember.  The restaurant was up a long staircase.  It was large with windows that looked out on the town.  All the tables had white linen tablecloths and the ceilings had wooden fans that slowly turned.  My parents always order Chow Mein and Egg Foo Young, drank tea out of funny small cups and looked very happy.  They laughed and were good to me and I got to eat out!

I think I had the best time of all.  The waiters, who spoke oddly, were very nice to me.  They brought me lots of delicious bread that was crusty, like French bread, with real pats of butter.  I also had lots of ice water, white rice, a real linen napkin and best of all a scoop of vanilla ice cream for dessert.  These were the best of times.  I was with my loving parents in the Far East --eating the best of exotica!  At least I thought so.  After all, I was only three or four.

How delicious to bring back that long ago time in New Haven , when trolleys ran down Howard Avenue to our apartment and my parents were so young and beautiful.   That memory is a savory delight.

I hope you let yourself be inspired by these flavorful thoughts.  That's what THE ENCHANTED SELF is all about--encouraging our minds to enjoy positive thoughts that improve our moods and ultimately help us lead more meaningful lives.

Sometimes we go far away in our minds, as I went to China with Mimi Sheraton, just to return to our own Far East 's.  We all have them!  Enjoy.

The article appeared on page 26 of The Sophisticated Traveler on March 3, 2002.

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Please give us the pleasure of sharing your responses.  They may be posted on the web site or in future issues of the newsletter.  You can also chat about this topic or create your own in The Enchanted Self e-group at the following URL: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/encself

How to Order

Here are some ways to order RECIPES FOR ENCHANTMENT, The Secret Ingredient is YOU! as well as THE ENCHANTED SELF, A Positive Therapy.  If you order from my website I can send you autographed copies of my two books.  I can also send your free Enchanted Self bookmarks and copies of my paper newsletter, THE ENCHANTED SELF.  You can also order the audio edition of my first book, THE ENCHANTED SELF, A Positive Therapy via my web site.

Tip: When shopping online use keywords "recipes for enchantment" and "enchanted self" to locate the books.

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Forwarding & Reprinting

(C) 2000-2002 Copyright The Enchanted Self - All rights reserved.

Please feel free to pass this issue on to someone who might enjoy it.  The Enchanted Self Newsletter is copyrighted but may be quoted, reprinted, or distributed in whole or part without prior permission, provided the content is not changed and attribution is given including:

Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein

THE ENCHANTED SELF(R)

We also encourage you to include this material in other publications, such as self-healing and professional psychology newsletters. However, we ask that you contact us beforehand for permission and send us a sample issue.

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To learn more about THE ENCHANTED SELF(R) - A State of Well Being, Joy, and Happiness, please contact me or visit my web site.

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