It may be a tad limited at the moment. And it will only be

for a moment. FOR NOW let’s celebrate what we CAN do:

The weather!! Can you believe the weather today?

The forecast for the entire week??

AWESOME. Like, awesome, dude.

The weather and tacos. I love the California lifestyle.

Even if limited.

 ~ Bent Hansen, Los Gringos Locos restaurateur

A connection between the weather and food, made by a local restaurateur, makes for an interesting writing prompt. A bit of a stretch, you may think, but our food selection and the climate in which we live are related. The weather has an immense effect on digestion. The human body is a system that happens to be in another system called the atmosphere.

The human body has to attain its equilibrium with respect to the external environment. This is the reason why we construct houses, carry umbrellas, raincoats or wear woolen clothes – to maintain stability between our body and the external environment. It is also the reason we eat certain foods.

The following is a collaboration of information from anthropologists, dieticians and physiologists:

Many of you might have noticed that you tend to eat more during the winter months. Our menu often includes fatty cheeses, spicy meats, lots of dough-based foods, hot stews and soups. In contrast, during summer we somehow manage to fool our appetite with juices, fresh green salads and other light dishes. But all of this has a scientific explanation.

Simply put, the variation in appetite is a function of our bodies’ need for calories to maintain a healthy or optimal body temperature. When the weather is hot, the difference between our body temperature and the outside temperature is less, meaning less energy is required to stay balanced. Conversely, when it’s cold our bodies have to work harder to stay at 98.6°F – so we take in more food to help fuel that process. Interestingly, weather also plays a role in influencing what we want to eat.

In comparing the foods eaten in the cold arctic regions with those in the tropical ones, you’ll find more fatty meats in the first and more vegetables, fruits and grains in the second … so whale and walrus vs. pineapple, mangos and rice varieties.

Our local weather forecast calls for mild and warm days. It would follow that tacos are the perfect diet!