Sam Bauman: More about shrimp and fun things to do

Picking up where I left off last week about that American favorite — shrimp. To rehash, most foreign-caught shrimp are supposed to be inspected by the Food and Drug Administration. But such is not the case, unfortunately. Although most shrimp in our supermarkets are from Southeast Asia, the careful shopper can look for these following shrimp and be at least more confident that they are safer choices.

Check these six popular shrimp on the U.S. market:

White shrimp — warm water shrimp from U.S. waters.

Whiteleg shrimp — native to Pacific Ocean but farmed in the U.S. and abroad.

Brown shrimp — most common along with White Shrimp, sold wild caught. In U.S. waters.

Rock shrimp — has a lobster taste, recently added to the market after fisheries figured out how to crack the tough shells, from Gulf Coast of Florida.

Spot prawn — largest of cold water shrimp, expensive, from coasts of Alaska, Washington and British Columbia.

Here’s a very popular kind that may not meet healthy food standards: Tiger shrimp — Also called giant tiger prawn and black tiger shrimp, most important seafood in financial value, from coasts of Australia, Southeast Asia, South Asia and East Africa. Some pond raised. Consumer Report says when buying wild shrimp, look for those certified by the Marine Stewardship Council.

Here are some cooking tips for shrimp:

Keep them cold. Bacteria multiply at anything above 40. If buying at a seafood counter, ask the clerk to bag them with ice and water. Put them in the fridge until ready to cook. If buying frozen, defrosting them and refreezing will degrade the quality.

Work quickly so the shrimp spend less time in warm hands.

Dispose of shells and veins properly as they may contain bacteria.

Immediately wash hands and kitchen utensils that have come into contact with shrimp.

Buying precooked shrimp is no safer than raw. And don’t trust label that claim turtle safe, natural (meaningless), organic (no standard for that), no hormones or antibiotics (not defined by law).

Entertainment fun

Stephanie Arrigotti pulled off another triumph with her staging of “The Music Man” last week at the Community Center. Great cast and solid show by director Arrigotti, who has been doing it for 25 years at the Western Nevada Musical Theater Company. She has done much for Carson City by bringing in bus loads of theater lovers to town.

Then seniors can remember back when tap dancing was the rage when Fred Astaire, Bojangles and Shirley Temple hoofed it. The Eldorado in Reno has a tap dance show, “Tap Factory,” that brings a hall dozen tappers to the stage. Think it might be boring? No way, these dancers combine taps and drums for an exciting and unusual night. Seniors can enjoy reduced-rate tickets.

Seniors spend a lot of time watching TV. Nothing wrong with it, they’ve earned their entertainment. One program I recently enjoyed was on PBS, Channel Five. It was called “Wolf’s Hall” and portrayed King Henry VIII’s marriage problems. Mark Rylance played Thomas Cromwell, the king’s hired gun in dealing with church and offspring, Damian Lewis is the lusty king and the classic Clare Foy as Anne Boleyn.

Why bring up the program now that it has ended with six nights of brilliance? Because it is such outstanding theater, so well acted and sensitively directed. It will run again at various times.

A matter of balance

No, not only skiers have to worry about sense of balance. Seniors may find themselves a little less sure when walking and avoiding bumps in the sidewalk. But feeling a little off balance is part of getting older, The Mayo Clinic recently published a piece on “Move With Confidence.”

You may be feeling a little less confident walking or doing things. That’s normal for seniors. It’s all a matter of keeping your center of gravity over your base of support. About three out of four seniors have problems with balance, the Mayo Clinic Health Letter reports. Here’s some simple balance exercises:

Stand on one foot, hands on hips, moving the free leg forward and back by bending the knee.

Lift a leg forward and hold it there for a second as you walk ahead in a straight line.

Brush your teeth standing on one leg, switching legs daily.

Balance is important in avoiding falls, one of the chief problems for seniors, often resulting in broken bones.

Some more easy balancing exercises:

Talk on the phone while standing on one leg with one foot directly in front of the other, heel to toe.

Carry a tray or drink while slowly walking heel to toe.

Wash dishes while standing on one foot.

Squat down rather than bending overt open a drawer or pick up something.

Carry groceries from car to the entrance while walking sideways.

Stand up or sit down without using your hands.

Sam Bauman writes about senior affairs, among other things, for the Nevada Appeal.