This Week’s Two New Articles

Answer to the travel picture on Home Page: Rabat, Morocco

Note: Do check out the new books available for download (in the weekly newsletter).

Our son belongs to the “Millennial” age group. During high school, his class discussed the 2004 film Super Size Me. For instance, the super-sized soda in the film was 42 ounces, containing a staggering 37 teaspoons of added sugar, much more than the recommended daily intake of 6–9 teaspoons. Morgan Spurlock directed and starred in the movie, which chronicled his 30-day experiment of eating only McDonald’s. As a result, his body weight skyrocketed by 25 pounds, while his health and emotional well-being deteriorated.

Since then, my son has reduced and even avoided McDonald’s, becoming more mindful of “healthy eating.” After joining the school swim team, he became even more interested in health and fitness. In college, he took courses to understand the human body and nutrition, learning how the body absorbs nutrients and the process of metabolism. After graduation, even though his major was biomedical engineering, he often brought up topics about health and food during family meals. One time, the discussion centered on eggs.

When my spouse and I shop for eggs at the supermarket, we usually make choices based on cost-effectiveness. As long as they’re not expired, uncracked, and affordable, we might buy one or two dozen. However, my son prefers buying pasture-raised eggs. He explained these eggs come from chickens that roam freely outdoors, eating grass and bugs rather than being confined to cages. From a human perspective, these hens “breathe fresh air, bask in the sunlight, exercise, and enjoy a happy, free life.” The selling point is that healthy, happy chickens produce more nutritious eggs.

Later, we noticed that there are indeed three types of eggs in the market. The first is the common white eggs, produced by caged chickens that eat scientifically formulated feed. Their eggs roll into collection trays and undergo mechanical processing and packaging without human handling. These eggs cost an average of $3 per dozen in 2024. The second type comes from “cage-free” chickens, which aren’t caged and cane moved more in limited space. Some of these eggs are also labeled as “organic,” meaning the chickens are fed chemical-free feed. These cost around $4.50 per dozen. The third type is pasture-raised eggs, averaging $6+ per dozen and sometimes as high as $10. Ironically, in many parts of the world, pasture-raised eggs are the norm.

Why are people willing to pay more than $0.50 per egg? Studies suggest that pasture-raised eggs indeed contain higher levels of omega-3, vitamin A, and vitamin E than regular ones, but the health benefits for humans aren’t definitive. Additionally, there are over 300 pasture farms across the U.S., and the quality of eggs varies. Thus, aside from nutrition, buyers who love these eggs often consider factors such as humane treatment, environmental impact, local economies, and trends. Over the past five years, sales of pasture-raised eggs have grown by 30% annually, with revenues expected to reach $600 million by 2024, highlighting their substantial market demand.

I do care about my health and hope to eat nutritious foods. However, I also weigh factors like convenience, affordability, taste, and texture. If I see pasture-raised eggs on the shelf, I’ll buy them. If not, I’ll eat whatever eggs are available. After all, good health isn’t solely determined by diet, but by an entire lifestyle.

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When writing my newest fiction, Echoes over Stormy Sea (Book 1 in the dual-time odyssey series), I did a thorough research on the topic of concubines in imperial China.

Throughout history, cultural norms, societal expectations, and personal desires have influenced the dynamics of romantic and marital relationships. In the 1800s China, having concubines was both a social norm and a status symbol. The concubinage system allowed men, especially those of higher social and economic standing, to maintain sexual relationships with multiple women besides their wives. Concubines, though lacking the legal status of a wife, played significant roles in the family dynamics, often bearing children and contributing to the family lineage. At that time, having several concubines was seen as a traditional way for men to ensure the continuation of the family name.

As we fast forward to the present day, the notion of having lovers outside of marriage—a practice referred to as having ‘mistresses’ or ‘boyfriends’—is perceived differently depending on cultural and geographical contexts. In Western nations such as the United States and European countries, having these relationships is viewed through the lens of personal choice and individual freedom rather than societal obligation or status.

During the 1800s, taking concubines became a norm in Chinese society. In today’s society, as long as it is consensual between adults, personal autonomy in open and romantic relationships seems to be acceptable. In this sense, the shift from the historical acceptance of concubines to today’s more personal and private arrangements signals a move toward individual autonomy. Nonetheless, extramarital affairs may still reflect a distorted understanding of love and commitment.

Interestingly, across time and cultures, people have often confused physiological responses with psychological needs. While the desire for love, companionship, and emotional fulfillment is universal, engaging in sexual relationships with multiple partners rarely satisfies these deeper emotional needs. As a PhD biochemist, I understand that specific hormones interacting with their receptors play key roles in sexual arousal. However, receptor desensitization, a phenomenon where responsiveness decreases after repeated exposure to the same stimulus, occurs in most receptors. This explains why sexual relations with the same person can become tedious over time if the relationship lacks other sustaining elements. Similarly, frequently changing sexual partners tends to lead to a similar lack of satisfaction.

The Bible teaches that marriage should be between one husband and one wife, one man and one woman, for life. God, as the ultimate designer of human physiology and psychology, knows us best. As Christians, it is important to cultivate enduring and harmonious relationships with our spouses on physical, mental, and spiritual levels. Through this profound connection, we can truly achieve the threefold fulfillment of body, mind, and spirit.

Note: Echoes over Stormy Sea is $2.99 on Amazon. If interested, click the link below to order: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DPGQ6TZP (Paperback $13.99: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DPHTQXHC).