Past President John Ackenhusen’s resplendent piano prelude morphed dramatically into an impassioned “Star-Spangled Banner.” Frankly, the man can play anything. How much brighter, one might ask, would Dickens’ Atlantic crossing on the Britannia have been — let alone his subsequent appraisal of our young republic in his American Notes of 1842 — had he and his fellow storm-tossed passengers had recourse to an ebullient ‘John A’ at the keyboard in the ship’s saloon? For whatever the news or weather, one’s outlook elevates decidedly when in earshot of his graceful musicianship — a talent virtuosic enough to penetrate even the darkened hold of Weber’s ballroom.
Rosemarie Rowney, our president-elect, came forward to deliver the Inspiration. And like John’s mini concert, it was a whopper. Anticipating our speaker’s presentation, Rosemarie launched into a homily on food, on overall well-being: “FOOD — Food is everywhere and central to our lives: we eat to nourish, to socialize, to soothe ourselves. Each of us has a different relationship with food.” She then gave a spot-on impression of Julia Child — “‘I enjoy cooking with wine, sometimes I even put it in the food….'” Then the dark side: “But then [food] got complicated…Confusing guidance came and went: food pyramids, good fats, bad fats; no to salt, yes to salt…an epidemic of obesity in the U.S.; salmonella, e-Coli. The list goes on and on.” In conclusion she cited Michael Pollan’s book, Defense of Food, and offered a quote: “‘Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants’ — which seems like pretty good advice.”
Song: Maestro Henry Johnson came up next. He began by acknowledging “the contentious politics in Washington. As a member of the Peace Committee, I’m concerned with the lack of civility and peace in the world. Please join me in singing this song, ‘Let There Be Peace On Earth!'” His tone was firm, even defiant, and his audience followed suit. Your reporter thought of Esmeralda’s rescue by Quasimodo in RKO’s 1939 classic, with Notre Dame’s choir reaching crescendo as the hunchback sweeps the maiden he loves to safety high above the scaffold. May we be so fortunate in these times.
President Greg then came to the podium, his eyebrows twisted like a skeptical C. Aubrey Smith, and intoned, “I generally cook with beer — and NEVER put it in the food.” He greeted all Rotarians, guests, and volunteers, noting especially Ginny Geren’s help in preparing the room for the meeting. He then mentioned that Ebru Misirli “is still in Turkey, assisting her mother.” There were numerous guests. PP Ashish Sarkar introduced his guest, a Rotarian from Mumbai, “whose club has 500 members.” Art Williams’ guest, Linda Carter, was “like the actress (whose birthday she also shares), a superwoman” in business and philanthropy. [Art, it’s actually ‘Wonder Woman,’ but don’t sweat it; you’re cool.]
Wine, Women and Song: Chris McMullen, wearing a dapper brimmed hat, informed the assembly of the upcoming 2019 Wine, Women and Song: “Preview night is Thursday, January 24, at 7:30 p.m. Pat Pooley is taking reservations. Act fast, there are only a few seats left!” As everyone knows, the fabulous concert, an Ann Arbor music hall tradition, will take place at Kerrytown Concert House. And since food is the theme of the day, get there by 7:30 for the terrific buffet.
Next, Greg asked RCAA’s information tech wonder woman, Lauren Heinonen, to give a presentation. She sat at the table, by the screen, and launched into an impossibly exuberant harangue about the club website’s social media capabilities; a message received by her listeners in a similar vein of bewilderment and hapless passivity to that evinced by the cave people confronting Kubrick’s megalith. Indeed, for our more senior members (present writer included), there exists an unspoken admission that, with technology, the joke always seems to land on us.
“Hi, I’m going to give you a brief overview of how to work social media,” she began. An amiable enough introduction, to be sure, but then came the meat and potatoes: “Go to the website” — (whack; like the opening salvos of the Second Battle of Ypres, audience attrition must have hit 30%). But Lauren was pleasantly persistent: “Click the Facebook icon [it looks a small f imitating a floss pick]. See the articles: you can ‘like it’ [author’s marks] or comment, and, most important, you can share it. I’m sharing it now, and it’s going to all my friends.” (The seeming inability of today’s social media-meisters to respond to anything privately is akin to concealing one’s copiously tattooed chest under a medieval cuirass.) Indeed, she emphasized the importance of sharing the various posts on the website as “a great way for us to stay in touch.” The prospects of success for such utopian conviction aside, Lauren’s informative presentation was appreciated by all. Truly, this member could teach anything, and make it look easy.
To save time, the following notes about our speaker’s monologue can be summarized thusly: BEWARE — MOTHER NATURE IS ALWAYS TRYING TO DESTROY YOU.
John Huber gave a great introduction to Harvey L. Leo, MD, doctor of Allergy and Immunology with Saint Joseph Mercy Health System: “In the 25 years I have been an elementary educator, I have witnessed a remarkable rise in the attention paid to food allergies…Soon after I arrived at Emerson School, I sought to have an outside expert provide an information and training session to our faculty and staff regarding food allergies…Dr. Harvey Leo’s name immediately came up, and…I asked him to speak…and am delighted to introduce him now.”
“Today’s lunch would affect about 55% of the children in our state,” began Dr. Leo. His audience was riveted. “I’m here to discuss the theories behind the growth of food allergies.” He first described how different foods can induce allergic reactions in young people in a local setting: “Lots of people have nut allergies, but it’s not necessarily peanuts. In Dearborn, because of its population, it’s sesame seeds [that mainly cause reactions]; in Ann Arbor it’s cashews. [By the way,] where I come from, Louisiana, it’s oysters. Nationwide, 2.2 million school-age children have food allergies (400,000 to peanuts alone). These allergies were unheard of 20 years ago.”
On the screen Dr. Leo showed a photo of an old woman, or chatelaine, with keys in hand, guarding a door. “She controls who comes in and who doesn’t. Our immune system is like that; in fact, it’s the most important — and unappreciated — system in our bodies. For without a healthy immune system, we cannot exist as a species.” Her job — the old woman/our immune system — is to let in the neighbors but keep the riffraff out.” Another photo went up, this one a chart. It showed a baby simultaneously being nourished and assaulted by a plethora of microbial catalysts. “The moment you leave your mother’s body, you’re exposed to bacteria and viruses. The first thing the baby’s immune system does is to recognize things other than itself.” Dr. Leo explained that allergic reactions are the product of the body’s becoming familiar with environmental stimulants. “For the first couple of years, everything seems new. After year two or three, the body begins to recognize bacteria and viruses, and decides what it likes, and doesn’t…Allergies are acquired from exposure.”
Perhaps the most fascinating part of Dr. Leo’s speech was when he traced the genetic relationships among what appear to be different foods. He showed a slide of various fruits, mainly melons and bananas. “What do these have in common?” he asked his listeners. Most replied that seeds were a shared trait. “No. It’s that they all are related to a protein in ragweed.” The point being that one can develop unfolding allergies over time from exposure to one initial food element.
Another slide underscored the importance of vitamin D, “which must be made by the sun. You can take vitamin D pills, but it’s not the same.” He cited our gray Michigan winters and what they do to different people. “You can be fair-haired, with pale skin, and need only half an hour of sunlight on your face and arms to get 5,000 units of vitamin D. For someone like me, who is brown-skinned, I need six hours.” Thus, as a result of climate and demographics, “the Detroit area is undergoing a rickets explosion.”
“A 1980s study by A. Bock [a mentor of Dr. Leo’s] found that 3-4% of the general population had a documented food allergy.” The number has grown, but not in every way. “The word allergy is a biologic term. A food sensitivity and food allergy are different things.” Avoiding germsHe concluded, however, by emphasizing that “anything, theoretically, can be an allergen.”
The assembly applauded Dr. Leo warmly, after which Greg shared his parting words for the week: “As John Wayne said, ‘Life is tough, but it’s a lot tougher if you’re stupid.’ Meeting adjourned.”