Hasta La Gadget!

A Super Bowl party without guacamole is like a game of football without the pigskin: Hopeless.

Not to worry — it seems like Americans are up to speed on this truth. In the four weeks leading up to Super Bowl XLIX, 185 million pounds of avocados will be imported and sold in the U.S., according to HuffPost’s phone conversation with Alvaro Luque, President of Avocados From Mexico. The amount of guacamole served on this year’s Super Bowl Sunday could fill an entire football field — and pile upwards of 40 feet high. We’re going to need some bigger chips.

Super Bowl XLIX will be especially momentous, not just because of Deflategate accusations, but also because it is the first time a fresh produce brand will air a commercial during the game. We’re accustomed to chips, beer and cars streaming throughout the game, but this year a 30-second ad from Avocados From Mexico, which represents more than 70 percent of the avocado market in the U.S., will play after the first quarter. This innovation paves the way for other healthy foods to enter American households in a big way and will, of course, remind viewers to take a dip into the guac sitting on the coffee table.

The avocado craze is both a little promising and little exciting; it hints at a national shift toward being more health-conscious. Even if it’s a subconscious lean, folks are actively seeking a food that supports healthy cholesterol levels, boasts a mean amount of potassium and offers anti-inflammatory properties.

Last year, an estimated 4.25 billion avocados were consumed in the States, nearly twice as many compared to the number consumed in 2005. The fleshy green superfood is winning the produce popularity contest and was crowned “America’s new favorite fruit” by Roberto A. Ferdman in The Washington Post. Unsurprisingly, guacamole is America’s favorite way to eat it, according to Luque.

Avocados have popped up in places other than atop of chips, too: In 2011, Subway added avocado to its list of toppings for fast food sandwiches. Last year, McDonald’s tested a guacamole burger and earlier Burger King took a stab at an avocado and Swiss Whopper.

This certainly isn’t the country’s first stint with a food obsession: Dominque Ansel’s Cronut™ had hungry, trendy doughnut cravers waiting out in the cold at the crack of dawn and the ramen craze is still not over. But avocado is something different: Avocado is a health food, and people are ingesting nutritional benefits nationwide.

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Are you a Seahawks fan? Send this to your friends who are rooting for the Patriots, and then read about how New England food could give Seattle food a run for its money.

If you think Starbucks is the best that Seattle food-and-drink has to offer, we’ve got 22 reasons why you’re absolutely wrong. Denizens of the Northwest know that the Emerald City has a treasure trove of food gems, from the loads of fresh seafood to Molly Moon’s ice cream and coffee cups that don’t wear a Starbucks logo. Seattle’s rich food culture rivals the deep dish pizza in Chicago, New York bagels, and the shave ice in Hawaii, to name just a few.

We picked the brains of food-loving Seattleites to present you with a list of the city’s most phenomenal eats. Did we miss anything? Let us know in the comments section below!

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If you like the idea of living or retiring in a new country but lack the funds to support yourself in the adventure, consider Southeast Asia. The growth of the middle class in this part of the world, the progressive development of virtually every ASEAN member country, and a region-wide push for English fluency make Southeast Asia a destination ripe with opportunity for the expat and retiree looking for ways to fund a new life overseas.

Teaching English is probably the most common way to earn a living wage throughout this region, and the demand for English teachers is high. The requirements vary from one country to another, but most people can qualify for a reasonably high-paying job with a little preparation.

Officially, a bachelor’s degree or higher is required for teaching anywhere in Southeast Asia. Unofficially, the requirement may be waived by schools in rural areas where demand is high and teacher recruitment is difficult. Teaching in a remote village can be rewarding but probably won’t pay well. Many places will offer a room or house, utilities, and food as compensation but can’t afford to pay a salary.

Teaching in the cities is different. The most important consideration is the type of degree or certification you have under your belt.

Most English teachers have TEFL, TESOL, or CELTA certification in addition to a college degree. The TEFL certification is the easiest and least expensive to obtain. Courses ranging from 40 to 120 hours are offered online and may or may not require actual student interaction before graduation.

Teachers with a TEFL certification can find work, but the pay offered will be lower and the range of employment opportunities will be more limited than for those who have earned a more prestigious certification.

A TESOL certification requires 120 hours of training and in-class teaching is part of the curriculum. A CELTA degree requires a similar amount of training, but the coursework is more intensive and the cost of the course is greater.

Classes in TEFL, TESOL, and CELTA are offered in major cities in the United States and abroad. Schools offer courses that range in price, from practically free up to around $2,800, depending on the number of hours and the intensity of the program. The website Dave’s ESL Café is a good resource for learning about the certification process and the experience of teaching English abroad.

In Hanoi, teachers with a college degree and a TEFL or TESOL certification can expect to make between $17 and $25 per hour of classroom instruction. CELTA instructors are able to earn $30 or more per hour working at consulates, international schools, and embassies. Some employers will hire teachers who lack top credentials, but the pay and benefits may not be as attractive. In a city where you can live very comfortably for less than $1,000 per month, this translates into a good wage that more than covers living expenses.

In addition to an hourly wage, many reputable schools in Vietnam offer benefits. Vietnamese employers can offer health insurance, guarantee a minimum number of teaching hours per month, and help you to acquire the necessary work permit and set up a direct-deposit bank account. In addition, teaching in Vietnam, you’d enjoy 16 paid vacation days and 19 paid holiday days per year. Some positions come with end-of-contract bonuses.

Exercising due diligence is important when looking for a job in Vietnam. Some employers, for example, fine employees who show up late for work, leave the air conditioner on after class, or forget to turn off the lights. It’s also common for a school to withhold a portion of the salary until the teacher completes the agreed-upon contract, at which point the remainder of salary is paid in a lump sum. If the contract is not completed, then the employee loses out on that portion of their salary.

It can be possible to secure a teaching job in advance, but often you’ll have to make the move to your chosen country and start the job hunt once you’re on the ground. This allows you to interview prospective employers and get a sense of whether you’d find the work enjoyable. One thing to ask about is how you’ll be paid. Some schools pay regularly on the first of the month. Others may be less reliable, paying during the first week of the month or, worse, when they’ve received payment from the students.

Schools in Vietnam rarely object to instructors working as private tutors during their off-hours; however, you should confirm this during your interview if you’d like to supplement your teaching income this way.

The New Hanoian is a good resource that can help with your due diligence process. If people have had any experiences–good or bad–with a particular employer, you’ll read about it here. You’ll find job listings throughout the country, with employers recruiting for Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Danang, Halong Bay, and other prime locations. Many employers will request that applicants have a passport from a particular country — usually the United States, Canada, the UK, or Australia — as they want to teach a specific dialect.

Although the requirements are similar in Thailand, the benefits tend to be fewer than in Vietnam, and the pay is generally lower. Most TESOL-certified teachers in Bangkok, for example, earn around $1,300 to $1,500 per month, which provides a living wage, but you won’t have much left come the end of the month. CELTA teachers can earn up to around $2,000 per month in Bangkok. Wages are a bit higher in Chiang Mai, and the cost of living is less than in Bangkok, but competition makes it harder to get a job there. The go-to website for finding a teaching job in Thailand is Ajarn.

Many employers give hiring preference to those who have two or more years of teaching experience. Applying for any teaching job in Southeast Asia you’ll need to provide a background check from the police local where you have lived for the past six months. This, as well as your university degree and teaching certification, must be notarized at your embassy.

If you lack a college degree or don’t have the certifications or experience to get a good teaching job elsewhere in Southeast Asia, take a look at Cambodia, where it’s relatively easy to find work and requirements tend to be lax. The pay isn’t great, but it’s a way to get a one-year visa and start building your resume.

Earlier on Huff/Post50:

Cruising at 40,000+ feet above the Atlantic Ocean, I feel strangely at peace. Halfway between the two places I call home, I want to hover here for a while. It’s the place where I don’t feel torn, neither heading towards, nor leaving behind, the places and people I love. I can no longer say which one is home, and where it is that I am visiting. All I know for sure is, there are differences between the United States and Italy…

LAUNDRY: Point USA
Wash it, dry it and wear it, all in the same day! Winter months in Italy, I hang clothing out for a week to dry…and hope icicles don’t form in the process.
FOOD: Point Italy
It’s not just the chefs, but the quality of fresh, locally grown food that makes eating in Italy such a delightful experience. Thankfully, the convenience driven, fast food and frozen pizzas aren’t to be found. Dinners last for hours, and the wine and food spoils me for any other.
FRIENDLINESS: Point Italy
I like friendly people… I am one! But, I am always taken back by the casual friendliness in the USA when I first arrive. From servers in a restaurant, to the dog walkers in a local park, everyone chatters a hello, how are you, and beyond. I prefer a little formality between people that aren’t close friends. I like servers that have to be called to the table rather than popping in every five minutes to refill the water and ask how I am doing.
STREAMLINING: Point USA
Whether it’s a line in the post office, self checkout at the grocery store, or ordering on Amazon, Americans have figured out how to do it faster and more efficiently. And, Americans understand the concept of forming a line, so everything runs a little smoother and with more organization.
ICE: Point USA
The Italians will tell you it’s bad for digestion, but there is nothing better to me than a tall drink over lots of ice. Ask for ice in an Italian restaurant, and you will get one cube…maybe.
COFFEE: Tie
Each country will tell you it’s the best here, and I call it a draw. I like the coffee equally on both sides of the Atlantic. There is certainly a bolder taste to an espresso or caffe macchiato in Italy, but, I am also a fan of a steaming hot mug of American coffee, or a travel cup to go. While a Starbucks can’t be found, coffee for a single euro can be purchased on every corner in Italy. Hard choice here.
APERITIVO: Point Italy
Italy wins this one hands down! The US has never really embraced aperitivo time, perhaps because they eat at an earlier hour than their European counterparts. Full buffets begin to appear around 6:00 p.m. in Italy, and are included in the price of a drink. Order a glass of wine in the US, and you may get a bowl of peanuts on the table.
ATTIRE: Point Italy
I have to give credit to the Italians here, because the women will accessorize an outfit just to take out the trash. Americans will seemingly appear in their pajamas complete with UGGs/flipflops at the grocery store or to board a plane.

While I spend much more time in Italy than I do the USA these days, I comfortably embrace both cultures, both countries, and feel fortunate to do so. There is always the pull of leaving one, and the full welcoming of the other. To call two places home is to know that people are more alike than they are different, and we all smile in the same language.

Earlier on Huff/Post50:

SPECIAL FROM Next Avenue

By Emily Gurnon

It’s a problem experienced by both men and women, in heterosexual and same-sex relationships: One of you is feeling amorous. The other isn’t.

There may be a longstanding pattern in your relationship or you may take turns being in the mood. Either way, unequal levels of desire can cause difficulties, ranging from feelings of rejection to resentment to anger.

“When they’re younger, most people expect and want sex, but as they get older, some people decide it’s optional,” said Pepper Schwartz, a professor of sociology at the University of Washington and love and relationship expert for AARP.

Or, they may not be as interested in sex, she said, especially if they have gained weight, have heart disease or experience erectile problems.

When the other partner frequently gets told, “Not tonight, honey,” it can sting, Schwartz said.

“They feel trapped and they feel humiliated, because no one likes to ask for intimacy and be refused occasionally, much less repeatedly,” she added.

Repression Doesn’t Work

Dr. Dudley Danoff, a urologist and founder of the Cedars-Sinai Tower Urology Medical Group in Los Angeles, said the problem is more common for men — who have a higher level of sexual desire than women, on average.

Trying to repress the sexual feelings is the wrong approach, he said.

“You might stop initiating sex altogether rather than face the possibility of rejection,” he said. “You might begin to shy away from all displays of affection. And, of course, you might be tempted to look elsewhere for sex.”

Problems with sexual desire are the number one reason couples seek therapy, said Barry McCarthy, a psychologist and co-author with his wife of Rekindling Desire.

Women are often unfairly blamed for the sexual problems in a relationship, McCarthy said. But as men get to age 50 and beyond, many pull away from sex because of performance anxiety spurred by erectile and orgasm issues.

McCarthy said when the sex is good, it is an important but not a major factor in the relationship, adding about 15 to 20 percent to a couple’s vitality and satisfaction. However, when sex provokes conflict, it takes on an inordinately powerful role, destabilizing the relationship.

“When you get into power struggles about sex… the power struggle is the poison,” he said.

Rekindling the Flame

Try these ideas for putting that spark back into your love life:

1. Talk. The best approach is honest communication, Danoff said. “Talk openly and candidly about your needs and about the discrepancies in your desire levels. Educate your partner. She might not understand the importance of sex in your overall happiness,” he added.

Both partners should talk about what they like to do and what makes them feel good.

2. Bring touch back. McCarthy suggests thinking of five dimensions of touch: affection, sensual, playful, erotic and intercourse. “Think about pleasuring, giving and receiving touch, rather than foreplay,” he said. “The idea of expanding what is sexual empowers men.”

Schwartz agrees. Some women complain during her relationship workshops that their partners steer away from sex for fear of not “performing” well, she said. But these women say they’re willing to accept less than a hard erection or any erection. “She wants lovemaking,” said Schwartz. Another piece of advice: make touch ordinary in the relationship — not something that happens only in the bedroom.

3. Don’t feel pressured to get erotic. “Most of the sex advice about eroticism actually ends up intimidating people rather than motivating and empowering them,” McCarthy said. An example? Playing out fantasies “ends up being a sexual dud,” because fantasies are just that; they’re not real life, he said.

4. Experiment with toys. Lower blood flow to the genitals, combined with diminished production of both testosterone and estrogen, can make it harder for women to reach orgasm, Schwartz said in a recent article for AARP. Sexual toys like dildos and vibrators can help fix that problem and spice up a couple’s sex play, she said.

5. Consider physical causes. Men should realize that research shows erectile dysfunction may be an early warning sign of heart problems. Talk openly about your doctor to find treatments for both issues if necessary.

For women, menopause and the resulting drop in estrogen can cause vaginal dryness and painful intercourse. There are products and treatments that can help, such as over-the-counter lubricant and prescription estrogen creams.

6. Ask for help. If you and your partner have tried unsuccessfully to have a better sex life, you may need professional help. Schwartz suggests that partners of men frame the idea as “relationship therapy,” rather than “sex therapy,” and present several potential areas to work on, not just your sexual conflicts.

Read more from Next Avenue:
4 tips to help you age well
When men take time off for their family
Does your neighborhood hurt your health?