What meals should I learn to cook before coming to USA?

school bags usa image

Maverick

I'm going to USA this summer. I have no cooking skills whatsoever and I don't know what type of food should I learn to prepare. Should I take some culinary classes or can I look at online recipes and prepare the foods myself. Also, what breakfast, lunch and dinners are common in USA. I'm asking this as I want to be better prepared before going there and I want to make sure I don't have to end up eating in those expensive restaurants over there.

Thank you for your help in advance. :)

Answer
You're going to want to make things that you like to eat--so it's hard to tell what that will be exactly ;0...but I'm going to give you the website for Kraft Foods who has an excellent recipe site...it also has a feature where you can put in ingredients and it pulls up a recipe for you...
http://www.kraftrecipes.com/home.aspx

There's even a section called "Cooking School" and they have videos to follow along. Just by browsing through the site and recipes, you will find things that appeal to you. Print out your favorites.
You will need to get yourself a set of measuring cups and set of measuring spoons as our measurements may differ a bit.

Your best bet is to get someone to show you how to make a few things once you're settled in...and to go grocery shopping with you. Learn where the farmers' market is in your area to get fresh produce, etc at a cheaper price while things are in season.

There is always youtube.com that has instructional videos on how to prepare things. Many meals are already made in frozen dept that come in bags...same goes for frozen waffles, pancakes, and anything you want really.....make sure you have a microwave, it'll come in handy...and a toaster, a grill/griddle for indoor use is very good to have also.

Good luck in your new journey....and welcome to the USA

What kind of tennis racket should I get?

scamp696

My son is doing tennis in gym and he's thinking about going on the tennis team when he starts high school next year. I know nothing about tennis rackets. We have one that was bought at Walmart not too long ago. We need to get another one so I can "practice" with him. I figured maybe it should be a little better one in case he does play in high school. I can't spend more than $50 on it. What kind should I get?

Answer
If $50 is your maximum, I would stick with places like Target, Costco, Walmart, etc. Sometimes sporting goods stores or tennis shops will carry used frames for a great price.

Be sure that the racket you get for yourself is light enough for you to swing *easily* with one hand on both your forehand and backhand sides. If you need a second hand to swing it, then the racket is too heavy.

There used to be a formula for the grip size, measured in inches, that went like this: measure the distance from the tip of your ring finger down to the middle crease of the palm of your hand; that distance USED to be considered "correct." Some pro's feel the formula produces grips that are too LARGE, and you should choose a grip that is maybe half an inch smaller.

If you get a racket that is too heavy or the grip is too large, you can end up with an injury to your racket arm. Not good.

If he were my child, I would start taking him to tennis lessons right away, once a week, either private, semi-private with a friend, or group lessons. Playing in gym class will might not be sufficient to teach him very thoroughly, but hopefully he has a little fun there. Junior memberships at tennis clubs are usually pretty reasonable; check this out in your local area to see if I'm correct. If he's hitting tennis balls 5 or 6 days a week, that should be enough for him to build up his skill level.

Here are three tennis-teaching organizations in the USA:
http://www.uspta.org/
http://www.ptrtennis.org/
http://www.mtmca.com/

The three links above all contain a function where you enter your zip code or city & state, so that hopefully, you can contact a certified teaching pro in your area.

He will eventually need to join USTA at some point. I think it's $19 a year, or less [per year] if he joins for 3 or 5 years. If USTA decides to raise its rates, this might be a good time to join. He will get an e-zine delivered to his email address once a month.
https://membership.usta.com/

If pro's or a strong college team plays in your area, he would probably get a kick out of seeing them in person.

Building up his skill level takes time, measured in YEARS. Skimp on rackets, skimp on clothing, skimp on duffle bags, but do NOT skimp on his shoes. He must have good TENNIS shoes to protect his feet and last for at least a month or two. Thick socks and foot powder every time are also a *must.* He will eventually need a spare racket in case he breaks a string.

Here are some sources of online tennis information. Some things are free, others cost money
http://tennisteacher.com/
http://www.tennisplayer.net/
http://www.tenniswarrior.com/
http://www.usprotennisshop.com/

For $2.95 plus shipping, you can get him [and yourself] a copy of the USTA book: "Rules of Tennis."
http://www.ustashop.com/ <------ click on "Books"
Make sure that he learns "The Code," even if you have to go over it with him yourself.

There is also an illustrated, basic rules pdf available at:
http://www.usta.com/Play-Tennis/getting_started/

The first book below has a nice section on selecting a racket. I've included a few others for your benefit. Best of luck :-)

Powered by Yahoo! Answers

Title Post: What meals should I learn to cook before coming to USA?
Rating: 95% based on 9768 ratings. 4,5 user reviews.
Author: Yukie

Thanks For Coming To My Blog