Unique Serving Platter

The humble potato is probably the most versatile food in the world and is relatively easy to grow. It can be boiled, sautéed, roasted, baked and sliced for fries. It’s also the main ingredient of potato chips. Potatoes are used in many countries and there are hundreds of potato recipes. It can go into soups, stews, pies and casseroles. Simple mashed potato with lots of cream and butter is delicious without any additions.

Soup, when potato is an ingredient, has a chunky texture. The classic French creation, Vichyssoise is normally served cold with some crusty bread. It also contains onions, leeks, cream and chicken stock. Potato and cabbage Soup is popular in some countries, like Albania. Potato and caraway soup is also tasty, containing caraway seeds, milk or stock and seasoning.

Dauphinoise potatoes are commonly seen as potato recipes in cook books. The potatoes are sliced and baked in the oven with milk, onion, nutmeg and seasoning. Haggerty is a similar dish but with grated cheddar cheese. The addition of garlic or mustard to mashed potato adds a bit of spiciness. Some people like to fry potato slices in butter and add some cayenne pepper. Grated potato is sometimes added to pancake batter to make a tasty savory pancake.

Different cultures have developed recipes around the world. The United States has always included a lot of potatoes in their diet and there are many potato recipes in various regions. A dish known to many Americans is baked potato with cheddar cheese or sour cream and chives. Mashed potatoes in New England often have the peel mixed in.

The harsh climate of Northern Europe has created a fondness for the potato. Scandinavian countries have a tradition of serving pickled herring with the first of the season’s new potatoes with dill. In Italy, the popular Gnocchi dumplings are made from either semolina or potatoes. Britain too has its classic potato recipes, one of the favorites being Shepherd’s Pie. This is a dish of minced beef, onions and vegetables topped with mashed potatoes and baked in the oven until the topping is golden and crispy. Sometimes, grated cheese is sprinkled on top. Another dish is one, which is ideal for using up leftovers. Bubble and Squeak, as it is known, uses slices of fried potato, strips of cabbage and diced bacon. It’s all fried up with a dash of Worcestershire Sauce. There’s no need to ever waste a potato!

Some products are synonymous with style and become cultural icons. Ray Ban sunglasses fall into that category, occupying the up market end of the sunglasses spectrum. The company was founded in 1937 by Bausch and Lomb who later sold the brand to the Italian Luxottica group in 1999.

One of their most famous glasses is the Aviator, developed in 1937 for a United States Air Force commission. The new Ray Ban sunglasses were the epitome of cool and had dark lenses that were often reflective and a teardrop shape. Other manufacturers have copied this design ever since it first appeared. The Aviator took off, being particularly popular with Navy pilots. Civilians began to wear them too and the range is still popular across the population. Police officers also wear them, but it is celebrity endorsement that made them really fashionable. Today’s versions most often have polarized lenses. Rock stars took to them, including Freddie Mercury and Tom Petty, who were never seen without them.

Another old line, still available today, is the Wayfarer. These too come in a polarized version and have spring hinges. They have been a best seller since their appearance in 1952 and some observers claim that they are the most successful sunglasses ever made. The Wayfarer has a chunky design and has a retro 1950s look. It was Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn that made it a must have commodity. Male stars such as Roy Orbison, James Dean and Bob Dylan also gave them credibility. Sales dipped a little after the heady days of the 1950s and 1960s, but picked up again in the 1980s when that generation of celebrities started to wear them. It’s hard to imagine the following movies without the presence of Ray Ban sunglasses - The Blues Brothers, Top Gun, Reservoir Dogs and Men in Black.

Today, there are various products in the range with a wide choice of colors and lenses and the company continues to have a high profile and celebrity image. The parent company, Luxottica, own many prominent businesses and the financial stability of Ray Ban seems secure. The company chooses to sponsor events that are in keeping with their chic image, including the prestigious Sundance Film Festival. They have also sponsored the Honda Formula I racing team since 2004. The Ray Ban sunglasses logo appears on the side of race cars and on the visors of Jensen Button and Rubens Barrichello. Some companies offer discounted replicas of Ray Ban products, but there is no substitute for the real thing.