Lifestyle

PHILADELPHIA — Hot pepper sauce watermelon salad, a blend of the fibrous summer fruit plus a generous helping of crunchy cucumbers doused with salt, apple cider vinegar, and hot sauce, sits at the heart of chef Chris Scott’s definition of Amish soul food cooking.

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — As slave ships crossed the Atlantic with their tragic cargo of bodies, they also carried okra, black-eyed peas, yams and rice. Africans who survived the journey planted their staples and eventually mixed them with maize and oysters from Indigenous people and sugar cane and swine from the colonizers.

Q. My adult kids think everyone I spend time with is a potential partner. No matter if I am just meeting a new male friend from my hiking group for coffee, they think it’s my next big romance, and the introductions become very awkward. I reassure them that it’s nothing, but they don’t seem to accept it. A good friend’s wife passed away three months ago. His family is stationed out of the country, and this will be his first Thanksgiving alone. I mentioned that I would like to invite him for Thanksgiving dinner and my oldest daughter had a fit. She automatically assumed he’s my new guy and does not want him sitting at our table so soon. My thoughts are we are supposed to reach out to our friends and loved ones on a holiday like Thanksgiving. But she will have none of it. What’s good ex-etiquette?

Sunday Best

With costs high and budgets tight, it’s still possible to enjoy the holidays without spending as much.

Dear Answer Angel Ellen: I thought I was too old to have teenager-type skin problems but here I am, mid-30s with breakouts. I’ve tried my old go-tos, but I think I need heavier artillery at this point in my life. I don’t think my pimple problem is serious enough to seek out a dermatologist. Any suggestions?

I was pleased and surprised to see all the press last week about America’s farmers. Then I learned I had totally missed National Farmers Day.

Researchers have found that condensing exercise into a few days is as effective as spreading activity out across a week. Dr. Wes Troyer, a Mayo Clinic physical medicine and rehabilitation physician, explains how people who stack their workouts can avoid common injuries and reap the benefits of their activity.

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I’m a grandmother to three wonderful grandchildren. My oldest grandchild is lactose intolerant. Recently, my youngest grandchild was diagnosed with a peanut allergy. What is the difference between food intolerance and allergy?

Cold and flu season is approaching, and that means it’s time for flu shots.