Some thoughts on food

It seems unlikely that we'll return to this experiment. At least, not in the sense that it started.

Paying so much attention to food like I did in January-April has really changed the way that I look at my food now. My opinions have changed, my preferences have evolved.

We eat dairy, we eat meat, and yes, we most definitely eat gluten. We are lucky enough that we can spend more than $83/week if we want to.

We used to shop at Whole Foods. We still do, but we also have been shopping at PCC. However, because it is summer and produce here in the Northwest is available and delicious, we have begun buying what we can at the Farmers' Market.

What this means is that each week I plan meals and make a grocery list. I've been paying special attention to planning meals in season, but I don't always hold myself to that. We start each grocery shopping trip by going to the market. There we see what the farmers in our area have available and purchase as many things from our list that we can.

Our meat we buy from a local butcher.

Our dairy (especially our milk and butter) we have been getting mostly from Golden Glen Creamery (available at our farmers markets, as well as at PCC and Whole Foods).

This weekend we're taking a trip about an hour north to check out a farm that grows their own tea.

I even discovered that I can source saffron (!!) from a farm in Washington.

This experiment may have worn on me but it has given me a deeper appreciation for the food I prepare. It encouraged me to read more as well and I'm doing what I can to be a more conscious eater. On top of buying local, we've also been trying to stay meatless on Mondays.

We're even growing (in containers) some plants to use in the kitchen.

This style of eating that we've adopted isn't for everyone, and that's fine. I also don't want to come off sounding preachy. This feels right to me and when it doesn't anymore I'll stop.

Two books I've really enjoyed that have helped to encourage my eating habits are as follows:
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver
Food Matters by Mark Bittman

Half-way point

While I enjoy the challenge presented by gluten-free baking, neither of us is very happy. We both agreed that dairy-free, while difficult, was manageable and acceptable.

However, half-way through March, both of us are gladly looking forward to April when we can eat gluten again.

Alex, who I think is taking this far harder than I am, told me today: I LOVE GLUTEN, AND I DON'T CARE WHO KNOWS IT.

Dairy-free we could live with. I doubt we'll ever be gluten-free by choice again after this month.

The ease of not needing to think

I've mentioned before how lucky Alex and I are. Excepting for tasting cilantro as soap, we don't have any good sensitivities or allergies. That means if we end up eating something we've chosen not to, we won't notice. That's not true of people with allergies or sensitivities.

We went to PF Changs yesterday for lunch. Since most asian foods contain soy sauce, they're typically a no-no for gluten-free folks. However, PF Changs has a gluten-free menu. It wasn't the most amazing food I've ever had, but it wasn't bad at all.

We went and made a point of ordering off the gluten-free menu. Our waiter saw and acknowledged that we were ordering gluten-free. When our food arrived, I asked for GF soy sauce, and the woman who brought our food looked at us and then at our waiter and asked, "Is it all supposed to be gluten free?" We responded that yes, it was, and they both profusely apologized and said they'd remake our food.

It came back, and was gluten-free and wasn't bad.

When we were paying, our waiter brought us fortune cookies. I raised my eyebrows and asked politely if the cookies, too, were gluten-free. The waiter, stunned, said no, they were not. Smiling, we gave them back (they were in packages, not loose). I explained about our project (he was worried about an allergic reaction) and he felt better. But you could see that he was thinking hard about he fact that he always brought cookies, even if people had specifically requested everything gluten-free.

For most people, the cookies wouldn't be a problem. And our waiter never really thought about what they were. Like I said, we're lucky that we don't have the allergies or sensitivities because nothing bad happens if we consume our "tainted" food. But this experience made me think, and I hope it made our waiter think too.

An interesting side effect

Well, we're gluten-free now. After my initial devastation at realizing I can't really go out for asian food, I'm doing okay. I've already attempted GF cookies (I wasn't pleased with the result, but Alex liked them) and GF buttermilk biscuits (which are awesome).

We're still mostly dairy-free, at least I am, but it's by choice now. The fact that I lost 3.5 lbs in February without eating dairy was really a wake up call.

But here's an interesting side effect. I buy one latte a week from Starbucks (on Thursdays, which are my long days) and this week I got it with non-fat milk since I didn't want to pay extra for soy milk. Upon drinking it, however, I realized I felt guilty. I have no reason for feeling guilty, but I definitely do. I suppose that means that next week I'll get a soy latte.

Cravings, lessons learned

Dairy-free month is coming to a close. We've been remarkably good, and frankly it was a lot easier than I thought it would be. There were a couple of things I really wanted but couldn't have, but for the most part, I hardly missed dairy at all. Which is remarkable.

That being said, as we're getting ready to transition into our new challenge (March: gluten free) I find myself craving things I can't have.

I want tiramisu. I want buttered popcorn. And, for the second month in a row, I want a grilled ham and cheese sandwich like nobody's business.

Since Alex and I technically cheated on Valentine's Day, we forfeit our amnesty day. Which means we transition directly from dairy-free to gluten free with no free day in between.

I'm planning on trying my hand at gluten free sandwich bread, but I don't know how well it'll turn out.

For the most part I'm not worried about being without gluten. Gluten is Alex's downfall, not mine.

I survived dairy-free. And I learned something very important - I can do without. I didn't miss cheese with a passion. I couldn't have cared less about not having milk. Butter is well loved, but not needed.

I plan on cutting down on my dairy intake from here on out. I'm still going to eat cheese because I love it, but I'm downgrading it from a necessity to a treat. I'm switching to almond milk lattes (less than 40 calories a serving!).

So, wish us luck as we transition, and if you know of any tried and true gluten-free sandwich breads, please let me know. I've got a hankering for a good grilled cheese sandwich.

Easy choices and difficult ones

Vegetarianism is a relatively easy food choice. It's well understood and fairly easy to work around when you're going out. As Alex put it last night, "There is not a lot of hidden meat."

Excepting the few times that I've already mentioned, not eating meat has not been difficult. And even my cravings were easily avoided.

Next month we're going dairy free. No milk, no butter, no cheese.

I'm not worried about my daily latte because I'm fond of almond milk. Since Alex and I typically make them at home, it's an easy switch.

No, the area where I'm most worried is butter, cheese, and milk and going out. Restaurants use them in everything.

I've rather enjoyed being a vegetarian, though I do appreciate meat a lot more now. But I'm afraid of being dairy-free. Not only do I love dairy, but I am worried that if I go out to restaurants, I'll sin unknowing.

Any recommendations?

The emotional experience of food

What food do you reach for when you're sad? When you're happy? When you're bored? The answers to those questions really tells you a lot about how you think of food.

When I didn't get into graduate school in 2009, I was devastated. I wanted nothing more than to curl into a ball and disappear. And when Alex sought to coax me into eating dinner, the only thing I wanted was pork dumplings. Today, when I was distressed about graduate school, all I wanted was bacon and hash browns.

When I'm happy, all I want it popcorn or Thai food (sans meat, for the record).

What does this say about me? Meat is my comfort. What else did you learn about me? Graduate school drives me crazier than anything else.

Thankfully, I have a wonderful boyfriend who supports me in all things in my life. He also is a big part in this year of conscious eating, because we dreamed it together. While I curled on the couch and stressed out and raged, Alex cooked the vegetarian dinner we were supposed to have tonight. Had it been left to me, I likely would have turned to meat, in the form of pizza or carpaccio, or bacon, or all three.

We're in this together, Alex and I, and I'm thankful for that. I'm proud of myself for not succumbing to my need for meat comfort. Though, to be honest, had I cooked dinner, I likely would have cooked up the chorizo in the fridge.

On eating on the couch

Alex and I are really bad at eating dinner at the table. We used to do it every day, but our dining room table turns into a storage shelf and we're both pretty lazy... What I'm trying to say is that we eat more meals on the couch than we should.

When you eat dinner on the couch, while watching TV, it can hurt you in many ways. You don't typically talk to the person you're eating with, for one. Another way that it hurts, especially in relation to conscious eating, is that you don't pay attention to your food. This means you're mindlessly consuming so, in addition to ignoring your meal, you may also eat more than you mean to. So, eating on the couch isn't conducive to conscious eating.

It was Alex that pointed this out. And he was right.

So I made it a point to clean off the table and we've eaten our dinners there. So far. I'm not saying that I don't expect us to revert to bad habits, but hopefully it will be a conscious choice rather than just something we do because it's what we did the day before.