Food culture

I confess every once in a while I want McDonald's: the convenience, speed, taste manufactured by sodium, MSG and grease.

Sometimes I feel as though those of us who want to eat organic, cook from scratch and avoid prepackaged foods are perceived as stuck up or following a fad, especially as I have become more interested in the whole foods lifestyle, or Paleo. But eating foods that haven't been altered by science, chemicals or copious amounts of sugar isn't a fad, it's how we are supposed to eat.

Convenience and an obsession with outdoing the competition has created a food culture in America that doesn't strike me as healthy. In response there are movements to take us back to the way food is intended to be. Buy local, in season, non GMO, etc. As I wrestle with feeling like a snob when I refuse certain foods, I think about a quote from a book I read about six months ago. The book was written by a Canadian who lived in France with her French husband and tried to understand why French kids ate so differently than her own. She wrestled with the amount of say the government has in the eating habits of children, they are even taught about food in school and their lunches are planned. She was told that North Americans think so differently about food because they have yet to develop their own food culture due to their relative youth. When you look at history, it is true that we are often a few leagues behind Europe on certain developments or matters of political issues, whether good or bad (current events speak to this, as do historical, such as slavery).

The author decided to teach her children to eat like the French children, to think about food as the French do. I think her observation, quoted below, is quite profound, as is her realization that she had to change herself first. If I want my daughter to eat well and treat her body well, I must learn how to first.

"Now, healthy eating is one of the most important skills that parents help their children develop. Underelying this focus on food education for young children [in France] is a simple principle:
"Chances are, my children are not going to grow up to go to Harvard, or to be major league sports stars, concert musicians, or NASA astronauts. But no matter who they grow up to be, how and what my children eat will be of great importance to their health, happiness, success, and longevity."

Quoted from French Kids Eat Everything

The last of the season...

Alas. October is nearing its end. Last night I finished the last of the mellowcreme pumpkins. It's a sad addiction. One that lasts me only part of September and all of October. I hate it. I eat them and feel my teeth rotting in my mouth, I can't eat more than four or five before I need a gallon of water to purge my system of the poison I can feel permeating everything. And yet I love them. I ate the last one last night and thought, "Oh, how sad. I want some more." But I refuse to buy any more! No! October is complete! I can now look towards healthier living! Real pumpkin and smoothies and water and veggies! Oatmeal and stews! It is definitely fall (has been for over a month now - to think I haven't blogged since August! Agast!), and I have so many recipes I have been waiting for this splendid season to try!

So fare you well, mellowcreme pumpkins! I hope I can resist you next year!

M.R.E. anyone?

So I have a quandary. I need to find food I can take with me to campus that doesn't require refrigeration or heating. I eat a lot and I can't eat fast food and I don't have much money. So one thought I had was a standard issue Meal Ready to Eat! Primary problem is no hot water to re-hydrate them with. That and I can't imagine they're that tasty! Although I've heard that's not true. I did look at camping food (pricey much?) but most of that has cheese in some form within its plastic bagged limits.

Dinner out

I wish I had my own picture to share of the dish I happily ate this evening, but alas, I thought not of snapping one. The one you see is from a blog I happened upon (it's pretty cool if you're ever stumped on what to have for dinner).

This evening I spent a delightful time at Macaroni Grill with Paul and had their new Warm Spinach Salad. It intrigued me: "Wilted spinach tossed with prosciutto, roasted garlic and fresh lemon juice and olive oil. Topped with crispy pan-fried goat cheese." Prosciutto? Garlic? I'm sold! Asked my waiter if there were any hidden ingredients and all I had to do was eliminate the cheese.

It was mighty tasty! Definitely a light fare - and I'll probably be smelling of garlic for a while - but I was thoroughly happy :o) AND I had a Raspberry Italian Soda! Ah, bliss ...

Lunch

I sometimes wish that lunch were not a necessity. Wouldn't it be nice if all our bodies needed was breakfast, dinner, and maybe a snack or two? Tea anyone?

But, alas, we require lunch...at least I do (along with second breakfast, elevensies, afternoon tea)...and today all I had was this frozen rice bowl thing.

In order to be edible, my lunch requires 50 minutes in a 400 degree oven or 5 minutes in the microwave.

Is anyone else disturbed by this???

A Day in the Life...

As my diet (a word which here means "the foods eaten, as by a particular person") completely changes from what it has been my entire life, I would like to share with you A Typical Day in the Life of Carey's Stomach (i.e. today - which is a little off because I get to sleep in a bit on Thursdays)

Breakfast: (8 a.m.) a bowl of cereal and then a walk (9 a.m.) 2 eggs w/ turkey and spinach, a turkey sausage patty, and 1 buckwheat blueberry pancake.

Snack: (2 hours after brkfst if I remember to eat it on time) an apple

Lunch: (should be around 2 hours after that, but usually it's 1 or 2 by the time I get myself away from my desk) black beans, rice, salsa, and avacado dip with rice tortilla chips (yum)

Snack: (2 or 3 hours after lunch) more fruit or a veggie

Snack: (about 5 minutes before dinner because my metabolism is going nuts!) a bowl of cereal or a handful of almonds

Dinner: (6:30) Last night I had a chicken dish over rice that Mom made, tonight it's burgers

Snack: (9:30) fruit if I haven't had too much, veggie if I have, cereal if I want something crunchy that isn't vegetable-based, almonds if I'm lazy

Late Night Snack: (midnight) - for those nights I'm up too late ;) - whatever I can find that I'm allowed to eat if I remember to grab something, otherwise, I don't have anything and go to bed rather hungry.

I think I'm turning into a Hobbit...only I have 64 oz of water a day, not ale :)

"diet." Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. 16 Aug. 2007. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/diet>.