I just had an amazing dinner and that is why I feel like talking about food. I don't think a lot of people would believe me, when I say that I actually really enjoy food. But I only enjoy good food. And by good, I mean if I like it. There is so much good food out there, but for most things I just think they're okay. I don't necessarily really enjoy most things as much, maybe because the flavor is not right, or it has things that I don't like that much, or just in general, it doesn't suit my taste. Yes, I am extremely picky, yes I don't eat a lot of things, yes I don't like going out to new places to eat because I don't like change in my food, I like to eat the same thing repeatedly. But it's not like I don't explore the many possibilities of food... in fact, being vegetarian taught me a lot about food, how it's made, what's good for you and in what quantities, and also a whole world of things you can cook that will have the same amount of protein as meat but none of meat's bad qualities.
Since we're talking about being vegetarian, I do think it was one of the best decisions I've ever made in my life. I've never regretted being vegetarian, I have never thought of going back to meat and fish. And whatever people say, how it's natural to eat meat or whatever, I don't think that matters. We know now that we can survive on a purely vegetarian diet, so why eat meat? Because we enjoy it? But there are so many other things in this world you have probably never tried eating that could be so much more enjoyable than a slab of dead flesh that's probably not very fresh, most likely more fat than it should be, taken from an animal that never had a life and was bred purely for killing without any humane effort but given lots of things to eat it shouldn't have, like drugs that then get into the system of the human eating the meat, which then harms the whole system we have established of anti-biotics and also just chemicals are not good for you... etc. There are a million things wrong with the meat you eat every day that you get in the local shop or at most restaurants. Yeah, I know the vegetables we eat are full of crap as well but that's the problem with all food that is sold now, unless you go buy locally grown organic things, which actually is what I am trying to do here. It's much easier to buy organic stuff here in London just because it's not much more expensive than the other stuff that's pumped with chemicals, whereas in America organic stuff actually costs quite a bit more than regular fruits and veggies. Besides, most things you find in Sainsbury's for example will have alternative "organic" options, including cheese and free range eggs, whereas in America in the local Kroger's for example, very few items are organic.
I am becoming heavily obsessed with healthy eating. I know it's another walking cliche, but I think it's so important to know what you're supposed to be putting in your body and actually put things you're supposed to in your tommy, instead of shit. Everything you eat will shape your life later, your health and not just physical, but mental. A lot of our stress and emotions can be calmed by eating properly, because a lot of things trigger stress, anxiety, depression, and also reflect on you physically, and I'm not only talking about gaining weight, but also your skin, your nails, your hair, headaches, stomach pains, etc. It is so important to eat healthy now, when you don't have problems with it, then later when you do have problems but you're so used to eating shit that it's virtually impossible to change. If you start changing things little by little every day, by the time you're 40 years old, you will have established a proper diet and won't have a lot of problems associated with aging.
You can frown at the fact that vegetarians are healthier, but any statistic will tell you that vegetarians have less problems associated with obesity, fat, cholesterol, etc, and that is simply because meat has too many things that are bad for you. Those animals are bred fat so that one corpse can give you more meat, because it's better for the industry. That means those animals are mostly fat, not muscle. Where would they even get muscle, if they don't ever move? And then you go and eat all that fat, and then complain why you're 10 pounds overweight. I don't get people like that. Of course there are vegetarians that are obese, because eating vegetarian food doesn't necessarily mean eating healthy. But it's also the fact that most people that become vegetarian actually start looking into what's good to eat and what's not, and that is why they do in general eat more healthy. Once you cut something out of your diet, you become interested in how to "fill it up" only of course in the case of vegetarianism, you don't need to "fill it up" by anything special.
I am not saying I am the healthiest eater, of course not. Everyone has guilty pleasures. I just try to control mine and somehow bring them into the normal food that I eat, and that's how at the end of the day I end up making food for myself that I greatly enjoy because I add a little bit of things that I crave into my meals and so it doesn't get out of control. I think my biggest food obsession which is unhealthy is cheese. I can't live a day without eating a slice of cheese. I love a lot of different kind of cheese. I like cream cheese, or any that you can spread on a piece of bread. I like English cheese like cheddar and all similar. I like goat cheese, I like feta cheese, I like French cheese, I like Parmesan and mozzarella, I just like every kind. There are a few I don't enjoy, such as smoked cheese. But I just can't live without cheese. Any breakfast that does not contain a piece of bread with cheese is not breakfast for me. Once every couple of days I make salad with feta. Pasta without Parmesan does not exist. Tomatoes and mozzarella is one of the best combinations of food ever. And when there is heavy red French wine, there has to be thick smelly French cheese, or the world turns upside down.
Cheese is not very good for you, especially heavier kinds like French cheese or even cheddar. In small amounts, it's obviously okay. Some is good for you, such as goat cheese, because it contains a lot of things that are hard to get in normal foods. Cheese is the reason I could never be vegan. I would like to be vegan, but without cheese my life is not the same. I could give up eggs, in fact here in London I don't ever eat eggs, even though I greatly enjoy fried eggs with tomatoes on a Saturday morning. I hate milk anyway, and yogurt has alternatives now without animal made milk. Soy milk is quite nice, contrary to popular meat-eaters belief that soy milk is a cheap excuse for vegans. I've never tried regular soy milk, but flavored soy milk is really tasty, especially vanilla. It goes really well with cereal, much better than regular milk, and has less fat in it. I keep forgetting to buy some here to try the brands they have in London, but it's just that I don't eat cereal usually, so I never buy it, and therefore always forget to buy soy milk. It's good to just drink during the day as well, like a mini liquid snack. I also want to try rice milk, some people really enjoy that as well.
But returning to foods in general, I could go on for hours about what's healthy and what's not, and what every vegetable has and what's the best protein and so on, but I won't. It's something I leave for actual conversation, because it's funny to see people's reactions to this, because most people do end up criticizing me for this and think I've become an obsessive lunatic, which isn't true, it's just something I'm really interested in.
Yes, now I do think about how much protein, carbs, fiber etc I'm eating and I try to count how much I've eaten today and see if I need more of something or less. I also try to count calories, not because I'm trying to lose weight, but because it's important not to overeat more than what I know I burn in a day. This is mostly because I hate exercising and I don't ever want to be active, so I know that if I've spent all day laying around in bed, I really shouldn't be having soup, second course, big salad and desert for dinner, because that's all probably more than I've used up in that one day lying in bed watching Black Books. Also, another guilty pleasure of mine is sweet things. I don't particularly like most sweet things, but there are a few I really enjoy, and I know that I need to eat less of them. I love milk chocolate, absolutely adore it. The sweeter, the better. This is so silly but I've tried eating dark chocolate, and it's not the same, not even close. I don't know, I think you just need to keep everything balanced and know how much you need to eat. So much depends on your height and how active you are, but also things like metabolism and stuff.
I am learning how to cook here, and it's good because all my experiments are on myself mostly, and if something is really bad, I am not embarrassed in front of anyone but just have to endure it myself. I think it's time I list things that I really enjoy eating:
1. Indian food. Indian curry is getting boring but I love all the spinach things they do, like saag paneer, and the chickpeas dish, I love their bread, and just in general I can go into any Indian restaurant and there will always be about 5 or more items on the menu that I would not be able to decide from. In other restaurants, I usually choose my meal within 5 seconds.
2. Mexican food. Oh my god how I love Mexican food.... I don't know what it is, but probably the combination of things that I really like such as tomatoes, beans, rice, avocado, etc. I think it's also the fact that Mexican food taught me to enjoy spicy food.
3. Japanese food, especially sushi. Okay, who doesn't like sushi and miso soup? You're an idiot if you don't like them.
4. Foods from the Mediterranean and the Middle east, like all that falafel and hummus and olives ....
5. Soup. I love soup, always have, always will. I like to eat most soup with a piece of bread, unless it's Japanese or a meal within itself.
6. Tomatoes. Any shape or form, with anything, in anything, I just love tomatoes so much.
7. Avocadoes. Mmmm so creamy and lovely.
8. Cherries and peaches. That's why I love summer.
9. Veggie burgers are a nice treat and a good alternative to summer barbecues with meat eaters. Also, even without the bun it's a nice fast meal to have, since they're precooked. Just throw them in the microwave or on a hot pan for a few minutes, spread mustard/ketchup and throw veggies and eat. So goddamn yummy. Actually a lot of meat imitations are really yummy, you just have to find the good brands.
So that is my long rant about food. I love food and I love eating. I hate being hungry and if I'm hungry for too long, my hands start shaking, I get a head ache and sometimes I can even faint. Today I made really amazing tacos but unfortunately burned my mouth whilst trying if I put in enough spice. Oh well, it was worth it. Bon appetit!
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