Attraction, addiction, dislike, love, our relationship with food can often be a bit complicated. I enjoy food. I love to seek out new recipes, shop for and prepare meals whether it is just for myself, family or guests. I do enjoy a good meal. I love when I find a new recipe that is scrumptious and I can add it to my collection. I have quite the collection of cookbooks, many were my grandmother's dating back to the 1940's and 50's. I seem to come home with old ones that I pick-up at estate sales or thrift shops. I even occasionally will buy one new. In this digital age though I turn weekly to Pinterest to seek out new ideas or to browse the recipe collection I have amassed. Food for me is an emotion. The joy it brings when everyone loves what I prepared, or the sadness when they opt to pass on eating what I made. I get frustrated when a recipe doesn't turn out the way I expected and the meal is a disappointment.
I plan meals for an entire week before I go do my shopping. I am always planning what I am going to make next. I rarely eat out, partially due to the expense but also as I am too often disappointed in the quality of the food. I do my best to eat very healthy meals. I avoid processed foods. I eat a mostly plant-based diet but not exclusively. I do like a bit of dairy, eggs, fish and occasional meat. I try to stick to whole grain breads, pastas and brown rice. I add fruit to my salads and my lunch. I love soups that I make from scratch. I always have several varieties of soup in my freezer year-round. I will make a big pot and then freeze individual portions to take for lunch or when I need a quick dinner. I really spend too much time thinking about food. So how did this relationship with food come to be?
My Mother knew how to cook, but it was the food she grew up on. Meat (often fried) potatoes and a veg or two. Her favorite seasonings were salt, pepper and bacon grease. Saturday night was Hamburger night. They were served with potato chips and home-made dip and we each got a bottle of Coke or Dr. Pepper. This was the only time we were allowed a soda. My favorite food as a child was pasta. Spaghetti, Mac & cheese, Ravioli or rice dishes. My mom only cooked any of these on rare occasions. I would beg for her to make spaghetti. I loved it. She would only make it a few times a year. I would sometimes get fed canned Chef-Boy-r-dee spaghetti at my grandparents, but it wasn't what I craved. I was just never a big meat eater, I didn't really like mashed potatoes (my mom's were lumpy) and there were very few vegetables I would eat. I liked corn, black eye peas and pinto beans. I didn't like much else. I despised green beans, they were my Mother's favorite. She thought if she forced me to eat them I would grow to like them. I did not. I still gag at the thought of them. It was the only vegetable that she never quit forcing me to eat. To this day it is the only I will not eat. I will eat most others, there are a few I'm not crazy about, but if they are prepared certain ways I will eat them. I don't go out of my way to pick them off my plate. If I dine out I make sure that they do not put green beans on my plate. My mom did over time get more adventurous with her cooking by the time I was in high school. Her and my dad both had to limit salt and cut down on cholesterol laden foods. She discovered herbs, spices. and garlic. The bacon grease became a thing of the past.
Once I had my own family I tried to be more creative. I wanted to expose them to a variety of cuisines and flavors. Dinner was a family affair. We did not eat until everyone was home and we could gather around the table in the dining room. Dinner was when we talked about our day. Our only set meal each week was spaghetti on Wednesday night. We often dined out on Friday nights and Saturdays were often, but not always hamburgers. But we would mix it up and maybe have tacos or fajitas. I would encourage the kids to try what I prepared, but I would never force them to eat something they knew they did not like. I would not prepare alternatives for them though. It was eat what I made or starve. Trust me they did not starve. All my kids grew up to be adventurous eaters and cooks. In the early 90's we as a family decided to go vegetarian. We stuck to it for three to four years, but after my marriage ended we all eventually drifted back into a diet that included meat. I never ate as much meat though as I had prior to the vegetarian diet as I had several new meatless favorites. When Abate and Fantu joined the family our evening schedules became quite hectic due to a continuous schedule of sports activities. I was also mostly parenting on my own as Alan was always on the road. It was hard to get everyone together at the same time to eat. I often found that picking up dinner on the way home after a game was the best option. I did my best though to continue to cook a variety of food to expand their tastes.
This past year I found I was not enjoying eating red meat or chicken very much. I felt better when I was eating a more plant based diet. So I made the decision to alternate weeks. Strictly plant based one week and the following week if I wanted meat I would include some in my meals. As the months passed I found I rarely eat meat now as I just no longer have an appetite for it. I do eat fish most weeks. I feel better than I have in years. This diet along with a daily exercise routine including yoga has changed my life. I am slimmer and fitter than I have been in nearly thirty years. I am discovering new recipes and cuisines all the time as I search for new vegetarian meal ideas. I discovered Korean cooking and love the spiciness of cooking with Gochujang. I have ventured into other Asian cuisines, some Middle Eastern, and Mediterranean meals. I also love curries and seek those out. I have grown to love spicy foods.
Is food also an emotion? Maybe not but it sure creates a variety of feelings.
Buddha Bowl with Gochujang Crispy Tofu - A summertime Favorite
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