Food-Like has evolved. What had once began as a blog about preparing lamb sous vide and duck confit is now a blog full of vegetables and grains. We've left the hedonist lifestyle of the rabid meat-eaters. . . In fact, Food-Like has evolved to appreciate Food-Ethics, too.
Before I start all of the crazy recipe sharing, I think it is probably more important to take a moment to explain.
I was meant to go to Italy for my honeymoon over the New Year transition. It was my complete intention to surround myself in the aesthetic, drinking wine, eating piles of food, and savoring really old architecture and art. Mother nature preferred to snow us in, close all the airports on the east coast, and put a damper on our plans.
So my husband and I hopped in a car and drove down to Washington, D.C, so that we could, at a minimum, stay in a hotel, eat like kings, and do SOMETHING out of the ordinary. While we did see museum after museum, we focused on eating as much as possible in the best possible restaurants that we could get into at the last minute. And it worked.
We enjoyed a sushi tasting menu with the freshest, most interesting selections I have ever had at Sushi Taro. We chomped down on numerous cheese boards, the most enjoyable at Poste Modern Brasserie. We felt at home in a little Majolica-like restaurant called Courdoroy, digging in on an amazing lamb sausage among many other things. I enjoyed several beet salads (which top my list of food-loves of late), the best of which was at J & G Steakhouse. And on our last night, we had awesome food at The Source (we even got an extra treat because of a kitchen mistake--love mistakes in our favor!) I ate alone with my Kindle on New Year's Eve at Vidalia, while Mike was back at the hotel losing his tummy contents.
Weirdly, all of the food (although amazing) made me feel like a gross lump of lard. It was about this same time that I read an interesting article on the health benefits of reducing meat consumption. I decided, New Year and all, that the time was ripe for a bit of change.
I would not reduce my meat consumption.
I would remove it.
Let's face it.
I was a vegetarian for a few years in high school. But I wasn't. I was a pescatarian. I ate fish to appease my parents, who cooked for and fed me regularly. Then, I quit eventually.
I was a real vegetarian for a few years in college. But I was a full-time student and worked three jobs just to pay my rent and basic needs, which did not include diverse or particularly healthy foods. Then I got really tired, lost all of my energy, and wound up in the hospital with a particularly severe case of mono. So, on doctor's orders, I quit.
So maybe that's why I am so non-commital about BEING A VEGAN. Truth be told, I really like cheese, and will cheat twice a month or so. And once, these past few months, I got so fried out with my work and life that I proceeded to the nearest burger joint and ate a huge bacon cheeseburger. Did I feel guilty? Only a tad. Did I feel like a big, greasy, gas bubble? You bet your big, stinky ass, I did.
I am not going to preach. I am not going to convert. I'm just going to cook. I'm still going to dig in on food wherever I can get it. And I can be pleased with the fact that I'm doing an overall great thing for my body and my world, while not really missing out on much at all.
The only thing I ever miss is bacon. Nothing smells like bacon. But, hey, it's lent, so people all around me are giving up things they love. It seems less weird now.
Tonight, Mike and I went out to a dinner gathering with friends. They roasted a turkey, made instant mashed potatoes, velveeta shells, and betty crocker boxed cake. It was actually an impressive spread.
I packed a vegan alfredo with fresh spring vegetables and Quorn "chik" cutlets. I had the pleasure of Mike (who still eats meat sometimes, allthough not at home) telling me that my dinner was far superior. It was also made entirely from scratch, from identifiable ingredients without funny chemicals.
And, ultimately, what is not to FOOD-LOVE about that.
Stay tuned and come back, because tomorrow I am sharing photos and recipes of my AWESOME vegan cupcakes (that I have promised to share for weeks).
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