revelation
It’s occurred to me how much I’ve been gravitating towards “ethnic” foods as we’ve adopted a vegan or “plant based” diet. The map above (and the interesting blog that accompanies it- see below) feature a whole lot of foods that are not especially good for you. Oh, they’re tasty, but not great for heart health, sodium levels, cholesterol, etc.
The American diet is, of course, derived from lots and lots of different ethnic diets- Cajun shrimp, PA Dutch/German waffles&chicken, Pirogies, Tex Mex burritos, to name a few- but we seems to have kept the unhealthy parts and tossed out the rest! And so, when I’m searching for healthy vegan offerings, I find myself turning to Asian cuisine, or Middle Eastern cuisine- for a lighter, plant-based option.
This week, for example, we enjoyed summer rolls. I shoved a whole lot of crunchy veggie goodness into some rice wrappers along with some tofu and we feasted on them, along with some delicious dipping sauces like Thai red chili sauce, peanut sauce, and tamari. I know… the sauces aren’t especially good for you but… everything in moderation?
Another revelation is that this blog theme- Vegan week 1, 2, 3, 4,5… might be wearing thin. (Not for me, of course, but this is a blog, not a journal.). And so I might slow down the vegan themed roll on the blog to a monthly check in (Vegan month 1, 2, 3, etc.) instead of a weekly chronicling. There are some interesting adventures ahead- like a 10 day trip to the House of Bishops in March at Camp Allen in Texas where, to celebrate on our last night, they always dress up the dining hall with tablecloths and candles and feed us steak- and another bishop’s consecration dinner in early March that gives one a choice of beef or fish in the rsvp but also notes that one could request a vegetarian meal … (What will they do with “vegan,” I wonder?). So, some interesting social experiments ahead, but other than that, the day-in day-out life in my kitchen might not be so exciting…
Well. A busy day ahead. Paperwork, a General Convention committee meeting, a retirement dinner and then a drive a couple hours north to a hotel to get me 2 hours closer to tomorrow visit to a church 4 hours away.
Be well.
Our selves, our souls and bodies 