As I begin this post, I must admit I'm not really sure what direction it will go, or what point (if any) I'll get to. My thoughts are quite scattered today, and I cannot really pinpoint a reason. I suspect it might have something to do with food though.
If you didn't already know, I make an effort every Monday to put a post up on the Deer Run Facebook page with a Meatless Monday recipe. Typically I choose a recipe the week before, and sometime over the weekend I take a crack at it, hoping it's good enough to share with photos. This weekend didn't go so well. I made several recipes, all of which disappointed in the final product. The exception was bread. I tested for the first time two separate focaccia recipes. Both were quite good, although the first recipe was better than the second. I ended up posting the second recipe (which was also very good), because the first recipe was ridiculous in steps and time. No average person usually has the luxury (in my opinion) of carving out 3-4 hours to craft a loaf of bread. When I started the recipe I somehow missed that part, despite reading through the recipe twice. Go figure.
Anyway, the weekend focaccia trials brought more sugar than I'm accustomed to these days. I'm pretty far entrenched in my latest round of reducing my consumption of sugar. This is hard enough for anyone who lives in the "modern world" but toss in the fact that I bake every day as part of my job, well then really things begin to get dicey. So, bread has been most off my list lately since I made the tempeh reubens. In fact, before the reubens, I cannot remember the last time I ate bread, most likely it was on our trip up north. It's really no big deal for me, this omission of bread, because for the most part there is no bread worth eating in the lower Keys EXCEPT for Cole's Peace bread which is baked in Key West. Since my trips to Key West are infrequent this time of year, and the deliveries of the Cole's Peace bread limited to weekly in my area, I don't miss bread. I completely detoxed off bread when I moved here from the northeast. Up there bread, good bread, REALLY good bread, is everywhere. Soft breads, crispy breads, salted breads, round breads, pretzel breads, you name it breads, they got it breads. Some people down here blame the water, others the humidity in the air. I'm not sure what the issue is, I do know I've made my own bread in the past down here, but no longer do so. Until this weekend. Focaccia.
I had to sample the final product in order to evaluate it. It smelled good, it looked good, but taste? To be determined. So, I tasted it. It was like the devil himself was unleashed at that moment. I ate it, and loved it. And, somehow with that my entire evening of eating was derailed, culminating in pieces of (vegan! organic!) chocolate which I also haven't had in close to two months.
When I woke up today, I simply felt "off." I went through my day doing everything necessary, but struggled. This included a 4 mile run, which took me close to 8 minutes longer than usual--that's 2 full minutes per MILE longer than normal.
And, even this blog post, well I admit, it's rambling, no? Wanting to fill the page, but not quite sure what to say, or how. I think food doesn't get enough credit for what it can do for us, for good or for bad. I truly believe the explosion of disease and ailments that we've seen in the last decade or so is directly connected to the foods most available to us. We like to think we are choosing what we want to eat, but the fact of the matter much of this is being done by giant corporations and our government through subsidies, food manipulation and such. I have to put a lot of effort into sourcing good food for my personal consumption and for that which I serve to guests; A LOT of effort. It is worth it to me. I come from an area rife with massive Superfund sites, massive amounts of cancer and other horrible diseases, and generally speaking I think genetics are also not in my favor. Despite this, I think I can enhance my future to a certain degree by eating a plant based diet, sourced with mostly organic foods.
So, today I went back on schedule with my food. I think I'll be back to my regular old self tomorrow, or at least I hope so. The other happy vegan devoured the rest of the focaccia (he's definitely not concerned with his sugar intake), and I've got a fresh new bag of organic apples sitting in the fridge. And, of course, if all else fails, there's still one more piece of chocolate stashed in my pantry. I think I'm good for another couple months.
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