An Odyssey of Eating

When Anthropapa and I were first together, we ate food that was, well, at least filling if not nutritious. I remember many Boboli pizzas, McDonald's breakfasts, bean burritos, steaks and pasta. We would buy vegetables with all seriousness, and then let them rot in the fridge for laziness and ignorance. And I remember at least one week when we visited our favorite sushi bar four times. Ah, the days of wine, roses, and disposable income.

Then at some point we started to eat in a more healthy way. More vegetables were cooked instead of thrown out. Boboli disappeared in favor of brown rice. This happened, to be honest, partly due to changes in the disposable income arena. But I'd say we had become more conscious of many things in our lives: around this time we stopped watching TV, started using alternative medicine, and became much less acquisitive in our spending habits.

Now that I am staying at home with the Huntlings, I've turned another corner food-wise. I've developed an interest in making things from scratch. Last night I made turkey-vegetable soup with dumplings. For dessert we had apple-pear-cranberry crisp. I can make sauce Béchamel, and from that, sauce Mornay--the snooty French version of cheese sauce which makes all vegetables instantly edible to toddlers.


Now, I'm saying this not with hubris, but with a modicum of amazement. Our diet regularly includes such oddities as kale and rutabaga. I can cook quinoa. And I make possibly the yummiest roast chicken around. Where did all this come from?

Some of my major inspirations include Joy of Cooking, Nourishing Traditions, On Food and Cooking, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and the Little House Cookbook.

And a plug for Anthropapa: he makes rockin' kombucha!