I've been thinking a lot about eating lately, specifically, my terrible diet and what I should do about it.
These troublesome thoughts started when I took Lynn out to a nice vegetarian restaurant (she's a vegan) for her birthday. The food was pretty good - fancier than anything I'm used to or could ever hope to make, but very enjoyable. And if it's vegan, it's good for you, right?
Then on Friday, Sarah (also a vegan) and I made a vegetable stir fry dinner, and it was also very tasty. I couldn't stop thinking about how damn healthy this was for me, and if I ate like this more often... or all the time... then surely my life would become fantastic.
We also made vegan brownies, which are just as good as regular ones. I could eat those all day long, and since they're vegan, they're good for you.
After Saturday's Irish Peddlers rehearsal, I was so effing hungry. Being in the East Village, I stopped into Paul's Palace (a famous burger joint) for a bacon cheeseburger. There's a review on the wall that says something like, "Sometimes you just want a burger," and I was like, "Yeah, I do. I DO want a burger."
This was a bit of a bad idea. Cheeseburgers are such a terrible vice (Comic Book Guy: "Loneliness and cheeseburgers are a dangerous mix."), they're delicious, but so bad for you. I felt full and gross for the rest of the day. Maybe I just ate too much (my eyes are usually bigger than my stomach), or maybe my body was saying, "Go back to the stir fry, idiot."
Whatever the case, that got me seriously thinking maybe I should change my diet. After all, it's the Year of Yes... although I'm not quite sure what I'm Yessing in this situation.
And then I got some advice from the man himself, Gordon Ramsay (one of my favorite people on TV ever). On Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares, he asked someone, "You're a vegetarian? Why would you put yourself through that?" And I had to admit he makes a good point. Not only is he a chef, so he knows what he's talking about, but he's also on TV.
I was thinking about it all throughout Sunday's rehearsals, and when I got home, I was effing starving again (I'm almost always effing starving), so I bought one of those hot pastrami sandwiches they're promoting at Subway.
I eat at Subway a lot, much more than anyone who isn't Jared should, but it's quick and easy and cheap and, most importantly, it's right by my apartment.
I'd like to say the hot pastrami sandwich was an experiment - if it made me sick (and it probably would), that'd be a sign I should ease up on the crap. But really, I just wanted to try it.
And damn... it was GOOD. Maybe I was just starving, but seriously, I'm not kidding when I say it belongs in one of the Top Ten Meals I've Ever Eaten. Reading that sentence, I think it must've been because I was just so damn hungry.
Anyway, the jury's still out on this whole diet thing. But I AM thinking about it.
17 comments:
Vegan brownies are junk food for vegans. Remember there was a cup of oil and two cups of sugar and nothing good for you? I wonder if they're less healthy than the regular kind.
But they're VEGAN brownies, so they're good for me.
i know you're being glib by quoting gordon, but it does bring up something i find weird: the assertion that being veggie is somehow harmful to oneself. why do people say that? i leave open the possibility that there's science i'm missing, but everything i've ever read has said that it's at least a neutral choice for one's health, if not an actively healthy one.
It's funny that you should be considering eating healthier at a time when I'm considering falling off the vegetarian wagon.
Also, I still have your scrapple in my frezer.
I've gotten several responses to the Gordon Ramsay quote, so I should elaborate.
What Ramsay said was meant to be a joke. He was promoting a new restaurant and giving out free steak sandwiches. Someone declined because she was a vegetarian, and he responded with, "Why would you do that to yourself?" in a kidding manner.
I don't know Ramsay's real thoughts on vegetarianism, but I took it to mean, "Why would you deny yourself delicious food?"
And that's what I took out of it. Right now I'm questioning my diet for health reasons, not moral ones (though if Lynn has her way, I might one day convert).
If Gordon Ramsay, who I genuinely respect, thinks it's OK to eat meat, then that influences me.
But I'm sure he'd be against a lot of the crap I ingest. And it's moderation in all things, too. I don't think Ramsay's advocating eating steak sandwiches all the time.
My friend Michael is probably a good role model for my eating habits. He used to be a vegetarian, isn't anymore, but many times when I've dined with him, he's ordered vegetarian meals.
(This was a long comment, maybe I should've made it another post.)
thanks for the reply.
i see that ramsey's being cute, it's just... i dunno. he opens a door when he talks that way. plenty of people see vegetarianism in a pretty negative light, and i don't especially understand why, short of 'i like eating meat.' which is cool, and a totally fine reason.
but what about 'i don't like eating meat' is bad reasoning? why should the vegetarian have to explain herself?
there's clearly a negative opinion towards veggies in this society, and as a veggie i'm wondering how much of that falls on my shoulders. i represent a belief set, and it's probably my job to represent it as well as possible. why do so many people have negative associations with vegetarianism?
That's a good question, Dave, and I wish I knew the answer or could contribute more. I don't really know. It's unfair that vegetarianism is often thought of as... what's the word... weird? Deviant? Eccentric?
I like to ask vegetarians about their decisions behind their eating habits, but only because I'm curious, not to make them defend themselves.
But to me, "Because I don't like eating meat" is a heck of a valid reason.
And I'm sure that scrapple is freezerburned to Hell and back.
i think it's totally cool to ask people what the root causes of their vegetarianism are.
and, obviously, being a veg is a somewhat unusual thing to do, so i understand the curiosity.
there's a difference between honest curiosity/willingness to learn, and attack, i guess, and ramsey reads like an attack to me. a joking one, sure, but an attack.
personally, several people i've been friendly with have gotten rather angry when i've told them i'm a veg, and i've heard the same from other veg friends, none of whom strike me as especially judgmental about the issue. i've never really gotten why people react that way.
chefs HATE vegetarians. when ramsay says that he means "why would you purposefully limit yourself from delicious things??" bourdain is the same. i have heard gordon say "fine, i'll charge you 20 bucks for a few veggie sides, i'll win but you'll lose in the end." they win because it's cheap and easy and keeps the restaurant budget down.
gordon also lost like 150 pounds and is super healthy and athletic and promotes eating meat and desserts from time to time. i totally love him.
Crystal! I was hoping you'd comment and give us some insight into the illustrious Mr. Ramsay.
And Dave, I'm also surprised at people's angry reaction to your vegetarianism.
'why would you purposefully limit yourself from delicious things' strikes me as a bad faith argument.
there's plenty of tasty things in the world with some compelling arguments against eating them [lead paint, arsenic]. this isn't to say that meat will kill you, rather it is to say that it's clear that there are concerns that get weighed aside from merely the deliciousness of the foodstuff.
people make up their own minds about this shit, but yeah, i've noticed that chefs hate me, and i really don't know why. julia child, whom i deeply respect, called vegetarians 'people afraid of food.'
what is up with that?
In Bourdain's book "A Cooks Tour" he chronicles the negative aspects of eating with a group of upper-class Bay Area vegans, noting that (a) the food itself was terrible (that chefs like Ramsay treat the vegetable with 'more respect' than the vegans do); and (b) everyone he spoke to at that dinner seemed to come to veganism as a reaction to a negative life event such as divorce or losing a job, noting that it seemed to him a climate of fear.
I'm not agreeing or disagreeing (although I am an adventurous eater/cook and former vegan). I have had some amazing vegetarian meals (Zen Palate, a number of kosher-veg Indian places on Lexington) and some truly loathsome ones (Vegetarian's Paradise, Caravan of Dreams), where the attitude of 'healthiness' did not include tasty food at reasonable prices.
Back to my delicious salad now.
in his defense, gordon eats ANYTHING. and will try anything and hopes that anything food-wise will be delicious. i actually watched him eat something that was DISGUSTING and sounded terrifying and then throw up because it was horrible. after he said "what if it had been awesome?" bourdain appears to be the same way, but who knows. there are things that gordon likes that are vegetarian as well.
watch hell's kitchen starting on april 1st, on fox!
Here's a radical idea: Maybe meat isn't delicious. Not to everyone, at least. If I'm limiting myself by not eating meat, I'm limiting myself to a subset of food which, to me, is on average more delicious. Works for me.
All I mean is that it seems a little solipsistic to say to someone, "Why would you choose not to eat food that I find delicious?" And it also perpetuates the idea of vegetarians as a non-mainstream group.
But how did that get started in the first place? Are people so concerned about eating right, and simultaneously so averse to change, that the idea (true or not) of a vegetarian diet being better for them is threatening? That was the most complicated sentence I've ever written, but I honesty can't think of a simpler reason.
Moderation, dude. I know that's an unpopular sentiment in this age of polarization and extremism, but it seems to be working for you now and it's often a good path.
The Paul's bacon cheeseburger turned out to be a bad move--well, that's like 10 ounces of beef plus cheese plus bacon--it doesn't mean all cheeseburgers are going to make you sick (unless you eat them often). The pastrami, if my experience with Subway is informative, is more of a controlled portion.
I've been making an effort over the past few years to eat (a little bit) healthier, and that includes eating some vegetarian/vegan meals, but it doesn't mean I'm going to give up meat. After all, a turkey sandwich on whole wheat toast is a lot better for you than an order of fries.
As far as animosity toward vegetarians/vegans, I don't understand that at all, unless the veggies are being sanctimonious, in which case they deserve it. My brother is a veggie and, though I tease him sometimes, I also take a genuine interest in his diet and when we meet up for dinner, I take him to vegetarian (or extremely veggie-friendly) restaurants.
I guess moderation doesn't apply to the size of my blog replies.
meat is not unhealthy. my best friend in high school was/is vegan, and she ate tons of crap (just none of it was animal-based).
if you want to get a better perspective on how "healthy" you're eating, i would suggest using a website like fitday.com, where you enter in everything you eat and it tells you whether you're getting the appropriate mix of protein/fat/carbs. you can also use it to keep track of sugar/nutrient intake but i found that too complicated.
to the "what if i just don't find meat delicious" argument:
that would make you a picky eater. something chefs hate just as much, if not more, than vegetarians. you never see the judges on top chef refusing to eat/try something or the judges on iron chef. being picky about what you eat means a culinary career is most likely not in your future.
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