Familiar Foods

Recently my neighbor had to have one of her cats put to sleep. It just so happened that I made chocolate chip cookies that day. Knowing how much she always enjoys my homemade goodies, and thinking that a little chocolate wouldn’t go amiss after a rough day, I decided to give her some.

She was very grateful, and the next morning she even told me, “Those cookies were a lifesaver.”

Her level of appreciation surprised me. Certainly they weren’t a literal lifesaver, but emotionally they must have helped even more than I had expected.

Then I remembered a passage from Mary Pipher’s Seeking Peace: “[A] worldwide cure [for a variety of ailments] seems to be the tastes and smells of familiar foods, especially those that remind us of our childhoods and family…. When I tasted [them], I tasted something deeper than foods; I tasted home. I tasted time.” (p. 165)

In that context, the comment made more sense. If my neighbor is anything like me, one of my favorite childhood smells is a kitchen perfumed by the aroma of fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies. The scent alone is comforting, conjuring up images and feelings of earlier times, of innocence and simple happiness. Eating them only intensifies those connections, especially since the idea of warm, gooey chocolate chip cookies is one that seems ingrained in our society as an association with home and familiarity.

The fact that the cookies were made from scratch probably also helped. Store-bought, packaged cookies wouldn’t be as fresh, and even ones from a bakery aren’t quite the same. Knowing the person who made them, and that the baker put care and attention and intention into them, seems to enhance the flavor and overall experience (see my post Feeding with Love – Vitamin L).

It’s one of the reasons I so enjoy baking. The process brings up memories and good feelings, as well as the anticipation of sharing the results with others and seeing their reaction as they, too, experience the connection and timelessness that comes with these familiar foods. And it makes me even gladder that my cookie making coincided with my neighbor’s sad day, and that it offered at least a little comfort.

An Embarrassment of Riches

I just finished reading The Road by Cormac McCarthy, a book that is, in some ways, all about food – or rather, the lack thereof. It’s certainly not reading for the faint of heart, since the premise is that the earth has been scorched by something (we never find out what) killing all the plants and animals, except a few remaining people. Those left survive by scavenging what they can of non-perishables in ruined cities and towns, and or sometimes eating the only other thing left to them: other people.

This incredibly bleak and harrowing landscape is depressing, to be sure, but it also makes me appreciate even more the bounty available at the Farmer’s Market. The contrast could hardly be greater, as I compare the black and gray ruined earth of the book to the almost overwhelming variety currently available to me, in a rainbow of colors and tastes and textures. For example, while the boy and his father in The Road were ecstatic to find canned peaches in syrup, I’m reveling in the fresh variety, with they’re furry skin and juice that runs down my chin.

So, in no particular order, this is an homage to what I can find at the market, as well as what I dream about doing with the goods. Be warned - this could take a while.

• Peaches, early apples, berries, melons: I love to eat all of these raw, but they’re also good in fruit salads, or sometimes salsa, smoothies, or tossed in with yogurt or on top of ice cream. Berries I might also freeze for winter enjoyment, and you can also make jams, jellies, pies, and other sweets.
• Tomatoes: The cherry tomatoes I eat straight because they’re simply so delicious on their own. It’s also nice that in addition to the fresh tomatoes, many places sell “seconds”, overripe or imperfect tomatoes that are great for salsa and sauces.
• Peppers and carrots, available in a rainbow of colors: Good for eating raw, perhaps with a dip or spread, in salads or sandwiches, grilling and gazpacho for peppers, slaws for carrots.
• Corn: For me, it’s hard to beat the classic corn on the cob. But it can also be great for salsa, chowder, or salads.
• Fennel: Another raw favorite, since I love the slight licorice tang, but I’ve also made a good potato and fennel soup, and they can be good in salads
• Cucumbers: Wonderful raw, or you can make pickles, gazpacho, or salsa. Cucumber soup is also very light and refreshing on hot summer days.
• Eggplant: It took me a while to find eggplant recipes that I like, but a few favorites are baba ganoush (a spread similar to hummus in consistency but with a different flavor), ratatouille, and a Szechuan dish with eggplant, tofu, and mushrooms. Scrumptious.
• Zucchini and Summer Squash: Since these overproduce so much, it’s always nice to have ideas of what to do with them. Grilling, of course, and gazpacho and ratatouille, as well as zucchini bread (some folks also love chocolate zucchini bread) and muffins, but they can also be great in stir-frys, or grated into salads or slaws or mixed with your favorite grain and dressed with olive oil and vinegar.
• Potatoes, onions, scallions: All of these can be good in soups, or hash, or for making broth or good homefries.
• Kale, chard, lettuce, cabbage, and other greens: So many greens! Salads are the default option, of course, but for the heartier varieties (kale and chard, for example), they’re wonderful in soup or stir-fry, or just lightly cooked down with olive oil and garlic, and I know some people love them for smoothies. You can also do slaws with things like cabbage, or make wraps or lettuce cups.
• Green beans: Steamed green beans are my favorite, but I also enjoy dilly beans, and bean salads.
• Garlic: I love garlic! Add it to soup, stir-fry, hummus, baba ganoush, and whatever else strikes your fancy.
• Beets (regular, golden, and rainbow): Even if you’re not generally a fan of beets (usually boiled or steamed or pickled), roasted beets with olive oil and rosemary are a treat.
• Rutabaga: Also good roasted with olive oil, or in soups.
• Turnips: I’ve used these in stir-frys, and in soups.
• Radishes: I’m not a huge radish fan, but sometimes I enjoy them in salad.
• Broccoli: I enjoy broccoli simply steamed with a little sesame oil, or in stir-fry, or with dips, or sometimes mixed in with grains and a bit of cheese (or cheese alternative in my case).
• Cauliflower: Also good steamed with olive oil, or you can also make a tasty mash them (similar to potatoes).

This isn’t a complete list – it doesn’t even mention the meats and cheeses and jams and honey and other treats – but it’s a good start. I am so grateful for all of this abundance, and that I have access to it. I also know how fortunate I am to be able to recognize these foods and have some idea of what to do with, which isn’t necessarily a given these days.

With that in mind, here are some items on the menu for me this week, in case it inspires you: salads with lettuce, rainbow chard, tomatoes, cucumbers, scallions, and peppers; chickpeas with garlicky greens (in my case, kale); ratatouille tian (similar to ratatouille with zucchini, eggplant, and plum tomatoes, but in this case baked); cucumbers and carrots with hummus; and corn/black bean/avocado/tomato/basil salad; and plenty of fresh fruit (melons, peaches, berries).

Even with all that, I wish I could use more, but since even I can only eat so many vegetables in a week, I’ll just dream up ideas for next week, and bask in this amazing harvest while I can, continually grateful to be living in this version of the world, not the one from The Road.

Guilty Pleasures

Last week I wrote about how “guilt-free” food advertising encourages feelings of shame about eating, so perhaps that made me all the more sensitive when watching last week’s episode of The Next Food Network Star. The three finalists presented their pitches, and one, by Russell Jackson, was titled Guilty Pleasures.

Watching it made me think about why we feel guilty when eating something we enjoy, and I quickly realized that there are many reasons, including ones I probably haven’t thought about. But here are a few that come to mind.

For some people, anything pleasurable induces feelings of guilt. For others, it could be related to what Wikipedia has to say on the matter: “The ‘guilt’ involved is sometimes simply fear of others discovering one's lowbrow or otherwise embarrassing tastes.” This reminded me of the song “Junk Food Junkie” by Larry Groce, in which the protagonist eats healthy foods in front of his friends and family, but in secret eats junk food.

And then there’s the flip side, where people want to do something illicit that makes them feel a bit rebellious. In that case, eating food that directly goes against health recommendations is enjoyable not necessarily because of how the food tastes, but simply for consuming it.

All of this makes me think again about the judgment we so often put on food, as well as ourselves and others for consuming it. It’s a wonderful thing to be able to eat what you want and need, at the time and in the amounts that you want and need it, without worrying about what anyone else thinks. In those situations, any guilt disappears, whether you’re eating an apple or an apple pie or anything else.

And yet, personally I’ve found this sense of judgment to be one of the most difficult things to move past. Having lost so much weight, and helping others reconnect with food, I still struggle with not eating as much as I need around other people, because sometimes I need to eat a lot but I fear that if I do, they’ll see me as hypocritical.

As I think about it, though, I realize that others may well be very happy to see me eating a lot, or having a cookie, because it can remind them that, at least from my perspective, having a good relationship with food isn’t about deprivation.

That is what I will try to remember the next time I feel tempted to stop eating before I’m ready, so I can continue to move past any concerns about judgment or accompanying guilt, and hope that it will help others do the same.

Eat Me - I'm Guilt Free!

Note: For more information about the Am I Hungry? Mindful Eating program, see www.amihungry.com or my website.

My niece complained recently about foods being advertised as “guilt free” (generally because they’re low fat), saying that food shouldn’t be about guilt but about hunger and meeting your body’s needs.

I couldn’t agree more, especially since this is something I focus on when facilitating the Am I Hungry? (AIH) Mindful Eating program, which teaches that while we may regret something we eat, or how much of it, feeling guilty about it isn’t helpful.

Unfortunately our society doesn’t make this easy, particularly when it comes to advertisements. After my niece’s comment, I paid more attention than I normally do when I went to the store this week (most of the time I ignore the marketing), and it was enlightening.

While the produce and certain canned items (like vegetables, soups, and beans) are pretty quiet on the advertising front, most other packaged items are covered in catch phrases, largely geared to one goal: to make you feel you’re being good if you choose their product and that you’re being bad if you go with something else.

I didn’t see anything that outright said “guilt free”, but it was implied in phrases like:

• Low fat or fat free
• Full of antioxidants
• High in fiber
• Low sugar
• Heart healthy
• Made with goodness

Reading between the lines, it’s clear that we’re meant to feel that if we eat foods high in fat or sugar, low in fiber or antioxidants, then we’re bad and should feel guilty that we’re not eating less of the one and more of the other.

The problem is, most of these things are meaningless. Reducing or removing fat doesn’t make things healthy, or particularly tasty. Just because something has antioxidants (like dark chocolate) or fiber doesn’t mean we should binge on it, or avoid items that don’t say that. Especially because foods that are naturally high in fiber – fruits, vegetables, beans - aren’t advertised that way. In fact, they’re often not advertised at all, unless it’s to say they’re on sale.

Continuing through the list, eating something high in sugar now and again isn’t automatically going to cause problems. I don’t know if there are any regulations to qualify what defines something as “heart healthy”, and I’m not even quite sure what the phrase “made with goodness” is supposed to mean or imply.

Instead, I agree with my niece and remember one of the things I most love about AIH – that all foods can fit with balance, variety, and moderation. And from that perspective, all food is also guilt-free, which makes for much happier eating.