Monday, March 3, 2008

Giving up the veg

I've been vegetarian for about ten years.  And I've decided that I'm going to try to start eating fish again.  I originally became vegetarian for health reasons, but for the past 4 1/2 years, I've found myself getting sick way too frequently.  I'm not sure if this has anything to do with the lack of fish or meat (or even dairy, as I don't consume much of that either), but I'm going to TRY to start eating fish again (I say "try" because after not eating it for so long, it is completely unappealing to me!) and see what happens.   My other possible explanation for my health issues is that I've been living in warm climates (where during a "cold" winter it gets no lower than 50F) the past 4 1/2 years and perhaps there are different bugs in these climates that my body just can't handle.  Not 
sure, but I need to try something different and since I can't exactly up and move right now to a cold place (nor do I really want to!  I'm not a fan of winter).

That said....
That said, I just got my first delivery today from an organic vegetable farm.  Woohoo.  Very exciting.  I was impressed with the assortment -- cucumbers, red bell peppers, beets, yams, onions, beet greens, lettuce, cilantro, tomatoes, fennel, carrots, kohlrabi....all in excellent condition.  And it's a luxury to have enough time to actually plan out how I am going to use all 
these vegetables.  I might as well take advantage of that time while I can!

 For the Israel-dwellers
On our recent trip to the Galilee, we had dinner at Auberge Shulamit -- a restaurant in Rosh Pina that I have read great things about.  I was excited to finally give it a try.   It was lovely -- nice setting, quiet (we were one of only two tables occupied -- great for us, but doesn't necessarily bode well for the restaurant).  It is on the old road to
 Tsfat (nightmarish twisty turny road up and around mountains) -- but not far along that road at all - just enough to get up the hill and see the twinkling lights of Rosh Pina.  

The food was fine, but I was not overly enthusiastic.  I had chestnut soup, which was lovely, but not exceptional.  My pasta was really good, but not THAT memorable.  And Sweetie's and his sister's chops were rather thin -- they said they would have preferred fewer, thicker chops.  Dessert was just okay.  When I ordered
souffle, I was expecting a REAL souffle, not the typical microwaved one that you can get at any coffee shop in Israel.  So, it was a bit of a disappointment given the amazing reviews I had read.  That said, the service was excellent and I would return.

2 comments:

vegetablej said...

If it's colds and flu that you are getting, it can't be the warm climates because viruses die at about 80 degrees F and are much less prevalent in the summertime. Apparently viruses like cold weather; that's why we are all sick in the winter.

However, food poisoning and spoilage is far more prevalent in warm climates and the bacteria grow on vegetables too, so you have to be sure to wash them well, especially if uncooked. A soak in water with some vinegar in it for 15 minutes with a good rinse afterwards removes the most pesticide, and probably bacteria too.

Also I've found that when you travel and go to a new place that you haven't developed immunity to the local viruses, so you are far likelier to get sick in the first few years. If you have been travelling a lot, it could be a factor.

I feel much better when I eat organic food. MUCH better. So hopefully the change to organic will boost your health, since besides tasting better they also have more vitamins than the ordinary produce.

Take care and be well! :)

Cha-chan said...

Thank you for the detective work! I'm really frustrated with it all and I think your theory on living in new places is a good one. Maybe the warm climates have different viruses? Also, I worry about mold growing in our home here, and also worried about it in my home in Okinawa (we most certainly have mold here because they don't often damp proof the homes in Israel).

Thanks for the tips on washing veggies! Glad to hear you feel a lot better with organic produce -- I hope it will help us too. Though I do need to be vigilant about the washing -- many more bugs and spiders to be found on my organic greens! So it must be good and fresh:-)

Here's to health!