In my younger days, I could scarf a baker's dozen of these babies in one sitting. No lie.
I know a guy whose friend’s small child refers to him as “The Food Man.” This young boy also refers to another of his parents’ friends as “Uncle Muffintop,” but that’s another story.
One could nickname me “The Food Woman.” I love food, so much that I can never diet, fast, or cleanse for any meaningful length of time; I inevitably crawl back to the falafel sandwich with cucumbers and tomatoes, the baked tofu, the macaroni and vegan cheese, and the black bean burritos.
Much of my life has revolved around food. When am I going to go to lunch? What should I make for dinner this week? What new things do I want to try at the grocery store? When I went vegan, that only intensified. I had to think more critically about my food choices and be more careful with the grocery list I’d taken for granted. But I had fun planning my menus, going to specialty shops, and ordering vegan marshmallows and cheeses on the Internet. I also delighted in cooking new and complicated items: samosa twice-baked potatoes, homemade gnocchi, fondue, and couscous cake.
Bet on me at this sporting event. I'll make you rich.
I even tend to become obsessed with certain food items. For a month in college, I ate only buttered toast — not because it was all I had or could afford, not because I was trying some kind of weird diet, but because I loved it. It started when I was sick for two weeks; buttered toast was really the only thing that sounded good. Once I was better, it was still the only thing that sounded good, so I pounded buttered toast three times a day until I felt like I was severely nutritionally (and fiber-ally) deficient.
I’m in a similar rut now, except, sadly, nothing sounds good. Sure, I get hungry, so I manage to choose something to eat despite having no opinions on my options, and frequently I like what I’ve chosen while I’m eating it. What concerns me is that the cravings I’ve dealt with and even enjoyed for most of my life seem to have all but disappeared. All that’s left is an occasional hankering for fried spring rolls, but even that’s on its way out. No amount of salt, sauce, or coconut frosting makes any vegetable, curry, or cake more appealing to me.
As someone who has long loved food, this is distressing to me. I just can’t get excited about my lunches (they might as well all be salad nowadays), my dinners (I have some frozen stuff, but who cares?), or my cooking in general (the fewer dishes I have to wash, the better).
I want to love food so much again that I think it's perfectly acceptable to wear it.
The moral of the story: I need help. How do you pump yourself up about your food?
I realized that my seitan is absolutely incredible; now i’m excited to put it in as many different food environments as i can.
I make a good seitan, too; I should find new ways to work with it. Perhaps it is creativity that is lacking? Now that I’m thinking about it, maybe a sandwich would be tasty…
s
I’ve only experienced a lack of food lust on a few [sad] occasions. What I might do, were I to once again experience this absence, is return to childhood/young adulthood faves. Even if those foods aren’t as good as you remember them to be (and many times, they are not), it’s a fun experiment and might get you back on track re: what you currently want to eat.
Alternately, you could just go to the store, wander up and down the aisles, and see what looks good to you at the given moment. This is what I do when I have no idea what I want to make for dinner
Finally: beets. Beets are always awesome!
I’m trying to remember what I liked besides Hostess Fruit Pies, cheese, and alfredo sauce… although the first one would be a fun vegan baking experiment, perhaps.
I do that store-wandering trick ALL THE TIME, but if I do it at the Rainbow, I get into debt!
s
OK: here is an embarrassing revelation: I HAVE NEVER BEEN TO RAINBOW! (That is sad, huh?) Want to accompany me on my maiden voyage, date/time TBD?
you get a sugar daddy to take you to millennium!!! i promise a revival in food lust.
Ha! Maybe I can just be your third wheel next time?
s
OMG. You’re on a “break” with food. Just like Ross and Rachel. Sort of.
I don’t think I’d ever tire of pineapple. Start there and find your way back. You and food were made for each other.
NOOO – no good life event can ever be successfully compared to Ross and Rachel’s relationship! Eat something now! Then find it delicious. I recommend strawberries or cupcakes.
My obsession with food tends to follow what close ones think of it. My younger brother claims to be “allergic to vegetables” but he did ask for seconds on the enchilada that I made which was full of them. So a minor victory for me.
What about kamquats?