I thought it best to fess up now to the true reason Food is part of the new adventure: I have never been so completely and utterly uninspired in the food department as I've been in the past six months. In fact, I'm hoping beyond all hope that focusing my energy on the joys of cooking (what a great title for a cookbook!) through this blog will help me get to the bottom of the food funk and cure it once and for all.
I am hard-pressed to find anything quite as demoralizing as answering the question, "what are you in the mood for?" everyday with Nothing! yet again. It's bad enough I've got the funk, but Terry's got it, too. And when we're both feeling funky...well...that's a full-blown food funk if ever there was one.
Let the shelves of cookbooks, and endless piles of recipes clipped from magazines and newspapers or printed from online sources be a testament to how much we love to cook, to how much we love food. Terry and I used to be so great at planning meals, shopping specifically to what we wanted to cook each week. About seven years ago, we even went through a period where we each picked a new recipe to try each week. We tried everything, and had a blast cooking and eating our way through it.
The rhythm of that time has been lost. Not because we don't love food anymore, or don't love to cook or entertain -- we do! Hubby and me, we're foodies to the core. What seems to be lacking is the energy, the enthusiasm for making real meals during the week. We get home, we walk the dog, we throw together something basic and easy but ultimately unsatisfying...or worse, let laziness take us to a restaurant to waste our money on something mediocre that we're not in the mood to eat anyhow.
Do I hear an "Amen"?
Maybe we're just moody eaters. Does that mean we've just been in the wrong mood for the past six months? That's more than just a little sad. No...what's even more sad than that thought is this: Tonight, out of desperation and an empty refrigerator, I had half of a toasted turkey and salami sandwich...no cheese, no veggies, no pickles or mustard. No zip, no tang. Just meat...and mayo...and bread...toasted for a little flair of denial. See? I'm doing something exciting! Mmm...toasty! Sure, little said turkey sandwich will sustain me so I'll live to eat another meal but what fun is it if it isn't...fun?
This calls for an intervention, stat!
What is your sure-fire cure for the Full-Blown Food Funk?//
I can hardly be helpful, I am in one myself! But I did get a new keen interest after viewing "Food Inc." Now I just don't know what is safe and clean and humane to eat! So, I am trying the less meat, more veggie route. I already belong to a CSA which unfortunately is winding down, so the hunt for good produce will be tough in this 3rd world country called Manitowoc. So, when a noteworthy meal/recipe comes along, I'll share it with you for inspiration!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Janet! I haven't watched Food, Inc. yet myself -- I'm afraid if I do I'll stop eating altogether!
ReplyDeleteI was also going to recommend joining a CSA. There's nothing like a box full of veggies - some of which you never heard of, all of which have a limited lifespan - to force you to try out some fun new recipes.
ReplyDeleteFood Inc is at first depressing, but ultimately offers a hopeful message of what one person can do...that your choices do make a difference. It really is good! And I thought perhaps we were the only ones in a funk, but I see we are not. It's more me than Eric, but funk it is. I think it stems from wanting to change our habits (more raw fruits and veggies and vibrant food) and not having the time I'd like to really dive in and explore and play with the new way of eating. So, I don't want to eat the old way and I don't quite know how to eat the new way AND bring the kids and hubby along willingly for the ride. So, we pull out the familiar (and getting a little boring at times) meals. Perhaps though, the funk is a move toward more conscious eating. I'm beginning to think it is, that it's a way of moving toward a place where we know and trust what our bodies need and find a way to fulfill those needs beautifully and artfully. At least, that's my hope!
ReplyDelete(~Christy, here...having trouble posting comments...)
ReplyDeleteLaura: yes, agreed! Conscious eating, choices, fulfilling our needs are definitely what it's about. I'll have to watch Food, Inc. soon.
Mara: thanks for the comment about CSA's -- we did it once without much success (too much waste!) but I may be gearing up for it again!