But tell me how you really feel

1 week down, 3 to go.

This project has not only dictated a change in diet, but social environment as well. Preping and cooking every meal at home is quite an adjustment from the everyday routine (so many dishes, so little time) but there is also a certain element of social interaction that has been altered by lack of coffee breaks, going out to weekly lab lunch or grabbing drinks before rocking out to a Queen cover band. However, the inability to purchase practically anything has not led to total isolation.

My solution to the bar problem maybe frowned upon by some but it involves forethought in wine purchasing, a nalgene bottle and an empty pint glass. Not the classiest vessel for vino but I don’t think they have corking fee policies at Lovejoy’s or the Beauty Bar. The same might go for food at a restaurant although I can’t say I have tried that yet. My hope is that if you are there with a group of people and explain to the manager that you have a highly restrictive diet then they should let it slide. It would be the same thing if a gluten intolerant vegan allergic to most brassicaceae wanted to sit with their friends at a restaurant right?

As for the physical response to this diet the only thing I can say is I feel tired ALL the time. This is quite possibly due to the fact that school has just started back up, I have 600 things to do, and its February during an El Niño year. Check out the Austin weather for the next week. And while I do love a rich hot cup of french press coffee now and then, my caffeine cravings are no where near Sam’s who relayed this anecdote last week; as he walked down the hall in the afternoon every desk in every open office had a cup of stimulant on it. I think his withdrawal headaches have subsided though.

While this does seem to be a bit of a burden I do feel good after every meal I have. The lack of salt disappointment has passed and I seem to get more joy out of every experimental creation I produce in the kitchen. I believe it’s the same phenomenon that happens when backpacking where everything you eat tastes that much better because of the hard work you just put in before eating it (be it peak bagging or ingredient hunting and mental prowess).

Here are some of the latest additions to the menu:

Paneer- made by boiling milk, adding grapefruit juice to get it to curdle, and straining through cheese-cloth.

Pecan butter- pecans plus food processer. Great with carrots.

Orange yogurt smoothie- I think our vitamin C counts are through the roof with the amount of oranges we have consumed

Turnip chips- thinly slice, drizzle in olive oil and pop in a 400 oven until they are crispy

PIZZA!!- Sam’s tortillas, tomatoes** mixed with fresh rosemary and fennel and mozzarella cheese

**I found the tomatoes at Central Market yesterday. They are from a mom and pop farm outside of Waco. Additionally, Texas does have a large quantity of hydroponic tomatoes but we were lucky to catch these because I think the grower is almost out.