Watermelon Salad at The Queens Kickshaw—one of the best things I’ve had all summer.
Well, it’s been a while since I gave my poor blog some attention. Perhaps this will be the beginning of its resurrection, maybe not; I won’t make any predictions.
Things are going well—I’m writing a lot on We Heart Astoria and We Heart LIC, which is the kind of fun times that don’t feel like work. I was on the radio again! Always a good time. I’m swimming a lot, too, so I’m SO HUNGRY. I’ve been eating a lot of egg-and-cheese-on-a-roll breakfast sandwiches post-swim workout—which, by the way, burns about 800 calories. I love these sandwiches at Zorba’s, a little neighborhood spot that also makes my current favorite frappe, an iced coffee beverage popular in places like Greece and Bulgaria.
It’s a slightly sweet and milky coffee drink made from Nescafe coffee. I’m a big fan.
Other summer food activities include making sun tea (yes, I’m a child of the 80s), horchata, cold brew coffee, and eating a lot of vegetables from my CSA, which is in full swing now. Recent restaurant trips include The Queens Kickshaw, where I tried their new fabulous Summer menu (see the watermelon salad above); Spicy Lanka, a Sri Lankan restaurant in Jamaica that is awesome; Pye Boat Noodle, home to incredible noodle soups and tasty snacks; and Khao Kang, a new Thai steam table restaurant with some seriously good food. And cheap! I think 3 dishes were $7.50. More on all these later.
Guilty (not really, but you know what I mean) pleasures: Bounty Bars and Days of Our Lives.
Last I left you here on the blog was at my exit into book authorship, about to embark on researching and writing the Food Lovers’ Guide to Queens manuscript. I thought I would be blogging here during that time, but that obviously did not happen. I’m sorry for abandoning the blog for a spell – I was unprepared with how my life would be consumed by the book; it was pretty much all I thought about for months.
I spent time traveling around Queens, pounding the pavement on my way to restaurants, shops, and markets, while stopping in at places that looked intriguing but were not on my “official” itinerary. I stopped cooking and at 99.9% of my meals in Queens. I ate constantly, sometimes to a gut busting capacity. Some of the things I ate I normally only indulge in occassionally, but during this period it was no holds barred.
I developed tastes for new things, as well as relished the things I already loved, especially traditional dishes from various countries – Colombian cholados and pandebonos; Mexican chicharron preparado; German krainerwurst; Thai pork larb; Bolivian salteñas; Japanese sashimi; Vietnamese iced coffee; Bosnian cevapi; Peruvian spicy ceviche; Taiwanese bubble tea; Korean kimchi stew; Uruguayan pastries; North African brik. I could go on and on and on.
I turned in my manuscript on Friday, June 22, dazed by all the editing I had done that day, and so happy to have completed it. It topped out at about 108,000 words; no doubt the copy editors will trim it down. I’m back to eating mostly at home, and it has been wonderful to be back in the kitchen. I’ve enjoyed a lot of raw vegetable salads, pastured eggs and bacon, kombucha and kimchi, sprouted wheat and almond flour pancakes, raw cheese, yogurt, and cream. My CSA started up, which has been awesome, and the fresh fruit has been incredible – last week we got sweet, tart, and almost creamy raspberries and this week lots of plums and cherries. The veggies have also been just excellent, too.
I look forward to spending more time here, and sharing recipes and stories with you. Thanks for waiting, and here’s to a livelier Harmonious Belly!
Well, turns out I totally spaced on Harmonious Belly’s second birthday! It was February 8. A lot has happened in this past year – a layoff sprurring on lots of writing, preserving, and food experimentation. My garden was awesome this past year (no blight, hooray!). And a little guy entered my life (I love you, Linus) and captured my heart, while my beloved girl passed on (RIP Marina).
So happy birthday, little blog! Here’s to many more collaborations, learning more, nurturing old friendships and creating new ones, and lots of delicious food! Paid work would be nice, too, universe. 🙂
A belated happy new year to all of you reading this. I don’t know about you, but I was more than happy to say goodbye to 2011 – it was not a stellar year. That being said, there were some good things (successful tomato season; getting involved with the Traditional Community Kitchen; finding Linus) amongst the bad (losing my job; my beloved cat Marina passed on December 28; the general bad economy). A new start is definitely welcome.
As I mentioned on my Facebook page, we ate Hoppin John – or at least a variant on it – on New Year’s Day. Hoppin John is traditionally eaten on New Year’s Day, and is essentially rice and beans – black eyed peas and rice in most parts of the US. I mixed it up a bit by using red field peas and grits. The Sea Island Red Peas and Carolina Quick Grits were both from Anson Mills. I’d actually had them on hand for a long time, stored in the freezer, but they turned out great!
The red peas are smaller than black eyed peas, and have an earthier taste. Apparently it’s common to use these peas in Hoppin John in the Low Country of South Carolina and Georgia. I loved the grits, which I soaked during the day in water and raw vinegar, were creamy and delicious, no doubt enhanced by the big knob of pasture butter I added at the end.
The photo above I took with my brand spankin’ new iPhone and the awesome Instagram app. I look forward to taking lots of pictures with this camera, so expect to see more pictures from that device (which has a fantastic little camera in it).
Well, life is full of ups and downs, and boy has that been the case in the past week – hence the light posting. Thought you might like to know what’s been going on.
Life Changes
1. Linus. Last Thursday, this little kitten appeared on the front steps of my apartment building as if out of nowhere. I couldn’t bear to leave him outside to fend for himself – he was obviously someone’s pet. I worked diligently to find his humans – posted flyers, communicated via my extensive social networks, contacted Animal Control – and no one came forth.
In the end, we chose to adopt him and name him Linus (Great Pumpkin/Peanuts reference appropriate for this time of year – thanks to my cousin for the suggestion!). He has a clean bill of health, for which I’m grateful. He’s very friendly and full of kitten energy. Marina, my long time kitty girl, is getting used to him, but is still a bit growly. Hopefully peace will come between them sooner than later.
2. Marina. This is my “senior kitty” at 15 years. She’s been with me through thick and thin. She’s dealing with some health issues, and we are hoping and praying for a positive outcome. That said, she is looking so good these days! Beautiful soft coat, bright eyes, energy. We love her so much.
Harmonious Belly (and Meg) in the News
1. Audiofiles: DIY in NYC. Last month I met with a lovely woman, Michelle Bangert, a CUNY grad student, and we chatted about canning, food swaps, and gardening in NYC. She recorded all our exchanges and a small part of that made it into an episode of Audiofiles, broadcast on WBAI earlier this month. The segment on DIY starts at 25:00 and lasts approximately 4 minutes. You can hear me around 27:00.
Over the weekend, New York City got socked by Hurricane Irene. We weren’t harmed at all at our apartment, but there was some damage in Astoria – mostly trees uprooted, some flooding, and no doubt some buildings were affected structurally. Some lost power – a small percentage, but the percentage size doesn’t really matter if you are the one without power. I lived through the 2006 Western Queens blackout, and was without power for 7 days – I don’t wish that kind of experience on anyone.
We did prepare – we have a hand crank flashlight, which is cool; I bought an extra lighting wand in case we needed to light the stove manually; I bought extra batteries, and some candles. I even bought some baby wipes in case we were out of water for washing (our bathtub does not have stopper, so we couldn’t fill it). I filled up glass containers with water, as well as my 16 quart stockpot, so we’d have something to drink in case the water supply became problematic. We also had enough non-perishable food, plus I harvested a bowl of garden food Friday morning before everything hit.
Figs, bull nose pepper, tomatoes, jalepeño, mouse melons
Saturday night, we treated ourselves to taco salad without the chips, made from grass fed/finished beef from the CSA and Taco Salad seasoning from Kate at Modern Alternative Mama. We love it and prefer it to the stuff in the taco seasoning packet. Topped it with tomatoes from the garden, some raw cheddar from Washington, and raw red onions.
We waited for things to get really bad, as a tornado watch and warning was declared for all of last night. However, I feel asleep around 11pm and slept like a rock – I didn’t hear a thing over night! A few hours after I got up this morning, the eye had passed us and we were on the south side of the storm. The hurricane was pretty uneventful for me, from my perspective. I’ll know more tomorrow, though, after I check the garden and backyard.
My friend Lia took some pictures of our local park, which was flooded to an extent. Here are some shots (used with permission).
I’m really, really glad the hurricane wasn’t nearly as destructive as it threatened to be. Glad we were prepared, too – it makes a huge difference. The city was prepared – some believe over-prepared – but I’d rather they be that than dropping the ball.
I hear the week should start out with beautiful weather, too! Monday morning should be a great time to go for a run, too – a welcome change after being cooped up most of the weekend.
Refined sugar has probably been the most challenging food I deal with, even after spending the past two and a half years focusing on eating more nourishing foods. I definitely have a sweet tooth, and always have. I love cookies, caramels, cakes, and ice cream; I can’t remember a time when I didn’t like sweets. When I was a little girl and into my early 20s, it seemed like I could eat sugary treats with no limit.
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve become more aware of the affects food has on me. Sugar is the most distinctive and has the strongest physical effect on me, even moreso than white flour.
From time to time I get up the gumption to eliminate refined sugar from my diet. Every single time, I feel better when I get rid of the sugar – I’m calmer and less quick to judge on things, I can concentrate better, I’m more balanced emotionally, and my skin and hair quality improves. I also lose weight. Results are 100% positive.
So, why do I always return to eating sugar? Well, it tastes good, for one. Sugar is also said to have addictive qualities, but I’m not completely convinced on that one (at least compared to addictions like tobacco and heroin). Sugary treats are also a big part of our social traditions – celebration cakes, ice cream in the summer, cookies with milk after school. And I appreciate the skill and tradition behind the pastry arts.
My biggest challenge is handling my desire for something made with sugar with the knowledge of how it negatively effects my body when I eat it. I tend to “conveniently forget” how I feel after I eat it, and down the hatch it goes. Yet at the same time, I have learned that complete denial of anything sweet is a recipe for disaster for me.
One solution to “having my sweets and eating them, too” (aka balance) is to eat things made of unrefined sugars. My body tolerates these sweeteners far better than it does refined sugar, in part because when I eat unrefined sugars, I ingest them in much smaller quantities than I would with a refined sugar.
And I think the quantity is important. Maple syrup, white sugar, honey – they’re all sugar on a basic level and have effects on the body. Whole fruit is fortunate to have its sugars combined with fiber, which helps slow down the absorption.
My favorite raw honey from Lost Hollow
For me, unrefined sweeteners include maple syrup and honey (usually raw, sometimes not). Sucanat (sugar cane natural) and coconut sugar are pushing it a little bit further to the edge of my body’s comfort level, but in small amounts they are ok. Still, I find that Sucanat has a slight bitter aftertaste, so I have shyed away from it in the past.
Another option I’ve found is carob, which is naturally sweet. I know a lot of people don’t care for it, but I think the key is not thinking about it as a chocolate or cocoa replacement. It’s flavor is much earthier and less sophisticated, but I love it.
Then of course there is fruit, which is naturally sweet and completely unprocessed if eaten out of hand. When fruit is ripe and in season, though, there’s nothing better.
Amazing strawberries from my CSA
As I’ve learned from Shauna, the Gluten Free Girl, after learning it would be wise to cut certain foods out of one’s diet, focusing on what you can eat is not just preferable, it’s freeing. Obsessing on denial and what I can’t have deflates me and brings me down, making me generally miserable. So why not embrace what sweet things I can eat, that plays well with my body? As I mentioned above, fruit in season is wonderful – and I have a fruit share with my CSA to provide me with seasonal fruit. It’s going to be amazing.
This is your life. This is your body. This is your new reality. If you wake up and decide you’re going to love it (you have no idea how much better you are going to feel without the gluten), then you will.
Accept it. Shout about it with those string of expletives if you want. Allow yourself to grieve. But do that all with clear eyes. This is your life. Accept it.
For me, I replace “gluten” with “sugar” and it’s completely applicable to my life. Although, I already know how much better I feel without the sugar. It’s remarkable.
So, I’ll be focusing on the can instead of the can’t. When it comes to social events, I’ll take each one on a case by case basis. If a friend of family member has lovingly prepared something sweet for me, especially if we are in a celebratory mood, I’ll likely take a small taste (and refuse to feel guilty about it), and be grateful for that’s person’s efforts to honor someone in my community.
For me, it’s all about feeling good and respecting my body, while finding balance. And it’s a journey; I look forward to navigating these next steps.
For further reading: Is Sugar Toxic? by Gary Taubes [NY Times]
