Progress Report #6

Here I am, 6 months in. Admittedly, August was a slow month for me. Only 1 new thing conquered. :-/ Still, I am proud of how far I have come so far!

Conquered!

* Raw Onions
* Tonic Water
* Tabbouleh
* White Wine
* Endive
* Parsnips
* Kohlrabi
* Lamb's Quarters
* Root Beer
* Sauerkraut
* Mustard
* Baba Ghanoush
* Taro Chips
* Daikon
* Radishes
* Earl Grey Tea
* Pickled Ginger
* Broccoli Rabe
* Onion Rings
* Poutine
* "Everything" Pretzel Slims
* Grapefruit Juice, when served in a cocktail that includes sweet ingredients
* Radicchio
* Bloody Mary
* Sparkling Water
* Dark 'n Stormy
* Lemongrass
* Reuben Sandwich
* Chai 
* Kimchi
* "Everything" Bagels
* Farro
* Grapefruit
* Raw Foods (ok, which I mostly disqualified for being Health Food For Neurotic Weirdos, but I count it as conquered because I was actually brave enough to eat it!)
* Turnips
* Mineral Water
* Herbal Tea
* Beer, of all varieties!
* Ginger Beer
* "Jerk" style food
* "Blackened" food
* Flavored Water
* Tiramisu
* Brazilian Food
* Aquavit
* Aperol
* Hot Dog with "the works"... mustard, ketchup and relish
* Mole

Works in Progress...

* Seaweed Snacks
* Cranberry Juice
* Champagne
* Kombucha Disqualified from the competition for being health food!
* Sea vegetables
* Baklava
* Chocolate with Spicy stuff in it
* Floral Flavored Foods

Haven't Gotten Around To.... Yet.

* Green Tea Flavored Treats
* Spaghetti Squash

Anyway, I have been true to my word. I've eaten a Seaweed Snack almost every day (I missed maybe 2 days over the past 8 days). I still hate them, but they are going down a little more easily. I am happy to report I don't gag on them anymore, which is a step in the right direction. But I still can't choke one down without making a horrible face. One day, I will do that!

Just looking at this picture makes me feel funny inside, and quite disgusted. What is wrong with this young child that she would willingly eat something so nasty?!?

I also have a bottle of cranberry juice, just waiting to be opened and consumed..... as well as a bottle of nice champagne! Hubby and I missed a couple of opportunities to bust open a bottle of champagne last month, so maybe this month, we'll break it out for no reason in particular!

127,817,277 Japanese People Can't Be Wrong...

.... at least, my mind believes that. My mouth tells me otherwise! Still suffering from severe issues with the seaweed snacks! The gag hasn't gone away yet, nor has the This Isn't Food feeling I get when I eat them. These things are threatening to make me end up The Gal Who Ate Everything Vegan Except For Dried Seaweed Snacks! But I won't let that happen, friends!

The *Other* Gal Who Ate Everything Vegan...

I am very proud! I have a good friend who lives in Spain. She is one of only a handful of vegans that I know (and amazingly, we are the same age... most people fall off the Vegan Wagon long before they reach age 39!)... and when she heard about my quest, she decided to try it too! Yesterday, she was ecstatic to report that she had officially conquered EVERYTHING that she used to have an issue with (including peas, peppers, cilantro and the toughest one for her, cucumber) and that he life has been changed! She is a Spaniard who had never eaten Gazpacho until yesterday... why would she eat it, as it would most likely contain bell peppers and cucumber? But she loved it!

I hereby declare that my friend in Spain is The Winner Vegan Woman of 2012!

This is part of the reason I decided to blog about my process here! Of course, I wanted to challenge myself to like new foods, because I wanted to improve my life by ridding myself of pickiness.... and my life has honestly been greatly improved! But I didn't just keep it to myself, because I was hoping to get other people to get over themselves as well. And I've heard back from several others that they have tried to be more open minded about food. My husband has been a champion, learning to eat everything from beer to mustard to avocados to sweet potatoes, in an act of solidarity with me. And I know I have gotten 1 person to not hate lima beans any more (now, I just need to convince him to start liking mushrooms.....). And perhaps my personal favorite is that I shamed another friend into never again opting to drink a vodka martini! It's gin only for him from now on! :-)

Anyway, these things make me happy!

Unfortunately, THESE THINGS make me very unhappy!

As promised, I bought another package of the dreaded seaweed snacks, and I am on a strict regimens of eating 1 snack every day. I've had 2 so far. I was hoping that the wasabi flavoring would make it somehow more palatable to me. Alas. I gagged, but only slightly, on my 1st seaweed snack. However, I had a tougher time with my 2nd seaweed snack, and I almost had to spit it out!!! But I'll keep at it..... :-/

Four, Five, Six Times a Mole

Wow, it's been a while! Mostly, this is because I have had a spectacularly busy August, filled with many travels, which left me short on time.... not a lot of chances to hunt down the final weird things I must still consume, but mostly, no time to blog! The only noteworthy thing I have to mention from the past 2 weeks is that I am still addicted to Gin and Tonics.... I especially liked them last weekend, at my school reunion. I set a personal record for Largest Number of G&T's Consumed In One Night. Of course, my previous record was only 2..... but I doubled that record.... and then some! How did I get through so many previous summers without the perfect summer cocktail? My mind reels!

Here I am at my school reunion, on G&T #5.

But now that I am back in town, and not traveling again for a lovely 2 months, I have some time to get back on track! And as soon as I returned home, I decided it was time to try, yet again, to slay that evil Mole Beast.

Those of you who have been reading this blog for a while know that mole has given me troubles. First, there was that mole that was a fucked up conglomeration of bullshit. That was followed by 4 more mole attempts, all of which were determined to be "not mole enough"..... especially that one that didn't contain chocolate! Finally, I found a recipe that seemed right, for Mole #6. It was this Mexican Chicken Mole.

Admittedly, I didn't exactly follow the preparation from that recipe. I used the right ingredients (except I used some Trader Joe's chicken strips instead of the severed limbs of actual birds), but the recipe shockingly kept telling me to use a microwave?!? Really?!? Shame on you, Cooking Light! I'm all for making the task of creating a mole less daunting, but microwave? Let me go on record that I am NOT a microwave person. I refused to have one for many years, until I got married and my husband brought along his ancient microwave. I did manage to ban it from the kitchen, so it is very inconveniently located in the farthest corner of the house, hidden away in a storage closet! I do use it for heating up the occasional leftovers, but that is all! Never is a microwave used in actual meal preparation in this girl's house! That would be the first step on the slippery slope which would end up with me subsisting on Lean Pockets! :-)

Here I am, heating up leftovers in our storage closet.

Now that I got that off my chest..... the mole! Finally, I made a mole that my Mole Loving Husband declared tasted, "pretty much like mole!" And you know, it wasn't bad! I can say that I liked it enough that if anyone ever sneaks mole into my enchilada again, as they did at Border Grill that one time, well, it wouldn't ruin my entire dinner. I liked it enough that I could make it again to please my husband and not feel like a martyr. Which is a success, according to my standards!

I also finished that strange "stone ground" chocolate with the guajillo chili powder in it. I did get to the point where the flavor was fine, but I never quite got past the non-creamy texture of it. So, my next spicy chocolate step is to buy myself one of those NICE chocolate bars..... the kind that my husband once said I didn't deserve, because I couldn't appreciate it.... like, one of those Vosges ones. Lemme just see if I can appreciate it now!

For the near future, I am of course keeping my eyes peeled for either floral flavored foods, or green tea flavored treats. Whenever I see them, I will eat them, I promise! Just not sure when they will appear. But more importantly, I HAVE to do it. I HAVE to buy more of those seaweed snacks, and put myself on a strict regimens. I have to adopt a new motto.... A Seaweed Snack A Day Makes the Gag Go Away! This is the week for that.... I promise!

Chocolate Pain

I know I've been bragging about how I am almost out of bad foods to eat, but really, I do have a few major things to address. I haven't dared to buy any cranberry juice in quite some time. And you all know about my ongoing terror regarding seaweed snacks. So, I really do have a few things that need some more work. And I decided to work on two of them the other night..... two which are very close relatives.... I went for a gruesome twosome of a mole chili for dinner, followed by some chocolate with chili in it for dessert!

While I'm not technically on that strict No Processed Food diet anymore, I must confess that following those rules make it pretty simple to eat healthy! So, I'm going to make an effort to eat like that most of the time. Now, I cook everything from scratch and never eat at junky chain restaurants. An outsider would probably wonder, "What on Earth can this vegan possibly be eating that would count as processed food anyway?!?" And truth be told, I did eat more fake meats and fake dairy than I should. I mean, it's fine to have sometimes.... and surely WAY HEALTHIER than the "real" thing would be.... but I've been thinking about it a lot lately, and making an effort to rely less on fake meat and dairy. Which is where this chili comes in.

I made a Chili with Beer, Black Beans and Chocolate. Now, I like vegan bean chili just fine. But if left to my own devices, I'd probably make a chili that uses fake beef. Well, this recipe gets its "meatiness" from crumbled tempeh..... yes, it's still processed, but I do think tempeh and tofu are a step up from all of the fake meats out there. And I figured this also gave me a chance to see if I like chili with beer in it. I wasn't much of a fan of beer in chili in the past, but now that I like beer, I figured it was time to re-examine that! And to top it off, the recipe calls for some chocolate to be melted into it, hence bringing me one step closer to mastering mole!

I liked this chili ok. I didn't like it nearly as much as my favorite chili recipe, which employs fake beef crumbles. The beer in it didn't bother me. Nor did the chocolate. Of course, I asked my husband when he was half way through if he noticed there was chocolate in the chili, and he hadn't noticed. Meaning, it wasn't mole enough that it counted. :-/ So, I need to try yet another mole recipe soon.... one that counts!

And for dessert...

I figured this stuff would definitely count towards my Chocolate With Spicy Stuff In It quest! This chocolate is so hard core, it only contains 3 ingredients: Roasted cacao beans, cane sugar, and guajillo chili powder. Well, I learned that when you only use these 3 things, and you call your chocolate "stone ground", the texture is apparently a little funky. I wasn't completely put off by it, but my husband didn't care for it. I can agree that I prefer a smooth, creamy chocolate over this rather gritty chocolate.... and while I suppose I didn't hate the chili powder in it, my heart still tells me that chili powder doesn't belong in chocolate.

So, yeah. Didn't really make any progress here, but at least you know I'm still trying! :-)

Whatsoever a Vegan Soweth, That Shall She Also Eat

I haven't had a chance to conquer anything new this week, but I have definitely had some occasions of reaping the benefits of my hard work over the past 5 months! For example, here is the big one, which I myself am still shocked about!

When I think back to the Summer of 2012, I will sum it up with 3 words.... well, if I were being negative, I suppose I could also sum it up in a couple of 2 word phrases, namely "hurt knee" and "headless rat"... but since those are not the ways I want to recall this summer, the 3 little words that most accurately evoke this summer have been Gin And Tonic.

Summer of 2012

It's the craziest thing. I hated them! Then, I tolerated them. Now, I somehow LOVE them! I've gone wild with the G&T's! No kidding, every single time (but maybe once) I have had something to drink at a bar over the past 4 weeks or so, I've started with a Gin and Tonic.  Most notably, was the one I had at a place called Sly's (that link goes right to their Classic Cocktail Menu, which was great! Check it out!) in Carpinteria, where they make their own tonic water, giving the G&T an unusual amber hue.

Homemade tonic. Looks so weird, tastes so good!

Anyway, this whole G&T Obsession is the most striking success in this whole project, right up there with how I now LOVE sauerkraut and I can sit back and enjoy a cold beer!

Other things have happened lately as well. For one, I went out for a very nice Italian dinner for my anniversary and received a salad that was just chock full o' radicchio. And I enjoyed it very much! And get this! I had lunch at Sage Bistro the other day. And I admit I wanted to eat something that looked good to me, which is why I went ahead and ordered the Mac and Cheese Balls.... True, I had actually never eaten a Mac and Cheese Ball before, but there is no way I wasn't going to like them, so they do not count as having something outside of my comfort zone! However, I was offered a taste of something I would have never NEVER had dared to put within 10 feet of my mouth before I decided to embark upon this journey. It was vegan ice cream (which I like ok, but I'm not a huge ice cream eater).... in fact, it was RAW vegan ice cream (which I did try once, and wasn't impressed.... and thankfully, I don't have to learn to like it, since I disqualified raw food from my quest).... and to make matters even more disgusting, it was raw vegan ice cream made with SPIRULINA! How much badness can you fit into 1 dessert!?!? :-D Regardless, I am brave now, so I ate a bite! Well, probably won't do that again! ;-)

Tonight, I try again to deal with one of my old enemies.... I'll report back soon!

Progress Report #5

A great month! Here's where I am, 5 months in...

Conquered!

* Raw Onions
* Tonic Water
* Tabbouleh
* White Wine
* Endive
* Parsnips
* Kohlrabi
* Lamb's Quarters
* Root Beer
* Sauerkraut
* Mustard
* Baba Ghanoush
* Taro Chips
* Daikon
* Radishes
* Earl Grey Tea
* Pickled Ginger
* Broccoli Rabe
* Onion Rings
* Poutine
* "Everything" Pretzel Slims
* Grapefruit Juice, when served in a cocktail that includes sweet ingredients
* Radicchio
* Bloody Mary
* Sparkling Water
* Dark 'n Stormy
* Lemongrass
* Reuben Sandwich
* Chai 
* Kimchi
* "Everything" Bagels
* Farro
* Grapefruit
* Raw Foods (ok, which I mostly disqualified for being Health Food For Neurotic Weirdos, but I count it as conquered because I was actually brave enough to eat it!)
* Turnips
* Mineral Water
* Herbal Tea
* Beer, of all varieties!
* Ginger Beer
* "Jerk" style food
* "Blackened" food
* Flavored Water
* Tiramisu
* Brazilian Food
* Aquavit
* Aperol
* Hot Dog with "the works"... mustard, ketchup and relish

Works in Progress...

* Seaweed Snacks
* Mole
* Cranberry Juice
* Champagne
* Kombucha Disqualified from the competition for being health food!
* Sea vegetables
* Baklava
* Chocolate with Spicy stuff in it
* Floral Flavored Foods

Haven't Gotten Around To.... Yet.

* Green Tea Flavored Treats
* Spaghetti Squash

If you showed this list to my 9 year old self.... or even my 37 year old self... I would not have believed it!

I admit, I don't have any big food plans for the next few days... we'll see what opportunities present themselves to me.... but one thing I know for sure is I'm NOT going to eat any more of that Crispy Chicken Salad with Pickles and Lima Beans! I mean, I *want* to eat it still, but I went a bit out of control there!

Too Obsessed With Chicken Salad To Think of a Title

I haven't had much to report lately. As previously stated, I am almost out of things to eat and drink! And I'm still afraid of the seaweed snacks. ;-) In addition, my husband is away, and I've had a strange thing happen to me. I got obsessed with a recipe, and I've pretty much eaten the same meal, over and over again this week. It's so good, and I guess after spending most of the past 2 months eating nothing but veggies and whole grains, I'm enjoying it a little bit extra. And it's not even particularly unhealthy, or anything, but it sure is delicious! For the curious, the meal I've been having a love affair with is this Crispy Chicken Salad With Lima Beans and Pickles.

This is what has been keeping me company on the long, lonely nights without my husband.

But I didn't come here to talk about that salad (however, you can see that I am so obsessed with it, I couldn't stop myself from mentioning it!)! I have a few things to report.

* First came Root Beer..... then came Beer Beer.... and now, I can claim I have conquered my final beer, Ginger Beer! You may recall I drank some with my Jamaican dinner in Wisconsin, and I found it fine. The other day, my husband was generous enough to let me drink one of his prized bottles of Cock 'n Bull Ginger Beer. And I made it through just fine, no problems! I don't like it as like much as I like Ginger Ale.... but it wasn't too long ago that I didn't like Ginger Ale either! So, maybe Ginger Beer will grow on me in time. Now, at least if we are serving my World Famous Moscow Mules to friends, I can have one with everyone else.... but I still will refuse to drink it from a copper mug. Me and my sensitive teeth don't enjoy the feeling of drinking from ice cold copper. :-/

* I went out for lunch with a couple of friends the other day to Mohawk Bend, where I happily drank my First Ever Local LA Beer On Tap. It was a Yellowtail Kolsch, and I enjoyed it very much! I also enjoyed pretending I was back in Wisconsin for the day, eating a sandwich and drinking beer with my lunch. :-)

Here I am, dreaming of Wisconsin. I'm with Penny Marshall again, who I run into around town more than you can imagine! I've had at least 3 Penny Marshall encounters!

* In the spirit of trying new things, and since I figured I was over my issues with Flavored Water, I went wild and drank one of those trendy O.N.E. Coconut Waters. And it was DELICIOUS! I never would have tried it during my days of thinking I don't like Flavored Water! But I'm glad I tried it now!

* Finally, I really am a changed woman..... I went to Musso and Frank last night... and did I order a Manhattan or an Old Fashioned?!? No, I did not, because all I had been thinking about all day (when I wasn't thinking about that Chicken Salad) was how delicious and refreshing a Gin & Tonic would be! I marched right in and got one, and thoroughly enjoyed it! If you told me 6 months ago that I would willing opt for a G&T as my M&F drink, I would not have believed you!

Of course, a girl can't live on G&T alone...

After having my delicious Gin and Tonic, I moved on to one of the famous Musso and Frank Martinis, but I even decided to mix that up a bit. I have only had Martinis with olives, until last night, when I decided to experiment with getting my Martini with a Twist of Lemon instead. And while I enjoyed it, I learned that I do prefer a Martini with olives! At least it's nice to know for sure, instead of blindly assuming that olives are the way to go.

OK, I'll be back when I have anything to report.... or when it's time to write up my monthly Progress Report. I'm proud of myself this month.... it's gonna be a great report this time! :-) In the meantime, I'm gonna go and make myself a Chicken Salad with Pickles and Lima Beans.....

Brazilian Blowout

Last night, I returned to the scene of a crime. The crime was that I received the Worst Meal I Have Ever Had in a restaurant. And this meal alone caused me to write off the food of an entire country. But in the spirit of this blog, I decided it was only fair to go back and try it again.

In many cases, it seems that the kinds of Brazilian food that is popular these days is not exactly my style. Meaning, it's those Gaucho places (like Fogo de Chao) where a bunch of disgusting, greedy Americans sit around and fill their fat faces with endless meats until their bodies cry mercy and they drop dead from any of the dozen diseases caused by eating red meat. Clearly, this is not the kind of Brazilian place I am talking about.

Fuck you.

The place where I had the Worst Meal I Have Ever Had in a Restaurant was at Cafe Brasil, about 5 years ago. I'm not kidding, this was literally the only time I have *ever* been served a meal that I found to be largely inedible. Anyone who knows me, knows I have a huge appetite and I spend most of my time hungry. And when I push away my plate, full of uneaten food, it's a serious situation! In retrospect, I probably should have known better. I ate there on the recommendation of my former roommate.... the one with the worst taste in food ever. :-)

I got the Vegetarian Plate. And yes, I liked the rice, black beans and plantains that it included. But the bulk of the meal was this gigantic pile of vegetables, overcooked and served in a horrific mustard sauce. Now, 5 years ago, I obviously would NOT have willingly ordered something covered in mustard sauce! But the menu didn't indicate this would be the case. So, I was given a big plate of something awful. And I decided, then and there, "If this is Brazilian Food, I clearly hate Brazilian Food!"

Mean Mr. Mustard Plate

Well, last night, I confronted my Brazilian Nemesis again. And hooo boy, those were some mustard-y veggies! I clearly understand why I wouldn't have been able to eat more than 2 bites of it the last time I attempted this meal. It is no kidding around with the mustard! However, I am happy to report that I ate it just fine last night! Since I have dealt with my mustard issues, I was able to eat about 3/4 of my mustard-soaked veggies. Now, I can't say I loved it. I insist this is a very odd choice of a sauce to put on vegetables. But it was ok, and I managed just fine. I definitely met my own criteria.... if someone gave this to me at their home, I am now able to cheerfully eat a respectable amount without causing an awkward scene. Also, I have decided to forgive the entire country and Brazil for that one plate of mustard doused vegetables, and I will no longer claim I hate all Brazilian food. I mean, the black beans, rice and plantains really were damn good! :-)

Here we were after dinner last night. I am happy that I no longer hate the cuisine of an entire country. My husband is happy because he missed going to Cafe Brasil, since I obviously refused to go back there for many years!

I really am getting close to the end of this little food experiment! I'm still on the lookout for vegan desserts that are flavored with green tea. And I will but more seaweed snacks one day soon. Really, I will!

Strange Cravings Have Found Me

I don't have any new foods that I have conquered this week. Mostly, because I have just a few things left on my list! And I haven't had any reason to pop open some champagne.... and I am still afraid to buy more seaweed snacks.... I *do* have some big Yucky Food plans for Saturday night, but in the meantime, let me tell you about my Strange Craving for today.

My husband has pontificated that there are a few levels of learning to like a food you used to think you hated. First, you get over yourself, you find you can tolerate it just fine, you accept with without objection when it is thrust upon you, you maybe even see why people consider it to be a delicious food. But then, there is Level 2, which is how you know you REALLY have embraced it: You find yourself craving that food.

During the course of this project, this has happened to me a few notable times. First, with sauerkraut. Almost instantly, that food which I thought I hated took a hold on me, and I fell madly in love. And I have since spent huge portions of my time craving it. Remember the 2 or 3 weeks in June when I though about nothing else but eating another Vegan Reuben? And then there was my Exotic Vacation in Wisconsin, which was my Beer Quest.... by the last day, I surprised myself by actually craving a nice cold pint of draft beer. But today, another one showed up... something I haven't had for a couple of months... but there was the craving for it, and I thought about it pretty much all day long....

What what?

I mean, are you kidding me? It's been 4 months since I had my Musso and Frank Gin & Tonic! And I was left with a feeling of, "OK, I understand why people like this. It was just fine. I liked it a little. Carry on." But I am not kidding that I spent this ENTIRE DAY longing for a Gin and Tonic! So much so that my dutiful husband ran to the liquor store near our house and got me some tonic water, so I could make one. Which I did! And I just enjoyed very much. Heck, I may stop writing and make another, I liked it so much.

Here I am, reaching for some Morr-ison gin & tonic

I swear, sometimes, I don't know who I am anymore.

H20K

It wasn't until I started this project that I really realized that I had a huge, and very stupid, problem with so many kinds of water! WATER! Of all things! When I started this, I determined that I "didn't like" Mineral Water, Sparkling Water, Tonic Water, Flavored Water, and my most ridiculous objection, Water At A Restaurant with a Piece of Lemon In It. Geez Louise, talk about a Picky Bitch!!!

Anyway, I just wanted to tell you all that I have dealt with myself, and I no longer feel the need to be crazy and turn my nose up at drinking any type of water, unless it is Salt Water, Muddy Water Full of Intestinal Parasites or Water From The Actual Toilet Bowl.

I am happy that I can embrace all kinds of Waters.

I drank my final bottle of flavored water today... a Blackberry flavored "Hint Fizz" water. It was fine. No need to be ridiculous about it!

So, let's all celebrate my recent victories in the only appropriate way I know how! Here's Liberace playing the Beer Barrel Polka accompanied by The Dancing Waters!!!! :-D

I'm really getting down to the nitty gritty here, guys. Of course, I did pass by the display of Seaweed Snacks at Trader Joe's the other day.... and I just kept on walking by....

No Tears For Tiramisu

Hey guys! It's my *100th* post! And I have over 2100 views! Thanks for sticking with me through 100 posts of strange and yucky foods and drinks!

Today, I decided to finally get around to eating something I have intended on eating since this blog began, but I never got around to it! Today was the day for Tiramisu!

In my research, I could only find one place in all of LA that I could definitely get vegan Tiramisu, the very healthy and very trendy macrobiotic restaurant, M Cafe. I have been to their location on Melrose a few times, but it has been years. We just never think to go there. Parking is a pain, the place is often extremely crowded and the food, while good, is expensive. However, I did have perhaps my most impressive celebrity sighting at that M Cafe. Anthony Kiedis. I mean, you see actors all the time in LA, but rock stars are rare to spot in broad daylight! Today, we went to the Beverly Hills location. We didn't see any rock stars today, but Steve Martin walked right past us. ;-)

I managed to snap a quick pic of Anthony Kiedis leaving M Cafe.

To start out with, I should mentioned that, in spite of my reputation as Sandwich Queen, and the fact all of their sandwiches looked so good, I instead ordered a very healthy meal! I got the M Cafe Macro Meal, which is "heirloom-varietal organic brown rice, steamed seasonal vegetables, hijiki seaweed, housemade pickles, and carrot-ginger dressing." And anyone who has been reading this blog at all would know why I opted to get that! So, I was expecting a lot more hijiki than what I got. Literally, there was about 1 tbsp of hijiki on my plate. I ate it all up in 2 bites, and had problem with it whatsoever. Which is good for me! :-)


After eating such a healthy entree, I was ready for my treat! Tiramisu is something I had only tasted in it's non-vegan form maybe once or twice. I didn't like it because I didn't like anything coffee flavored until I was in my mid-20's. But my main objection was the soggy texture. I'm just not one for soggy cake. I have never for a moment coveted a piece of Tres Leches cake, for example, and not merely because even an Uno Leche cake would turn me off. Soggy cake just never seemed like a good idea.

Cats, like cake, aren't meant to be soggy.

Upon first bite of my Tiramisu, I was reminded of my soggy issues. It's still strange to me, but I got over it almost instantly. Maybe because of the fact that I hadn't had any kind of treat or dessert since June 28, but I found myself shoveling it down pretty quickly. It tasted good, and the sogginess didn't deter me from behaving like I was in a Tiramisu Eating Contest.


Vegan Tiramisu, as stated, is hard to come by. If I encounter it again, would I eat it? Sure.... especially if there wasn't some kind of non-soggy cake that I could eat instead! :-D But I consider it conquered. I imagine that Tiramisu purists would tell me the vegan kind couldn't possibly count, as it lacks most of the major components of traditional Tiramisu (whipped egg yolks, mascarpone cheese, lady fingers), but as far as this vegan is concerned, the major component of Tiramisu is sogginess.... which I just happily ate.... in my mind Tiramisu = conquered. :-)

Sandwich Queen

As you know, this is what my trip to Wisconsin largely looked like:

I had many delightful sandwiches during my Two Sandwiches a Day Makes Your Diet Go Away tour of WI. Reuben Sandwiches. A Breakfast Sandwich (because sandwiches aren't just for lunch and dinner anymore!). The old stand by, Hummus Sandwiches. About 3/4 of the way through our vacation, we spent the day in Milwaukee. Before we arrived at the Palamino Bar and Restaurant, I promised my husband that I was going to get something besides a sandwich for my meal. I had seen the menu. I knew they had a Vegan Chicken Fried Steak, as well as Vegan Mac and Cheese, both of which would normally be very high on my List of Foods To Eat When I am Eating Like An Unhealthy Pig. But I had to break my promise when I dared glance at the sandwich menu. Because, lo and behold, there was a "Faux Boy" sandwich which boasted blackened seitan. And my desire to get over blackened food trumped my promise to eat something besides a sandwich! And besides, how often do I get to eat a Po' Boy? Not often enough, I'd say!

Faux Boy with Tater Tots and Vegan Ranch. Life doesn't get much better than this!

 Anyway, you won't be surprised to hear that I enjoyed this sandwich, blackened or not! And it's sad to imagine that, in the past, I wouldn't have even tried it, based on it's claims of "blackened" seitan. I would have missed out on what was perhaps the Best Sandwich of my vacation. It was either that one or the "Heathen Vegan Shoplifter's Delight" that I ate the next day.

More vegan food porn

So, there you go. I think I'm over blackened, but I do want to try some of the blackened tempeh when next I go to the Veggie Grill. And then, I will have fully alleviated my fears of blackened foods! Well, except for the fact that 99% of all blackened foods are actual meat. I'll still be afraid of those! :-)

Jerking Around in Wisconsin

I must start this post by really expressing something that I've been feeling lately. I have made some mention of leaning this way during the course of this project, but it's 100% official now. For the rest of my life, if anyone tells me that they "don't like" something, but that they have "tried to like it," I simply won't believe them. Because if I can learn to like BEER, of all things, then anybody can learn to like anything (within reason)! So, just so you know, if you ever tell me that you don't like coconut or peppers or olives or raisins or mushrooms or capers or cilantro, I'll be sitting there, judging you, thinking to myself that you are crazy (and lazy) and you never even tried. ;-)

Now that I've said THAT...... on to the real topic!

I mentioned in passing that I ate nothing but sandwiches during the whole 6 days of my vacation. Which was mostly true. Almost every day, I did, in fact, eat a sandwich for both lunch and dinner. Not gonna lie, I was pretty damn happy! I love sandwiches! Even my husband didn't really grasp how much I enjoy a good sandwich, and he was a bit surprised at my delight in eating sandwiches for every meal for almost a week!  However, there was one notable meal that did not involve a sandwich!

I did begin to feel just a little bit like this, after about the 10th sandwich.

Of all things, I discovered a Jamaican restaurant in Madison..... run by actual Jamaicans... that surprisingly offered up Jerk Tofu. So, I took a little moment away from obsessing over conquering beer and set my sights on conquering Jerk.

I'm assuming that this Jerk was the Real Deal. And yes, I liked it! And yes, I once again questioned why I thought I didn't like Jerk seasoning?!? (But a full disclaimer: I did end up with an upset stomach later that night, so while the Jerk agreed with my taste buds, it apparently didn't agree with the rest of me.) Still, tummy issues aside, I don't think I should waste any more time being afraid of the Jerk, unless it squirts me in the face with water while I am trying to give it an interview.

But wait, there's more! Not only did this meal not include a sandwich, it was also one of the rare meals in WI that didn't include a Beer Beer..... but it DID include a Ginger Beer! And I had no problem with that Ginger Beer! Sure, not my favorite thing I've ever tasted, but certainly not bad! I'll try maybe one more of the special Cock 'n Bull Ginger Beers we have at home, and make sure I can handle that, and if I can, it's safe to say that I will be officially over Ginger Beer! Which will mean I will be the Master of All Things Beer. Which is STUNNING!

You can really find anything you want on the Internet.

Anyway, I have one more food success to tell you about my Exotic Wisconsin Vacation, but this is another story for another day. :-)

Grin and Beer It

I am flying back to Los Angeles tonight. But these 6 days in Wisconsin sure were productive. I am stunned to report this, but I have honestly conquered BEER! This is a day I thought I would never see!

I put myself on a strict beer regimen while I have been here, drinking local beers on tap (the only exception was that in Milwaukee, I felt it was only right to have a PBR. Yes, I can have that anywhere, but it is local in Milwaukee! ;-) More importantly, I drank it IN A MOVIE THEATER while watching a film, which is one of the most exotic things I have ever done!) and trying as many types as possible. I managed to drink an astounding (for me! I know this would equal one slow night for your average British guy!) *9* beers while I have been here, and took sips from 6 different kinds that my husband drank. Last night, I was all ready to write my triumphant blog. At that point, I was convinced I had met my objective, which was that I could happily accept a beer if offered one and I could at least kind of enjoy at least some kinds of beer. I was joking that, "well, that's done! Now I never need to drink beer again!" But even then, I admitted I could see occasions in which a beer would be more appropriate than other drinks. I mean, I can't argue that a beer wouldn't be better with a hot dog than a martini would be!

But then, last night, an unexpected thing happened to me. As I lay in my bed trying to sleep, I experienced the strangest feeling of, "I'd like to drink a beer." And the actual desire for beer was still there when I woke up this morning and, in fact, as I type this, I'm stunningly looking forward to having one last beer before I go home! Guys, I'm actually CRAVING beer! If that doesn't mean I have conquered beer completely, I don't know what would!!!

So there you have it. Wisconsin was the answer to my beer problem. Now, I guess I need to spend some time in Japan to work out my seaweed issues......

Fear No Beer

I have done nothing in Wisconsin aside from eating sandwiches for every meal and drinking various liquids. Here are the ones worth mentioning!

ROOT BEER

Remember how I didn't like root beer? I conquered that one early on, then I never tried it again. The other day, we went to a place that makes their own root beer and has it on tap. And it was delicious! Safe to say I loved that root beer and I am glad I was able to have it!

BEER BEER

I'm still on the Wisconsin Beer Quest. The ones from New Glarus are everywhere, and they seem to all be pretty good.... for beer, that is! I got daring and tried two lighter kinds of beer from New Glarus.... a "Honey Bock" and a "Spotted Cow." I got through both just fine! I'm actually getting used to light colored beers, which is kind of amazing!

A TRIPLE THREAT COCKTAIL

We were at a bar and I decided it would be ok if I drank something besides beer! So I ordered the most dangerous cocktail on the menu. It contained Aquavit (which I had never had), Aperol (which I had also never had) and Sparkling Wine (which I'm still working on conquering). I was told the drink was similar to a Negroni, which I have never had. Well, I liked it! I never had any opinion about Aquavit it Aperol, but now, I have a positive opinion about them!

BRANDY OLD FASHIONED

The Brandy Old Fashioned is a strange phenomenon in Wisconsin. Outside of WI, no one considers that an Old Fashioned should be made of anything besides bourbon..... inside WI, no one considers that they would be made with anything besides brandy! Well, we all know I consider the Old Fashioned to be one of my Top Three Favorite Cocktails (up there with a Manhattan and a gin Martini), and I like brandy just fine, so I wasn't too concerned with trying one. As expected, I liked it!

So, nothing but progress for me on this vacation! :-)

No Longer a Draft Dodger

I know this is silly, but over the past few years, I had been ever so slightly annoyed at the growing beer culture in LA (and in every large city, I'm sure). As a non-beer drinker, I obviously didn't get it (ok, still don't get it), and I got sick of constantly hearing about "craft brews on tap" and "artisan beers" and "local brews." Honestly, I'm sure I still could not differentiate between an "artisan" beer and a Miller Light. Regardless, I figured that my vacation in Wisconsin would be a great time to FINALLY try and dive into a local brew culture!

My first night in Madison was a big one! I ordered a beer with dinner at a restaurant, for the second time in my life (and after walking to the restaurant in 105 degree heat, I do admit that an ice cold beer didn't sound unappealing!)...... We went to a bar after dinner, where I drank another beer, meaning it was the first time in my life I ever consumed 2 entire beers within the same month, let alone on the same night!.... And finally, for the first time ever, I asked what local beers they had "on tap", so I drank my first ever draft beer. 39 years old, ladies and gentlemen! ;-)

I stayed dark with my beers last night. I had a "Mudpuppy Porter" at dinner and a "Bourbon Barrel Stout" at the bar, both coincidently made by Central Waters Brewer's Reserve. They were fine, nothing Earth shatteringly good or bad, just your usual flavorful and bitter dark beers.

However, I should mention that the beer my husband had at dinner was GOOD! He drank some of it, and proclaimed "This is the best beer I have ever tasted!" (granted, he has probably only tasted about 12 kinds of beer in his life). And I had to agree.... it was the best beer I had ever tasted as well! It was the seasonal beer by New Glarus and it was called Dancing Man.

So, there you go. First day of my Wisconsin Beer Tour was a success! Five more days to go! And maybe, I'll return home as a beer loving woman. :-)

Where In The World Is TGWAEV?

I have reached my vacation destination!!! Current temperature = 107 degrees! Wowza!

I shall be ignoring the fried cheese curds, the brats, and the Friday Night Fish Fry, but believe me, I will be partaking in the Brandy Old Fashioned, the ubiquitous vegan Reubens, and yes, the BEER! This seems the only way to really enjoy your Exotic Summer Vacation to Wisconsin! :-D

Relishing the 4th of July

Friends, I currently feel as American as I have ever felt! Like so many of my fellow Americans, guess what I ate for lunch?!?

AND corn on the cob, baked beans and potato chips!

For those of you who have been reading this blog since the start, I know you have been anxiously awaiting me to get back to beer! It's true, I've been neglecting it for the past couple of months. Mostly because I couldn't justify drinking something that has so many calories, yet tastes so awful. So, I had this sad little can of Simpler Times Pilsner sitting in my refrigerator since about May! But what better day to embrace a Simplier Time than the 4th of July?

I figured that since I like Early Times, maybe I would also like Simpler Times.

I have no shocking revelations for you. Beer tastes bad. Pilsner, in particular, is some yucky tasting stuff. But I drank the entire can, all by myself.... I believe this is the 3rd time in my life I have put down an entire beer. Which equals out to 0.16 of 1 beer per year, for every year that I have been of legal age to drink. I hope that is the most useless statistic that you encounter today!

While I didn't enjoy the beer, at least it followed the usual pattern I have come to expect, not only for beer, but for any of these foods I have been working on. The first sip is always the worst. But the last sip, you get pretty much used to anything.

However, beer wasn't the only crazy (crazy for me, mundane for the rest of the USA) part of my lunch! To introduce my next concept, I suggest you watch this short video from my childhood... a PSA with a message that apparently imprinted itself upon my very young mind, and dictated my eating patterns for the next 30 or so years...



First of all, talk about Simpler Times!!! Someone really thought it was crucial to dedicate a whole PSA to warning children against the evils of condiments?!? Well, it sure worked on me! I don't think I touched anything that could be considered a condiment until I was at least 25 years old! And the condiment battle is one that I am still fighting, although at this point, I do believe I have defeated pretty much all of them, amazingly!

I bring this up because I ate something today I have never eaten before. On my hot dog was ketchup.... mustard..... and..... relish! Now, in very recent days, I know I have encountered a little mustard on a hot dog, but as for ketchup and relish? Never! And as for all three TOGETHER? DEFINITELY NEVER! As a child, I only ate hog dogs plain... maybe with some cheese on them if I was getting wild. As an adult, I learned that I enjoyed a little BBQ sauce on them. In recent years, I discovered the joy of a hummus dog (I know it sounds weird, but try it! It is delicious!). And today, I finally understood why on Earth people put a ketchup, mustard and relish combo on their dogs. Because it tastes fantastic! I loved it! It makes me want to mourn all of those hundreds of naked hot dogs I ate in my youth!

I'm off on my Exotic Summer Vacation tomorrow! I'll do my best to post a little update from destination, and reveal the location of my vacation. One hint.... for the first time since October, I'm actually going someplace besides NJ! Amazing! :-)

Blowing Through the Jasmine in My Mouth

(Sorry, that title came out sounding a lot more X rated than I intended)

I have a shocking confession to make, that I know most people just won't understand. It's about ice cream, or frankly, any kind of frozen treat (Italian Ices, Popsicles, Tofutti Cuties, You Name It). I don't really like them all that much. I mean, I don't HATE them.... I surely had no need to try and get over my aversion to them through the course of this project.... but I never *crave* frozen treats. Given the choice between cake or ice cream, the cake would win 100% of the time. Over the past 15 or so years, I think on average I have found myself eating a frozen treat maybe twice a year. And over the past 3 1/2 years, I have eaten a frozen treat a grand total of *1* time.... before tonight. Because in 2009, I ate a Gelato That Ruined Everything.

To back track a little.... as everyone knows, this is a great time to be a vegan! Over my 14 years of veganism, I am constantly surprised by the advances that are always being made in vegan food. And in my optimistic moments, I like to believe that I am just ahead of my time, and that soon enough, people (ok, Liberal or Progressive people.... these are the people who should know better than to eat anything having to do with a cow. Conservatives can keep eating cow products. It doesn't clash with their belief system, the way it clashes with a Liberal belief system) will turn away from the meat and dairy, because the Earth demands that we cut it out.... and then, there will be Even Yet Still More Great Vegan Options! :-)

For several years now, there has been a great gelato place in LA called Scoops, where they do crazy flavor combinations, and where they also offer between 2 - 4 vegan options every day. And I've eaten there several times over the years, and always thought it was pretty good. Then, I went back to Rome in 2009.... and ate a soia gelato at a place right next to the Trevi Fountain... and it was SO RIDICULOUSLY GOOD that I decided I could never bring myself to eat any other gelato, ever again! In the 3 1/2 years since I ate that chocolate and hazelnut gelato, I have been to Scoops many times, and every time but once, I passed on it, because I knew it wouldn't be as good as The Gelato That Ruined Everything.

The Gelato That Ruined Everything

Back to today. I recently learned that Scoops has a new location. And I have been following them closely, just waiting for a day when they would feature a vegan flavor that was something I don't like... and I knew they would do this soon, because they really go wild with their flavors, and I would tend not to deviate from something like chocolate or peanut butter. Today, when I saw one of their vegan flavors was "Blueberry Jasmine" well, I knew I had to get some of that!

This flavor was potentially a Double Whammy for me. Most importantly, I hate food that tastes like flowers. But secondly, although I do like blueberries very much, I would NEVER choose to eat a fruit flavored ice cream. It's just not my style! I was very proud my myself for being brave enough to march in and get that Blueberry Jasmine gelato. And honestly, it was very good! It mostly tasted of blueberry, which I enjoyed, and it had just a tiny hint of jasmine in the after taste. So, it didn't taste like Grandma or anything! :-) This flavor of gelato is something I never in a million years would have tried before embarking on this project. I'll be patting myself on the back all night for being so open minded! ;-)

Well, I won't say that I have conquered Floral Foods, but I think my willingness to try is at least a step in the right direction!

Progress Report #4

Well, this was a slow month for me. Between visiting NJ and only eating comfort foods.... to coming back home and spending 2 1/2 weeks eating pretty much NO food.... to basically having a 5 day long Birthday celebration, during which I only ate my favorite foods.... this didn't leave a lot of time for conquering yucky things! But I did make some headway. Here's where I stand, 4 months in...

Conquered!

* Raw Onions
* Tonic Water
* Tabbouleh
* White Wine
* Endive
* Parsnips
* Kohlrabi
* Lamb's Quarters
* Root Beer
* Sauerkraut
* Mustard
* Baba Ghanoush
* Taro Chips
* Daikon
* Radishes
* Earl Grey Tea
* Pickled Ginger
* Broccoli Rabe
* Onion Rings
* Poutine
* "Everything" Pretzel Slims
* Beer, dark
* Grapefruit Juice, when served in a cocktail that includes sweet ingredients
* Radicchio
* Bloody Mary
* Sparkling Water
* Dark 'n Stormy
* Lemongrass
* Reuben Sandwich
* Chai 
* Kimchi
* Farro
* Grapefruit
* Raw Foods (ok, which I mostly disqualified for being Health Food For Neurotic Weirdos, but I count it as conquered because I was actually brave enough to eat it!)
* Turnips
* Mineral Water
* Herbal Tea

Works in Progress...

* Seaweed Snacks
* Beer, light
* Mole
* Cranberry Juice
* Champagne
* Kombucha Disqualified from the competition for being health food!
* Sea vegetables
* Ginger Beer
* Baklava
* Chocolate with Spicy stuff in it
* Floral Flavored Foods
* Flavored Water
* "Jerk" style food
* "Blackened" style food

Haven't Gotten Around To.... Yet.

* Green Tea Flavored Treats
* Tiramisu
* Spaghetti Squash
* Brazilian Food


Anyway, not too shabby!

July is going to be a bit of an off month as well, alas. But I am going away on my EXOTIC SUMMER VACATION on Thursday! I will tell you were I am going later.... I need to have SOME kind of suspense in this blog! :-) But I will tell you that the place I am going seems to be a perfect location for me to really devote some serious energy to conquering one of my most hated things. So, I'm going to go really wild with this thing while I am away... and I will do my best to report to you doing my vacation!

Hubby and I are very excited about our upcoming exotic vacation!

That's all from me for now. Remember to eat something you hate today! :-)

The Very Hungry Vegan

Once upon a time, there was a vegan who went on a High Veggie / Low Processed Food diet with her husband. She started to look for some food.

On Monday, she ate through one Shiitake Bahn Mi Salad:

But she was still hungry.

On Tuesday, she ate through one bowl of Red Pepper and Carrot Soup:

But she was still hungry.

On Wednesday, she ate through one Summer Vegetable Rice Bowl:

But she was still hungry.

On Thursday, Native Foods was giving away free meals! The Very Hungry Vegan decided to celebrate her birthday a day early! So, she ate through...

One glass of Hibiscus Berry Iced Tea:

One Chocolate Cupcake:

Five Vegan Crab Cakes:

Many of her husband's Nachos:

ONE REUBEN SANDWICH!:

One order of Potato Salad:

And two Deep Fried Pickles:

Now, she wasn't hungry anymore. She wasn't a little vegan anymore, either. She was a big, fat vegan!

She was so full that she decided it was never necessary for her to eat ever again!

Tomorrow is her birthday. The Very Hungry Vegan will eat through One Nice Red Maraschino Cherry, and after that, she will feel much better.

The End

Of Parsley and Pasta, Of Radishes and Reubens

I have a few thoughts to get off my chest.

* It's been over 2 weeks that I have been on this Eating Light kick. Mainly, going without a normal amount of processed foods has been quite unusual! I realized that this is literally the longest period I have gone IN MY LIFE (after I began solid foods as a wee child, that is!) that I haven't had any pasta! I've eaten the stuff *minimum* once a week (but usually, at least 2 - 3 times a weeks) since 1974. This is a record that I never intended to set, nor do I ever plan to replicate!

These days, I wanna cry out of sheer longing to have a bowl of pasta ANYWHERE in my vicinity, including over my head!

* I don't think I have mentioned that there have been a couple of bizarre, stand out successes in this project so far. For one, radishes. I hated them! Even when I first ate them during this experiment, I hated them! But now, I love them! I've been making so many radish recipes (at least 1 or 2 per week), that my husband keeps exclaiming a bewildered, "More radishes?!?" each time I need to buy another bunch. Another strange success is Reuben Sandwiches. I am not kidding that ever since I had My Second Reuben about 2 1/2 weeks ago, I have thought about eating a Reuben at least 500 times a day. The good news is that we found out that Native Foods is giving away free meals on Thursday! So, I will be celebrating my birthday a day early with my long awaited Reuben!

All I do, the whole day through, is dream of you!

* At the very beginning of this project, I discovered that I had a bit of an issue with parsley... at least in large doses. I decided to re-visit that the other night, and I had A Study in Parsley for dinner... a Classic Israeli Salad and a Quinoa and Artichoke Salad with Parsley... both recipes which were heavy in parsley. And both which caused me no problem whatsoever.

* And finally..... I've been going at it with mineral water. I can finally say that I have conquered it! Took maybe 6 or 7 small bottles, but I have officially adapted to it's strange, mineral flavor. Now I will not be afraid of the mineral water if I ever dare to return to Germany again, since last time, they all thought it was funny to keep giving me mineral water, even though I kept asking for "still" water. Now, my only fear of Germany is those toilets with the shelves in them!!! ;-)

Paint it Blackened

As you all know by now, I've been on a steady diet of veggies and whole grains for the past 2 weeks. Suffice to say that the only meal I've eaten out during this time was at the raw restaurant last weekend. However, today, I wanted to take advantage of my Free Birthday Meal from Veggie Grill. Normally, when I eat a meal at Veggie Grill, it looks something like this:

I just had a Pavlovian Response to this photo!

But today, since I was trying to be, more or less, good (I confess I was in no mood to be good last night. Someone was buying my drinks in exchange for some work I've been helping him with, so let's just say the Manhattans were flowing! After that night of fun, I had to be a better girl today!), my meal looked like this:

Hey, a plate with quinoa, a green veggie, fruit and some form of protein! This is the recent story of my life!

However, there was another reason why I chose this meal option, aside from doing penance after my night of I'll Take Manhattan(s). Because this was the Blackened Chickin' Plate... and guess who doesn't like things that are prepared "blackened!"

You can imagine that, as a vegan, I don't often encounter blackened food. Its probably been 25 years since I've eaten anything blackened. Upon biting into my blackened chickin', I could see why I didn't like it. I mean, it does taste of charcoal. Let's be honest.... "blackened" really means "burnt... but burnt on purpose." But I figure if I can enjoy a smoky scotch, I am also sophisticated enough to appreciate a blackened piece of chickin'! And besides, I've been so hungry lately, I could probably bring myself to eat a blackened boot! ;-)

Anyway, I liked it just fine. I wouldn't say I prefer the flavor of blackened to something that is NOT burnt, but by the end of my meal, I was pretty much past my objections to my charcoal flavored lunch. And now that I have gone black, I will surely go back.... but the next time I try my hand at eating something blackened, my meal is gonna look a bit more like this:

I want bread, french fries, and creamy vegan sauce.

But until then.... Even Yet Still More Veggies!!!! :-/