Too Many Cooks in the Kitchen

....is not a problem for me, now that I live alone.



In fact, I've had quite the opposite problem of too many cooks. This weekend marked the momentous occasion of the first time I've cooked a meal since moving back in September. You didn't read that incorrectly. The proverbial first time.

Sure, I'd prepared meals that didn't require cooking, but I literally went over 6 months without cooking a true meal. And it felt amazing when I finally did. Cathartic, even (more of a first meal feeling than last supper, though).

Lesson #27 when moving to a big city: Cooking can be infinitely more satisfying than eating at the countless delicious restaurants this city offers, especially after such a long break. Take a look here for great documentation of this fact. This is a bit ambitious, with the authors living in Brooklyn off $30 in groceries between the two (this is also not a typo).

Pictured below is the simple, yet utterly delicious, meal I prepared. I still don't have many cooking ingredients, or certain utensils (ever tried draining pasta via one slotted spoon? Quite time consuming.) I'm telling you, though, this was so much more satisfying than any other meal I could've possibly found in the city, so I would highly encourage you to not take a 6 month hiatus from cooking. (however, I also have to point out that the food I eat at work makes dining out difficult, because it's so unbelievably good.)

penne with olives, garlic, oil, red pepper and arugula

But until I learn how to make a decent non dairy based frozen dessert, I'm sticking with Lula's Apothecary. Self control is a limited natural resource!

Cleaning up my act

I just finished a 21 day cleanse, in which I avoided many delicious things...the toughest being coffee and alcohol, but no surprise there. But in addition to the avoidance, I added many foods that I hadn't been regularly eating (avocado! kale! coconuts in every form!).

The Doctor explained that a cleanse is a bit like taking a shower - something you need to do occasionally, depending on how dirty you are. After each shower, you can prolong the need for another shower by basically taking better care of yourself, being less dirty, etc.

If his explanation holds any truth, then I should hop into the shower pretty damn soon. I was feeling so great both during and at the end of the cleanse, but the couple days have been a bit, well, excessive in my food/alcohol intake. Of course it's all relative, and I'm still doing a good job of avoiding anything artificial, but I really went a bit wild.

After going out and enjoying (more than) a few drinks on Thursday, I went grocery shopping at 10pm to buy a vegan brownie, ice cream, and other snacks. After consuming them promptly at home, my roommate says to me (without any knowledge of my cleanse) - "you look like you've lost weight!" I probably had chocolate smeared on my face, and I'm pretty sure I effectively reversed some of the cleanse in one sitting.

But then I decided to take a step back and recognize the good. In the words of Craig Finn, 'there is so much joy in what we do up here!' I know much more about what my body needs and how I can take care of it.

Also, this cleanse brought some perspective to my diet - and helped me realize that there is always someone stricter than you. Being vegan is restrictive enough, but even with the additional cleanse I realize that this a city of extremes.

Lesson #17: There will always be someone more extreme in their eating/drinking habits than you, so follow up that raw cashew "ice cream" with another glass of locally brewed beer and thank God that you live in a place where this is all possible. And if you're lucky enough to not have any food allergies (mmmmm gluten! so delicious!), then the city is your oyster. But I wouldn't recommend eating those. (though it's one of the few cases of animal farming that doesn't seem to be a despicable idea.)

20something in a Candy Store

Though I recently wrote a post about not needing less sleep than one thinks (which I still consider to be true, as does this guy), I also am realizing that it's okay, and good, to take a break from the city madness. Maybe this is my small town roots pulling me down to earth, but I seriously wonder at times how people stay sane here without actively pursuing sanity.

I honestly feel like I'm in a gigantic candy store at times, full of delicious vegan goodies.

(side note: I know some claim that Vegas is an adult playground, but I disagree - New York is much more so. Playgrounds are full of more than tourists, strippers, and drunk college students (at least where I'm from.). Playgrounds have kids from diverse backgrounds, and they aren't always such a fun place. Instead of drinking, lots of kids are on ADHD meds, and I think many New Yorkers should be (though they probably drink a lot too. Oh well). Kids can be cruel, and so can adults. But playgrounds are also a place where you're on the fast track to learning who you are. That, and let's be honest - men still flirt in many of the same ways they did at 7 years old.)

Most nights, I don't get home until fairly late... almost as if I'd feel guilty to just have a simple, relaxing evening. Well, it's safe to say that the city will go on without any individual and will provide ample opportunities to indulge one's passions another day. Besides, it's pretty tough to really enjoy life/the city/yourself if you're too busy to recognize or appreciat it.

Lesson #7: You don't need to figure out everything at once, or even soon after moving. Allow yourself some precious "me" ("you," to me) time every now and then. Of course, this goes for just about everyone, everywhere, but it's easy to get caught up in the constant activities - my hedonistic self just wants to take advantage of what the city has to offer. Therefore, it becomes easy to forget life's simple pleasures - one of those being the blissful times of doing nothing. Or reading for pleasure. Or actually catching up on sleep now and then (I never claimed to be consistent.)