(no subject)
The worst thing about going kosher last year was that I couldn't mix meats and dairy. Stop, and take a second to consider just how delicious meat with cheese is. Think about all the dishes that combine those two ingredients: Pepperoni/bbq chicken pizza, lasagna, chicken/shrimp alfredo, most sandwiches, chicken quesadillas, omlettes*, etc etc etc. In order to keep kosher, I had to eliminate one of the two. I could eat cheese pizza, veggie lasagna, penne alfredo, cheeseless sandwiches, cheese quesadillas, scrambled eggs, etc etc etc. It was bland but I could deal with it.
* I learned after lent that eggs didn't count as meat under kashrut. Which is pretty stupid if you ask me, considering the context of the law, but I'm not a Jewish theologian so what do I know?
Now, I can't even do that. Those dishes are somewhat less interesting without cheese or without meat, but without either? They're nothing. Last year I just modified my diet. Now I have to completely change around the way I work with food. I have to buy more fruits and veggies, which means more frequent trips to the supermarket. I have to research vegan recipes I want to try and go through Shaws scouring for crazy ingredients I've never heard of, most of which they don't carry anyway. So that means I'm going to have to find some crazy vegan store (which is probably located in mother-loving Allston) and pay through the nose for food which won't taste as good as I imagined it anyway.
And goodbye to quick, no-hassle dinners. If I come home after a long day and don't feel like cooking, I used to be able to swing by the Churrascaria, or dump some Annie's Mac and Cheese in a pot. Now I can't order anything from any of the gazillion delicious restaurants in my neighborhood, and there's no such thing as a 10 minute meal unless I want spaghetti and pasta. There's also these boil-in-a-pouch Indian curries I've tried, which are good, but there are only two or three that are vegan. And curries go so much better with basmati rice or naan, but the naan Shaws carries is made with butter and I can't seem to cook basmati rice without it turning all soupy.
Breakfast is easy though. English muffin with jam or peanut butter, a banana or an apple, and a glass of OJ or soy milk. Plenty of cereals are vegan with soy milk, too, so there's a lot of variety there. I might just end up eating breakfast for all three meals.
The Vegas odds for me dying of malnutrition before Easter are set at 1:20. Place your bets now, people.
* I learned after lent that eggs didn't count as meat under kashrut. Which is pretty stupid if you ask me, considering the context of the law, but I'm not a Jewish theologian so what do I know?
Now, I can't even do that. Those dishes are somewhat less interesting without cheese or without meat, but without either? They're nothing. Last year I just modified my diet. Now I have to completely change around the way I work with food. I have to buy more fruits and veggies, which means more frequent trips to the supermarket. I have to research vegan recipes I want to try and go through Shaws scouring for crazy ingredients I've never heard of, most of which they don't carry anyway. So that means I'm going to have to find some crazy vegan store (which is probably located in mother-loving Allston) and pay through the nose for food which won't taste as good as I imagined it anyway.
And goodbye to quick, no-hassle dinners. If I come home after a long day and don't feel like cooking, I used to be able to swing by the Churrascaria, or dump some Annie's Mac and Cheese in a pot. Now I can't order anything from any of the gazillion delicious restaurants in my neighborhood, and there's no such thing as a 10 minute meal unless I want spaghetti and pasta. There's also these boil-in-a-pouch Indian curries I've tried, which are good, but there are only two or three that are vegan. And curries go so much better with basmati rice or naan, but the naan Shaws carries is made with butter and I can't seem to cook basmati rice without it turning all soupy.
Breakfast is easy though. English muffin with jam or peanut butter, a banana or an apple, and a glass of OJ or soy milk. Plenty of cereals are vegan with soy milk, too, so there's a lot of variety there. I might just end up eating breakfast for all three meals.
The Vegas odds for me dying of malnutrition before Easter are set at 1:20. Place your bets now, people.