tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89383545005796185172024-03-21T21:32:00.626-04:00Higher EdiaAn attempt to record everything I eat, in order that I may reflect on the old saying, you are (overweight) what you eat (too much).CivilizeMehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14191995236748125714noreply@blogger.comBlogger108125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8938354500579618517.post-3041305625036343902019-07-11T21:34:00.000-04:002019-11-20T12:47:19.113-05:00A fast for the afternoon and evening<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
A small bowl of mango and watermelon on waking. Water.<br />
<br />
Then, when Jenna emerged from sleep, she went to Dunkin and brought me back a medium iced coffee with skim milk and two Splenda, and a glazed stick.</div>
Zachary Boshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07381974131762307270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8938354500579618517.post-521716698783663782019-07-10T22:24:00.000-04:002019-11-20T12:46:30.562-05:00Dental courtesies paid<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I skipped breakfast, so as not to present the hygienist at my morning dentist appointment with too daunting a challenge. I did have a bottle of lemon-flavored Poland Spring Sparkling Water, zero calories.<br />
<br />
For lunch, I had selection of salad bar and hot bar items from Star Market, coming in to a little less than a pound of food. As such: two ounces of mashed potato, 90 cals; one chicken wing, 100 cal; one half-ounce of pot roast, 100 cals; two ounces of penne with chicken and broccoli, 320 cals; three ounces of marinated mushrooms, 30 cals; one hard-boiled egg, 80 cals; two ounces of grilled chicken, 70 cals; two ounces of baby arugula, 20 cals; less than two tablespoons of bleu cheese dressing, 100 cals; a half-ounce of bacon bits, 10 cals. Total, something like 900 calories.<br />
<br />
As an afternoon snack, I chomped down two Sweet Crunchy Rice Snacks by Jay-One (80 cals. total), a can of Arizona zero-calorie Half & Half (Iced Tea/Lemonade), and a snack square of Cabot Seriously Sharp White Cheddar Cheese, 80 cals. (Happy 100th birthday, Cabot. Why do I know cheese things? One likes to learn about the target of one's ardor.)<br />
<br />
Dinner was a slice of leftover chicken alfredo pizza; one and a half fried chicken tenders with garlic-parmesan sauce; a bowl of chopped salad; maybe eight french fries; and a slice of cheese pizza, when after finishing the rest of the meal I decided I needed a splurge.<br />
<br />
I've been drinking water all evening.</div>
Zachary Boshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07381974131762307270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8938354500579618517.post-78802176866721108622019-07-09T22:38:00.000-04:002019-11-20T12:45:46.611-05:00Pizza, fingers, puttering<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Started the day with a medium hazelnut iced coffee with skim milk and two Splenda, and a glazed stick, from Dunkin.<br />
<br />
At work, I drank water in the morning.<br />
<br />
For lunch, I had a junior cheeseburger at Wendy's, and a large diet Coke.<br />
<br />
For a snack, I had a serving of watermelon (85 cals) and some mango (120 cals).<br />
<br />
Dinner was quite an indulgence; I picked up a chicken alfredo (!) pizza from Doughboy's, along with an order of 10 boneless fried chicken strips with a garlic parmesan toss and sauce. I had two slices of pizza, and perhaps four fingers, along with ten or so french fries. I drank Coke Zero.<br />
<br />
After dinner I went to my weekly writing session at Strong Style Coffee, and ordered a large iced cold brew, with milk and two Splenda.<br />
<br />
At home, puttering around, I drank water.<br />
<br />
It took about 4 minutes to record this; but of course, I didn't run through the calorie counts. I'll do that when I'm online, later this morning. </div>
Zachary Boshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07381974131762307270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8938354500579618517.post-37045461087879914752019-07-08T22:32:00.000-04:002019-07-09T10:12:49.595-04:00In which a food diary is reawakened<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This boring game again? Sure. It serves as a kind of mindfulness; as long as it does not devolve into an act of self-supervision and reproach...<br />
<br />The day began non-ominously but nom-nom-inously with a glazed stick donut (440 cals) and an iced hazelnut coffee with skim milk and two Splenda (30 cals). Then a lunch at Starbucks. One string cheese (80 cals) and a tall (small) S’mores Frappuccino (320 cals). In the afternoon, I had five peanut butter pretzels from the massive barrel we keep in the reception area of our department (80 cals). On the train ride home, I had a Diet Mountain Dew (10 cals) and an almond Nature Valley Sweet & Salty Granola Bar (160 cals).<br />
<br />For dinner, I sautéed kale with onion in olive oil, and added chicken and some leftover garbanzo bean salad, to make a warm dinner salad. For one serving, say: 600 cals? On the side, half a round of grilled pita with homemade zaatar: 130 cals. Drank water. (On reflection, I did not drink enough water this day.) Dessert was a Hannaford’s ice cream sandwich: 160 cals. Had a glass of water at bedtime.<br />
<br />
<b>For the day, a calorie total of 2010. </b>For a person of my size, and for someone who has been overeating the past few weeks, that’s good! But still, that’s not a loss figure, especially considering how sedentary I am during the work week...<br /></div>
Zachary Boshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07381974131762307270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8938354500579618517.post-69298602549269595212015-11-30T23:17:00.000-05:002015-12-01T05:17:54.381-05:00Post-Thanksgiving recovery, Day 1<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Breakfast: a meal of bitter herb and salt tears. Just kidding. But really, the night before I had Second Thanksgiving with the sister-in-law and her husband, and went nuts, capping off four days of going nuts. So I was glad to skip a meal. I drank water, and meditated repentantly.<br />
<br />
Lunch: two fun-size bags of M&M's Milk Chocolate Candies: 150 calories.<br />
<br />
Dinner: Snack upon arrival: crackers, cheese, and pepperoni. The meal itself: Thanksgiving leftover meal of ham, yams, mashed squash, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, gravy, and green bean casserole, in a take-out container so I know it totals 1 meal ... plus 1/3 of Jenna's same. Half a cream horn pastry for dessert. Let's say 2,000 calories all told. That's a lot. And not because I was achingly hungry; just because I was inattentive to how quickly the shoveling and munching was going. Sigh.</div>
Zachary Boshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07381974131762307270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8938354500579618517.post-768872003257508812015-11-20T23:00:00.000-05:002015-11-23T11:44:08.876-05:00Friday.....<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
... and I'm back to paying attention to what I jam in my gob-hole, thanks to a nudge from a friend who's being supportive.<br />
<br />
Breakfast: a Mary Jane peanut butter taffy, shared with the dog: 25 calories.<br />
<br />
Lunch, a Bacon Clubhouse Burger from McDonald's: 740; large fries (ordered thoughtlessly, rather than impulsively):510; diet cola; a pumpkin pie: 240 calories (the second pie, offered for only a few cents more, I declined; for that, at least, I was mentally alert).<br />
<br />
Total so far: 1515.<br />
<br />
I ask myself at 1:27 in the afternoon: WILL I BE ABLE TO AVOID GOING OVER 2K for the day?<br />
<br />
Let's see...<br />
<br />
LATER: Okay, the night was a bust. J and I went on a date to Legal C Bar. We didn't eat extravagantly, but of course we blew past my daily limit.<br />
<br />
(My decision not to record the particulars of this evening's dinner is short beer compared to my decision not to record Wednesday evening's dinner at Alden & Harlow with Ryne. Among the dishes we enjoyed: a "Pilgrimage" cocktail, duck heart spiedino, smoked beef tartare, fried brussels sprouts with a cheese sauce, diet Coke, roasted Japanese yams, a rum-based Beachcomber's Punch, pickled corn pancakes, pork belly, a chocolate bread pudding. THIS was an extravagant meal. It makes me want to get this diet business locked down, so that I can enjoy this kind of indulgence from time to time.)</div>
Zachary Boshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07381974131762307270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8938354500579618517.post-68092227143402247442015-11-10T21:00:00.000-05:002015-11-11T08:31:27.361-05:00Tuesday when I ate my lunch for breakfast<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<s>Lunch</s> Breakfast: baloney and cheese sandwich on white bread with mayo, 300 calories. I drank water.<br />
<br />
Snack: one <a href="http://www.butterfinger.com/ButterfingerCups.aspx">Butterfinger cup</a>, 115 calories. One execrable Hershey's Candy Corn Creme Bar: 67 calories.<br />
<br />
Dinner: reheated Chinese food -- orange chicken (300 calories), beef with broccoli (120 calories), a little lo mein (210 calories), a little pork fried rice (300 calories), three crab rangoons (210 calories), a few spare ribs (180 calories). Diet Coke to drink.<br />
<br />
Total for the day? 1802. And yet, I feel super gross. Hmm.</div>
Zachary Boshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07381974131762307270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8938354500579618517.post-16231346634197382952015-11-09T23:14:00.000-05:002015-11-10T13:16:31.989-05:00Back on the horse.....<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
... after a long break from thinking carefully about what I'm eating.<br />
<br />
Breakfast: Chef Boyardee pasta, 190 calories. A bottle of diet Mountain Dew: zero calories, zero shame.<br />
<br />
Snack: Reese's Peanut Butter Pumpkin, 85 calories. A bottle of diet Mountain Dew: zero calories.<br />
<br />
Dinner: <a href="http://www.knorr.com/product/detail/245872/smokehouse-bacon-parmesan">Knorr Smokehouse Bacon Parmesan</a> pasta side, split with J: 250 calories. A chicken breast sauteed in olive oil with thyme and lemon, which is, and I did not know this, about two servings of protein: 230 calories. With three slices of Gruyere cheese: add 250 calories. <a href="http://www.greengiant.com/Products/Detail/Green%20Giant%20Steamers%20Healthy%20Weight%20Vegetable%20Blend%207">Green Giant Steamers Healthy Weight Vegetable Blend</a>, split with J: 100 calories. Diet Pepsi to drink: zero calories.<br />
<br />
Bonus dinner! Jenna came home with leftover Chinese food pilfered from her parents' fridge, and I'm not proud that I was very glad to tuck in. That means I have to add to my daily total: 1 egg roll, 157 calories. Two pieces of battered fried chicken, without the usual sweet-and-sour sauce: 300 calories (!). Half a cup of chicken lo mein: 140 calories. A teriyaki beef skewer: 210 calories. One fried shrimp: 40 calories.<br />
<br />
Total for the day: 1952 calories. Holy hell, those calories pile up quickly! I thought I'd had a day of rather low consumption. This number check is a very sobering way to get back on the mindful eating wagon.<br />
<br /></div>
Zachary Boshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07381974131762307270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8938354500579618517.post-78789248828312676062015-07-01T09:35:00.001-04:002015-07-01T09:35:39.100-04:00Hungry hump day<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
So I've been strongly encouraged to lose 30 pounds this year, as a start. If I can drop that weight, I'll be eligible for a different class of drug dosage, one that will help me considerably in arguing with my insurance provider that this medication should be covered.<br />
<br />
In the past thirteen days, I've lost ten pounds and gained back five. Not that I'm doing anything reckless, starving myself: that's just the magnitude of the kinds of change I have historically seen when I'm focusing on losing weight. The number on the scale this morning was 254.4.<br />
<br />
Today is Wednesday, so that's a fast day. Not for dietary reasons, but as a kind of moral practice. On Wednesdays I try not to eat during the day, as a way of sharpening my attention on matters that grow my moral conviction. Today, I'm going to be thinking about race -- for when I got to work, there were racist flyers posted on the sidewalk outside the office. Every time my body reminds me that I haven't eaten, that'll be the thing I remember. The disciplined hunger is the red string around my finger, reminding me not to forget something. </div>
Zachary Boshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07381974131762307270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8938354500579618517.post-72656399967505638392015-05-31T23:56:00.000-04:002015-06-01T07:18:31.462-04:00Post #101<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Weight at wake-up: 251.7.<br />
<br />
Quick breakfast at 6 o'clock, of a small bowl of peanut butter and cocoa spheres (a Market Basket store brand cereal) and skim milk.<br />
<br />
Brunch with the church folks, at <a href="http://statepark.is/">State Park</a> (since the wait at The Friendly Toast was too long for any sensible person): three cups of coffee with half-and-half and Splenda; a glass of grapefruit juice with Campari; and the Urban Lumberjack breakfast plate, consisting of "porkchop pancakes" (two flat pounded porkchops, dipped in pancake batter and cooked on the griddle) with butter and maple syrup, topped with two fried eggs over-easy. Really scrumptious.<br />
<br />
Back at home for the afternoon. Snack: two wedges of Laughing Cow Creamy Queso Fresco Chipotle cheese. Or, "cheese." On Italian bread. Also finished off the leftover pasta from last night, which didn't amount to more than a cup of food. Diet Mountain Dew was dranked.<br />
<br />
For the evening, we decided to get out in the world. We went to the movies and saw Pitch Perfect 2, and laughed and cried in the way emotionally manipulable people do. Relevant to the purpose of this record, we got concessions: shared a slice of buffalo chicken pizza and an order of pretzel bites with nacho sauce ("cheese"), and each had a medium diet cola.<br />
<br />
Got home around 9, and it wasn't more than an hour before we were once again peckish. For dinner, we finished the leftover veggie lasagna from Friday night -- a normal portion for each of us, no vegetable binge. And then we finished the sugar-free chocolate cake.<br />
<br />
But for the cake massacre that closed out the day, I regard the day's intake as being respectable human and normal. Some indulgence, some moderation. I may be zeroing in on a sustainable dietary lifestyle. We shall see.</div>
Zachary Boshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07381974131762307270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8938354500579618517.post-48203840840471065142015-05-30T23:32:00.000-04:002015-05-31T05:48:56.975-04:00Turkey twice<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
A glass of water with lime before heading out for some errands.<br />
<br />
After coming home with the groceries I set about making the breakfast: toast, on which grilled tomato and a smear of the refried beans from last weekend's taco dinner (which I could hardly enjoy as much as I normally would have, being in the throes of dental crisis); and a slice of deli-case turkey; and a scoop of scrambled eggs; and a slice of American cheese. Hotted up in a skillet. Diet Dew.<br />
<br />
Lunch was a sandwich of the same bread; the same sort of turkey; more tomato and more cheese, once again hotted up in the skillet, but this time cooked in butter in the manner of a grilled cheese. Also a small cup (1/2 C) of PB & C, the Market Basket store brand cereal consisting of peanut butter- and cocoa-flavored spheres. Nothing more than transmogrified corn, of course.<br />
<br />
Afternoon snack during worktime was celery with avocado-flavored hummus. And, alright I confess, more PB&C.<br />
<br />
Dinner was a turkey burger steam-grilled on the stovetop, with American cheese and a slice of Vidalia onion, on a toasted bun with mayo and ketchup. Alongside, egg noodles with broccoli, diced tomato, grated pasta cheese, olive oil, garlic, and S&P. Also a bit of leftover tomato and cucumber salad in a vinaigrette. A slice of sugar-free chocolate cake after.<br />
<br />
I drank Pepsi Max and Diet Dew throughout the day. Morning weigh-in was 256.1; egad that's a jump from yesterday. I fear there's been some GI issue related to an overabundance of ibruprofen all week...</div>
Zachary Boshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07381974131762307270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8938354500579618517.post-28367597207565589672015-05-29T10:10:00.002-04:002015-05-29T10:10:49.496-04:00Summer restart<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The number on the scale after my morning shower was 254.<br />
<br />
I skipped breakfast, in anticipation of my dentist appointment later that morning.<br />
<br />
Lunch, between appointments, was an indulgence: foot-long Subway sandwich on Italian bread -- buffalo-style chicken stripes, lettuce and tomato and black olive, with light mayo and salt and pepper. Plus a bag of LAY'S® Kettle Cooked Lattice Cut Aged Cheddar & Black Pepper Flavored Potato Chips. PLUS (what, another plus?) three chocolate chip cookies; all downed with a bottle of diet Mountain Dew. Why so indulgent? It was just such a pleasure to eat without pain, and I wanted to enjoy the sensation before the morning's anesthetic wore off.<br />
<br />
Dinner at home was my duty for the evening, after a good long recovery nap. I made a salad of iceberg lettuce, brie, and diced apple, in a light honey-mustard dressing. I made a kind of vegetable bake by layering thin slices of tomato, summer squash, and zucchini, with a paste made of sauteed chopped mushrooms and onions and ricotta, spiced with a blend of Indian flavors: curry, garam masala, really earthy stuff. Topped off with a sprinkle of bread crumbs and feta crumbles, it was really rather hearty and tasty. Also baked up some flaky biscuits, and a package of quick-cooking spiral noodles in a cheese and broccoli sauce. I dined with a bottle of diet Coke. Afterward: a slice of sugar-free chocolate cake, with NOT sugar-free chocolate frosting. (Note the replacement of the oil in the recipe with applesauce, and the substitution of one of the three eggs called for with a tablespoon of mayo, since, alack, we had only the two eggs.)<br />
<br />
I brushed very carefully dessert.</div>
Zachary Boshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07381974131762307270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8938354500579618517.post-63460901210143764762014-01-13T23:35:00.000-05:002014-01-14T08:35:57.521-05:00Monday breakdown<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Breakie: Low-cal full-meal shake (chocolate). A bottle of water.<br />
<br />
Loonch, the looniest of the meals: a leftover steak tip with Montreal seasoning. Zucchini slices cooked in butter. Some mashed potatoes (known locally as "mashies") made preternaturally smoove with the addition of what I think was ranch dressing. A Pillsbury crescent roll. A scooped of sauteed onions and green peppers. An iced coffee with sweet powder from a pink packet, and some soy milk.<br />
<br />
A glass of water in the afternoon.<br />
<br />
A snack!Some whole wheat Tostitos chips (maybe 6) and a dab of salsa. WHY OH WHY don't they give you a jar of salsa with enough salsa for the bag of chips? Make the bag smaller or the jar larger, guys. This isn't the Goldbach conjecture we're talking about.<br />
<br />
Dinner: a "Caesarus" salad (small, not large) at Sunset after el workout at el gym, consisting of shaved cheese and shredded cheese (cheese is healthy right?), lettuce (as in, lettuce eat more cheese), roasted/marinated red pepper strips, and croutons (which could have been safely replaced by more cheese without any complaint from me). Several diet colas. Several.<br />
<br />
At North Station: a small vanilla "ice cream" cone from McDonald's (note the dubitative quotation marks) and a medium diet.<br />
<br />
At home: I was hankering. I found ham in the fridge, and had a piece as large as half a playing card in area (though a bit thicker depth-wise). I found a tiny container with shredded lettuce (as in, lettuce see if we can find more cheese), marinated in juices and spices, leftover from Thai-ish food night Saturday. I ate that too. Then up in the Room, Jenna saw what I had pilfered -- pig meat, wet lettuce -- and said, oh no no that doesn't look delicious enough. SHE pattered downstairs and came back before too long with a big boy slice of triple layer chocolate cake. Vanilla frosting.<br />
<br />
Did I say triple? Well by the time it made it up the stairs, one of the layers had mysteriously vanished. We shared what remained, but I can't help but think she knows more than she is letting on about the case of the missing chocolate cake.</div>
Zachary Boshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07381974131762307270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8938354500579618517.post-47368076328993727562014-01-08T20:49:00.001-05:002014-01-08T20:49:23.916-05:00Rundown<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<i>Wednesday:</i><br />
Bottle of water on the train. Shake at work for breakie. Lunch: two slices of roast beef; green beans with butter and garlic; roasted potatoes. Iced coffee to drink, with sweetener and soy milk. On the train ride home, a medium diet coke from McDo's and a small vanilla cone. Dinner: chicken and rice with a cream of mushroom sauce; roasted brussels sprouts; a slice of bread with oleo. Diet Dew to drink. No snacks; good job, self. Was at the gym before the train ride home; drank water in large volumes.<br />
<br />
<i>Thursday:</i><br />
Bottle of water on the train. Shake at work, and a fresh grapefruit. Lunch: Rice and corn with salsa; some chips with more salsa. A diet Dew. Another soda on the train. Dinner: baked frozen fries; cheeseburger with Zak's Own pickle relish and mayo. A cup of mixed veggies. One selection from the box of See's chocolates on the counter. Dessert was a bag of Boy Scout microwave kettle corn, 250 cals, and a can of diet Dew. I have succumbed to temptation! There will be hell to be in the next life for this weakness, these transgressions. Was planning to go the gym, but J. had other plans for me. Tomorrow I will go. Did squats in the elevator when I had an errand on the fifth floor; ain't I clevah.</div>
Zachary Boshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07381974131762307270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8938354500579618517.post-3313678924382253332014-01-07T12:56:00.000-05:002014-01-07T21:20:45.424-05:00Annals of culinary history: the famed Olivier Salad<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.ebay.com/itm/FRANCE-WWI-VINTAGE-PROPAGANDA-POSTCARD-RUSSIAN-SALAD-WWIP-211-/150799112480" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6hH4QWBT9G0c7rFmO3UDJH1MlVnecYd-7aVJmkwqm21DDmHpSQ6I8nHs5_DXySQHU1FP2dBW3Fc6cu3795NwOA2o4_JXwYhLtyXVZp_58hjXrSbC4yxSAqOlMNpZfDPmgjRO_IzwNrrg/s1600/salad.JPG" /></a></div>
The original version of Salad Olivier (Салат Оливье) was invented in the 1860s by Belgian Lucien Olivier, the chef of the Hermitage, one of Moscow's most celebrated restaurants. Olivier's salad quickly became immensely popular with Hermitage regulars, and became the restaurant's signature dish. It is known that the salad contained grouse, veal tongue, caviar, lettuce, crayfish tails, capers, and smoked duck, but the exact recipe — particularly that of the dressing — was a jealously guarded secret.<br />
<br />
At the turn of the 20th century, one of Olivier's sous-chefs, Ivan Ivanov, attempted to steal the recipe. While preparing the dressing one evening in solitude, as was his custom, Olivier was suddenly called away on some emergency. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Ivanov sneaked into Olivier's private kitchen and observed his <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mise_en_place">mise en place</a></i>, which allowed him to make reasonable assumptions about the recipe of Olivier's famed dressing. Ivanov then left Olivier's employ and went to work as a chef for Moskva, a somewhat inferior restaurant, where he began to serve a suspiciously similar salad under the name "Capital Salad," (Столичный, "Stolichny").<br />
<br />
It was reported by the gourmands of the time, however, that the dressing on the Stolichny salad was of a lower quality than Olivier's, meaning that it was missing some ingredient or other present in the original.<br />
<br />
CULINARY ESPIONAGE!<br />
<br />
<i style="text-align: right;">This post adapted from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_salad">Wikipedia</a>.</i><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
*</div>
<br />
Coda, from an article on "<a href="http://www.sras.org/russian_olivier_salad">Russian Salad</a>" from the webpage of The School of Russian and Asian Studies:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Салат «Оливье» was originally called «Майонез из дичи», “Game Bird Mayonnaise”. It was made with a series of gourmet ingredients including black caviar and capers, layered together with steamed game hen, and bound in layers of jellied broth. Boiled crayfish tails and pieces of tongue were arranged around the edges of the dish and it was served covered with a small amount of fresh Provencal Sauce made from olive oil, egg yolks, French vinegar, mustard, and spices. A potato skin with gherkins and slices of boiled eggs decorated the center of the dish. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
However, most Russian customers, Olivier noticed, would immediately mix the layers and garnish together and eat the mush this created with a spoon. Shocked, but willing to accommodate, the enterprising chef started serving his salad mixed together and bound in sauce rather than covered in it. This is also when the name changed to Салат «Оливье».</blockquote>
<i>Cross posted to <a href="http://thewonderreflex.blogspot.com/2014/01/skullduggery-in-case-of-russian-salad.html">The Wonder Reflex</a>.</i> </div>
Zachary Boshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07381974131762307270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8938354500579618517.post-26406738446835598912014-01-07T10:03:00.002-05:002014-01-07T10:03:55.808-05:00I think my overeating is a kind of hoarding<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.slate.com/blogs/behold/2013/12/30/paula_salischiker_photographs_hoarders_in_britain_in_her_series_the_art.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTn3vpbXeUEZ5w1a6tpwkErA8Uh3_uAD7_-oVtL4brAKxcQ9KTu3tEWDXPfd-soV_ArU807IrBjk00JmvUTcwxaI_fi1-l0qA9uC0WlomffONEWcYOEZc6w8KIxUXhHdyEamKeQbjGma8/s1600/sussex.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hoarder's home, Sussex. From <a href="http://www.pausal.co.uk/projects/the-art-of-keeping">The Art of Keeping</a>.</td></tr>
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This <a href="http://www.slate.com/blogs/behold/2013/12/30/paula_salischiker_photographs_hoarders_in_britain_in_her_series_the_art.html">article at <i>Slate</i></a> features a photographer's collection of images of the homes of hoarders. While reading it, and the reader comments that follow, I had a realization. There is a great deal of similarity between the justifications used by hoarders and the feelings I have toward food.<br />
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If it is the hoard that constitutes a hoarder, delineating his identity, the hoard could be understood as a material manifestation of his sense of identity and sense of self-worth. (Related to the Ogham of fresh or healing wounds on a cutter's arm? The obsessively organized table-top of a compulsive?)<br />
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What we say to the hoarder: "Why don't you throw that junk away?"<br />
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What the hoarder says, thinks: "Junk! It isn't junk! It has a use and a value! For you see, I am capable (as when I am able to employ objects to their special purpose) and discerning (recognizing value where <i><b>you </b></i>overlook it) and disciplined (resisting the thriftless urge to get rid of <i>useful </i>things for the sake of, what, some arbitrary commitment to 'cleanliness"' and "'order"'). I am a good and resourceful and caring person. You can see how caring I am. Look at how I care for all this treasure that <i><b>you </b></i>would just throw away."<br />
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What we say to the overeater: "Why don't you just throw those leftovers away?"<br />
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What the overeater says, thinks: "What, and see them <i><b>wasted</b></i>? Waste is a crime and an insult, and I won't have any part of it. The work that went into preparing this food, into fostering the economic and cultural and logistic systems that transported it from its place of origin to its place of consumption... how can I sneer at all that, say I'm above being grateful, and pitch it in the bin? Oh you sinners of ingratitude and gluttony. You just don't appreciate what you eat."<br />
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I think that as in the case of hoarding, overeating is about the pathological dominance of virtues which in moderation could only be counted to the credit of the possessor. When those virtues are extended into extremity, the relationship between self and values becomes one of defense -- let me not be lacking! -- rather than aspiration: let me be good, and to be yet better.<br />
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Now that this comparison between hoarding (a pain of my childhood) and overeating (a pain of my young adulthood) has occurred to me, how obvious it seems. How quietly embarrassed I am not to have seen it before. The search results when I look up "h<a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=hoarding+overeating">oarding + overeating</a>" suggest that many people are making this connection. Funny that I'd have been blind to it.<br />
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This post at Gawker's Groupthink, "<a href="http://groupthink.jezebel.com/life-hacks-for-the-depressed-amongst-us-1495870293/@burtreynoldsismyspiritguide1">Life hacks for the depressed amongst us</a>," seems relevant. The author includes the following advice:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Look, I know, environmentalism is super important. I consider myself a bit of a hippie. But when I have to choose between expending my energy on just making it through the day emotionally or doing dishes, guess which is my number one choice! Buuuuut...there is a way to go easy on yourself without resigning to a life lived in filth.</blockquote>
I find it very easy to transpose the terms related to "depression" with terms having to do with the neuroticism underpinning overeating: <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Look, I know, aspiration is super important. I consider myself a bit of a perfectionist. But when I have to choose between expending my energy on just making it through the day emotionally or making sure every bit of food is used efficiently, guess which is my number one choice! Buuuuut...there is a way to go easy on yourself without resigning to a life lived in a state of constant self-flagellation.</blockquote>
Food for thought, all this.<br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Recommended related reading:</h3>
<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>The book <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Coming-Clean-Kimberly-Rae-Miller/dp/0544025830?ie=UTF8&tag=thewonref-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969">Coming Clean</a></i> by Kimberly Rae Miller</li>
<li>Photographer Paula Salischiker’s project, "<a href="http://www.pausal.co.uk/projects/the-art-of-keeping">The Art of Keeping</a>" (or follow her on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/paulasalischiker">Facebook</a>)</li>
<li><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Drama-Gifted-Child-Search-Revised/dp/0465016901?ie=UTF8&tag=thewonref-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969">The Drama of the Gifted Child</a></i> by Alice Miller (h/t Julia Ackerman for this recommendation)</li>
</ul>
</div>
Zachary Boshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07381974131762307270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8938354500579618517.post-52700390863599043172014-01-07T09:00:00.000-05:002014-01-07T09:00:46.195-05:00On the matrimonial resolution<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Here we go again. I'm getting back into the swing of edia blogging, since the wedding is about a month away and I'm keen to look as trim and healthy as possible on the day of blessed occasion. So: healthy lunches consisting of leftovers, light on carbs. A handful of nuts in the morning on the train will keep my eyes open and start the day with a tang of salt. After the gym, breakfasts of low-cal full-nutrition shakes, pre-packaged (oh what an indulgent expense!) but hard to find excuses not to use (ESPECIALLY after I've already paid the money for them). Dinner: one plate and one plate only at the family meal. No snacking, Mr. Bos. No cheating, savvy?<br />
<br />
And, in what looks like a capitulation to dangerous urges, milk of magnesia once a week. Not because I think it is some kind of smart strategy for rapid weight loss, but for health reasons. Explanation: My immune suppression makes me much more susceptible than most to respiratory infection; indeed, I'm constantly trying to shake bronchitis. Since my upper lungs are always inflamed, I am always coughing up foamy sputum. The magnesium salts, er, reduce the fluid in my body, leaving less available to cough up. In other words, low-level hydration makes it easier to breath. It's a hassle to balance these concerns. And further, while I'm fighting off the urge to "be responsible" and make use of the food in my environment, and not let it go to waste. I'm not HUNGRY. Indeed, most days I want very much NOT to be eating, not because of any high-minded goal to Get Fit (though that's there), but because eating makes me feel gross.<br />
<br />
(And what's <i>that </i>all about, Zak?)</div>
Zachary Boshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07381974131762307270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8938354500579618517.post-74380746825221437572013-08-29T07:42:00.000-04:002013-08-29T07:42:29.603-04:00Keeping up<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
When you get behind in such things, it can be discouraging -- not only do you need to attend to the new work of the day, but you need to bite the bullet and swallow the frog (and so on with other useful metaphors) and catch up on all the work you didn't do, the work that is already late. It's a debt of work, with interest compounding.<br />
<br />
As I try to shake off the pathological need to do things perfectly (natch) or not at all, here's this: instead of NOT doing posts for the days I missed this week, I'll just move on ahead, with the numbers I do have, without going through the bother of trying to remember all the food I took into my system.<br />
<br />
When I weighed myself yesterday morning (in the dark dark bathroom -- the sun is no longer up when I am; winter comes...), the scale read 252.4.<br />
<br />
This morning, it weight 252.6.<br />
<br />
Some data is better than none at all. Pressing on.<br />
<br />
PS: Without breaking any mental sweat, I can recall the pop-tart-type breakfast pastry that Jenna and I shared on the way to the train yesterday morning. Just a moment ago, she texted me to tell me what she's just learned: that each (each!) of the two pastries in each packet has 200 calories. <i>Mon dieu</i>. No more breakfast pastries for me, thank you all very much. I'm glad I skipped this morning.</div>
Zachary Boshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07381974131762307270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8938354500579618517.post-4896920922125295662013-08-26T23:40:00.000-04:002013-08-27T12:41:26.706-04:00A mondayI weighed 254.8 pounds this morning when I stepped on the scale. Breakfast was a piece of wheat bread with peanut butter and prunes, and a can of diet Mountain Dew. Lunch was a half a cob of corn, and a cup and a half or so of summer salad (feta, blueberries, sliced onion, tomato and cucumber, in a vinaigrette) and yellow rice with sauteed diced onion and peppers from the garden. I had an iced coffee and two glasses of water during the work day. Dinner was a foot-long Subway sandwich, oat bread with buffalo chicken and American cheese, light mayo, lettuce, onions, olives, and tomato. I also had a bag of Lay's popped chips, some sort of newfangled diet food. And a cup of diet cola. Dessert, at home, was a slice of strawberry shortcakish cake, with ladyfinger cookies and whipped cream.Zachary Boshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07381974131762307270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8938354500579618517.post-56637409435437775402013-08-10T22:48:00.000-04:002013-08-11T07:49:27.205-04:00Faturday?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I didn't weigh myself this morning; not after yesterday's unrestrained eating. I was probably feeling sheepish.<br />
<br />
The first thing I did in the morning was go downstairs to run the now full dishwasher, and assess the groceries situation. Not good; some produce was going to go bad if it wasn't used. So use it I did. I made a container of guacamole with five soft avocados and some tomato from the garden. I made a salad with butter lettuce, goat cheese, diced peaches, and very thinly sliced onion limbs, with a vinaigrette.<br />
<br />
I brought Jenna breakfast in bed: a bowl of Honey Bunches of Oats, with blackberries from the woods, and vanilla almond milk. I finished the milk she left in the bowl, but had water for breakfast otherwise.<br />
<br />
I hopped in the truck and did the groceries. I came home, and delivered Jenna her requested treasure: a vanilla-cream-filled doughnut from Dippin' Donuts. I had perhaps a third of this, the "rind" that she leaves when she's eaten the soft underbelly of the pastry. I had a good deal of whole grain Tostitos Scoops chips with the guac. I made a sandwich for us to share for lunch -- turkey pastrami and white American cheese, on a cinnamon raisin bagel, with a little brown deli mustard. I had my half, and a bite of hers. We also split a plum, and each had a large soft peanut butter cookie from Hannaford's. I drank more water.<br />
<br />
I snacked during the day on the remaining chicken 'n' waffle Lay's chips. It was unpleasant to eat them.<br />
<br />
Dinner was pizza; I had two small slices of cheese, and one slice of pepperoni. I also made stuffed horn peppers, with a filling of minced peppers, onion, tomato, basil, and oregano flowers, mixed and cooked with diced wheat toast, goat cheese, and shredded parmesan. I baked the peppers for twenty minutes in the oven. I had one of these with my pizza. I also had a serving and a half of that salad I'd made in the morning. I drank water.<br />
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We went to the movies tonight, and saw We're the Millers. A sweet stupid film, one which scratched the itch. I'd made brownies that afternoon, loaded with chopped pecan pieces and dark chocolate chips and berries, and ate three of them while I sat in my seat watching. Come on, man. Jenna and I shared two small diet sodas, and a hot dog with mustard. She turned me on to this hot dog idea with her impression of it rolling, blank-eyed, back and forth in its countertop cooker. </div>
Zachary Boshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07381974131762307270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8938354500579618517.post-73756622322711254772013-08-09T23:36:00.000-04:002013-08-11T07:48:14.174-04:00A backslide<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
My morning, pre-game weigh-in: 251.4.<br />
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Last night, I'd made three chicken salad sandwiches by chopping very finely the BBQ left from the previous Sunday, and mixing it with a little mayo and a little blue cheese dressing. I sliced some tomato from the garden and put this and the chicken onto whole wheat bread. I made three sandwiches.<br />
<br />
Jenna saw these sitting on the counter in their little plastic jackets, and decided they needed a little something extra. So she found a marker and wrote on them:<br />
<br />
"LOL I AM ZAK'S SANDWICH WTF OMG"<br />
<br />
"I AM A ZOMBIE SANDWICH FILLED WITH BRAINZ"<br />
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"NOM NOM NOM I AM A SAMMY NOM"<br />
<br />
She is a hoot. I ate one of these on the train, with a can of diet soda.<br />
<br />
I ate the other two not long after I arrived at the office. This is an unreasonable rate of consumption, I know. Why the backslide? I think it is because I knew I wasn't going to the gym that evening (was going to Finnegans instead), so I didn't have to avoid having a heavy stomach. I remembered that there'd been a book club meeting in the office the night before, and as I walked into the office from the train I dreaded the chance that there'd be pizza leftover in the fridge. Because I didn't know how I'd avoid eating it.<br />
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I felt gross as it was happening, as I put away one after the other of these minced meat sandwiches. I also had a few peanut-butter-filled pretzel bites, and a miniature Mr. Goodbar during the work day; and, of course, two iced coffees.<br />
<br />
At Finnegans, I demolished a "Canadian" cheeseburger (so-called because of the slice of Canadian bacon atop the patty-cooked-rare) with a side of sweet potato fries. I drank three diet Cokes.<br />
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At home, I made Jenna a dinner of frozen entree tikki masala, and ate (!) the frozen broccoli-stuffed chicken breast she'd already baked. She wanted the Indian, and I was going to put away the chicken, and instead I ate it. One two three, gone. I also finished the sriracha chips from Thursday night. I had a lot of water. </div>
Zachary Boshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07381974131762307270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8938354500579618517.post-87335147353954317062013-08-08T22:32:00.000-04:002013-08-09T13:33:27.269-04:00Use it up night<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This morning the scale reported that I weigh 251.6 pounds. To start the day I had a package of miniature powdered doughnuts, and a can of Coke Zero. At work, I found a half a leftover sandwich someone had left in the fridge -- pastrami on marble rye, with some french fries. I, I am sorry to say, ate it. I washed it down with the usual iced coffee. My lunch was a sandwich on whole grain wheat bread: a baked (alright, microwaved) whole egg, two slices of white American cheese, a sachet of ketchup, some sliced tomato brought from home, from the garden. I also had six or so of those peanut-butter-filled pretzel bites. I had an iced coffee with it.<br />
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Dinner at home was an effort to use-up leftovers and garden produce. I made a box of Annie's cheddar <s>bunnies</s> shells, and served this with a spicy ragu of tomatoes and purple and yellow horn peppers fresh-picked from the garden, sauteed with onion and bacon in olive oil and a little sriracha. I mixed my serving of the pasta with a thigh's-worth of chopped BQQ chicken from Sunday's big dinner. I also cooked thinly sliced two small summer squash, also just brought in from the garden, and cooked this with butter and fresh oregano. I drank diet root beer; but also had a few sips from a can of NON-diet root beer, a result of my inattention when buying soda at the convenience store. Foolish me. I also had a glass of water, and a few bites of Jenna's breaded buffalo chicken strips (she did not want leftover BBQ, for she is fancy). I buckled to temptation and had a single-serving ice cream sandwich bar for dessert. </div>
Zachary Boshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07381974131762307270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8938354500579618517.post-37006754123372110052013-08-07T23:27:00.000-04:002013-08-09T13:27:53.534-04:00Uncouth am I<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Weigh-in: 249.8. Breakfast: a sleeve of miniature chocolate doughnuts, and a can of Coke Zero, on the train with the dog. At work, two iced coffees (the usual: three creamers and four Splendas each). For lunch, a glass of water and a wheat bread sandwich with prunes and peanut butter. Before lunch, however, a snack: a miniature Mr. Goodbar.<br />
<br />
We stopped at Burger King so Jenna could get a veggie burger. I had the top half of the bun, and a handful of her small order of fries, and some sips of her diet cola. I also had one of her mini doughnuts from the morning; she'd not gotten to it.<br />
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Before boxing, I drank a Gatorade of yellow flavor, with some low number of calories -- 45? After we got home, I had a chicken leg and a chicken thigh; a hard-boiled egg crushed with a little horseradish cream onto a potato roll; a plum; and a piece of cake. And, oh, the rest of the chicken 'n' waffle chips from the night before. I drank with this diet Mountain Dew. Straight from the bottle I drank it, because I am uncivilized.</div>
Zachary Boshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07381974131762307270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8938354500579618517.post-64684310134654929372013-08-06T22:59:00.000-04:002013-08-07T09:58:01.265-04:00Hoovering the leftovers<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Morning weight: 250.8. Breakfast: One of Jenna's mini buttercrunch doughnuts, and a diet Mountain Dew on the train. And at work, second breakfast, or Very Early Lunch (VEL): a cup of leftover scalloped potatoes (Patty makes them with boursin cheese; brilliant, no?); a cup of leftover summer squash, FROM OUR GARDEN; a half a sliced cucumber. At lunch time, I had no lunch; I was still recovering from yesterday's food crush. Dinner: Two bites of leftover wheat-wrap-wrapped-around-cream-cheese-and-veggies; four deviled eggs (each a half of an egg, so, by my math, two eggs); some leftover salad, a cup, dressed with a splash of lemon juice and a squirt of creamy horseradish; a leftover BBQ chicken thigh; and a little less than half of each of three bags of Lay's potato chips -- we were trying out the three new flavors: Chicken 'n' Waffles, Sriracha, and (the best) Cheesey Garlic Bread (by my calculation, I had about 350-400 calories' worth of chip). Dessert was leftover trifle: pound cake, pudding, whipped cream, banana, and pineapple. I had two servings of diet Mountain Dew.<br />
<br />
Much later in the evening, feeling blue, Jenna and I shared some kind of flavored Triscuits while watching stupid television. </div>
Zachary Boshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07381974131762307270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8938354500579618517.post-46045612052324189452013-08-05T22:36:00.000-04:002013-08-06T11:46:25.458-04:00A gym day<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Morning weigh-in: 253.4. Not surprising, considering yesterday's excesses.<br />
<br />
I had a diet Mountain Dew for breakfast. I had two peanut-butter-filled pretzel bites at work, and the usual iced coffee: four Splenda, three creamers. For lunch at 2 PM, I had a sandwich of peanut butter and prunes on wheat bread. I drank water with that, and drank water all during my time at the boxing gym.<br />
<br />
On the train ride home, I had water and a chocolate chip granola bar.<br />
<br />
At home, I had about a serving and a half of macaroni and cheese (shells, not elbows); and about two and a half (!) servings of baked ham. I also had some of the leftover chips (TOSTITOS® Multigrain SCOOPS!®) with the dip I made for yesterday's smorgasbord, of fresh picked cherry tomatoes and basil leaves finely processed and blended with sour cream, cream cheese, and spices. I didn't have too much chip and dip; but what I did have, I enjoyed. With this all, I had a diet Mountain Dew.<br />
<br />
Jenna declined to allow me to enjoy any of the leftover trifle (pineapple, banana, pudding, pound cake, and whipped cream). She is the best/worst.</div>
Zachary Boshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07381974131762307270noreply@blogger.com0