more reverse-reverse culture-shock

For the last few weeks in San Francisco, I've often bought a $5 bag of sugar snap or English peas from the ferry market to eat with lunch. So yesterday I found a small package of snap peas at Tokyuu and bought three of them for the same purpose. To my surprise, my wife refused to try them. "You're going to eat that RAW!?. Apparently raw shrimp with head attached still quivering is ok, but peas would be an abomination. Go figure!

Third and final indulgence

Went with the family for dinner at our favorite ramen place (ippudo by Komazawa park). Heaps of oily bean sprout salad, gigantic Aka-maru ramen with a hard-boiled egg topping, extra noodles, gyoza dumplings on the side.

The first bites were utter heaven; an explosion of flavors setting off massive chemical releases in my brain.

And then I started to taste, to REALLY taste, the salt, the oil OH SCREW THIS IT WAS FANTASTIC.

My body is damn lucky I'm moving far away from this joint.

Extremely hectic week in Japan

Unfortunately had to cancel on a trip to Yoga-garden this Sunday. Looks like between all the many tasks necessary to move house internationally and a family I haven't seen in months, I really didn't leave any time to spare on this trip. Just keeping up with PCP is a task (and one frankly I'd never be able to do if it weren't for the early morning hours afforded to me by jet-lag). Zannen.

One thing my wife noticed was that although I've of course lost tons of weight, my posture has gotten really bad. Could use some advice.

Also, just a note about Japan and the reverse-reverse culture-shock I'm experiencing: the choice of veggies here stinks. Fish, of course, is relatively excellent.

In Japan

Basically lost a day of PCP in the process (in addition to the day lost on the dateline, but that's another story) because of horrible luck. First, my kitchen flooded an hour before I had to leave. Then at the airport I ordered a big salad w/chicken breast (no salt, dressing on the side, of course), but they forgot the order.

So I'm sad to report that not only did I cheat, but it was with airplane food. At least it was JAL, so mainly we're talking too much salt and zero fiber. Of course I skipped anything fried or with sugar. Still, I was dying for some veggies and after I got home I plowed through the carrots and salad my wife had left in the fridge.
Anyway, this morning I'll just pick up where I left off, one day back. Just did the jumprope. What a difference the Japanese summer makes--I was covered in sweat by the end of it.

Dang, I forgot my scale. Oh well, time to upgrade!

summer-squash stew

... left on my phone from 2 days back.. Loved it. Definitely, if you have delivery from a local farm, get it. Skimping on veggies is such a losing proposition.

Slippin'

Well, it's my last week on my own in San Fran. Between last minute running around (or, in fact, mostly driving around) and my brother visiting I've been doing a lot more guesswork, salads in restaurants, and swapping food portions around than normal. And I've been taking huge advantage of all-you-want veggie portions. The result is I'm basically flat for the last week.

That will not do! Time to redouble my efforts.

6 sets of Davincis!

Ouch.. I was really scared to open the mail tonight.

And it didn't disappoint!

Science News: Replacing White Rice With Brown Rice or Other Whole Grains May Reduce Diabetes Risk

from Science Daily:

In a new study, researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) have found that eating five or more servings of white rice per week was associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes. In contrast, eating two or more servings of brown rice per week was associated with a lower risk of the disease.

All you can eat veggies

I just ate a *huge* bag of sugar snap peas from the Embarcadero Farmer's Market (along with a home-made steak sandwich). Gotta love all-you-can-eat!

Right on the money Patrick

Yup, I've been getting inquiries pretty regularly about the PCP, but indeed, like most small talk, regardless of the apparent level of enthusiasm, people only really seem interested in what I'd call the 'Family Feud' answer. I.e., which of the top ten answers do you fit into? Atkins perhaps?

And really to describe accurately what we're doing is a much more involved conversation--"Have you ever heard of Michael Pollan?'; 'Do you know how hard it is to avoid sugar?' It's Jeopardy-style, if you will, and really most people aren't looking for any sort of challenge when they're just shooting the breeze. I've probably just been annoying them.

From now on 'exercise and diet' it is!

Dinner with the parents...

Well, they're eating chicken mostly. Mine looks better.

Day 57

... exercises were hard (from the start I've been doing the exercises (except for the jumping) on the night before).

I'm delighted to learn that from tomorrow I get to choose the evening-snack-fruit and dinner-protein. What to make?!

On the other hand, my blender broke yesterday. It seems it couldn't handle the frozen yogurt cubes. Oh well, it's what I get for going cheap. Time for an upgrade--I'm looking forward to some blueberry froyo!

Tuesday it's farm-fresh deliveries

Thought of the day

Our direct ancestors--every one of them up the line--managed to stomach their dinner and stay healthy long enough to have children. Most stayed healthy long enough to care for them. Future generations will presumably be able to stay healthy eating today's diet precisely because so many are sick from it in this generation (and perhaps a future "Michael Pollan" will be writing books that advise a return to Big Macs and fries).

Likewise, our sense of taste must also be the result of millions of years of this evolutionary process, always encouraging us to eat such-and-such a food in this-or-that situation. When you really need vitamin C, lemons taste fantastic.

But now it's changed. Modern science has a hundred different ways to create a sour taste, most of them cheaper than lemon juice. I wonder what happens when one drinks a mixture of four or five "all natural food acids", like those in coca-cola, when their body really wanted vitamin C.

And when we need calcium, while our ancestors would have chewed a while longer on that mammoth bone, we grab something else white and crunchy--perhaps a Montery-Jack falvored Cheez-It®. Are we all making (a less severe version of) the same mistake as those poor mulnurished children driven to eat chips of lead paint?

And do we overeat precisely because the statistical relationships between taste and food has been broken? I'm reminded of a line from Fight Club, when Tyler pours lye on Jack's hand:

TYLER:  You can go to the sink and run water over your hand ...
JACK: yes!  yes!  water!
TYLER:  ... or you can use vinegar to neutralize the burn

Anyway, here's a promise to myself--from now on, when I want something sweet, I'll eat a berry or a satsumaimo. If I feel like something crunchy, I'll go for a carrot rather than a potato chip. What on earth have I been doing to myself all these years!

Pcp dessert

I can't believe I've been eating yogurt and drinking this much milk and only yesterday thought of turning my portion into frozen yogurt Yogen-Früz-style (cubes into a blender, I.e.)

Indulgence #2

Corned beef shipped from Carnegie Deli (not specifically for me).

Yummy but hella salty (way more so than I would have thought pre-PCP).

Still, I have my doubts about the experimental value (unless noticing how damn salty it is was the point). Born and bred in a Jewish deli Patrick, born and bred.

Healthful breaky

veggies courtesy of farmfreshtoyou.com.

Farmer cheese!

Found this at a local produce shop. Thought I must be crazy, but indeed it really says it's just nonfat milk and a preservative. Light & fluffy, spreads like cream-cheese, tastes like milk.

I'm decimated

... as in, as of this morning I've lost 10% of my body weight. Happy times!