Lentils, wheat bread and other delights

This week I've been reading Urban Hermit, in addition to the novel I read at work during lunch and the other two books on my night stand that are waiting for returned attention (see the "Reading Now" list at right, though the Vonnegut is an audiobook, so it doesn't count; I started it while road tripping and now it's an accompaniment to knitting or yoga).

Back to the point. This guy, Sam Macdonald, decided that to save money to pay off his debts, he would eat only 800 calories a day for a month. He decided lentils would be his protein, along with hard-boiled eggs and cheap canned tuna. Well, he describes the lentil in such a way that, had I not long loved that legume, I would probably not want to try it.

To say that lentils taste like dirt would be to state the case exactly backward. Dirt, it turns out, tastes like lentils. I am confident that, had the lowly lentil plant never evolved, the world's soil might today deliver a palate-pleasing sensation akin to ripe cantaloupe, fresh honey, or perhaps a Twix bar.

While Macdonald's writing is sometimes too self-consciously modern (periods setting off incomplete sentences or sometimes single words for emphasis, as in, "I wanted. To eat. Everything."), I often laugh out loud at his phrasing. I'm just a few chapters in, and it promises to be an interesting read. This is but one peril of working at the library. I now have many more books on my must-read list.

All that to say, I love lentils. I like the earthy, textured flavor. But then I also love carrots, which Wes thinks taste exactly like dirt. To each his own (brand of dirt). As for wheat bread, I've always preferred it over plain white bread, though I can easily eat a whole loaf of fresh, crusty-on-the-outside, chewy-on-the-inside French bread. Maybe wheat bread is technically healthier than white bread, but I mainly eat it because it tastes wonderful. I use my mom's recipe in my bread maker and I always have a good supply of dense, nutty, slightly sweet wheat bread.

Almost every day for the past couple of weeks I've eaten a banana, an apple and an orange, plus whatever vegetables happen to be in my lunches and dinners. I don't usually go out of my way to eat vegetables, though I like them. But I'm addicted to fruit. Because it's fantastic.

My thought in all of this is that maybe eating "healthy" isn't always a conscious, painful choice. I just happen to prefer a lot of things that are considered good for you. I also love chocolate, red wine, pasta, pie, pizza, pork ribs and beer. But I don't eat those things all the time. My basic necessities include apples, peanut butter, bread and plain yogurt. I usually only feel the need to go grocery shopping when I'm running out of one or more of those essentials.

What are your necessary foods?

Comments

[Katie]

Garlic, grape tomatoes, cheddar cheese, granola bars, spinach, bagels, onions, lettuce, tortillas, pasta, milk (for tea), and PG Tips tea. When I'm out of more than one of those, you can bet I'll be at the store within 48 hours. I always try to have black beans in the cupboard too.

[Matt]

To be honest, I don't really consider any food an "essential" (though olives may be close). My breakfast is yogurt and granola 95% of the time, but if I run out I can easily make do with something else.

I actually enjoy making stuff up with random things in the fridge or pantry.