More books, more cooking

[serinde]

I just (finally) started the copy of Julie & Julia that Beth lent me. Only a chapter and a half in, and I'm loving it. ONE OF US! ONE OF US!

It's brought up a dilemma I've been wrestling with on and off for ages. I love to cook (O RLY?). I especially love to experiment with new and interesting things. The problem being, of course, everyone in the house (and most of our usual adherents) are trying to lose weight--and frankly, I don't find any joy in diet cookery; it's like sitting a painter down and saying "OK, here's an easel and a set of brushes and perfect lighting, now go to town...but you can only use shades of yellow." It can be a worthwhile exercise but it's horribly constraining. I want to cook the glorious things in Nigella and Julia and Aubrey/Maturin and all my weird little random recipe sources (like the ones at the end of each chapter of Comfort Me With Apples--she has one she got from Danny Kaye!), but I look at the ingredients (Steve calls this the "Take Ye A Pound Of Lard" category) and I can feel my gut expanding on the spot.

Kathryn has pointed out that, in places where they actually eat like this there's no obesity epidemic; she's recommended a book to my attention called French Women Don't Get Fat, and I intend to check it out. I usually hear that the secret here is portion control, but I mean, take potatoes Anna: even if you eat just say a third of a cup, it's almost pure damn butter. Except for the bits that are pure starch. DOOM DOOM DOOM.

Desperately. Need. Food. Icon.

Comments

[mangosteen]

My general feeling on the {French | Italian | Spanish} diets and how people from those regions are healthy on those diets is "Well, sure. That's because everyone who wasn't suited to those diets DIED OFF!"

Of course, what does that say about the American Diet?

[syringavulgaris.livejournal.com]

I think that means I'm licensed to live on pierogi. YAY!

[missionista.livejournal.com]

Have you read Julia C's biography? FASCINATING! And this coming from a person who will tear out her own eyes rather than read a biography.

I have a very interesting Feminist Vegetarian Cookbook (yeah, really) where they are quite vehement about not buying into the diet cookery thing. They use real butter, cream, etc., but their recipes are overall healthy, and might fit in to the type of cooking you are interested in doing. They have a killer banana cake recipe.

[lillilah]

Have you considered cuisines that are less heavy on the fat? I have been having lots of fun with middle eastern cuisine, and if you use extra low fat ground beef or buffalo instead of lamb (and just put in less oil), it is really quite healthy.

[syringavulgaris.livejournal.com]

I haven't, but this is making me want to.

Now with vegetarian, the main problem that I have is getting enough protein. My general goal is to try and get about the same amount of intake from protein and carbohydrates, in the quest to better manage my blood sugar; and although that's not impossible when you're cooking veg, it's considerably trickier.

[syringavulgaris.livejournal.com]

I'd like to do that too--but I also want to make the terribly voluptuous things in the French oevure. :)

[lillilah]

Well, in that case, I think you are right about the book on French eating habits. It looks like portion control and "have it once in a great while" are their tricks.

[dkfromtk.livejournal.com]

What you should do is cook for me.

I'm not quite sure how or if that solves your problem, but I get food, so I'm good.

[syringavulgaris.livejournal.com]

So get your butt down here, sugar pie.