The Organic Question

Eating a diet of entirely organic foods is, for most of us, pretty impractical. (Not to mention extremely budget-unfriendly.) But you and I both know that buying organic is better for our bodies and the environment. So let's compromise.

The "Dirty Dozen" (to read the original article, click here) 

These are the top twelve most pesticide-ridden foods. From now on, I'm going to make an effort to either buy them organic, or not at all.

1. peaches

2. apples

3. bell peppers

4. celery

5. nectarines

6. strawberries

7. cherries

8. lettuce

9. grapes

10. pears

11. spinach

12. potatoes

And now for the compromise. . . the twelve "cleanest" foods. My wallet can breathe a sigh of relief.

1. onions

2. avocado

3. frozen sweet corn

4. pineapples

5. mangos

6. frozen sweet peas

7. asparagus

8. kiwi

9. bananas

10. cabbage

11. broccoli

12. eggplant

For everything in between, I'll have to rely on the organic rule of thumb: if the peel is edible, buy it organic.

Day 28, or "The Basics"

This morning I went to the grocery store--I was completely out of anything edible, as is often the case when I get back in town. Shopping is tricky right now, though, because I'm down to just one more week in Regensburg. I don't want to buy any more staples (olive oil, pasta, jam, etc.) and I think I've timed everything pretty well because I'm running out of all those things. Instead, I'll focus on buying fresh (lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, blueberries) and using up whatever I still have lying around. 

I know you are probably sick of seeing salad pictures, but I can't help myself.

One thing I have not managed to use up yet is the kilogram of frozen spinach I bought a month ago. Actually, I hadn't even opened it until last night, the reason being that I used to use spinach for my scrambled eggs. Haven't had any of those in a while. But last night I was trying to use some things up, which meant a jar of organic pasta sauce, some spaghetti, and that frozen spinach. Of which there is still an unfortunate amount left. Anyone know any good frozen spinach recipes?

Day 27, or "Back to the Kitchen"

The train ride home was quite pleasant, seeing as I had a pound and a half of ripe red cherries and a bar of dark chocolate to keep me company. But as I stared out the train window and pondered the last four weeks, I came to the conclusion that I'm ready for my thirty days to come to a close. 

I've learned so much this month about cooking, eating, and especially about making conscious decisions concerning the food I purchase and consume. I love the challenge that cooking and eating vegan presents, but I don't think it's something I want to do forever. It's not that I miss any one food in particular--I'm not craving red meat or pining after mozzarella. Well, maybe a little. But really, that's not the driving force behind my desire to return to 'normalcy.' 

When I started this blog, I discussed my search for reconciliation between my life as a traveler (and food as an important aspect of cultural immersion) and the responsibility I felt to be a healthy and environmentally conscious human being. I know that those in the vegan community would disagree, but I even after all I've read, I still can't see the consumption of meat as morally wrong. (A lot of you are probably breathing a big sigh of relief right now. . .Claudiu). What I do think is wrong, though, is the cruel and inhumane treatment of animals, as well as the current methods of factory farming practiced in the US and other developed countries. The thirty day challenge has certainly changed the way I think about meat (and all other animal products, for that matter) and will have a lifelong impact on the way I cook and eat. But while veganism is certainly one way to be a conscious and educated consumer in today's world, it can't be the only way. In the future, I will be exploring more organic options, (grass-fed beef, for example) and trying to figure out how I can make sure that when I eat something that comes from an animal, it comes from somewhere that would not make me lose my appetite. 

But for the time being, I'm still vegan! Wednesday marks the last day of the challenge, and some products will be keeping their place on my shelf (soy milk, corn flakes, tofu sausages, and of course all those fruits and vegetables). The coming week will see a makeover of my blog, as well as a new name and web address (which will be posted on facebook). And even after Wednesday, veganism won't be completely out of my life. Stay tuned. . .

Day 26, or "A Vegan Went to Market"

Saturday morning we all headed to the local market to check out the produce. It was a beautiful sight--so many fruits and vegetables, much of it organic, being sold by the farmers themselves. There were also stalls with barrels of olives, homemade pasta, and different varieties of flowers at every corner. We sampled apple brandy (at eleven in the morning) and bought more than two pounds of cherries. I also tried my first gooseberry and found that it ranks among my favorite fruits. 

As we wandered through the stalls, I explained to my aunt that one of my favorite things to make is hummus, which turned out to be a dish she tried in Turkey and loved but didn't know how to make herself. This revelation was followed by a fifteen-minute search for chickpeas and tahini, which were both surprisingly available in the surrounding stores. That afternoon, I taught her how to make it by hand. We ate it with chopped celery and carrots (and more of that salad from her neighbor's garden). At one point over lunch, my grandma commented that this was the healthiest she had ever eaten in Germany. Mission accomplished.

Day 25, or "Vegan Confusion"

A constant source of humor this weekend was my relatives' utter inability to remember what, exactly, a vegan can and cannot eat. In principle, it should be simple - nothing that comes from animals. But if I had a nickel for every time I was offered an animal product being passed off as vegan (a fish sandwich, sauerkraut with bacon, German meat loaf for goodness sake), well, you get the idea. The entire concept of "vegan" is so foreign to both this culture and to older generations that it ended up being the main source of conversation for us the whole time I was visiting. I guess that it was better than the alternative conversation topic: Michael Jackson. Apparently, the Germans are taking his death pretty hard, too. Give. me. a. break.

Friday we took a boat across the lake to Konstanz and stopped at a café for a late lunch. I had a veggie sandwich on sun-dried tomato bread:

For dinner, we were planning on showing my aunt how to make baked potatoes (a dish she described to us with great difficulty as a "Northern Germany specialty" - when we found out what it was, both my grandma and I had to laugh). We got home so late, though, that we ditched my method (oven) and did it my grandma's way (microwave). They turned out surprisingly well, especially since we also baked two sweet potatoes. I was definitely wishing I could have had a dollop of the cucumber-yogurt sauce on top, though. Sigh.

Day 24, or "An Actual Traveling Vegan!"

Today my grandma and I took the train down to Lake Constance to visit my great-uncle and his wife. I was pretty nervous about having to try to eat vegan at their house, mostly because I was worried about inconveniencing my aunt, who is the quintessential German cook and can prepare any and every traditional dish. I don't know how much you know about traditional German dishes, but I can say with confidence that almost every one contains some form of meat, eggs, cheese, cream, or butter. Except the potato salad.

I had sent my relatives a heads-up email about my new dietary habits, and my aunt really went out of her way to accommodate me. In addition to buying tofu (and having absolutely no idea what to do with it), she also offered to try to make me spaetzle (the traditional German egg noodle) without the eggs. The result was actually strikingly similar to the original, but it stuck together more. We also had lentils and a huge salad with lettuce from her friend's garden and tomatoes so ripe I could have cried.

Day 23, or "Italian Bliss"

One of the interesting things about being vegan and entertaining company in a foreign city is that you have to go out to eat a lot. I couldn't exactly expect my grandma to want to come over for vegan lunches and dinners every night (sushi night was a delightful exception). I also wanted to take my grandma to the restaurants I (used to) love going to. One of those is L'Osteria, where I took my mom and her friend when they came to visit. They pronounced it the maker of the greatest caesar salad they'd ever had, and insisted that I take my grandma there, too. Caesar salad was, of course, out of the question for me, but I did even better! I ordered the arugula pizza, sans shaved parmesan cheese. Instead, it was drizzled with extra-virgin olive oil and crushed fresh garlic. I'm not kidding when I say it was one of the best pizzas I've ever eaten, and the cheese went completely un-missed!