Oh, I loved every bit of this! I've commented before about the similarities of our dear farmer dads, but the mention of blood sausage and head cheese seals the deal even more! 💙
While I didn't convert my dad to any healthier eating in his final years, I'm here smiling at the images that your story is conjuring in my head had I tried to. 🤣
I'm still a work in progress in my effort to be completely vegan, seemingly stuck at about 85%, can't get my brain completely past the protein conversation. I think I need to visit the library and educate myself more to get past that.
Anyway, thanks for the trip down memory lane. Our farmer dads live on forever in our hearts! 🚜
I love this comment Nancy, thank you. I experienced a lot of nostalgia revisiting that post—with so many happy and fun memories of my dad. I said in the last post, “I hit the Dad lottery.” We were so fortunate to have such a man whose lived example, not words, proved to be THE most profound teaching on how to live a meaningful life. He never would have predicted he was going to end his final days as a Vegan—heck, he didn’t even know what that was! I remember him asking “Can you have steak?” “No dad, I don’t eat meat anymore.” “Hmpf. How about fish then?” “Nope.” “Lobster?” “No lobster.” “Then what do you eat?”
Oh, btw, not that you should take my word on it, becoming Vegan has turned me into quite the foodie who loves to research nutrition and food recipes, as long as you eat from a rich variety of foods, you shouldn’t have to worry about protein. Like the little image showed, gorillas and elephants are Vegan, and they seem to be doing fine in the protein area.
Many people know how important a good diet is for good health and a longer life. Fewer know how critical it is. Your Dad and I could enjoy sharing the same menu of healthy, tasty choices.
This was a great read, Gary! Along with a Vegan way of living, I also practice Intermittent Fasting (a lot of great and fascinating research exists on the health benefits of fasting), One Meal a Day (OMAD), and never eating past 4pm (we typically have our one meal between noon and 2pm-ish). I’m fortunate to be in a life situation where I can do this. I used to suffer from heartburn, constipation, and GERD, but since these changes, I have NONE of those maladies. And all my blood labs from my recent physical showed all my levels (including A1G, cholesterol, and blood sugar) all safely within normal levels. “Food as thy medicine (and how/when to eat it),” is a grossly neglected area of knowledge. It really isn’t rocket science!
Yes it’s basic interaction of internal and external chemistry, and biology. We practiced for what we called “LINNER” a combo of lunch and dinner which was around 3 PM. I have also found that eating smaller amounts more frequently works too but nothing heavy before bedtime. Naps aid digestion or so it seems to me, as does taking a walk which I have not yet been able to manage but working on getting there, one step at a time, if possible. If not, then I am grateful to be able to sit here and communicate with some good folks and friends like you, sharing ideas, experiences, thoughts and feelings. My breaking the fast this morning was a shot of cold pressed green juice that included kale, spinach, cucumber, ginger and couple of other things followed up with glass of pure 100% orange juice and then a small dish of coconut yogurt and muesli. Taste remains one of the best of my senses and I always felt sorry for those who lost it and smell sometimes because of COVID. I combine eat to live with live to eat. I used to say I was in good shape for the condition I was in. Now I say, glad to be here, regardless. We’re fortunate to still have some good choices although more limited than in previous years. As time wears on, and the inevitable decline takes its toll, I remain grateful for each day, what it offers and what I can offer in return. So, here’s to you, and your Dad, Kert. Celebrating second full day of Spring!
Did you find that the food/eating experience in Mexico, where you once lived, was different than here in America? Easier to live more plant-based? Less processed foods? I can’t get over the fact America, as wealthy as the country is, has so many “whole food deserts” coupled with it’s mass commercialization campaign for high sugar/salt, ultra-processed foods.
Yes, many other countries do not consume the large quantities of processed foods as does the U.S. which seems dominated by corporate managed grocery stores. There are smaller markets in many places if you search for them and of course, local from farm to table is the best. There are places where people shop for food on almost a daily basis from different sources - bakery, produce (fruits and vegetables), dairy, meats, and you see these open air markets in Mexico and many European and Asian countries. One among many good sources on the topic is the book by Alice Waters, “We Are What We Eat.” I remember eating at her restaurant in Berkeley years ago and then her helping to develop a curriculum for kids called “THE EDIBLE SCHOOLYARD PROJECT.” Every kid should have gardening as part of their learning to grow what they can eat
I love Alice Waters and I used her Edible Schoolyard book to plan and manage two school gardens over the course of my principal career. Chez Panisse is a bucket list restaurant for me.
Oh, I loved every bit of this! I've commented before about the similarities of our dear farmer dads, but the mention of blood sausage and head cheese seals the deal even more! 💙
While I didn't convert my dad to any healthier eating in his final years, I'm here smiling at the images that your story is conjuring in my head had I tried to. 🤣
I'm still a work in progress in my effort to be completely vegan, seemingly stuck at about 85%, can't get my brain completely past the protein conversation. I think I need to visit the library and educate myself more to get past that.
Anyway, thanks for the trip down memory lane. Our farmer dads live on forever in our hearts! 🚜
I love this comment Nancy, thank you. I experienced a lot of nostalgia revisiting that post—with so many happy and fun memories of my dad. I said in the last post, “I hit the Dad lottery.” We were so fortunate to have such a man whose lived example, not words, proved to be THE most profound teaching on how to live a meaningful life. He never would have predicted he was going to end his final days as a Vegan—heck, he didn’t even know what that was! I remember him asking “Can you have steak?” “No dad, I don’t eat meat anymore.” “Hmpf. How about fish then?” “Nope.” “Lobster?” “No lobster.” “Then what do you eat?”
Oh, btw, not that you should take my word on it, becoming Vegan has turned me into quite the foodie who loves to research nutrition and food recipes, as long as you eat from a rich variety of foods, you shouldn’t have to worry about protein. Like the little image showed, gorillas and elephants are Vegan, and they seem to be doing fine in the protein area.
Many people know how important a good diet is for good health and a longer life. Fewer know how critical it is. Your Dad and I could enjoy sharing the same menu of healthy, tasty choices.
This email came to in my box this morning, synchronicity: https://open.substack.com/pub/tanmeetsethimd/p/one-circadian-science-based-switch?r=3h0c4&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email
This was a great read, Gary! Along with a Vegan way of living, I also practice Intermittent Fasting (a lot of great and fascinating research exists on the health benefits of fasting), One Meal a Day (OMAD), and never eating past 4pm (we typically have our one meal between noon and 2pm-ish). I’m fortunate to be in a life situation where I can do this. I used to suffer from heartburn, constipation, and GERD, but since these changes, I have NONE of those maladies. And all my blood labs from my recent physical showed all my levels (including A1G, cholesterol, and blood sugar) all safely within normal levels. “Food as thy medicine (and how/when to eat it),” is a grossly neglected area of knowledge. It really isn’t rocket science!
Yes it’s basic interaction of internal and external chemistry, and biology. We practiced for what we called “LINNER” a combo of lunch and dinner which was around 3 PM. I have also found that eating smaller amounts more frequently works too but nothing heavy before bedtime. Naps aid digestion or so it seems to me, as does taking a walk which I have not yet been able to manage but working on getting there, one step at a time, if possible. If not, then I am grateful to be able to sit here and communicate with some good folks and friends like you, sharing ideas, experiences, thoughts and feelings. My breaking the fast this morning was a shot of cold pressed green juice that included kale, spinach, cucumber, ginger and couple of other things followed up with glass of pure 100% orange juice and then a small dish of coconut yogurt and muesli. Taste remains one of the best of my senses and I always felt sorry for those who lost it and smell sometimes because of COVID. I combine eat to live with live to eat. I used to say I was in good shape for the condition I was in. Now I say, glad to be here, regardless. We’re fortunate to still have some good choices although more limited than in previous years. As time wears on, and the inevitable decline takes its toll, I remain grateful for each day, what it offers and what I can offer in return. So, here’s to you, and your Dad, Kert. Celebrating second full day of Spring!
Did you find that the food/eating experience in Mexico, where you once lived, was different than here in America? Easier to live more plant-based? Less processed foods? I can’t get over the fact America, as wealthy as the country is, has so many “whole food deserts” coupled with it’s mass commercialization campaign for high sugar/salt, ultra-processed foods.
Yes, many other countries do not consume the large quantities of processed foods as does the U.S. which seems dominated by corporate managed grocery stores. There are smaller markets in many places if you search for them and of course, local from farm to table is the best. There are places where people shop for food on almost a daily basis from different sources - bakery, produce (fruits and vegetables), dairy, meats, and you see these open air markets in Mexico and many European and Asian countries. One among many good sources on the topic is the book by Alice Waters, “We Are What We Eat.” I remember eating at her restaurant in Berkeley years ago and then her helping to develop a curriculum for kids called “THE EDIBLE SCHOOLYARD PROJECT.” Every kid should have gardening as part of their learning to grow what they can eat
I love Alice Waters and I used her Edible Schoolyard book to plan and manage two school gardens over the course of my principal career. Chez Panisse is a bucket list restaurant for me.
We were having lunch at Chez Panisse, a limo pulls up, and who gets out and comes in other than Sean Connery!
Great article! Thanks for sharing!
This is so lovely, Kert.
It reminds me how ancient yoga texts often use food metaphors as a way to experience the divine.