So about three months ago (this would be prior to me owning a Vitamix, which has since transformed me from a health conscious eater into a healthy raw eater) I saw an add for a Taste of Home cooking class hosted at a local Marriott for *gasp* only $10!! My thinking was, "I'm engaged, I don't know much of anything about cooking, it's cheap, it's local, and it comes with free magazines, coupons, and giveaways that will make it all worth it! I'd be a fool to let this one slip by me." To me it was a no brainer. I went online later that day and signed up.
It's amazing what can change in three months. I was still looking forward to the class, but of course, the word "cooking" was in the title, and having changed my ways to mostly raw foods, I was less than exhilarated to YAY start cooking! I went in knowing this, but was still open to learning more about food prep, cooking, and presenting. After all, there is always more to learn, and I wanted my $10 worth.
Upon arriving solo, I realized that I had signed up to participate with literally, a mob of local Relief Society's that were drooling with anticipation over learning the newest combination of ingredients for their Sunday Casseroles. Hmm. Interesting.
I meandered slowly around the perimeter of the auditorium, checking out all of the vendors and trying to dodge the crazed buzzing crowd. Cup cake decorators, jewelry designers, candle makers, krazy koupon ladies, to name a few. The best part about going to one of these shows by yourself is that there is always an odd number of seats being taken in a row, meaning I was one of the last people to sit, but still managed to get a third row end seat. Nice!
The lady seated next to me was with her eight year old daughter. She quickly introduced herself and started talking all about how they go every year, how they always win big, how she loooooves the recipes and can't wait to get cookin! The demonstrations began, and I am not exaggerating when I say that I think all of the recipes had a hefty combinations of two or more of the following ingredients: mayo, butter, sour cream, whipped cream, cream of something, and lots of cream cheese. Any ingredient that my neighbor didn't agree with she would lean over and promptly say something like, "Now, if I were in my kitchen I would definitely substitute chicken for the shrimp. Blech. Seafood." (What is it about Utah people and their distaste for seafood!?) There are only so many courtesy chuckles that I can spare before I just start sounding fake. She just had to be that lady, you know, the really loud in-your-face kind who screams at every opportunity. "Time foooooor.......another giveaway!!" Cover your ears.
By the time it was ending, no one within a few rows of us had even come close to claiming a prize. Granted, we were in a room of probably 300+ women, but they had a lot of cream cheese coupons to give out. I was slightly relieved to get out of there, although I did learn a thing or two about cooking and what kinds of fatty creams and pastes are best for binding a chocolate eclair vs. a mushroom paste. Overall, I'm glad I went. I probably will hardly use anything I learned (one useful thing, they explained how to chop a mango). I didn't win anything (I didn't mind). And I met a lot of really loud mouthed women who took their creamy cooking very seriously (entertaining to me). Worth $10? For a one time thing, sure. Will I ever do it again? Probably not. Live and learn.
Somehow I'm reminded of the Big E demo with the Vitamix salesman. Very different, of course: the smallish audience watched with bug eyes to see ingredients literally transformed in front of us--almost too good to be true. The samples tasted great and there were lots of samples. If I couldn't taste the results, I wouldn't have believed his claims. I think it's smart to "prove all things, hold fast to good."
ReplyDeleteOne caution with raw, or any really enticing focus or interest: do it prayerfully, not obsessively. You can tell you're prayerful if your attitude is humble, not holier than thou. Compulsions make a person narrow; commitments make a person more compassionate, patient with people and circumstances. I hope if you were a Vitamix salesman pitching in Provo/Orem, over time you would have enthusiastic audiences. I bet there's a bevy of health-conscious eaters in the area. Green is a growing national priority.
Happy Earth Day on Friday, April 22!
I definitely agree with you, Mom. I think it's very easy to look at any lifestyle change, especially dramatic ones, as trends: Veganism, Vegetarianism, Rawism etc. and it's easy to assume that people that live according to any particular diet think their "better" because maybe they're losing weight, have glowing skin, can afford to pay more for organic groceries or whatever. You can start to sift out though, the people that are actually dedicated because they stick with it. I'm not becoming more raw as a trend or a "quick fix" but rather as a way to stay clean inside and out, respect my body and the environment, and gain more nutritional value out of my food (there are more perks, but that's just to name a few).
ReplyDeleteHere's something I've started in the last couple of months that I like: I drink 4 cups of water before breakfast. Eventually, I'll drink another liter or so an hour or two before bedtime. "French Women Don't Get Fat" author pointed this out in her book, that drinking water and walking up and down stairs routinely are lifestyle habits French people tend to do that Americans don't. BTW, it follows that eating raw means eating more water, which makes digestion easier... I can show you in a nutrition table that lightly steaming broccoli and a few other (hi-fiber?) veggies actually increases their nutrition content, but overcooking dramatically reduces the same. Also, your cousin Evan Stephenson recently sent me a link, which I'll forward via email, to an article citing sitting as a risk factor for heart attack. Weird, eh?
ReplyDeleteDot, you are hilarious! A true comic writer! I don't know what is up with Utahns and fatty white gelatinous substances either, but Mykle LOOOOOVES mayo. He thinks I'm crazy for not eating it on my sandwiches, which he describes as being "dry as a bone" without it.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, I think the whole raw food diet is a little weird. But that's probably because I don't know much about it. As long as you still get the nutrients you need and don't come down with salmonella, I don't see much wrong with it.