The 2013 Food Lover's Cleanse Diary: Day 4
Sara Dickerman didn't just write the Food Lover's Cleanse--she's an active participant. Follow along with her every day as she reboots her diet. (No juice fasts allowed.)
Taking the cleanse on the road can be a logistical swamp. Months ago, when this program was just an inkblot on my calendar, I had signed my kids up for weekly ski lessons at a mountain two hours from here. And so yesterday morning at 6 a.m., I was cramming arugula and pineapple into Tupperware while shoveling bites of half-warm black rice and coconut out of the pot and into my mouth. I stuffed the kids into long johns and headed out for a long day full of snow, tears, bribes, temporarily lost kids, plus two or three discreet moments of fun. At least I didn't have to cook dinner. In that case the tears would have been mine.
Fortunately my unflappable and very generous friend Curtis had volunteered the night before to cook the clam dinner at his house, not just for me but also for a couple of my old college friends who were in town for four hours or so before their red-eye back east. I emerged from the car bleary-eyed, changed into something less dowdy than snow pants, and sat down to a wonderful conversation over fragrant clams and spicy bok choy. (By the way, I just love that spicy Sichuan bean paste, it gives food such a rambunctious little goose.)
We all sat around laughing about how we'd be happy to eat this meal on a non-cleanse night, and then started amending the imaginary meals. "Maybe with a nice hunk of bread for the broth," said my East Coast friend. "And some wine," I chimed in as I stared at my water glass. "And a big chocolate something for dessert," said Curtis. Then I hunted on the side of my bowl for any almond fragments left behind in my fruit salad bowl. Could I have eaten more after a day on the hill and in the car? Yes. But I couldn't have done it in better company.