A couple of months ago, in the midst of one of those fascinating Gchat ruminations I was having with my husband Zach regarding whether we should have salmon or steak for dinner, I realized something: I like to be told what to eat. I love to cook, but I spend way too much time trying to figure out what it is I actually want to make. I guess this is what having the privilege of total choice has wrought, but the idea of some far-off power dictating my every meal appears, to me, as a dream come true.
Perhaps this is what has drawn me to the Food Lover's Cleanse, which I've perused with interest for the past few Januarys, tackling a recipe here and there. This past holiday season, after I experienced a new feeling I'll describe as "I maybe actually could live a few days without eating a bagel," I felt not just ready but eager to commit to the Cleanse. As did Zach, an inscrutable eater who regularly claims that his favorite food texture is "sandy" (like, Alpen muesli, or plain Nilla wafers) and that chicken thighs are "too rich."
Then, somewhere between the watercress salad with snapper and turkey breast with roasted broccolini—i.e., not even 24 hours into the Cleanse—Zach tweeted this:
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Despite withdrawal from certain Lifestyle Choices, I've reaped many benefits from the Cleanse, including living my dream of being a subject in some sort of health-food dictatorship. Along the way, I've made many new discoveries, as I imagine the other Cleansers out there have. For instance, I had totally convinced myself that I hated parsnips because they were too sweet. From the bistro salad, I realized: I love parsnips! Due to fear of starvation (um, while working next to the Free Table), I rarely bring a salad for lunch, so it was refreshing to learn that actually, if I eat a salad, like, two times bigger than the one I would think to make for myself, I will totally be full. And finally, I won't die if I don't have a sundae after dinner.
So, shall we see what Despot Dickerman has in store for us today?
The Day 7 menu:
