Culinary Truths & Habits
Posted
Mon, 06/30/03
One truth about my husband Wilbert is the way to his heart is literally through his stomach. I noticed it on our first date three years ago when he made the comment "I like my women to cook," thus ensuring he would see very little of that from me in our future life together.
Don't get me wrong. I do cook at least four time a week, but Wilbert is one of those people who has breakfast every day, rain or shine. I make do with coffee until lunch; I can't abide the smell of food cooking first thing in the morning. Wilbert, on the other hand, has a full-blown breakfast each morning, always with eggs. God help me, but runny eggs in any form turn my stomach. Wilbert often has chorizo and eggs, with flour tortillas slightly braised on the stove element, and sometimes bacon or sausage. Another one of his favorites is hot dogs cut up and cooked with the eggs, or homemade hash browns with pancakes. If I consumed that sort of food in the morning, I would be deathly ill on a continual basis.
I'm more of a lunch/dinner person, and love experimenting with new dishes or concocting a recipe I've dreamed up. But on a normal day, my typical lunch fare is thinly sliced chicken deli meat on a toasted bagel or wrapped in a flour tortilla, with mozzarella cheese. I put the brakes on the coffee after lunch and switch to either Pepsi or Lipton's canned iced tea. Dinner is usually chicken or a simple pasta dish or a nice meal from the grill, and then I crank up the coffee pot again.
Because of our different schedules, Wilbert and I don't always eat together, so he is typically on his own for the evening meal during the week. He loves bread, so it becomes part of his dinner as well (or more tortillas); along with meat of some kind, and a big glass of Kool-Aid. When we do eat dinner together, I always make sure there are fresh vegetables, or at least frozen or canned. As soon as our garden starts producing, it will be all fresh.
Wilbert is diabetic, so he has to keep an eye on his sugar intake although he slips quite frequently, forcing him to increase his insulin dosage. I've tried to nag, threaten, cajole and outright hide sweets, but every so often he sneaks in a chocolate bar, which I typically find stashed in his sock drawer.
All in all, I know both Wilbert and I could eat healthier. My coffee intake is so vast that I'm literally immune to caffeine. I can drink a pot in the evening and fall asleep with no trouble whatsoever. I realize bread is not one of the safest foods for Wilbert – as a diabetic - to consume. However, in recent months, I've made a concerted effort to include healthier food at our table, including fresh salads and vegetables, with meat steamed or baked and not fried. Last April I began weight lifting mainly because my writing job is so sedentary and I wanted to get my blood flowing, and Wilbert has started picking up the barbells as well.
My worst vice? Besides the giver-of-life coffee, my next nasty habit to fall by the wayside will hopefully be my addiction to cigarettes. Giving up the evil weed will be the toughest of all. Does anyone have some Valium they could lend me?
Tags: Menus
Send Comment >
