Wow, It's Thursday

How did that happen? So, where did the week go?

I survived traffic court on Monday (although I was there for three hours waiting to be seen by the judge). When called up, he didn't even let me plea guilty or no contest (I had been practicing in my head) and immediately dismissed the ticket. He didn't even look to see the proof of my fixed headlight. It was very disappointing. Luckily, I picked up Michael Pollan's In Defense of Food at the library before heading to the courtroom. I'm now about half-way through the book and really enjoying the read. I'm sure I should have probably read The Omnivore's Dilemma first, but it doesn't seem to really be an issue.

Pollan's motto is "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." When I first read it, I thought, "Ha. Duh." However, as I've continued to read, he makes a lot of good points. In what he terms the "Nutritional Industrial Complex," food scientists and the food industry have convinced us that what matters most is not the food, but the nutrient. We have become so obsessed with nutritional value, that we have lost sight of what's important -- whole, healthy foods. We all have seen the effects of food marketing in the grocery store with all of the "Low Carb" and "Low Cholesterol" and now "High in Omega-3" food products. Food manufacturers have kept pace with the newest "health" findings by simply adding another nutrient to its long list of ingredients. This is something that I had already been grappling with before I even picked up Pollan's book, trying to make our meals healthier by simplifying and starting with fresh, unprocessed ingredients. It certainly gives me a little extra boost when I don't feel like cooking.

However, yesterday, I did not feel like cooking at all! I spent most of the morning cleaning up and sewing, so by the time I picked up Jesse at the airport (from his Boston work trip), I was exhausted. I was also hungry, which totally ruins me if I don't eat right away. We ended up going to Laurelwood Brewery for a happy hour beer. Jesse opted for a healthy Mediterranean sandwich, but I went for the fish and chips. Oh god, they have good fish and chips. The halibut they use is so fresh and delicious and it's cut more like halibut steaks than the flimsy fillets that you usually get at other restaurants. Yum!

Today, I had a final meeting for the report I just finished and I'm off to the grocery store to stock up on some food -- not too much and mostly plants!