So, this is my new brain-child; another blog. I say 'another' since I have already waded through a few 'brain-children' since the blog phase first struck us shortly after the well incorporated introduction of the internet to everyone, everywhere, allthetime.
First there was the pre-pubescent Brave Journal, which is so old the internet has lost it. Following that was my teenage-angst ridden Live Journal (Battalioness; my old screen name), which, although cringe-worthy to read now was my saving Grace as a 16 year old struggling with boys, school and parents. Years later, I dabbled with a hippie-esque blog trying to straighten out my thoughts on a few 'big' issues, like god, consciousness and reality, but soon discovered that putting these thoughts into words was an impossibility and so my boyfriend (Gary) has had his ear talked off ever since.
And that brings us to the present blog. My new blog.
The reason for The Hunger Inquistion is plain and obvious to me, however I'm sure I'd be a little stuck for words if someone asked me outright why chose to alter some of the things in my life that I have.
Over the past month-two months I have experimented with my diet, taking meat out, putting fish back, increasing oil consumption, decreasing veg, removing egg... kind of tried to listen to whatever intuition I have for my body's cravings and satisfying them in a pre-emptive manner. This didn't really get me anywhere, since I didn't have a goal in mind, but I noticed that I generally had more energy, was cheerier and slept better when I ate what was generally healthier foods, but definitely more wholesome foods than I usually did.
The subtle changes in diet where initially brought on because I've always been a 'foodie'' (you'll probably never see that word again in this blog, since I hate it) and I work with two vegan girls, J. and K.. Watching K. make decisions on her diet as she tailored it to her needs kind of inspired me to try something out. On top of that, Gary and I had just dropped a healthy wad of cash on this piece of magnificent beauty, which was begging to be played with.
Through the process of elimination, I am now vegan. On that note this is perhaps the single most idiotic thing I've ever seen. I guess I'm a dietary vegan because as callous and selfish as it may sound: I ain't doing this for the animals, and I'm not aiming to change the world. I have cut all animal derived ingredients from my diet, and that's about it. I still use leather bags and wear leather shoes (although I'd probably put some thought into the former next time I go a-buying), and to be honest, I cringe when I think about having to specify my dietary requirements when dining out, so I imagine I'll probably need to go for the 'dairy & egg free' chat when doing so, in order to avoid classing myself with the stereotype 'vegan'. Small jokes.
As I celebrated my 24th birthday on Wednesday, I took the week off from work to enjoy my house and settle into my new diet. I wanted to see how realistic veganism is, and whether it was a viable option for my day-to-day life. Oh, right; my day-to-day life.
I am the deputy manager of a 'pan-Asian' themed bar/restaurant in Glasgow, Scotland. Don't let the deputy part fool you - I spend 50+ hours a week in that place doing all I physically and mentally can to ensure a smooth-running operation. Like a well-oiled machine.There are days I love it, then there are days I don't love it so much, but I'd say that all in all I have a good job that taxes me, challenges me and allows me to meet some damn fine and interesting people. On top of the management side of things, I am largely involved in running the bar, plus the designing and writing of the cocktail menus used through the company's other units (of which there are 3). Most recently, I have been writing a brand new list to tie in all 4 units nicely, with Asian twisted drinks, cocktails to go with afternoon tea and some good ol' fashioned hard-up prohibition-style beverages. That's my trade, I guess; hard-ass bartending, and I like to think I have some form of reputation surrounding me that reflect that. Anyway, back to the blog...
During my week off, I wanted nothing more than to spend some good, solid time in the kitchen, getting to grips with the basics of vegan fare, and my shiny new processor, and I have accomplished this. I've made everything from the daring Vegan Lasagne (which turned out much more like a runny stew), Almond-chocolate cupcakes (yes, I baked my own birthday cake), Snickerdoodles, Tamarind lentils and more. It's been fun, interesting and messy, but I can't think of a better way to have gotten to grips with my 24th year of changes.
This blog will include some recipes from my attempts. To start, many of them will be very close to some recipes found in vegan cook books, as I learn the substitutions, thickening agents, array of spices, beans, pulses and flours, but my aim is to ultimately develop my knowledge of these things and use them to create delicious recipes of my own. All without the use of animal ingredients.
I'll probably post some marginal information on my life as time passes. You'll more than likely get to know Gary very well, as we are an overly affectionate pair who have never quite gotten over that 'Honeymoon period' since we started our relationship over 2 years ago. You'll meet my plants (another side project I've taken to) as they grow and mature and may even get an insight to the inside of my head. I love to write, but I know not everyone wants to read all my warbleings, so I'll try my best to use the 'tagging' system effectively, so you can search 'recipes', 'gardening' or 'ohmygodiloveyoutellmemoreaboutyourprivatelife'. Unlikey.
Some recipes will be posted later today if I can pull myself away from the kitchen long enough. Until then, nice to meetcha.