à la carte spirit by ilona fried
Addiction
“Sugar Coated” Tells the Tough Truth, Sweetly
You know Doublemint gum? Here’s my “Double Disclaimer”: I’m biased, both against the prevalence of sugar in the food landscape and towards Cristin Kearns, my friend who’s featured in the Canadian film “Sugar Coated” (2016 winner of the Donald Britain award for best social/political documentary). Therefore, you might chew on the following with a grain of salt, a pinch of paprika or a dash of … Continue reading
Awareness Through Meandering: Walking in the Woods, Differently
How many times can you visit a place without getting bored? I used to be a checklist kind of gal. If I visited an area once, I wanted to move onto the next. When I was an avid hiker, I didn’t want to repeat trails or summits when there were others I hadn’t climbed. Nor did I want to … Continue reading
When Things Come to An End. Finally.
Recently, I did something that my earlier self would have considered unthinkable. I left the last of my stash of designer beads, worth more than one thousand dollars, for consignment at a local bead shop. I left them without an inventory sheet or suggested prices. I left them because, finally, I was done. Done working with beads, done … Continue reading
On Giving Up Facebook for Eight Days
Despite my trepidation, refraining from Facebook for Passover proved to be a revealing exercise in awareness, therefore an excellent decision. During the first few days, I reflexively clicked on the Facebook URL in my browser history as if I were a caged rat conditioned to press a lever. Having logged out of Facebook the evening of April 3, I couldn’t … Continue reading
For Passover, I’m Refraining from Facebook
This year marks my first, “post-gluten” Passover. The holiday, commemorating the Jews’ hasty exodus from Egypt, is in part observed by eating matzah, unleavened bread, while also refraining from eating hametz, anything made of fermented grain (bread, pasta, beer, etc.). The complete dietary rules are more complex and vary depending on ancestry. Ashkenazi Jews, hailing from Eastern Europe, also avoid rice and legumes on … Continue reading
à la carte spirit by ilona fried 
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