à la carte spirit by ilona fried
diet
An Apology to Oatmeal
For much of my life I didn’t want to go near oatmeal, the Birkenstocks of food: good for you but an aesthetic disaster. Dull of hue and bland of taste, what was there to love? Oatmeal conjured thoughts of gruel, served to Oliver and his fellow orphans in Dickensian England, or porridge, something thick that … Continue reading
Dear Kale: I Need Some Space
Dear Kale: After divorcing sugar and later separating from gluten, I was on the rebound, looking for a stalwart staple I could count on for nourishment. Everyone raved about you, Kale. You had everything going for you: dark green good looks, nutrients up the wazoo, and incredible versatility: you could be blended, baked, steamed, fried and sautéed. Thanks to your status as … Continue reading
Dear Gluten: I Need to Separate
Dear Gluten: You’ve been in my life for almost as long as I can remember. Stalwart and faithful, you were as proper and unassuming as Sugar was sexy and alluring. Often the two of you made joint appearances in cakes, muffins and cookies; you showed up in pressed khakis, Sugar in black leather. I confess, I gave Sugar the credit … Continue reading
Does “commitment” demand “sacrifice”?
My previous post on what it means to commit, and the comments it generated, has inspired further reflection. One view is that “commitment” requires “sacrifice”, a relinquishing of something else (presumably desirable) in order to honor the commitment. And our minds, conditioned to think in black and white, reinforce the idea of a tradeoff, which … Continue reading
à la carte spirit by ilona fried 
Recent comments