Sandie filled me in on the epidemic of pet obesity, which is a very real problem that mirrors the larger problem of American obesity.  Surely the well-intended use of dog food like Beneful (the name is, I assume, meant to invoke the word beneficial) is a contributing factor.

Here is the ingredient list (emphasis mine):

INGREDIENTS
Ground yellow corn, chicken by-product meal, corn gluten meal, whole wheat flour, animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of Vitamin E), salmon, rice flour, soy flour, sugar, propylene glycol, meat and bone meal, water, tricalcium phosphate, soybean oil, animal digest, salt, phosphoric acid, sorbic acid (a preservative), potassium chloride, dried carrots, dried green beans, L-Lysine monohydrochloride, calcium propionate (a preservative), choline chloride, Vitamin E supplement, zinc sulfate, added color (Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 2), ferrous sulfate, DL-Methionine, manganese sulfate, niacin, Vitamin A supplement, calcium carbonate, copper sulfate, Vitamin B-12 supplement, calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate, garlic oil, pyridoxine hydrochloride, riboflavin supplement, Vitamin D-3 supplement, calcium iodate, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), folic acid, biotin, sodium selenite.

The resourcefulness Greeks showed in feeding themselves during the war is, like their standing up to Mussolini, a reflection of the ancient Greeks.  The ever-popular domades – stuffed grape leaves – were invented when Alexander’s troops destroyed Thebes.  To make the most of the meager amount of meat they had, they rolled it up with other stuff in grape leaves to make it seem more substantial.  Mezedes have never been the same…

I held this view until recently.  Last year I talked about how it seems that Thanksgiving has turned into an excuse for gluttony.  This is actually an acceptable part of the culture of Thanksgiving; if you watch the news or read news websites there are features on how to deal with eating too much turkey or whatever on the holiday.  I am not trying to be a wet blanket here, and yes, I will probably overdo it a bit today – in our case there are tons of appetizers where we go – but by the time dinner rolls around I am full and usually eat almost nothing at the formal sit-down part of the day.  Gluttony is the only one of the seven deadly sins that we always dance around – you have to eat, after all – so every meal is a potential opportunity for gluttony.  Thanksgiving almost sanctions it.

This year’s rant is more about the holiday’s place in our culture and how it is has lost much of its bite.  Thanksgiving has been secularized just like other holidays (and keep in mind I am a defender of Santa and the Easter bunny, so I am not a no-fun, super strict person).  I have heard the phrase “give thanks” many, many times in the lead up to today.  Give thanks to whom?  This key part is missing, as is any acknowledgment of the Almighty in reference to the day.  So, in addition to my suggestion that we don’t overdo it on the food front, I have to add – please remember to whom we are giving thanks, and be sure to think about this and give voice to it.  Happy Thanksgiving to all, and more later…

I miss my time each morning in the garden when the season is done.  I try to fill the void by homebrewing, growing mushrooms, etc. but it is very different than the normal warm weather routine.  But as I mentioned above, the garden is still a growing concern, although to a much lesser extent.  I decided to try to extend the growing season for a few crops by using cloches.  These plastic bells are basically mini-greenhouses, and allow the growing season to continue as long as there is sunshine.  I purchased three cloches and used them for the following crops – my parsley and oregano pots, which were transferred to the garden proper, and, on a whim, a random tomato plant that sprouted in the compost heap.  The tomato plant didn’t survive the early snowstorm, but the herbs are doing great – the oregano is particularly thriving.  These are minor things but it is nice to keep gardening at this late date.

3 sprigs of basil, chopped

1 shallot, chopped

1 cayenne pepper, chopped

1 small head of broccoli or green cauliflower, chopped up

Soy sauce (preferably low sodium and gluten-free)

1 green onion, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1lb frozen seafood (I use Trader Joe’s seafood medley, but any kind of shrimp/scallop/squid combo will do, and it doesn’t have to be frozen I suppose)

Heat up a large frying pan on the stove, medium heat with a little canola oil.  Add the vegetables and seafood until the seafood is cooked (poke the shrimp until it is firm) and the broccoli/cauliflower is softened.  Add desired amount of soy sauce over the whole thing as it is cooking – I wait until some of the water from the frozen seafood has burned off.  You can serve this over rice if you wish but I find it filling as is.

1 can fava beans

1 can chick peas

1 bunch parsley

1 pickling cucumber (or 1/2 of a regular cuke)

Juice of 1 lemon

Cumin, salt and olive oil to taste

Rinse and drain the beans and then put them into a bowl.  Chop up the cucumber and parsley and toss them in.  Add the lemon juice, salt and cumin, and drizzle in olive oil.  Toss thoroughly and serve, or chill if desired for a a colder dish.  I made this tonight for Prez to take to work tomorrow, but if personal interaction is not a concern you can throw in a chopped red onion and garlic.

Here is a gathering of many of the traditional items – you can read the Wiki article to get details on each.  The items have all been part of it for many years – only the Qur’an is a later addition:

The bushy thing in the foreground is sprouted lentils.  In Iran the thing to do would be to float them down the river to, as I understand it, send bad things away.  If there is no river nearby you just put them outside for the rain to take.

Of course there was food.  Again, the Wikipedia article breaks it all down.  Everything was delicious and we were able to keep the lenten fast – there was fish and rice and vegetables.  After I gave the blessing Eleni and I ate – believe me – and we were full but not stuffed unlike, say, at a typical Greek event.  The food was all light and fresh, and there was no cheese or bread, which of course are huge in Greek meals, so maybe that was it:

Again, it was a fabulous evening, and the best part of it was the company – what a joy to be with everyone for this celebration.

I mentioned in the subject celebrating the New Year twice.  Earlier in the day, Jasmin, who is Persian, was baptized in our church.  Adult baptisms are always special, but this one had an interesting twist – Jasmin chose to enter the faith on this day because it is Persian New Year and therefore a fortuitous time for the new life that comes not just with spring but also baptism.  So this joyous event was in a way our first celebration of the holiday on Sunday.

Today is Clean Monday.  Interestingly, in Greek the term is Kathara Deutera rather than kathari – an adverb is used rather than an adjective.  ”Cleanly” Monday is more awkward but probably more accurate.  For most of us, this begins the true Lenten fast.  This year I am doing the complete vegan thing, with exceptions for fish at mercy meals and the like.  We emphasize the spiritual aspect of fasting – the introspection, almsgiving and focus on prayer that goes with it rather than the food part, but there is also a physical aspect to this.  Fasting has its origins, I imagine, as a “preview of hell” – not eating food is bad for you and makes you miserable.  Our fasting, which is not a total abstention from food as it was back in the day, is an exercise in focus and sacrifice.  It also has many health benefits.  I am increasingly convinced that a vegan, or at the very least a vegetarian, lifestyle is the way to go.  One of these Lenten seasons I am going to go vegan and never go back.  I am not going to go into it too much here – there is a ton of material available on the web analyzing the benefits and potential risks of a vegan lifestyle.  I am writing this merely to emphasize that while the spiritual stuff is more important for us (and as the Bible tells us what comes out of the mouth is more important than what goes into it) we should not discount the cleansing goodness of the Lenten eating lifestyle.  More tomorrow.  Tonight we have compline/apodeipnon service, as we will every Monday at the Cathedral during Lent.  We have not done this service since long before I came to Worcester, so it will be a nice restoration as well as another tool to help us refocus ourselves during the forty days.

The kitchen counter was covered with vegetable clippings, empty packages knives, garlic papers.  I am rather like the Tasmanian Devil when I cook but the dishes are almost always sensory delights.  Before the food touched my plate the smells from the stove and oven told me I had done well.

Tonight’s dinner was exceptional.  Beyond the the nutritious meal for my family and a nice dining experience, I experienced a connection with my female ancestors.  I had long forgotten about the weight of my youngest child strapped to my back while I stood at the sink.  There were fresh, white pieces of haddock on the counter to my right and onions sizzling in the large pan on the stove.  In my hands was a large bunch of parsley.  As I washed and rubbed the leaves and releasing their strong scent I thought of the countless women who had made this dish before me; it was my first time.  I thought of the women who, time, and time again had washed bunches of parsley that had been freshly cut from their gardens.  I thought of them washing the bunches in their own sinks throughout Greece.  I connected with them for a brief, passing moment.  I wondered what thoughts went through their minds as they, too, rubbed the fresh, dark colored leaves.  I wondered if their worries of the moment were those of child rearing or of how to call together the family for mealtime.  Maybe the smell alone was enough to allure them to the table.

The dish is called Psari Plaki.  It is a tomato-based, baked fish dish and it was time to get it into the oven.  The cut fish is placed in a single layer on the bottom of a baking dish.  My baking dish is dark yellow, made of clay in Portugal (another place where fish dishes abound)  and a treasure of my kitchen.   In looking at four different recipes out of two cookbooks I had some decisions to make.  My dish would be an amalgam of these recipes choosing what I liked and thought would work best to my own taste.  I went with the white wine, extra garlic and a pinch of sugar to cut the acidity of the tomatoes.  I quickly perused the lists of ingredients to see if I missed anything and then I saw the finishing touch – cloves.  I added four whole cloves to the mix and after simmering it poured it over the pieces of fish.  It was not long before I could smell the wine and then the cloves from within the oven.  I had forgotten about the women before me and was now looking forward to my own dinner with my own family.  Before the food touched my plate the smells from the stove and oven told me I had done well.

10-12 dates

1/4 c. cocoa

2T flax seeds

2T tahini

1/3 c. cashews

1/3 c. coconut (optional)