Columbus Foodie

Another Columbus food blogger has come to my attention this week: CMH Gourmand. He likes a lot of the same places I do, too.

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I was really happy to see Jeni’s Ice Creams featured in a Dispatch article this week. Two interesting things. It mentions that the Ohio peach flavor is low-fat. I wish I would have known that at the beginning of the summer! I’ll have to go see if they have any pints left since it’s seasonal and won’t be around much longer. The other thing they mentioned is that the Grandview location has apple crisp! Made with Honeycrisps! (my favorite variety of apple). I need to find an excuse to go to Grandview, and soon!

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So, Central Ohio readers voted Chipotle as having the best salsa. Chipotle?? I mean it’s good, but I could whip up Chipotle salsa in my kitchen. This week, they want to know which restaurant has the best grilled tuna steak. I have to abstain on this one, unfortunately – I’ve never eaten that particular dish anywhere in town. If you’ve got an opinion on the matter, let them know and you might win a $25 restaurant gift certificate.

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The recipes I found this week that tempted my palate so much that I now plan on making them: Flourless Bittersweet Chocolate Cake from A Mingling of Tastes, Fall Colors Vegetable Stew (great way to use those CSA veggies!) from Albion Cooks, Ham and Caramelized Onion Omelets from The Columbus Dispatch, Balsamic Onions from blog from OUR kitchen, Apple Cider Cupcakes with Caramel Frosting from Coconut & Lime, Twice Baked Cauliflower from Cookin’ with Cyndi, Cheesecake with Apples and a Brulee Top from Creampuffs in Venice, Gruyere Apple Grilled Cheese from Just Braise, Baked Spaghetti Squash from Eating for One, Dill Pancakes from My Husband Cooks . Whew, I think I gained weight just by looking at pictures this week!

And, because there’s always a little room to learn something new, learn all about pumpkins from Blog Appetit
, how to make the perfect grilled cheese from Slashfood, or 10 Ways to Improve Your Cooking at Spicing Up Your Senses.

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I was really, really pissed off after reading an article on CarbWire. To give you an idea, here’s an excerpt from the entry:

“Why do go around making up diseases for every problem that we have nowadays? Could it be that we don’t really have a disease, we’ve just made some really bad choices for ourselves, hmmmm? Consciously choosing to do something that is detrimental to yourself in some way does not mean you are sick. Misguided, ignorant, or even bored, perhaps, but NOT stricken with an indomitable disease that cannot be overcome.”

As someone who has struggled (yes, struggled) with super morbid obesity all my life (and I mean all my life – I weighed 106 at age 5), I think it’s detrimental to those who need to lose weight to put the blame for the weight entirely on them. While eating and a sedentary lifestyle DOES have a definite impact on someone’s weight, there are tons of hormonal and chemical issues in the body that may make it difficult or near impossible for someone to lose weight. There’s tons of research on set point theory, satiety, and the effects of cortisol and gherlin on hunger and weight loss. There are some illnesses (in my case, PCOS) that have a definite adverse effect on weight loss. Even if you want to argue that it’s a mental issue (eating disorder), it’s sad to see that obesity is vilified to the level it is. As if being obese is some sort of character flaw. Unfortunately, this attitude is not limited to this one person. Even after weight loss surgery, I weigh darn near 400 lbs. And while I could use the breakdown of my surgery as an excuse, I don’t. I know I should eat better. I know I should exercise. I know I need counseling for any eating issues I have. But in the meantime, don’t seat me in the back of the restaurant so your other patrons don’t have to look at me. Don’t talk about me behind my back. Don’t act like you’re better than I am because you’re thinner. Don’t ignore me when I talk to you, as if I don’t exist at all. Don’t perpetuate the lie that the thinner you are, the better you are, and expect our young girls to reach an unhealthy ideal. Don’t generalize – not every fattie is a fattie because they sit on the couch all day eating bon bons. Even if I ever do win the battle against the DISEASE of obesity, I’ll still be a curvy girl, and damn proud to be one. *If* I lose my weight, it will be because I want to live long enough to spend the rest of my life (whatever is left of it) with my husband. Nothing more, nothing less.

Sorry to rant on about this, but it needed to be said. While I’m sure that most (probably all) of you don’t share the opinion of this one blogger, I’d be curious to know if those of you who are overweight encounter the same attitudes in society as I do.

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Speaking of which, I’m throwing around the idea to do an experiment next year that has me trying 12 different ways of eating (one per month), while exercising the same amount all year, to see which one is the most effective for weight loss, which makes me feel the best personally (for example, I know I should be eating lower carb because of PCOS, but I don’t), and which one is right for my body. I still haven’t worked out all the details, though. If I do, I’ll probably do it in a separate weight loss journal while still documenting the food aspect of it here. Nothing’s definite yet.

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Until next week, folks…