How are you today?

Over here, today is a chicken soup day. Well, the making of the chicken soup day. I’m on the cusp of not-quite-vegan. However, the other people in my house feel connected to consuming animal products so I do the best I can with local, organic, sustainable things. I recognize my privilege in being able to even make that statement.

I do not judge anyone for eating animal products, or using them in other ways. It is a matter of my digestion which sketchy at best, does better without the meat. For a long time I was very vegetarian. At some point in my 20’s I kept thinking about how old cultures use every part of an animal, or as much as they can, showing respect for their sustenance. In contrast, I couldn’t eat, prepare or cook most of an animal, much less harvest one. If I had to kill an animal for food, which one would I be able to kill, clean, prepare and eat? The only thing I could come up with was fish and I’m not even sure I could do that on my own. If I couldn’t hold myself accountable to the animal kingdom by being willing to harvest and prepare them, then I was pretty sure that I did not deserve to eat them. So I gave up eating meat. I was/am privileged enough to not eat meat.

When I became pregnant, and was able to carry to pregnancy beyond 4 months, MrexH, my family, and my obstetrician told me that I had to eat meat in order for my pregnancy to continue and for my baby to be healthy. BrotherHerisme told me I was being selfish if I did not do everything I could by eating meat to help my growing baby. It had been such a long and trying road to get to that point in my life-long dream of having a baby, that I gave in and ate meat. It tasted like gritty hot bloody fat, chewy dry fat, and pork reeked of sewage (still does) to me, but I did it. Then it became a default through my terrifying separation and divorce since so many family members were in and out – I just ate whatever was there, and the people love the meat.

Then BrotherHerisme Ben Franklined up by having gout flare-ups (which is painful and not funny, yet funny bc gout and Ben Franklin), and became a vegetarian teetotaler meat-shaming ass. *sigh* Such is the life with an adult sibling of narcissistic abusive parents from the 70’s/80’s… He’s still funny sometimes, though. Space and grace, space and grace y’all.

Off and on I have thought about letting go of my meat habit because it was not serving me – it was hurting my body. I finally let my meat consumption go again late last year. Which explains my rice/spinach/pickled beet/roasted corn/falafel/baba ghanoush/housed in a cereal bowl lunch and currently being consumed. I have a spinach problem (Which I believe I have mentioned before), so it is in everything … almost everything. Spinach and cauliflower are life! Cauliflower crust pizza with spinach, basil, diced tomatoes and pesto popped onto a pizza stone on the grill, is life… plus some of that hard core chocolate oatly! Woot woot! Pizza Friday is just a few days away! I am not vegan, obvs bc pizza IS life fuh reals. I am careful with my diary consumption to be kind to my gut which hates diary no matter what hard sale my brain tries to cajole it with. My brain is the top tier sales person of the forevers to my entire being, except for my gut. The gut is strong and unwavering in it’s dedication to reality. Uncooperative guts.

On that note, I am off for the making of the chicken soups for the people(for neighbors too! Imma red pepper mushroom soup it up for myself). Leftover Hurricane Ida storm bands are on their way – not devastating when they reach us – we are safe. {{{hugs}}} Gulf Coasters

Tummy bugs, flu bugs plus COVID are afoot as well. Safe and healthy wishes to you!

Soup up y’all.

Happy Once
Happy Twice
Happy Chicken Soup with Rice!

Love, Ms. Herisme xoxo