Kim and I have often expressed how we appreciate certain foods more, now that they’re not readily available. We’ve pondered the psychological impact of going gluten-free and all of the different emotional experiences gluten-free acquaintances have shared with us. Some people are angry, some people focus more on the positive, others are moved to tears when they eat a tasty gluten-free pizza for the first time after a long wait.
Gretchen Rubin of The Happiness Project may have shed some light onto our musings. One of her recent entries entitled, A Daily Luxury is No Luxury reflects on whether deprivation of indulgences brings greater satisfaction when they are later reintroduced. I definitely think that this is the case when I find a new recipe or new product as a substitution for an old glutenous food that is now forbidden. The search is like a treasure hunt and when I find something so good, so real, so like I remember it being, it leads to pure tastebud ecstasy. My overall appreciation for the experience is much greater, I’ve noticed, than those who have the luxury of being able to eat anything.
I am due to receive my copy of the current bestseller, The Paradox of Choice, which examines our society as a whole and the over abundance of choice, which can lead to major dissatisfaction in life. I’m expecting it to be a very interesting read. Perhaps there is a way to perceive our diet limitations as a passageway to appreciating more?
This kind of attitude about GF eating is why you Chicks are so great! Our local GIG branch had a potluck barbecue last summer. One our group members made GF waffle cones and GF oreo-cookie ice cream, and dairy-free cashew milk ice cream. She actually made the oreos from scratch so she could smash them up for the ice cream. Even by Utah’s fairly rigorous homemaking standards that was way above and beyond. That was the best ice cream cone I have ever eaten. A group of us sat out in lawn chairs, ice cream dripping down our hands, just stunned with joy. We couldn’t even speak for the first minute or so we were so busy savoring every bite. Somehow I don’t think the folks that can just pop down to Baskin Robbins and grab a cone without a thought enjoy it to the same degree we did.
Lauren- Thanks for the props! Great story you’ve got there! Wish we were there! MMMMMMM Can I have the cashew milk ice cream recipe? I can’t find one online.
The woman with the recipe is recovering from a castostrophic computer crash and can’t access it at the moment. I’ll post it for you as soon as I can get it. In the meantime, check out some vegan and raw food sites. They use cashew milk as a cream substitute and it’s pretty easy to make. The basic recipe is one part raw cashews blended with four parts water or juice, with some sweetening added if needed.
When I first hit the Celiac “speed bump” in life, I went through a period of thinking that I will never be able to enjoy the foods I love so much ever again. For a while, it really seemed to be the case. I was suffering from pasta and pizza withdrawl, and had severe moments of near caving in to eat a chocolate cake or a chocolate chip cookie. So, there is certainly some psychological ordeal that we all go through, unless perhaps we never ever tried the “real” foods to begin with.
I have gotten past that now, and I actually think I live a pretty normal life even as a GF person. I eat all the cake, cookies, and so on that I feel the need to, especially after my wife came up with some darn incredible recipes. When we have parties, we bake GF for everyone, and they don’t even know it. She won a couple cake-baking contest with her recipes too (competing against “normal” cakes). So, the fact is, there is hope for us all and we can live normal lives aside from the continuous need to be on our guards against “tainted” or contaminated food and ingredients everywhere.
I want to know how that paradox of choice book is when you finish it. I think there is a lot behind the idea of that book — I see it all around me with friends and aquaintances that just seem to never be happy no matter what things they have (be it material things, pets, persons, whatever).
i want to share the good news that fresh direct, the fantastic food delivery service, in the nyc area now offers recipes that are gluten-free on its website.
enjoy!
http://www.freshdirect.com/recipe_subcat.jsp?catId=rec_diet&subCatId=rec_diet_glutenfree&trk=dpage