The innards

[Thomas]

This post is aimed mainly at Engineer, whose extensive traveling must mean that he has an iron gut!

After having to change my daily diet, when I travel and must eat all means out I find that my gut is not exactly happy. The major culprit, I believe, is butter (not to mention salt, but that's another issue).

I don't eat butter at home anymore (and I miss it). But out and about, I have no control over how food is prepared. I find that even those so-called broiled fish dinners often include some butter, which chefs obviously know provides texture as well as flavoring.

Over three days in Manhattan my gut screamed bloody murder at me! Now that I am home, it seems to have become relatively peaceful.

The long and short of it: I do wish restaurants would provide a choice. It's a pain in the backside to have to have a conversation with the wait staff, most of whom become annoyed at the mere mention of changing a dish to meet a customer's desires--and they often forget to or can't get the change made.

[winoweenie]

When I make a diet request at any restaurant I expect, no DEMAND they comply. I pay my hard-earned so when I need to make dietary provisions the derned sure best listen. I'm too old and cranky to not be able to vent my bile at the perpertrators. WW

[Kcwhippet]

That's what I like about getting older. I can be as curmudgeonly as I want, and people expect it. Sure is a lot of fun playing the age card. BTW, I guess I've been very lucky because I apparently don't have any dietary restrictions at all - except maybe that I'm still repulsed by lima beans.

[Innkeeper]

My biggest complaint against lima beans is that they are getting harder and harder to find, especially Fordhooks.

[winoweenie]

Our ll'patch of land in Shawnee was so poor the only thing it could grow was Limas. WW

[Thomas]

Bob, what the hell is wrong with lima beans?

If you said succotash I would understand...

[Kcwhippet]

My dad really sucked as a cook. Two of his favorite dishes to prepare were lima beans as a side with his own version of Tabasco sauce (he went to Harvard Business School with a McIlhenny who provided him with two pounds a year of their peppers), and sauteed calves liver and onions (I don't eat that either).

[hotwine]

I had my fill of lima beans as a kid..... my mom cooked the danged things several times each week.

Thought I had put that behind me when I went in the Army, but what was a staple of C rations in combat? ham and lima beans! And the ham was always green! (gag!)

[Thomas]

"...when I became a man, I put away childish things..."

I Corinthians 13:11

[winoweenie]

Back in my youth we regarded Limas as a sort of delicacy. There was an old Okie saying that went " This land be so poor you can only grow Black-Eyed-Peas on it". Still like them lil' dudies. WW

[TheEngineer]

Thomas , I do have an iron gut. I've eaten anywhere and everywhere. At restaurants and ok the streets, first world and third world, Sea level and 14,000 feet up in the air. But funny thing, I completely agree with you about butter. After a few weeks in the road, the only thing I want is congee or oatmeal for a week. They use SOOOO much butter and other greases that it makes it unattractive for me to eat. For me, I ask for low butter and no mayo in anything I eat but I know the butter assault is on the way. Especially frustrating is when you think you ate eating healthy, a salad (loaded with dressing), a slice of fish, cooked in butter, and then one more brush with butter before it is serviced an then a slice of pie loade with lard on that crispy crust.

It's one thing when I order four grad and lardo, but some light foods are meant to stay light.....

By the way, I'm ordering lardo tonight.....

[Thomas]

Eng:

Lardo--you must be in northern Italy...

I've eaten everywhere and everything too, but then I got a little older (but not as old as WW--yet).

In truth, my diet is self-imposed, based on what I've learned about prostate cancer and cancer in general. All that smoked meat and charcoaled meat simply wasn't good for me, not to mention all that butter!

[Kcwhippet]

Mike, Where do you expect to find congee in Italy???

[TheEngineer]

In Milan today, moving towards Cinque Terrre. Yup and I know I've got a few miles to go before i catch up to the likes of you and KC!

Btw, if I find congee in Italy, I might need to move slowly in the opposite direction.....

Current go to is granita al Limone to keep the heat away while carrying 60 lbs of luggage in a back pack and messenger bag.....

[Thomas]

What I would give for a real lemon ice and not the pumped up version that now floats in New York.

As a child, I used to help an old Italian who lived next door and had an outdoor lemon ice stand. He crushed his own ice, squeezed his own lemons, and added real cane sugar. The lemon ice was so fresh and pure that my friends and I used to play a game to see who could spit the farthest the lemon seeds that were in the ice.

The old man's lemon ice provided my first lesson in acid/sweetness balance, as his wines, though drinkable, were not exactly balanced...