Food Quandary

Despite all the free advice that’s out there, eating healthy is not always easy. We do the basics like avoiding fast food, limiting red meat and salt, watching portion sizes and going local when possible.

There are a couple of things we’ve taken to heart in our continuing search for the healthy diet. For example, I’m sure you’ve heard about the studies showing that in moderation, red wine has some positive health benefits. Another good fine was the book, Eat, Drink and Weigh Less, that actually seems easy to follow, and recommends a bit of chocolate every day. And recently, I read an article in the Wall Street Journal that listed the health benefits of drinking 6 cups of coffee a day – good news for the local coffee shops.

While the three basics of life (chocolate, wine and coffee) are fine, you probably need a few side dishes to round out the diet.

I’m not a vegetarian so a couple of times a month meat does make it to the table, but the options keep getting smaller. Hamburger is definitely gone – it’s just a salmonella block party waiting to happen. Pork, the other white meat, provided some good meals until we read the The Good Good Pig by Sy Montgomery which follows the life of Christopher Hogwood – that would be the pet pig and star of the story. I just couldn’t eat Christopher or his relatives after reading his biography. Over the past few years, we’ve ended up using more chicken in the diet.

Now, we have a new food quandary. I was in Tom’s the other day with a package of chicken in hand and all of a sudden I have this image of Rocky, Pee Wee, Molly, Ginger, Whitey and poor old Sloopy. I can even name some of the breeds - Rhode Island Red, Leghorn and Blue Cochin. How could I think about eating chicken? We’re friends now!

I carefully put the package of chicken back in the refrigerated case and moved down to the fish display. I wonder if the live-in chef will believe that Tom’s was out of chicken. I just hope we don’t have bloggers with pet fish. If that happens, my food groups will be down to tofu and humus – do they go with chocolate, wine and coffee?

A. Reader

Note: The photo of Rocky & Pee Wee was added by the editor.