Showing posts with label Vegetarian. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vegetarian. Show all posts

Thursday, 20 November 2014

Vegetarian to vampire, a newbie adult on food

Starting a blog (sounds scary and like a lot of work), about what you might ask? Well I’m not really sure myself. At the moment it seems I shall be talking about my likes, dislikes, mishaps and adventures in the food I eat and those that I dream about (so maybe I’m a little bit of a foodie). Not that I’m a food professional of some sort, but from a concerned South African trying to find out where I belong in this great and complicated foodscape (food landscape, just to clarify).




A foodscape that is changing so fast that most South Africans are caught unaware and if they are aware still plead ignorance. Where does this leave me the newly-graduated-adult?


Food Landscape


So, a little background on myself, I was a vegetarian for ten years and have since evolved into somewhat of a vampire. 
And all this magical growth happened before I turned 25. Needless to say I have been called every known term in the world when it comes to my eating habits. And that has given me the (I think) unique or rare view from both sides of the to-eat-or-not-to-eat fence.


How do you feel about this??? To be on the fence or not be on the fence? Does it even matter?

Before I even continue… Yes it is a fence and on which side of the fence you find yourself will no doubt influence the way you perceive me. I am not going to stand on a soapbox and preach about what you should and shouldn't eat, but I will to the best of ability try and influence (don’t know if it’s the right word) or persuade (sounds like I’m gonna force you) or educate (call it what you will!) about the foods that I eat. And I in turn ask that you help educate me in my own food choices (asking the internet for advice-the nerve).

At the moment I am a student/intern/amateur baker/initiate foodie/starting mountain biker/ series watcher/ book reader, and the moral of the story is that I don’t earn much! This has left me wondering:


1.       If I want to eat better, where do I start? The reason being, the foods students live off horrify me and frankly I've had my share of boxed, frozen and questionable food. Been there, done that, thrown away my t-shirt!
2.       Is it going to cost a lot? Does this mean because I have very little money, I have no choice in what I eat? And most importantly where I can buy it?
3.       Given that I am of enlightened generation (believers in Science and by default Global warming, NO it’s not a theory!!!!), how can I minimize my impact on the earth through my food choices? Or even worse, will it matter if I change my habits to greener ones?
4.       Where to buy organic/free range/basically guilt free food in South Africa? And will it cost me an arm and a leg? Does this still mean like Sandra Bullock once said: “My mom had to by organic food from someone’s basement”, does this hold true for me in a South African context?
5.       Can I grow my own food? How easy is this? Is it sustainable? Can I grow it on a balcony? Most importantly, how long do I have to wait?
6.       Am I a bad person for loving something sweet? Are those substitute-ingredient muffins really good?
7.       What does the future of food in South Africa hold for me?


I don’t want this page to be one of those run-of-the-mill review pages of the restaurants I've been to. This is a place where I would like to post about what I ate get some feedback and see if other people share my interest. And of course share your own experiences, likes, dislikes, mishaps and adventures about food. We are a community (or so I am told) and communities help each other, right?
So see this as a space where we can have lively discussion about what we eat. Why we love it or hate it? 

My mission is just to get you talking about food and food-related-lifestyle choices. So let’s get talking…  
Until, my first post about food! #Excited


Chat soon, Sandy