The good, the fat, and the foodie

It’s a vicious cycle. The foodie’s personal cross to carry: How to reconcile our ravenous appetites with healthy living. I had it down right — or so I thought.  If I forced myself to exercise five times a week, heck I could eat whatever I want. And well, I was right. And then I was wrong.

I went on a holiday for two weeks and skipped my daily exercise for one month. Unless you can count lifting a pint of ice-cold German beer to my lips as bicep curls and roaming around the streets of Berlin looking for a spot to eat as cardio, I did zero.

Every bit of muscle and strength I earned over a four-month period was quickly lost in a 20-minute moment of pure pleasure indulging in a rum flambéed creamy pasta delight tossed in a Parmesan wheel and generously covered in black truffles.

Sometimes I say, “Damn it all! I live to eat and I’ll eat what I love.” Therefore, I love to live and live to love. Then a little bulge shows here in my belly, which I don’t bother about until for some reason I start to hear stories on all sides about people dear to me having heart issues, high blood pressure, even cancer. Then I go into remorse.

 A few days ago, despite my heavy vacation eating, I carnivorously ate a super prime rib eye bone. I was a saber-tooth tiger lurking and stalking his prey — only politeness and some small concern for decorum stalled my attack. It sat there, beautiful, vulnerable, and vulgar all at the same time. Lonely on that wooden board as the slices of prime meat abandoned it. I went in for the kill.

A healthy but tasty dinner: Low-cal and low-cholesterol

Nibbled on every piece of char-grilled burnt fat. High-impact flavor: smoky and rich; I felt fangs growing slowly and my blood curdling with delight. I smacked my lips, discreetly rubbed my belly, and enjoyed the numbness brought upon by a cholesterol high. This can’t be good for me. But it is just so good.

Is good food like a drug? Some kind of addiction that makes your mouth water and your taste buds shiver with delight.

Not enough good stuff? Your body goes into withdrawal symptoms cringing and aching for that one virtuous and existential moment between you and an amazing piece of meat.

How can something so delicious be so dangerously bad? Sure, I want to live a full life but not a short one. How far are we willing to go in terms of sacrificing health for palatable pleasure?

What’s the demarcation line between healthy living and bland living? For how long and how many times will we take that lechon and deep fry it some more? (My dear friend, you know who you are!) And in my case, strip the fat off lamb chops and fry it to a crisp like some decadent popcorn for a few seconds of wondrous flavor and years of high cholesterol.

 After a whole month of nonstop porcine and bovine indulgence, I have decided to try to be a little healthier.

Some kind of proof to myself and to everyone else that a truly nutritious meal can be quite tasty. I am also leaving for Paris in one week and well need to cleanse before I go because my first stop will be at the fromagerie loading up on the stinkiest cheeses. I had to break the habit. Go cold turkey. Kill the meat craving. Luckily, I really love fish, seafood, and veggies just as much. I just got caught up in some kind of meaty fatty funk. I pledge to go one week pescatarian.

I can hear it now. The loud muffled silence of shock. “Ooh.” “Ahh.” “Huh.” I have to ignore the gorgeous hunk of truffle salami sitting patiently in my refrigerator? What about the rich Pate au Piment d’Espelette? How about crispy fried chicken? Luscious salty and tangy skin. Ignore. Ignore it all. Sorry my little precious. Just for one week.

I have to confess I already broke my pledge. I had fried chicken for lunch. I forgot. But, I had salad and no French fries. I worked out hard at the end of my day and came up with something rather yummy and light to make up for my boo-boo. Filet of sole with onion, chili, and lime dressing accompanied by grilled vegetables and quinoa. The grilled fennel, eggplant, butternut squash, and zucchini had a nice intense smokey flavor. Slightly sweet. Quinoa? It’s a Peruvian grain that I’ve been using for a long time as a cheat replacement for rice. Twelve grams of protein for every 100 grams. It’s also extremely high in fiber and really easy to cook.

I love the nutty taste and delicate crunch. The red onions added a natural sweetness and depth to the light white flesh of the sole. The zest of the local lime suga that I stole and had carried all the way from Cagayan de Oro added the perfect amount of brightness and exoticism with the hot red chili. This local lime has such an interesting fragrance not far from kaffir lime, but more delicate. All in all, the meal was tasty, fulfilling, and easy to prep. It was also low calorie and high in fiber. I felt like I did so well that I deserved a good pat on the back and some dark chocolate.

I’m not sure if I can last the week being pescatarian, but I’ll try. If I do survive I’ll reward myself with a gorgeous rare piece of French meat drowning in a green pepper butter sauce with a mountain of crisp duck fat French fries. And if I don’t? I’ll be lining up in front of L’Entrecôte consoling myself with the fact that studies have shown that red wine helps with cholesterol and the heart. I will definitely have a glass, why not two or perhaps half the bottle? Just for good measure.

Fillet Of Sole With Red Onion, Chili And Lime Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

2 pcs. fillet of sole

Sole-searching: Fillet of sole with lime dressing

1/2 red onion, finely minced

2 pcs. red fresh chilis or siling labuyo

1 pc. suga or local lime or

lemon zested and juiced

2 tbsps. olive oil

1 tbsp. fresh chopped flat leaf parsely

salt and pepper

Procedure:

In a non-stick pan, heat on medium, drizzle some olive oil, and cook fish about 1-1/2 minute per side. Sole is very thin and cooks quickly. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from pan and keep warm. In the same pan, add remaining olive oil and saute onions and chilis for about three minutes. Add lime or lemon juice. Remove from heat and pour over fish. Sprinkle zest over fish and garnish with parsley. Serves two.