Ode to coffee & those pesky persimmons

Ho hum, another fruity day! I just realized that I'm getting far enough into this that I actually have to start thinking about what day I'm on (9) with my current dietary iteration. I'm a total coffee FIEND right now (sorry, to all you purists), but I'm really trying to focus on getting over the food cravings right now -- which are definitely calming -- and then I'll deal with the headache of getting over the coffee. My husband and I have a trip -- NO KIDS! -- planned for Portland at the end of the month, and I feel like I need at least one crutch to get through that. Let he who has not sinned cast the first stone, eh??

The persimmons are just killing me lately! They are the laziest, most stubborn fruit I have ever seen in my life! I swear all they do is just sit on the windowsill, casually soaking up gallon after gallon of sweet sunshine, absolutely refusing to ripen. I have about 40 of them, all over the place, and I get like one ripe one a day. What a joke! I'm going to starve at this rate! I think the persimmons need some coffee too: Speed them up a little, you know! They have a cruel sense of humor too, because they taste so good when they're fully ripe. I guess that's why they're orange and come to life around Halloween time, sick things!

Speaking of the cruelty of persimmons, I forgot to mention that I think my last post was actually made possible by this slow ripening, as the persimmons I used were not at their most luscious, gooey, smooshy stage, but just before this stage, therefore more starchy, thus providing the gelatinous, adhesive quality so crucial to childhood fun.

I've been having some issues around fully letting go of condiments, in the form of something, anything! on my evening salad. I've been doing about a tablespoon of olive oil usually, plus maybe a dash (very small though) of balsamic vinegar or nama-shame-on-you (that's nama shoyu -- unpasteurized soy sauce -- to the unitiated). But I have to say that I'm making huge progress, so I'm really trying not to get too hung up on my "imperfections", as I do feel I'll be able to either work on this actively at a later stage, or it will just come naturally. You must remember that I cook for my family, and then sit down and eat my salad (joy of absolute joys!), smelling all their culinary delights all the while. Last night, for example, I made homemade vegan tacos, by taking a gluten roast I had made the other night, putting it in the food processor to make "taco meat", then adding Mexican spices and cooking that. I made homemade tortillas too. As you can guess this all smells absolutely disgusting! No, honestly, I wasn't quite as sucked into the gorgeous smell of it as I would have been a few days ago, so I was able to just let it go.

I am reareading the book The China Study. If you haven't read it, it's a must-read. It's not about raw food, per se, but about the benefits of a plant-based diet. I have decided that although it's unrealistic for me to turn my whole family into staunch raw foodists -- which is not my intention or desire right now -- I do think veering toward veganism is a must. Not necessarily a thou-shalt-not-ever kind of veganism, but a this-is-what-we-do-in-the-home kind of veganism. Gary, my husband, is not such a cheese freak anyway, so it really wouldn't be too difficult with a small amount of effort and creativity on my part (need a vegan cookbook, for one: Any recommendations??).

Off to graze on some bananas ...