Musings on a lifestyle change

Shinjuku was the second neighborhood we stayed in in Tokyo, and probably my favorite, for many reasons. Like much of Tokyo, it was a little bit of everything. I was amused at the long line outside of the Krispy Kreme just behind our hotel, and I was ecstatic to have found a Life is Macrobiotic supermarket on the other side of the hotel. I wrote in my travel notes that it was delightful to be in a store where I could eat anything--I didn't have to think about accidentally buying meat. And I loved that everything would be whole-grain, too. I wrote that if there was one diet closest to the way I aspired to eat, macrobiotics would be it.

I've long been a 'cheating' macrobiotic, but I recently decided that it was time to be more faithful. Within reason. I'm giving up dairy and eggs, unless I'm absolutely certain that the latter are organic, cruelty-free, etc. Which means giving up pre-made products containing eggs. And I'm going to be more serious about not having refined grains or sugars (I haven't kept any in the house for years, but now I'll avoid them outside the house as well). Why am I doing this? Well, like I said, it's pretty close to the way I'd 'ideally' eat, so I've decided to take the next step and just eat that way. The only real change is giving up dairy. I guess there's also embracing rice, which may be even harder. But I bought some black rice and red rice, which are more flavorful. Anyway, I've found that I need a more committed way to eschew the ingredients I know are not great for me (or the environment), because without making it official, I cheat at every opportunity... and opportunities abound. And I'm not going to go completely macrobiotic--I see no reason to give up nightshade veggies (don't even think about taking away my eggplant) or tea or coffee.

Fear not, however: I'm not going to preach at you. You know me, and you know I don't preach. I just don't believe in it. I believe that eating habits are highly personal and that everyone has to figure out their own. I can only continue to share information about food issues, and provide musings on how the new lifestyle is going.

But as a long-time vegetarian, I know that people are going to preach at me and expect me to justify my food choices. And you know I hate being put in a position to justify my food choices. It's tolerable in a one-time encounter but highly annoying when part of an ongoing situation, such as staying with my parents (or their staying with me), or when roommate would constantly bring it up. Oh, if only he could see my fridge and pantry now. I'm sure the massive bag of wakame alone would be quite the conversation-starter. But I digress. RM is irrelevant because he's of the past. Mom, however, is sure to give me even more crap about my food choices than she already does. Well, whatever. I have lots of practice in the art of listening to it and letting it go.