Wah!

[camwyn]

I started Lent this year with the intention of giving up more than last. I'm not much of a Catholic - I do this for reasons of personal self-discipline and tradition, rather than for mandated religious reasons, mostly. I have so many friends with dietary restrictions of some kind, whether medical or self-imposed, that I thought a good exercise in understanding would be to get both strict and consistent. Since I've done 'no meat' the past two Lents, I figured this year I'd expand it a smidge - nothing that required an animal to die. This rules out meat, fish, shellfish, and so on, but it also rules out anything that involves gelatin and most kinds of cheese. Kosher cheese is okay, as is any cheese made from vegetable rennet, and I have no objections to eggs as long as they're not fertile (although that's more because fertile eggs squick me out to begin with).

So, anyway, for lunch today I brought wheat and soy-based simulated beef from home, plus some vegetarian refried beans (look, Ma, no lard!). I thought 'hmm, chips might be nice with this'. Most of the snack machine's chip selection was gone, except the new Cooler Ranch Doritos. I put in my sixty cents, got the bag, and started towards my desk - then turned the bag over and nearly cried. Even Cooler Ranch contains cheddar cheese, and they aren't marked kosher dairy.

I so cannot wait for Easter. I want my cheese back!

Comments

[lwood.livejournal.com]

This rules out meat, fish, shellfish, and so on, but it also rules out anything that involves gelatin and most kinds of cheese.

There's vegetable gelatin, you know -- tapioca is safe, as would be a big glass of boba (iced tea with milk... well, soy milk for you, then with BIG vegetable gelatin balls inna bottom)... assuming boba exists out there. Check your local Vietnamese community, etc.

And I do salute your discipline on this one.

-- Lorrie

*There's* a thought.

[camwyn]

Regular milk is okay, although I tend to prefer soy milk anyway (the taste). Maxim's Oriental Grocery is pretty good about that kind of thing. I may have to check them out tomorrow anyway. Boba, you say?

Made dinner tonight for me and my dad. Spaghettini with a really basic tomato-paste-based sauce. Fscking lack of fscking kosher pecorino fscking romano. fsck.

Re: *There's* a thought.

[lwood.livejournal.com]

Boba, I do say. It may also be called milk tea, but it'll come in one of those twelve-ounce Solo cups with the largest-bore straw you've ever seen, almost a centimetre inside diameter.

Found some links:

http://www.cnn.com/2000/FOOD/news/11/27/bubble.tea.ap/
http://www.hi-yaa.com/fuel.html
http://www.bubbleteaonline.com/bubbletea/bubbletea.shtml

Supplies/Recipes:
http://www.bubbleteastore.com/
(no, the coconut jelly is not necessary)
http://www.bubbleteasupply.com/
http://www.tenren.com/bubteapow.html

These all assume sweetened condensed cow's milk, but I'm sure a soy substitute could be worked out.

-- Lorrie

Re: *There's* a thought.

[camwyn]

Well, I gave it a shot today, and the Emack and Bolio's version with the peppermint flavour is really quite nice. I'd heard about the stuff before and thought I might try it, just never got around to it - thanks for the push in that direction.

Re: *There's* a thought.

[lwood.livejournal.com]

Always happy to encourage people to try strange new foods... and would you believe it wasn't until now that I thought of the incident with the Theta Chi brothers and every drink the cafeteria had to offer?

-- Lorrie

Re: *There's* a thought.

[camwyn]

Bah. That wasn't strange. That was moderately disgusting, but it wasn't strange. God never intended orange juice and Hi-C to be mixed with cocoa, coffee, and root beer.

Re: *There's* a thought.

[lwood.livejournal.com]

I think it was the grape juice and milk that made the actual, latex-like head on the thing.

-- Lorrie