Friday, August 15, 2008

A Vegan's Nightmare- Philly and Jersey Shore "Comfort Food"




Hoagies, Clams, and Crabs! A Vegan's nightmare :-)
Yum, Yum!
I'm on vacation in my old stomping grounds of the Philadelphia suburbs and New jersey Shore to spend time with family.
When I'm on vacation I make it a point to let loose and eliminate as many restrictions on my behavior, including my health conscious diet. One requirement of a visit to the East Coast is to enjoy some of the comfort foods of my misspent youth in Philadelphia. Mandatory food groups include all of the things that I caution people not to eat in my book, Rich Remedies, Volume 1.
Three things that are on the top of the toxic food leader board that I must eat are hoagies, clams, and Maryland Blue crabs. Read- "high processed monkey meat", and bottom feeding shellfish.
They are absolutely delicious! I'm happy that I don't make a steady diet of these like I did in the old days. These food groups are a vegan's nightmare.
Everythng in moderation, including moderation.
The hoagie as it is called in Philly is named for the laborers who invented the meaty sandwich who worked on Hog Island near the City of Brotherly Love on the Delaware River. Outside of Philly the hoagie is called a submarine sandwich or "sub" for short. The good ones are full of various processed lunch meats like ham, bologna, and Lebanon bologna. American processed white cheese is added along with ice burg lettuce, tomatoes, onions and peppers. Oil and vinegar, salt and pepper for seasoning. These are laid on top of a long, doughy white roll,
A good hoagie combines all the food groups that my hero Michio Kushi warns against in the Macrobiotic diet. A "coronary on a bun" is a nice way to describe a good one. Highly processed meats, cheese, on refined, white flour bread. Food combining at it's finest!
The Maryland crabs and the clams are bottom feeders. They get their nutrition by filtering water. So if the water is polluted or there is the presence of heavy metals, they will drink it and store it in their little bodies.
These little critters are steamed in a pot. The crabs are seasoned with Old Bay seasoning which is a spicy herb mixture of peppers, salt, and bay leaf.
So how do I conscious this blatant violation of my basic dietary guidelines?
Easy- I let my hair down and just enjoy these delicacies that I rarely touch any more.
To assuage (satisfy) the minuscule pangs of guilt I have eating this stuff, I take extra probiotics, drink barley powder , take alfalfa, tablets, drink EMX-1, Omega 3 fish oil caps, kelp tablets, and a few other supplements. I also drink plenty of water to flush the toxins out of my system.
When I return home I will do a heavy metal cleanse (crabs & clams hang out where heavy metals are present). This time I will try out a new product Ziolyte that is said to bind to heavy metals and remove them from the body.
So you see, I am consciously in violation of my dietary guidelines, but have a deliberate plan to get back on purpose as soon as I get back to town. I think you can indulge in almost any way you please as long as you have a good cleansing strategy and supplementation regime. That's not advice, just my personal practice and opinion.
AHO
Richard
PS- Everything in moderation, including moderation. If something makes you happy and doesn't hurt anyone else......do it.....just not frequently!

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Dear Rich,

It's good that you are a vegan, even if it's solely for the health benefits.

I am originally from Philadelphia (now live in California) and spend many wonderful summers at the Jersey shore. In consideration of a visit east, I was looking to see what vegan-friendly establishments I might expect to find.

Unfortunately, as I am a vegan due to deeply held moral convictions, I would not be comfortable "taking a break" and eating some animals (almost assuredly factory-farmed animals, at that).

I am sad, though not surprised, to read that the Jersey shore is none too accomodating to vegans. I have just begun my research, but I do expect to find vegan options in Philadelphia.

Take Care!

Stephanie Falcone