RAWhoy there mateys!

Hoping this email finds you well and happy - if not, please eat more living foods! ;-)

A couple weeks later I'm sitting at my computer and the logistics and reality of the trip hit me. I turned to Matt and said (words to the effect of:) "I can't believe I agreed to the terms of this agreement!" I hadn't travelled on a long journey before on a motorcycle and when the reality of it sank in, I was like "um excuse me - can I get a refund please?" :-)

Matt, too, said he was surprised I agreed to taking a long motorcycle ride down and we talked a bit about not traveling on the highways and taking it slow, etc. Well, that seemed to satisfy me so I said, "sounds good." And then the day before the trip came and I was *really* processing this. "UM! I'm not sure this is really feeling good and right to me." Frankly, I was nervous about how my body would be on a motorcycle - I've had issues with my hips and knees for quite a while... Granted, we'd be able to ride more slowly on the back roads but that would also mean that we'd take a longer time on the back of a bike. I was nervous about riding at night, riding on highways, being near trucks, smelling exhaust from other cars. Then there was the whole idea of "is this really the responsible thing for two parents to be doing?" I was grappling with an equal feeling of wanting to do this because I think it would be fun and a bit of guilt that I thought I shouldn't want to do this because I'm a parent of young kids... Matt told me to just let him know in the morning and that either way it would be fine with him - he's still excited for the trip whether in a car or on a motorcycle. What a good friend and partner he is!

Well, the morning came. I confess that I awoke pretty early in the morning and had my whole inner dialogue about going past my comfort zone and whether I needed to be doing this and why do I always jump head on into everything I do in life, etc. and so forth. More than anything I wanted to relax for a couple days and I wasn't sure it was even possible to relax on a motorcycle. The two just don't seem to go together. Matt left me be in the morning but asked for a decision as time was moving faster than I was. "Let's go for a ride on the motorcycle," I said. The words came out and I was pretty pleased with them, but a bit surprised that I actually said them.

Matt helped me with my gear - he even got me rain gear just in case. What?! We're going to ride in the rain?!?! This wasn't on the agenda!!! I sat on the motorcycle and as Matt was ready to take off, I said, "I am scared to death!"

Matt pulled out of the driveway. Breathe Linda. Relax.

Well! I could write on about the experience but this is already getting long. Long and short is: I had a FANTASTIC time! I'm so thrilled to be Matt's motorcycle bee-atch! :-) I had a thoroughly wonderful experience. I found out that you *CAN* relax while being so awake and alert on a motorcycle. I marveled in the sights and smells and enjoyed everything immensely. EVEN riding in the rain and the fog and the dark. We really got into a groove and it was just fun. "I could imagine touring Europe this way!" was something I said to Matt when we got off for our first stretch and now I'm sure he's dreaming about touring bikes. Oh dear. :-)

But how does this relate to raw foods? Well, in many ways. I face a lot of fears (silly though they may appear) in my journey of raw foods. I face a lot of guilt and shame and emotions regarding food. Face the fears of how to socialize with others who feel uncertain about the way I eat (and the emotions/guilt/shame this stirs in them as well). I faced the fears of initially starting this journey not knowing fully how I was going to feel, what I was going to eat each day, what I was going to eat in the winter, how was this all going to affect my lifestyle, etc. Was I going to suddenly have blue dreadlocks and ask to be referred to as "Moon Angel" or something? But it also brought up the whole travelling while raw again and each time I do it, I no doubt uncover a bit more about myself and also thankfully find a lot more peace and forgiveness with regards to my self and my choices. 37 years to get through a lot of guilt and shame folks and I'm not perfect (nor do I want to be.)

We were travelling really light, as you can imagine, and I'm the sort that *HAS* to bring food and water with me wherever I go. I often wonder if I was reincarnated from a starving person or something because there is a lot of emotions tied with me on not having any food to eat. (OMG, What if all I find are gas stations with 2-day-old-iceberg-lettuce-and-carrot-salads for sale?) I didn't even have my purse readily on hand and that was also a totally new thing for me. (by the way, I really liked it and so did my back!) :-) And, the other interesting thing to note is that while riding and being out in the open, ALL sights and sounds are available to you. I smelled sweet grass and water in the air and pine trees which was heavenly but I also smelled plenty of fried food and BBQs and those smells are nice AND they trigger much more in a person like me. (I don't think there is a person out there who isn't affected by food smells. Some you like, some you don't but almost all of them conjure up a feeling or memory - good, bad or indifferent.)

So what did we eat? Well, here's the breakdown more or less:

Saturday am: water and a fruit pudding. this usually ties me over for several hours. Somewhere around 2 or 3 pm we stopped to get gas and found a little deli. We had a large salad of iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, green peppers and cucumbers with an italian dressing. Drank more water. (Travelling always makes one dehydrated!) We arrived at the hotel around 8 or 8:30 pm I think. We ordered in because our bodies were pretty tired of being on a bike all day. We ordered from an italian restaurant. More water, large house salad (romaine lettuce - a little bit greener but still not what we are used to eating for salads, cucumbers, green peppers, tomatoes and olives with italian dressing) and we ordered some fried calamari. Why? The smells, the picture on the menu, and the feeling of when in rome (or in this case NJ) do as the romans. I want to say that I am at a wonderful point in my eating that if I want something, I will try it. More than anything, I'm freeing myself of the restrictive-diet-feeling so for me, I'm happy to be rid of some guilt and shame with regards to food. But you know what? (I bet you can guess.) The fried calamari tasted like crap. Hard to eat - actually hurt my teeth, chalky tasting coating and bland. No flavor. Raw foods really is jam-packed with flavor and it's always a trip to eat cooked food after eating raw for a while. Try it for a week and you'll see. No comparison in taste, texture, flavor, hydration, etc. Just made me chuckle. I didn't really expect anything else, I guess. Plus I felt a heavy full feeling that I'm not really used to anymore. Interesting, isn't it?

Sunday am: No shock: wasn't hungry. Wanted water - felt dry in my mouth but I didn't really want to buy another small bottle of water for 2 bucks. The hotel had breakfast items and Matt brought me some pears. I ate 2 of them and we basically went on our way. We got to the little bookstore with some time to kill. We went to a little convenience store and the owner was so cute. He was showing us and giving us food that he eats from India that "is so different than what you get here." Peanuts that have been roasted in clay pots on the sand and lightly salted. No chemicals. Same for garbanzo beans. He remarked on how he finds the taste so different than what is sold here in the states. He told us about how he used to drink raw milk straight from the cow and how active everyone is in India. Nobody has the weight and health issues that we have here. Interesting to just have this conversation with this man! I bought a gallon of water from him, some of those Indian peanuts for the kids, 2 peaches and one of those little shots of ginseng and royal jelly. Why the ginseng? Because I used to always see them at every store in NY and I never tried them before. Matt and I nearly finished the whole gallon of water in 2 hours. The ginseng shot thing had a funny after taste but I'm glad to have finally tried it.

We left the little talk with the author, which was totally fun by the way. We ate peaches and headed to our journey home. We weren't really hungry and really only ate the peaches because I bought them and they'd get smooshed in the case otherwise. We drove for a few hours, stopping to get gas or stretch. Matt ate an apple but otherwise we were not in the mood for food. It was still hot and I really just wanted water. Around 6, we stopped at a place that was closed but it was a place I'd like to visit again. A restaurant with a garden in the front yard. You could sit under the awning with tomato plants vining up and around it. It was closed but I couldn't resist picking a tomato. It was DELICIOUS! I love ripe tomatoes off the vine. I ate it like an apple and found it totally satisfying. The best thing all weekend. We drove for another hour or so. It was starting to get dark and we were beginning to feel cold and wet so we stopped to eat at another cute mom & pop place off one of these back roads we were on. They had a salad bar with actual green, greens! RED peppers, raw broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, carrots, tomatoes and lots more that I'm forgetting to mention. This was beautiful and just what the doctor ordered. I drank an orange spice herb tea and warmed up and was totally ready to get back on the road. The drive was amazing. The ability to not talk was fantastic. I loved hearing only the wind for the 8- or 9-hour drives. I loved seeing the birds in the sky and the animals on the side of the road (not the road kill, obviously.) Owl, deer, rabbits, frogs, opossum, etc. I totally felt like I had ~18 hours of meditation and relaxation and totally dug the whole thing. I loved riding in the dark and the fog the most, I think. I loved the winding roads and coming into finding small villages and towns after long, straight stretches. I loved the lushness of the earth in the country. But I loved all of this below 60 mph! :-)

FIELD NOTES:

I survived traveling without food on hand. I didn't starve to death and the iceberg and peeled cucumbers actually served as more water since that's all it basically is and all I basically wanted anyway. I actually felt freer to not have all the room that I normally have to carry coolers of things. The only thing that I was longing for was water. Traveling and eating light seemed to make for a fantastic experience because when food wasn't there, I didn't think about it so much. (Nothing there to munch on out of boredom or just because it's there.) Plus it was obviously exciting to be on a motorcycle so there was more to do and see. What I thought of initially as restrictive turned out to be a bit liberating! Yippee skippee and many honored thanks to Matt for having this great idea and being so flexible and easy with me.

By the way, today we were more hungry! Green smoothie for breakfast, some leftover raw "meatloaf" for lunch and dinner was my scrumptious raw mock tuna with a whole bunch of purple cabbage. Wasn't in the mood for lettuce! go figure! ;-)

Thanks for reading my story!

upcoming raw food haps

see my complete calendar here

Nut Milk/Sprouting Bags for Sale $7.50 each for 9 x 12 bag or $8.50 for 12 x 12 bag (plus tax) These are high quality nut milk and sprouting bags. Each bag is hand-made right here in VT and quality tested to ensure that you receive the finest product. Satisfaction guaranteed. These bags are ideal for any number of straining or sprouting uses. Fine mesh material minimizes sediment and allows for sprouting of even the smallest of seeds and grains, while bias cut, surge sewn construction ensures durability. We make these bags based on experience and prefer them in our own kitchen. Each bag comes with a nifty how-to and recipes sheet that Linda put together. Please email us to get yours and check around - these are great prices for great product. Ask us about buying these wholesale.

Weekly Raw Food Coaching is available! This is ideal for those who wish to receive weekly raw food recipes (a food plan) plus email support. I have weekly recipes for the newbie raw fooder (or for anyone who wishes to have a raw food dietary plan mapped out for them.) You'll receive 3 recipes plus snacks each day for 7 days. Recipes plus shopping list are included as well as email support from me! Cost of weekly food plan + email support is $40.00/week. Contact me at 223-2111 or linda@vt-fiddle.com for more info or to register.

Guided Customized Raw Food Challenges are also available! Please contact me for information: 223-2111 or linda@vt-fiddle.com

• For all of my raw food classes (including Alissa's) I offer a free NUT MILK/SPROUTING BAG to Hunger Mountain Coop members. So mention that when you register for classes and I'll hook you up.

• I also have Alissa's Living on Live Food book here for sale and it is also for sale at Hunger Mountain Coop. 

raw food recipe of the week

Spicy Yam Chips
www.goneraw.com

Makes a few handfuls.

Ingredients

6 yams
1/3 cup cold-pressed olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon celtic sea salt
1⁄2 teaspoon powdered cumin

Preparation

1. In a food processor, slice the yams as thinly as possible.
2. Mix the olive oil and seasonings, then pour over the yams.
3. Massage oil into yams to make sure each is well coated.
4. Dehydrate until crispy at 115°F for about 12 hours. (Linda's note: you can dehydrate at 105º for a bit longer if that temperature is a concern for you.)

The secret to this recipe is to get your yams thin, thin, thin. Otherwise, the chips can become more chewy than crispy. They're still good, but the crispy ones are the best!

Also wanted to send you these links for your browsing pleasure:

This came from Sheila on this list - thanks Sheila! Have a look and see what you think. Matt saw these pictures and it didn't phase him one bit. Me? I was really grossed out: mystery meat. This guy took macrophotography (really close up shots) of things like sausage and luncheon meat.

And this one is from Matt. Nothing related to food, just totally cool how this dude plays the flute to the tune of inspector gadget: flute link on YouTube