Another Adventure at the Asian Food Market

Now that I get up so early, it's easier to beat the crowds/noise on the bus.

Yesterday, I got to the asian food market first thing in the morning and had a good look at the wares.

A long time ago, I thought that east Asian cuisine was generally healthy because east Asians are generally slim and didn't seem to eat a lot of processed garbage. Now I know better.

Nearly every processed food in the market contained MSG, even the spices. I don't know what MSG is beyond some type of flavoring, but, because of all "no MSG" food labels and a couple anti-MSG health warnings I've seen, I have the notion that it's something to be avoided. There were also lots of food coloring and dyes and other industrial-sounding ingredients, the kind I generally avoid.

I wanted to try something beyond my usual mung bean noodles, especially some spices. I managed to find a packet of Vietnamese stew base. The food is roughly divided up by aisle: there's a Philipin@ and Vietnamese aisle, maybe a Thai/Chinese/Japanese aisle, and an Indian food aisle. The Indian food was much healthier, mostly pure spices and unprocessed stuff. I found a box of Indian barbecue seasoning that is delicious and didn't cost much.

Spices have become particularly important because I think I've discovered the secret to improving my blood sugar issues: avoiding added and refined oils. That means that I'm trying to get my fats only from food that naturally contains fat, such as nuts and olives. So I can no longer rely on seasonings that contain added oil. I used to lean heavily on bouillon cubes that contained a lot of shea butter. I've noticed that I'm no longer starving and low-blood-sugary an hour after eating rice now that I've stopped adding oil to it. I thought the oil was the key to keeping my blood sugar from crashing, but it seems to do the exact opposite. I once saw a video of another hypoglycemic person saying that oil prevents the body from absorbing the carbs properly, and that leads to post-meal hypoglycemic blood sugar crashes. I think she may have been right.

I also finally bought a package of dried shitake mushrooms. I used to always worry about the price, and, indeed, at five bucks for a ~10 ounce package, they aren't cheap. I felt that I could afford them this month. I actually didn't know the price until I got up to the register. A lot of items in the store don't have visible prices. It adds to the adventure. Shitake mushrooms seem to hold a special place in Chinese cuisine, I think they are supposed to have some special health properties (I guess all food does), and I want in on that, whatever it is. Before I was done looking around, other customers arrived and we were all in one another's way, so I didn't dawdle much longer.

Next I went to the dollar store and finally found some compression items for my hands and feet. I tried them for the first time this morning, an exceptionally cold morning. I had to position the wrist compression thingies so that they were on my hands, not on my wrists, lest they cut off my circulation again. They did indeed keep my hands warm, but they also cut off circulation to my fingertips, which eventually began to hurt. I loosened them again and again, but it didn't help or maybe I didn't wait long enough for my fingertips to stop hurting.

I didn't get much experience with the ankle compressors (which I positioned on my feet instead of on my ankles) because my feet don't really start to get cold until late in the morning walk (which I abandoned early due to the cold-induced discomfort). I did begin to feel my toes going numb, however. So compression isn't the answer. I was so distracted by my discomfort that I couldn't pay attention to my Mandarin lesson, and I shut it off less than halfway through and hobbled home on my numb and compressed feet with only maybe two-thirds of my usual brain function. The cold is robbing me of exercise.

I went out and did more grocery shopping after the walk, missed the next bus home, and ended up waiting around at the mall, dozing next to the Santa feature. I am surprised that people still bring their kids to this crap, even dress them up for it. I saw a couple little girls with tights on and it made me a bit angry. Don't parents know that those tights itch like crazy? Or was that just me? Surely not.

Finally, it was time to catch the next bus. I felt exhausted, so I bumbled and allowed my groceries to topple over a couple of times. I've been getting more sleep than usual for the past couple of nights, about six hours instead of my usual five, but, ever since I started getting up early, something about being out in the late morning/early afternoon sun seems to make me sleepier than any other time of day except maybe bedtime. If I stay indoors, I don't experience this. It's like my body is ready for a nap at noon, but I cannot take one. Not here at home anyhow. I felt able to fall asleep in the mall but of course I couldn't have done that. Thieves and sexual predators would take advantage.

After I got off the intercity bus, I decided to wait for the local bus, which takes me almost right up to my apartment complex. I waited for ten minutes before I remembered that it doesn't run today. So I had to haul my groceries another mile on the walk home. It took something out of me, even with a wheeled cart.

Finally I got home and it was time to eat. First I had an unbelievable meal of fruit: a couple of organic bananas with PB powder and a fruit salad of dates, canned pears, and thawed strawberries. It tasted incredible, put me in a great mood, and gave me a ton of energy.

Then I tore into my bag of Calrose rice. Rice is one of the most satisfying foods I've ever eaten, and I'm over the moon that I can, it seems, have it again. I'd been craving cabbage for days, so I added red cabbage, spinach, green chard, green onion, red bell pepper, and another spice I bought today. This meal was also fantastic. There are few things in life that rival the pleasure of a sufficient serving of vegetables. I usually hold back on veggies because (organic) produce is so expensive (and of course I'm not going to significantly increase my intake of non-organic produce, like some prole).

This is going to be a wonderful month for my tastebuds.

Mandarin is taking over my life and I'm finding it difficult to work in my other languages. If I could just get a bit more sleep/energy, I think I can make it happen. Along with the extra hour of sleep I've been getting, I've been waking up dehydrated to the point of being headachey and fatigued, and I don't know why nor what to do other than keep taking salt first thing in the morning. The salt prevents the headache from worsening, but it doesn't relieve the fatigue. I guess I'll try taking some tonight before bed...or maybe I won't. I've tried taking electrolytes at bedtime before, and it sort of dried me out so badly that it brought on dehydration. Maybe I'll try adding just a modest amount of extra salt to my last meal. That shouldn't be as damaging as a whole electrolyte capsule.

I have a lot more to say but it'll have to wait until tomorrow.