CassyLee (cassylee) wrote, @ 2009-08-27 06:33:00

You'd think I'd be inspired
In the last couple of months, I've read three books that revolved around the joys/loves/frustrations of cooking: "A Homemade Life" by Molly Wizenburg, "My Life in France" by Julia Child, and "Julie & Julia" by Julie Powell. Okay, so the last two were primarily because Mom & I really enjoyed the Meryl Streep movie & we visited a bookstore immediately after leaving the movie theater. But still that's a hell of a lot of books about cooking for someone who usually can barely be bothered with microwaving Green Giant vegetables. I even ordered (and received) "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" from Amazon, and I've occasionally cracked it open to look at specific recipes mentioned in "Julie & Julia". But I still feel no yearning to spend lots of time in the kitchen preparing elaborate food. Oh well, maybe when I'm feeling 100% ;-).

Speaking of - I'm at the tail end (hopefully) of the sickness now and I'm soon coming to the point where I have to decide something. See, I haven't had any coffee for the last 4 days. When I'm sick, I usually switch from coffee to tea because coffee no longer tastes or smells good to me. This means that when I'm sick I'm also going through a certain amount of caffeine withdrawal (yeah, the tea I drink has caffeine, but not nearly as much as my coffee) & so the headaches I've had are probably a combination of cold-symptom & semi-withdrawal. Now that I can see wellness in sight, I have to decide whether to stay off coffee & keep to tea, or if I should go back to coffee. Any opinions are welcome.

	drummergirl 2009-08-27 10:23 (link)
	TEA! Or how about Red Bull? (Though it is foul and disgusting, taste-wise.) (Reply to this) (Thread)

	cassylee 2009-08-27 11:25 (link)
	Nah, if do stay off coffee, it will be tea for me. I don't drink soft drinks very often - they're way too sweet for me, so I'm not inclined to try Red Bull. Besides, I imagine if I do this, I might eventually try to wean myself off all caffeine & switch to decaf tea - but that would be way, way far down the road ;-). (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	bettiepie 2009-08-27 10:55 (link)
	My first thought was that you CAN'T go off coffee, because it is the basis of our friendship! Then I remembered that I have been off coffee for some time and we still get along just fine. So I think you should do whatever you want. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	cassylee 2009-08-27 11:26 (link)
	My first thought was I couldn't go off coffee completely because who would I turn into without coffee? But then I remembered that you're still you, so I figured I should be safe enough in that regard ;-). (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	mdmealbertine 2009-08-27 11:26 (link)
	There are decent decafs out there. (Reply to this) (Thread)

nkl 2009-08-27 12:11 (link)

Decaf is evil. Or at least, pointless. I'm a tea drinker personally, coffee is just an occasional thing (at someone else's house or at a restaurant, but never at home). I'll get withdrawal headaches too, if I happen to go a full day without a cup, but then I drink rather strong tea, and only black teas. That said, you should go with whichever you prefer, and that sounds like coffee for you. I mean, there may be some drawbacks, but it's not like we're talking cigarettes here. Life is short, if you enjoy coffee, keep drinking coffee. (Reply to this) (Thread)

cassylee 2009-08-28 14:00 (link)

Yeah, it's true that coffee is, at best, a minor vice & I'm not really all that concerned about my caffeine intake. The main thing that's making me consider it is that I'm pretty sure this is not the last cold I'll ever have. And since coffee and I rarely get along when I have a cold, that means I regularly go through a certain amount of caffeine withdrawal while battling a cold. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

cosmicavatar 2009-08-27 13:17 (link)

Hey, I'm a fan of nuking frozen veggies myself. It's almost impossible to overcook them that way, I find, unlike boiling. As for the caffeine decision... I suppose if you've already got the worst of the withdrawal out of the way and you can do without the java, go for it. Tea is definitely better for you if you like it. (Unfortunately I love the taste of Diet Coke as well as the caffeine, so have never been without either for long.) (Reply to this) (Thread)

	soupytwist 2009-08-27 21:08 (link)
	If I ever give up coffee you will know that I am Evil!Katherine. That or when I suddenly grow a goatee. ;-) I'm kind of doing what you did with the Julia Child stuff, but I haven't seen the movie yet. I sort of liked Julie Powell's book, loved Julia Child's book, and I'm flipping through the recipes... but not cooking. I'm enjoying it more than I think I should. (Reply to this) (Thread)