Russian Vodka and Local Eating

I have the plague. Really, what I have is a nasty cold/flu, but I'm feeling about as pathetic as if I had the plague. It started on Saturday, though I mistook it for being seriously hungover (because I was), but by that evening, the scratchy throat, ear aches, sniffles and coughing had truly set in, and yeah... Insult to (self-inflicted) injury. *sigh*

My kitten, Eva, helping me read
 

I really want to do a proper review of the restaurant we went to on Friday, Rasputin, but I don't think I can currently do it justice. For now, I will simply say that a very good time was had, the food was lovely and the service was too. With a party of 16, they were able to accomodate my dietary restrictions and still managed to get us all fed at close to the same time. I have also learned, without a shadow of a doubt, that everyone is Russian with enough Vodka! Oy. 

I really shouldn't be too upset about being unwell, all things considered. This is, for all intents and purposes, the first full on cold I've had all winter, and this after my husband spent almost a month trying to cough up a lung with a really nasty bug he picked up right around the holidays. I honestly believe that the way we eat, cutting out foods that affect my immune system has kept me from getting all the colds and stuff that have been floating around. I've noticed for some time that I also haven't had nearly as many Lupus flare ups as I used to, and when I do, they aren't as bad. Works for me!

When you start thinking about how one thing affects another, and how that can lead to other ideas and places, and connections, it can take you through some very interesting thought processes. How does the way we eat affect us physically can lead to questions like how does it affect us socially, economically, culturally, and environmentally. Deep thoughts for being stuck in bed with the sniffles, I know, but not new thoughts. For a number of years, I have taken advantage of the Farmers Baskets programes offered locally, and love that I can support a local farmer and get some phenomenally fresh produce all summer long without having to support large box grocery stores. I truly believe that eating well is one of the most subversive acts of rebellion we have available to us, that really can have a far reaching impact. So, with that in mind, I have been terrifying my husband with the concepts behind the 100 Mile Diet.

I have only just started reading up on this, though the name pretty much explains it. You only eat/injest what comes from within a 100 mile radius of where you are. When I started talking about this as an idea, he almost cried (I think he'd take his coffee intravenously if he could, and I am fairly certain coffee doesn't grow in Quebec), and really, with all of the changes he has made to his diet for me (without complaint!!), we have agreed to a compromise. The 100 Mile Dinner. So, on the last Tuesday of every month, we will put together a meal that can be sourced from either 100 miles (in a circle on a map, that allows for some cross boarder into Ontario and maybe the tip of Vermont even) or from Quebec. So, for now, I am reading The 100-Mile Diet: A year of local eating by Alisa Smith and J.B. MacKinnon.  This should be interesting!