Food For Thought

Monday Mind Dump

As much as I enjoy some things, like grilled and smoked meats, fruits, and vegetables, I’d 100% be on board for just taking a pill three times a day to serve as food whenever I wanted and not be bothered with the whole process of planning, shopping, preparing, and cooking. Even though I have it well-handled, at times, it becomes an annoyance that gets in the way of things I’d rather do. I’ve been at the point that eating is done to survive, not for enjoyment, for a long time. I just had no idea what my diet needed to be. Now, I know.

It’s funny that writing about the meals my characters are eating is more satisfying than the food itself. Most of them are eating things I haven’t had in years and can’t eat anyway. I remember how they taste, which is probably much better than my current reality. My tastes changed after months of forced fasting while on an IV. No more sugar or carb cravings. That’s great.

Yesterday, I got to enjoy fried catfish for the first time in over a year. Two yummy corn meal encrusted fillets with a piece of a buttermilk biscuit, and a spoonful of mashed potatoes and gravy. Was it good? Yeah, but…to be honest, not as good as I remember it being. Prior to my hospitalization, I’d have eaten the entire meal in full. I split the catfish in half and had the rest for dinner. I’d have had a bowl of mashed potatoes and grave, two biscuits, one with gravy, one with honey. No dessert, though. (We were at Babe’s Chicken, if you must know. ;) Great place, btw.)

My pancreas immediately did its job. Never went high. Hit 135 for all of 5 minutes, then it immediately dropped. Like. It’s. Supposed. To. Do. I’ve figured out that I can eat corn without a problem, however, I won’t. It’s filler. High in carbs for the amount. Not worth having frequently. Doesn’t taste as good as it did, which is great, because I don’t WANT to crave the foods that are bad for me. Honestly, I’d rather have popcorn if I’m having corn in any form!

Yeah, so when you see me describing a meal my characters are having, that’s me living through them. They have perfectly efficient bodies that can switch from running on fat to carbs and sugar with ease. Most of the year, they do stick to one type of food.

Specifically, my Fae would eat what’s available to them to hunt or grow. I had given this to thought in a novel called Urban Goblins, that they would be fine with high fructose corn syrup. :D Nowadays, I’m having second thoughts on how I’ll do things when their world changes. They’re all opportunistic hunter/gatherer/farmers. They also have very high metabolism, given that most of them have ‘abilities’ to power that are different from general humanity.

I’ve been thinking about it a lot. Diabetes, like quite a few other illnesses, like cancer, aren’t common among Fae. I’m sure they can occur, but it’s very rare. Most of it is because they don’t consume the same diet as humans. This would also be why when I write about Fae confined to cities, they tend to be in poor shape. They succumb to a poisoned environment easier than humans.

So now while I’m writing, I’m thinking about locations, the food they have at hand, and the type of Fae I’m writing about. Dragonfae are the best at adapting to any environment, but even they find city living challenging. The Shiftfae are much rarer in the modern day works…and now I know why. Not just because they have severe ADHD/Autism, but they were drawn to dangerous places. Naiads reside in water and are often affected by pollutants. They gain an immense amount of weight in the fall, mostly from eating fat-heavy prey leading up to winter. The Soliel, being more human-like, suffer from lack of sunlight and don’t tolerate winter cold. Dryads, who are essentially invulnerable and nigh-immortal can die due to long-term environmental stress.

I keep this in mind for the Arcane and my Sevenths. How the modern world changes them as we get closer to current day. For them, things were better when there was less technology. Even though both contribute to the advancement of tech in their worlds. The Arcadians are outright living in the modern day world in their city…in the 1400s, complete with our modern day problems.

It’s funny how such a small thing as diet, food quality, and overabundance can affect a story…and life.