Looking forward

Since so little of this has actually been about food since I brought it back to life, I figured I’d give us all a break from the health stuff and talk a little about food. Sort of. Because everything you are informs everything you do and will do, of course there is an impact of what I’m going through now on what I’m looking forward to later.

One of the problems with getting radiation to your throat and mouth is the dampening of your taste and desire to eat. The taste buds themselves are just killed off, although they will come back after treatment ends. The issue I’m having with this is that as a result, I take a few bites of whatever, can’t really taste it, and suddenly my appetite thinks it has been sated. This, plus the general effects of treatment, is why I’m now down 14 pounds since the day I went into the hospital. I could have stood to lose a few pounds, but I can’t really afford to lose a ton of weight.

I dream about food these days, and today while watching FoodTV before the football games came on, I thought about all the things that I’m going to eat as soon as I’m able to taste things again and swallow them without choking.

Guacamole. Right off, that’s one thing I’ve been craving. I’ll be making that – and taking pictures – as soon as possible after we’re finished with all of this. And maybe a fresh roasted chicken/spinach/jack quesadilla to go along with it, with some sour cream on the side and some of my favorite sweet chili sauce.

Molasses-brined pork chops on the grill, with some steamed zucchini and onions, and perhaps some shoepeg corn.

Homemade barbeque sauce over some slow-grilled ribs, moist cornbread, and black-eyed peas.

A grilled turkey, tomato, and gruyere sandwich with a dijon-sour cream-red onion spread – this is fantastic.

Sushi. But not from my favorite sushi place here in town: this time, I’m making it myself. Even if it’s not right the first roll, the upside of all of this is that you can eat your mistakes. Maybe some tempura and dipping sauce to go along with that. I might have to move this up the list. Get some sushi-grade tuna, some crab, shrimp, veggies, and go to town.

Bread. All kinds of bread (assuming that my saliva issues aren’t so severe and long lasting that I can once again eat bread, that is). More cinnamon bread and whole wheat bread, and I could kick myself for not getting pictures of the last batches I made before surgery. Focaccia. Ciabatta.

Pastries, once my taste buds are back and I can taste sweets again. Tarts and pies and cookies and fudge. I could get into baking big time.

Homemade pork sausage, maybe with a touch of apple and me controlling the spices. Eggs benedict, with fresh hollandaise. Grits.

Fresh fruit. Fresh veggies. All kinds.

And a whole host of other things. Since I’ll be cooking just for myself, and maybe roping my family into taste testing – they’ll taste just about anything – and don’t have to worry now about food issues that belong to someone else, the sky really can be the limit. You lucky dogs will get not only my ramblings on that, but my renewed interest in photography to go along with it.

What do you crave when you’re in a mood?