Overpowering. That's the only word I can think of that describes this book. It knocks you down with it's perspectives and descriptions of life. I don't know how an American could write so convincingly about life in a completely different culture. It's one of those books that makes you want to find some poor child and just hug him and give him everything he needs.
What I really took from this book is how much luxury I have in my life. Sure I'm a "struggling" college student, but I have never looked at bare cupboards and wondered whether or not I'd be able to buy food. I've never had to subsist on ramen noodles and bread for a month because I don't have money for anything else. Sure I can't buy everything I would like, but I'm definitely not starving or suffering from malnutrition.
I think the reason that the talk of food struck me is that I've really been focusing on that lately. I've been trying to read a lot of articles on nutrition and how eat healthy on a college budget. I'm trying to start "dieting" in a way that I can just get myself into good, healthy habits for life. I've read so many articles it's ridiculous. Everyone has a different opinion about the best way to eat, but there are a few things I've found.
1) Get as natural as you can. Whole grains are great. Stay away from cans and boxes as much as possible.
2)Don't limit yourself. Don't completely cut out sweets or salty foods, just find healthy ways to eat them. Try all sorts of different things from the produce section to see what you like.
3) Don't force yourself to eat something you don't like. I heard someone say that you should try all the foods that you don't like at least once a year because your tastebuds may change, but if you've tried it recently and you don't like it, then don't force yourself to eat it. My prime example... salads. I like salads when other people prepare them, but if I buy stuff to make salads then it'll just rot because I don't like them enough to make them. I will however, eat just about any kind of cooked vegetable.
4) Beans are a great substitute for meat in most cases. I'm contemplating buying lots of beans and seeing if I really can cut meat out of my life (or at least cut down on how much I eat it). I'm not necessarily becoming a vegetarian, because I'll still eat meat, but beans are a lot cheaper than meat and just as good of a source of protein without all the fat and with a lot more fiber.
Okay, that's a long tangent, but it's what I've been thinking about all day... actually all week.
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