Challenge #1: Eat Something Different

Conceptualize, plan in advance and eat something different. Eat something different; that is, eat something completely different, not something that has been just left out of your diet; suggestions: a different culture, an entirely new creation, or a different manner or definition of eating. You should understand that this is not an assignment solely about food, but about the process of eating, literally and figuratively. Again, plan and implement your plan; report on the results.

Not sure where the idea to eat an alphabet came from but once I had it, I realized I had an alphabet book in my collection of alphabet books: Eating The Alphabet

I immediately had two ideas both of which I intended to implement:

1) To find out how quickly could I manage to Eat an Alphabet – including everything in addition to fruits and vegetables. After a day, I discovered I was likely to eat an alphabet in 2 days (with some creative eating). What I discovered was  “i” and “u” were going to be next to impossible (when I googled for ideas, I found indian corn for “i” and ugli fruit for “u”; “x” turned out to be possible with food additives like xanthum gum which turns out to be vegetable-based). I kept a list and it filled up pretty quickly from avocado – zucchini (with fish and grapefruit and nori included – 23 letters in all – no “i”, “u”, or “x”). This was a solitary activity.

a – avocado b – bread, broccoli c – cabbage, cheese, chocolate, cilantro d – dumplings, dates e – eggs f – falafel, feta, fish g – green onion, grapefruit h – havarti, haddock i – (ice cream) j – jalepeno pickle k – ketchup l – leaf lettuce m – miso soup, muffin

n – nori (japanese seaweed) o – olives p – pork, pecans, paremsan, pistachios q – quinoa r – raisins, radish s – sesame cookies t – turkey (sliced) u – (udon noodles) v – vinegar w – walnuts x – (xanthum gum) y – yoghyrt z – zucchini

2) Friday I headed for Toronto to a largish gathering – I planned to Eat an Alphabet at the Saturday night dinner in a pub by asking the waiter for an extra plate, and then polling the group for a taste of what they might have that “begins with ‘a’, begins with ‘b’ and see how far I could get – I was guessing  a pub wouldn’t be an alphabet friendly milieu! I’d just do the best I could – and take lots of photos.

2a)  In fact my Eat an Alphabet began with lunch on Saturday: a buffet – so there was lots of variety – I filled my plate with as many different foods as I could, sat down to eat, explained to people what I was attempting (there were lots of laughs) and then tallied what I’d managed to put on my plate (15 letters in all):

a – artichoke b – broccolini c – cannellini, creme caramel, chocolate d – e – endive, eggplant f – fennel g – green pepper h – i – j – k – l – leaf lettuce m – mushrooms

n – o – onions, osso buco p – parmesan cheese, pistachios q – r – radicchio, red pepper s – squash ravioli, strawberries t – tomato soup u – v – w – watercress x – y – z – zucchini

2b) At the pub: Because the group was so large (~150 people) we had a set menu – which immediately limited my alphabet options. Most of the 18 people at my table had the filet mignon plate (including me)! Nevertheless, I managed to eat more of the alphabet than I had anticipated I might (13 letters in all – the gal who had risotto gave me a taste, as did the gal who had the Shock Top beer). The salad contributed significantly to the list having spinach, raspberries, walnuts, blueberries, watercress and a vinegar dressing:

a – b – beer (Shock Top), blueberries, bacon c – carrots, cheesecake d – dolce de leche e – f – filet mignon g – goat cheese, green beans, graham crackers h – i – j – k – l – lemon m –

n – o – p – potato, peppercorns q – r – raspberries, risotto s – spinach t – turnip u – v – vinegar w – walnuts, watercress x – y – z – zucchini

The challenge generated a lot of conversation at both meals – particularly about those letters that were difficult to find. I definitely found myself looking at food differently afterward! Each item took on a different significance. I could have delved deeper and investigated the seasonings but I was happy with what I was able to catalogue easily.

Of course, I can now think of a gazillion book related eating ideas – a counting book: 1 carrot, 2 small potatoes, 3 green beans, 4 scoops of ice cream…; meals of all one coloured food – a red meal, a green meal, a blue meal…; a calendar eating: on Monday I ate–, on Tuesday I ate–…; meals from food all grown/harvested/prepared in the same place…; food suggested by specific novels…; the foods I hate book…; lots of ideas