Alright, so tonight was dubbed ‘raw tonight’. Just decided kinda spur of the moment. Felt like I needed to switch things up from the usual routine, you get me? Cooking every night, sometimes you just want something… different. simpler.
The Prep Phase
First off, had to figure out what ‘raw’ even meant for dinner. Wasn’t gonna go full caveman gnawing on uncooked meat, nah. Seemed like asking for trouble. So, I hit the grocery store. Loaded up on veggies mostly. Things that are actually meant to be eaten raw without dying.
Here’s what I grabbed:
- Carrots (lots of ’em)
- Some crunchy celery
- Bell peppers, the colorful ones
- A bag of spinach
- An avocado, hoped it was ripe
- Tomatoes
Also picked up some nuts and seeds from the pantry. Gotta have something with a bit more heft, right? So, walnuts and sunflower seeds it was.
Got back home. The washing part was key. Washed everything really well. paranoid about germs, maybe. Then chopping. Lots, and lots of chopping. Made a huge pile of colorful stuff on the cutting board. Didn’t really follow a recipe, just sliced and diced until it looked like enough food.
Whipped up a basic dressing too. Olive oil, squeeze of lemon, bit of salt, pepper. Nothing fancy. Didn’t want to hide the ‘raw’ taste I was going for.
Down to Business: Eating It
Okay, plate loaded. Sat down. Looked kinda pretty, all the colors. Then I started eating. Crunch. Crunch. So much crunching. Felt like my jaw was getting a real workout. The flavors were bright, definitely fresh. But after about ten minutes? Kinda monotonous.
Everything tasted… singular. The carrot tasted like carrot. The pepper tasted like pepper. Cooking melds things together, you know? Creates something new. This was just a collection of raw things on a plate. It was clean, yeah. Probably super healthy.
But satisfying? Not really hitting the spot. Felt a bit empty afterwards, like I’d just eaten air, despite the volume. It was an experience, for sure. But reminded me of that time I tried assembling some flat-pack furniture without looking closely at the instructions. Thought I could wing it, ‘keep it simple’. Ended up with a wobbly bookcase that threatened to collapse if you looked at it funny. Sometimes the simple, ‘raw’ approach isn’t the full picture. Needed more substance, more depth. Maybe some heat.
So, ‘raw tonight’ happened. Did it. Probably won’t be a regular thing. Think I’ll stick to my cooked meals mostly. Need that warmth, that comfort. Lesson learned, I guess. Simple isn’t always satisfying.
