Sounds it. Is this health-related vegetarianism or
ecological or religious/ethical?

She and I did a mono diet for 3 weeks - only ate potatoes, and only ate
when we were hungry. It helps break the habitual aspects of food, you stop eating because now is when you eat, and you stop eating because you want
the return of eating something that triggers a response in you.

I'm not sure about such diets, though admittedly
the focus on eating is challenged. Problem is that
I see no reason to break that focus. I've done
beef-only for weeks, mostly to prove to myself
that it's impossible to OD on broiled meat; that
proved to be true. I've also aquatarian for
several days on end, during poverty-influenced
times; that was less pleasant.

In me, it helped break the habitual part of overeating - I would eat at
noon, and when I got a cup of coffee mid-morning, would get a pastry to go along with it, and a snack mid-afternoon - because that's what I always
did.
Now I eat when I'm hungry and have less snack-y cravings.

Probably a good thing, though many reputable
correspondents (including mainstream dietetic
people from the '80s to present) suggest that
all-day grazing is a healthy way to regulate
the blood sugar and the appestat.

She lost her taste for meat after not eating it for 3 weeks.

Interesting. Under the regimen you
describe, I'd have lost whatever taste
I ever had for potatoes.

You could do simple-flavorful and changing out
ingredients (say, tofu for your wife). The picky
eater can pick, and you and the omnivore can
hoover up the rest.

There's a wide variety of veggie burger patties out there - a black bean
and jalapeno burger is especially good. I usually throw one of those on to swap out for the meat.

I once found a fake burger that was tolerable
but forget the details. Someday my wanderings
will bump me up against the much-touted
Impossible Burger, but that hasn't happened
yet; the countries where I do my travel haven't
generally fallen under the veggie bandwagon.

... What do you think of the guests?

A little bland, but there's nothing a good
dose of ladoban sauce won't help.

Doubanjiang (Broad Bean Paste)
categories: sauce, ingredient, Chinese, Szechwan
yield: 1 batch

150 g dried broad beans, peeled
0.3 g kit starter [a fermentation yeast]
3 g flour
800 g to 1000g fresh [hot] pepper
3 Tb minced ginger, optional
30 ml white spirit or other hard liquor
250 ml cooled boiled water
90 g salt, divided
2 Tb fermented sticky rice
oil as needed
a Jar
h- Spices (you can replace them with 1 Tb Chinese five spice powder)
2 star anises
3 bay leaves
1 Tb red Sichuan peppercorn
1 sm piece of Chinese cinnamon
1/4 ts cloves
1/4 ts fennel seeds
1 ts aoko [flaked or powdered nori]
2 cardamons

Make fermented fava beans
Firstly soak the beans overnight with water to cover
and then drain.Then transfer the beans to a steamer
and steam for 20 to 45 min based on the height of
the layer until when you break one in half by hand,
there is no raw part inside. The beans should be
slightly stiff but well cooked already.

After steaming, spread the beans out immediately to
cool down. In summer, make sure they are cooled down
completely. Then mix the starter with 3 g flour.

Spread the starter on the beans and message with
hands to make sure all the beans are loaded with
starter. Then flatten them and cover with a wet
clean cloth (I soak the cloth in cooled boiled water
and please keep the cloth away from the beans). Place
on a cooling rack so there is air going through
underneath and place in dark place. Keep the
temperature between 30 to 36C (86-97F) and the air
humidity around 80% (at least 70%). Wait for 24 to
48 hrs until the white hair turns yellow. Stop the
fermentation via drying under sunshine.

Make Doubanjiang mixture
Wash the beans under running water gently and drain.
Then add 30 ml white spirit, cooled boiled water
and 50 g salt. Mix well and ferment for 30 to 40 hr
(covered). Wash the peppers and air dry for 5 to 10
hr. Cut into small pieces (I chop ginger along with
peppers). Add around 40 g salt and set aside for
1 hr before mixing with the beans.

Scoop the red peppers on the beans and discard the
liquid on the bottom. Mix in spices, 50 ml oil and
2 Tb fermented sticky rice. And transfer the mixture
into the pot.

This is optional! In the first 7 days, place in warm
place (under sunshine ) and uncover by day and half
covered by night.

Add oil to cover the doubanjiang by 3 to 4 cm, cover
with the lid and place in warm place. Them we pass
everything to time. Let it ferments for at least 3
months before enjoying.

Elaine at chinasichuanfood.com
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