The journey, some new goody options, traveling companions

One thing that's cool about being on the cleanse this time around is that we have you guys -- G. and J. -- to share the journey with. One downside, however, is that the first time around we got additional cleansing services from D.'s doctor -- Nancy Gardner, at her clinic called Optimum Health. Part of the attraction of doing the cleanse under Nancy's oversight was that we got two infrared saunas (scroll down), a lymph light treatment and a lymph massage, and there was everyone's favorite -- colonic hydrotherapy (YEAY!!). Now, as much as I initially was skeptical about sitting in a 150 degree room for an hour, getting my lymph massaged, and having the years-old poopaloop slurped out of my butt, I have to say that there was something special about getting up extra early on Saturday mornings to drive an hour and a half to sweat, grunt, and expel in positions unnatural and uncomforable. . .BUT, it did work. I felt lighter and ultimately healthier. So consider looking into similar health procedures in your area, like this Healthy Directions Center.

I must say that Gabe's reactions to and thoughts about the place of alcohol in his life, make me think back to this past Saturday (pre-cleanse!) and my first taste of absinthe. That stuff tasted like Jagermeister or a Russian medicine called "drops of the Danish king" (literal translation). So the taste has an odd "pleasant-unpleasant" sensation for me, especially since I don't regularly like the taste of anise. What's interesting is that alcohol ALWAYS tastes like poison to me; I only ever drink to get drunk, or buzzed, or loopy. Shall we recall my experience at Spark's around this last New Year's. . .

And as the cleanse is helping G. take a new look at his relationship with and to alcohol, my own first experience with the cleanse helped me to take a look at my relationship to meat, which I felt like I needed at EVERY meal. Oh yes, that family legacy of fried kolety and bitki is a powerful one.
During the first cleanse, there was NO MEAT. So I started easting every damn vegetable there was. Celery was now fine, mushrooms were now fine, quinoa, red rice, even that dense-as-shit teff with dates, coconut milk and other stuff D. put in there to make it palatable. I ate all that stuff which before to me was an unfortunate addition to the meat.

Now people at the office still wonder when I'm back on my "I'll have a side of meat with my meat" diet, but I think it's fruit juices for me from now on.

So hang in there with the booze, my brother, and see how damn good you feel on day 22.

Love always, M.

Tequila!

Our sister, Jennifer, was over last night, and Joohee and I were finishing our delicious veggie dinner [NOTE: A lot of the food we're eating on the cleanse is satisfying specifically because it is very similar to a lot of the Korean food that we love -- we get our raw foods (juices, nut milk [heh], etc.) in the morning for the most part, and the evenings are some raw/some cooked, but lots of great Korean flavors and spices], and I opened a bottle of tequila just to see what it smelled like after 5 days of not drinking:

It smelled like poison.

I was... shocked, sort of. It really, genuinely smelled like poison, like kerosene or something that should have had a "Mr. Yuck" sticker on it. Like something you'd find under the sink.

Now, I know that it would've (arguably) tasted delicious, especially in a mixed drink -- or would it? Isn't it all really poison to some degree, the alcohol itself, that is? Wine and beer are so damned different -- there is an alcohol content but it's more vital as a "flavor" than as the main ingredient (flashback to drinking grain alcohol while holding my nostrils closed... WOW...). Liquor? Shit's just poison, man. Still, I'll always love it... but I just don't MISS it. I miss being buzzed, I miss being drunk, but only in the abstract, as I would miss any habit until it's long enough to be really rid of it.

Well, that's my story and I'm stickin' to it. M&D, how are thee?

xo
g
and
j

Pic unrelated.

This has nothing to do with anything, but I saw this great captcha and had to make an image out of it.

Gabe

QUESTION: Cocoa beans?

Technical cleanse question: cocoa beans. Yes? No? Only later in the cleanse? They contain caffeine, but a de minimis quantity (to wit: "The average cup of hot cocoa contains about 10 mg of caffeine but over 200 mg of theobromine"). Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?

Meanwhile... Joohee is preparing for tonight's dinner:

4th day, already?

We both slept so well last night. I don't feel deprived or hungry at all, but I do have a caffeine withdrawal which gives me headache since this morning. I know a hot cup of coffee will cure this right away. :)
I made a lunch bag consist of a qt barley/mushroom/vege soup and a quinoa/vege bowl to last me from 9am to 5pm and I had a leftover. It was great!

Yesterday, I walked to home from the subway stop and smelled Chinese food (perhaps, fried chicken wings?) coming from Mei Mei Chinese takeout restaurant near our apt. It was so delicious, intoxicating and strong and made me say " I am going to have a large order of chow fun with shrimp when I am done with this!" Then, I was thinking about your KFC story of going to KFC while cleansing after watching a TV commercial. It is a funny story!

It only has been three days but made me reflecting on my eating hobbit for last 32 years and how much I've been taking my body for a granted and ate/drank without putting much thoughts into it. I put away my desire to have a glass of wine immediately, when I came home from work and having another glass or two of wine before I went to sleep. I put away the wine glasses to the top shelve so they wouldn't trigger me from cheating.

I do want to make "I am cool" with coco nibs as dessert tonight.

How are you guys doing?

Healthiness on the run

Sometimes Joohee is going to be away on business trips and you, Gabe, are going to want to cheat because "hey, who's gonna know" right? DON'T DO IT!

To make it a little easier, here's a link to the healthy carrot and orange juice options at Jamba Juice as well as map of all Jamba Juices in Manhattan.

Jamba Juice menu items


View Larger Map

Even though it may seem Starbucks is closer to your office, Jamba Juice is not too far away:

View Larger Map

Be good!

Love, M+D

Cafe Gratitude

Here's a fun video of an interview with Terces and Matthew Engelhard, the originators of Cafe Gratitude and the book on sacred commerce.

And here's a look at the Cafe Gratitude the four of us went to in Berkeley.

Wow, aren't we all getting healthy now. . .

. . .so, here's little something for October 14th (Day 22 of the cleanse).