My friend, Ms. R, makes the most amazing Middle Eastern dinners. Over the years, she has educated me on this delicious cuisine, and I always look forward to any opportunity to enjoy it, and all of the inviting ambiance which surrounds these meals at her home. The other night, just before Halloween, a group of marvelous mavens gathered at her place for a fantastic feast, we called it Harem Scarem!
After dinner, she served “white coffee”, a traditional digestive in Beirut. I love sipping this dreamy drink after dinner. It is simple to prepare, just boil water and add a few generous splashes of orange blossom water. The fragrance is the first thing you’ll notice with this drink, the scent is so special, if it were a perfume it would be called “
Evening in L’Orangerie“, I am not sure if I would rather drink or bathe in it!
But, of course I drink that lovely, fragrant concoction, and then usually another one, and I thoroughly enjoy every exotic drop. This reminder of the pleasures of white coffee couldn’t have come at a better time. White coffee is something I will be drinking much more of in the next few days. You may have seen my previous post on the
pedometer I’ve started wearing in preparation for going
The Ranch in California for an extreme amount of exercise, very few vegetarian calories, and NO caffeine, meat, alcohol, sugar or artificial sweeteners
. I depart on Saturday, so these next few days I’m trying to prepare body for some significant changes to my daily routine.
A month before our arrival date, The Ranch sent each attendee recommendations of things to do, week by week to help our bodies adjust to life on the ranch. In addition to increasing our daily steps each week {hence the pedometer}, and increasing our fitness regime, we are to prepare our bodies for the detoxification process, by minimizing the no-no’s listed above.
Thankfully, I am not really a sugar girl, and certainly not a artificial sweetener girl, so abstaining from these has not been an issue {though the leftover halloween candy is tempting}. Other things on the list, however, are much nearer and dearer to my appetite. I have gently weened myself from my beloved
daily latte. As of this week, my morning affair with the dark brew is over {
well, for a week and a half, at least}. Kicking coffee has been very tough, even though I only drink one espresso shot a day. Two weeks ago, I cut back to 1/2 a shot daily. One week ago, I had 1/2 a shot every other day, on the other days, decaf. On the days when I skipped the brew, I felt like my head was full of cream cheese, it was hard to think, speak intellegently or get anything done, my eyes stung, I was cranky, and had piercing headaches. Honestly, from my experiences so far, I feel that coffee is a very good thing, that we should all have in moderation, I feel like I am operating at a disadvantage without it. I’ve become a walking, talking Starbucks ad! I wonder how I will feel after my visit to the ranch.
This week, I had 1/2 cup of decaf on monday, and since then, only that lovely, pure white coffee. It doesn’t clear the cobwebs from my head, but it is warm and pleasant.
Aside from my coffee yearnings, I think that what I will miss most is the pure protein power of meat…I am a carnivore. I also love sipping my bourdeaux blanc…but I have a feeling that I will be so exhausted each night, a blanc bed will suffice.
For some fabulous Middle Eastern comfort food recipes and a little more about Ms. R, click on
Tabouleh and Kaftah. For orange blossom water, go to the Splendid Items store on the right side bar, buy it directly from Amazon.com or look for it at a local store that features Middle Eastern products {in Seattle, you can go to The Souk, next to the original Starbucks in the market}.
Are you a coffee drinker? Have you ever withdrawn??
I have been trying to wean myself of caffeine as well. It seems the older I get the more it sends me into a tailspin. The problem is that I actually love holding a warm drink in my hands and sipping it and sometimes decaf just doesn't do it for me. I don't know why. It might be mental. Probably is mental. 🙂 Anyways, good luck preparing for your trip! Can't wait to hear about it.