Some time earlier this year I overheard a colleague discussing her daughter in the kitchen at work. I picked up "eating disorder" which was like a red flag as I had bulimia in my youth. A few days later I gently asked after her daughter and she replied that her daughter who was vegan had
anorexia. The daughter was away at boarding school and it all sounded horrendous. I didn't like to pry too much. Later conversation revealed that she was coming home for the weekend and she was clueless as to what to cook for her. A few weeks passed and a germ started to grow. Could I give her some of my plant based cookbooks? I rarely use them anyway so it was no skin off my nose but would it introduce a new degree of obsession in the mix? I dithered for a few more weeks and finally took 2 cookbooks in to work with me one day. I gave them to my colleague who was over the moon with them as her daughter was due home for the weekend soon and she hadn't a clue what to cook. I also printed out my McD staples:
spicy potatoes and kale
Moroccan chickpeas
stovetop bulgar pilaf
from the website here. One of the books was The Happy Herbivore, to my shame I can't remember the title of the other! Anyway all seemed to go well. My colleague commented that her daughter had sat down and read through the books and commented how good they were. Months pass, I occasionally ask after her daughter and am told the school is managing it all quite well trips home at weekends were going well too and her daughter was enjoying life, sport, etc etc...
Yesterday I asked my usual question and was told she was doing really well and that it was mainly down to me because the cookery books had given her (the Mum) confidence as she was a rubbish cook and that together the two of them were sharing the cooking and having fun. She said that the cookery books were on a special shelf and her daughter got them out when she got home.
You can imagine how I felt. I'm sure a lot of people helped this little girl but as I was bathed in a rosy glow I realized that we should all take the credit not least Dr & Mary McD ...
so ...
THANKS EVERYONELove
Katherine
xxx
In Democratic countries the violent nature of the economy is not perceived, whereas in authoritarian countries what is not perceived is the economic nature of violence- Brecht
If we don't try we don't do; and if we don't do why are we here on this earth?