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I was most interested to learn from the History of Greek Food that those thoroughly civilized people observe a Fast Before Christmas.
Yes, I know this blog has seemingly been having a complete fast for quite some time before Christmas, but I’ve not been starving that much! I have, on the other hand, had a mixture of health and other offline issues to deal with that continued to keep me away from here, if not completely away from the kitchen.
Anyway, a fast before Christmas, irrespective of one’s religious convictions (and, I admit, I have none), seems to me to make a lot of sense. One cannot have one’s cake and eat it, or one cannot pig out all year round and not have it settle around the waist, hips, bum … So, in order to indulge in mucho Turrón (Spanish Almond Candy), which, as Lisa & Tony Sierra say, “To tell the truth, we’ve never tasted a turron we didn’t like!” - I seriously cut back during November / December.
My menu over the last few weeks consisted:
Breakfast: Fruit (at least two servings) with half an active yogurt, half a glass of juice and coffee (must have the coffee white: I am not a saint!)
Lunch: Light and predominantly vegetable: a risotto, a revuelto or stew.
Dinner: Home made vegetable soup with wholemeal bread.
Portions were reduced to mean. Almost no meat, no deserts, no luxuries, few snacks … Oh, I feel downright righteous, but very hungry. In truth, it’s been absolute purgatory. You know, I really I wonder if it’s worth it? 
There have been other reasons, which I don’t have time to go into now, but I shan’t be cooking for one over Christmas, as my mother is here for a month. This actually doesn’t make much difference to portion sizes for meals, because at 80 odd, she eats like bird. That is until it comes to all manner of cakes, puddings, treats, sweets, junk … Those she can happily munch all day, while healthy dinners are “too big” for her to manage, for some reason.
All of this has not been conducive to finding the time to update this blog however and, this situation is likely to remain until well into the New Year.
Christmasses past, I have spent on my own and that hasn’t bothered me. I’ve either gone out to eat or treated it as any other day. At least one can veg out in front of the banal repeats on TV and not have to pretend. On the other hand, if you want “Christmas movies that are guaranteed not to fill you with the holiday spirit“, then try this list of Top 10 Christmas Movies for Cynics.
Have a wonderful season and hopefully I’ll see you in January.
Sponzurz
