A friend came over for his first sampling of my famous no-packaging vegetable stew and the show that goes with it.

Talking about vegetables, cooking from scratch, and maybe the daily exercise, he asked, “Do you ever feel like giving in?”, which I took to imply meaning getting take-out, eating out, or getting comfort food.

The question felt weird. If I think back far enough, I can remember craving the pretzels and ice cream I always kept in the kitchen. I used willpower to avoid eating too much of them.

I don’t feel that way now. I feel the opposite.

Asking me if I feel like giving in feels like a child asking me about books if I feel like giving in and going back to children’s picture books. They’re easier to read, after all.

I like children’s picture books, but I don’t have to read Nabokov to see they lack richness and depth. It takes no effort for me to prefer novels and the other books I read.

The transition to disappointment for salt, sugar, or fat, or removing fiber took at least six months, but there’s no going back.

There’s nothing special about me in this area. Vegetables tasted just as bland and ice cream just as good to me as anyone else. I don’t think I had any propensity to broccoli than anyone else. I think anyone can learn to love their version of my food as I did, and get the benefits of lower cost, added accessibility, taste, convenience, and everything else that makes preparing unpackaged food from scratch.

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