Salt and Coffee

deep dish pizza at Pi Pizzeria, St. Louis

It's been 10 days I'm on a strict diet based on Dr. Huh's suggestion. I can't eat something hot and spicy, sour, fried and grilled foods, and too salty foods. In addition, I can't drink alcohol, coffee, and drink from fermented rice and cassava. Some fruits must be avoided such as durian and jackfruit (no problem, I'm not their big fan). Also, I need to avoid all instant and processed foods (No problem at all). Besides all those foods, I can eat everything such as fruits, vegetables, meats, and fish.

It is a problem to have a strict diet?
Yes, and No.

Well, it's not about the kind of foods you eat. I get used to avoid some kinds of foods since I had been a semi-vegetarian for more than two years. But the problems lie on the "can't eat hot & spicy and sour" :P. I'm a big fan of something spicy and sour, especially during the PMS (Pre-Menstruation Syndrome). My mouth wants to crave or eat something spicy and hot; something that really makes me mouthwatering... :)). As a foodie, I like foods with rich flavor. I don't like something too salty, but I love something tasty! I can imagine, how food in a plate could be tasted really really good or not. Also, as a foodie, I've traveled to several places in and outside Indonesia and tasted traditional and ethnic foods. I love foods in general. Food is not just something you can eat to make your tummy full, but it's an art. It's hard to how tell that food is an art. But it is. During my study time in St. Louis, kitchen was my sanctuary place and food blogs could light up my hard times.

Avoiding fried foods sometimes become a huge problem too. Well, since I was a kid, like most Indonesian, we grew up with fried foods, like tempe goreng, tahu goreng, ikan goreng, bakwan, kerupuk, etc. All those fried foods make everything so delicious. We don't use to with everything boiled and steamed.

My favorite cappuccino at Kayak's Coffee

Prohibiting drinking coffee and al is no longer a problem. I quitted drinking coffee and al (this one, I swear, I will NEVER touch it again). Coffee was my favorite drink. I was well-known as a coffee lover. Wherever I traveled, I always looked for the best coffee shops in town. As I traveled in Indonesia, I always bought coffee as souvenir for friends, family, and myself. During my time in St. Louis, I drank 2 to 3 cups each day. And people were really astonished in a way I made my coffee (two  spoons of grounded coffee for one medium cup). Crazy was not it? :P.

For al, I was an occasional-social drinker. I usually drank at home (I took red wine all the time), and I drank outside, like in a pub or friends' houses whenever I felt convenient with people around me. For me, quitting this one is NOT a PROBLEM at all.

Since my food is so specific, no one would have enough time to cook for me (I live with my aunt and she's busy working during the day. She does not have much time to cook. She usually just buys ready foods or cooks something simple or cooks in the evening for the rest of the family members). So, I need to cook by myself!. Well, I love it, although cooking all natural would make my brain confusing. What should I cook? What spices I should put on the foods? That's a big problem. They foods usually come up with plain and tasteless, LoL. In order to create a fresh foods and a little bit rich in flavor, bandeng is my savior. I can make asem-asem bandeng, it's the most glorious food these days.

All people around me take a pity look on me.. :)). Yeah, am I miserable? Not really. As I avoiding those foods (especially grilled and fried), I could see that my skin becomes lighter). And, I would have this kind of strict diet for about 3 months.. :)).

Wish me luck, guys.

PS: I should  have told you, that I lost a few pounds due to this diet since I also have difficulty in craving snacks. I crave no snack...