It Is What It Is: Veganfest Day II

Today, I am tired.

Or more accurately: I'm worn. I feel pulled out and stretched and thin and I'm missing years past so fiercely that it hurts to swallow. My father, who's been here helping out, is away on business right now and I miss him so much. Life is funny that way; it doesn't matter how old I get, when the chips are down all I want is a hug from my daddy and to hear his low, honey-over-gravel voice say, "It is what it is, babe."






It's been the sort of day that makes me yearn for those afternoons when any problem could be solved by nicking sips of beer from Grandpa with my brother Fitz and then curling up in Granny's thrift-shop armchair to whisper bits of nonsense to one another.





It's been so grey and dreary here but when I close my eyes I can feel the soft breaths of warm wind blowing off the water at my sister's house in Hout Bay, the way the sun leaves the sky in fiery washes and leaves the world abruptly dark, no twilight period in between because Afrika is a land of extremes that gets in your blood and makes you ache whenever you stray for too long.




Why yes, I am quite the emotional one this evening.

This morning started off in a bit of a haze; it was storming and the alarm didn't go off, so it was a mad dash all around trying to shuffle everyone out the door on time. Breakfast was supposed to be quick - a protein smoothie made with organic frozen berries and almond milk. However instead of my usual whey protein, I'd stopped at the local market, Healthy Hut, and picked up some vegan hemp powder instead. Now I'm one of those weird freaks who actually enjoys protein powder. I really, really like the taste of it and have never had a problem sucking it back. The hemp powder? Is atrocious. It tastes of feet and rotten fruit. Four ounces of smoothie (all I could choke down) wasn't going to cut it and so on the way to work I stopped at a fruit stand and bought a papaya.









The papaya could have waited another day (maybe two) before being eaten, but it was delicious nonetheless and did a champion job of masking the musty aftertaste of that disastrous smoothie.

For lunch I decided to pack some summer rolls filled with red and yellow pepper, bean sprouts, basil, lettuce, carrots and rice.





Yes, that blackish purple stuff in the tupperware is forbidden rice; it's an heirloom rice that's got a very high iron content. This was my first time trying it and I have to say it's certainly very unique. It's got a similar nutty taste profile to wild rice but with a lingering sweetness that's wholly enchanting. Paired with peanut satay sauce and some kumquats (which later gave me a weird skin rash for some reason), it made for a tasty and filling lunch.










That was it for the day, other than some heated apple juice. When I got home I was too exhausted to bother with dinner and with the kids gone for the night, I had a valid excuse not to. This cold that's trying to take root is probably the reason I'm feeling so low-down today but at least it didn't put a roadblock on the vegan adventure. After a night of sleep and some ginseng tea in the morning, I'm sure this lady will be back in top gear.

Be safe my friends,

Diz