Last day in Berlin

I have to retract my advertisement for the Arugula salad at Borschart – I must have just made up in my head that it was raw. I ordered it last night, and it has parmesan cheese on it, and a probably not raw dressing. But, I also ordered a tomato salad there, and it was fantastic. Juicy plum tomatoes, sliced and sprinkled with diced onions and garlic, with a little sprinkling of salt and pepper. Very simple and delicious.

I had a realization about bread. It has long been my favorite cooked food. Like, since I was a baby, probably. And a couple of days ago, I had eaten raw all day, and then went out for dinner. I had a nice big salad with raw dressing. Feeling great. And the bread on the table looked so fluffy and good that I had a piece. Or 2. Or 3. Or 4. So, a couple of things about this: First, it was not good. It was dry and flavorless (not saying that all bread is, but this definitely was). Second, I am compulsive with food to the effect that I can never eat just one of the food that I am addicted to. And third, I felt horrible all night afterwards, and didn’t go out with the rest of the group after dinner. Like gassy and stomach pain-y.

Somewhere in the back of my head, I had made up that bread is a less-harmful cooked food. I don’t know where I got that from, but clearly it’s not true. I was totally ill. So, that’s it for bread and me for a while.

It’s my last day in Berlin. And I had wanted to have lunch at my favorite restaurant, a Vietnamese place. I had kind of planned it for the last week, knowing full well that it wasn’t raw but what the heck. And then this morning, I woke up and just want to eat raw today. And I am so happy about that. That restaurant will be there another time. Vietnamese food will always be here. But today, instead I choose what makes me feel the best in the long term, short term, and medium term.

Love,
Marissa