Preparations for travel: information for hosts

[sabrinamari]

One of my kind hosts emailed me asking about what I eat, alerting me to the fact that it would be a good thing to tell people these things in advance.

I do not want to give offense to anyone by turning down hospitality or food that has been lovingly prepared; it also occurred to me that I should warn those kind enough to put me up of my more eccentric habits so that they are not surprised.

I am also very happy to negotiate with folks and rearrange things/skip things as needed, and I am pleased with simple things like cereal and milk for dinner if a special meal has already been planned featuring foods I don't eat. So please, be at peace, worry not, and use this information to make your life easier and simpler, rather than complicating it further.


Dietary considerations/food related

I regularly eat:

Poultry, seafood, veggies of all kinds, soy products of all kinds, dairy products of all kinds, lowfat versions of all of these things when available, full fat easily substituted when not

I avoid:

ground meats of all kinds, lamb, most beef, veal

I like to help cook and will happily assist you in any preparations you would like. I am a good sous-chef (sp?), and can be reliably assigned food prep tasks of all kinds. I am also good at doing dishes and cleaning up.

I am a coffee addict. I drink coffe in the mornings and early afternoons. Sometimes I forget to drink it in the afternoon and get a headache or start falling asleep. Then Shannon or Michael poke me and remind me to drink it. If I forget, feel free to poke.


Eccentric habits:

I am bringing my water weights and my jump rope in order to do maintenance weight training and cardio while on the road. I will cart them from house to house. It will look funny. Laugh now, avoid the rush later. : )

I am also bringing my activity monitor, HR monitor and fitness journal. I can't help it. It's like a disease. I tend to train in the mornings after I get up. I will negotiate with each host to minimize adverse impacts (noise, use of space) on each household.

I am trying to restart a meditation practice. I will give it between 5-10 minutes a day.

I am bringing an SAD light and will attempt to give myself light treatments for at least 30 minutes sometime between 5:00 pm and 6:30 pm each evening. There may be considerably less light in MN because your winters are more serious and you are farther north, and consequently I may need more time in front of the light. I don't know yet. Fortunately, it is small, compact, and has a rechargeable battery, so I don't necessarily need an outlet to make if work, and I can work out, talk, plan read, sit eat and do whatever in front of it. If I miss my treatments, I will attempt to curl up and fall asleep at about 8:30 pm and be a little blue. I will try hard not to forget so that I can avoid wasting our time like this.

I don't drink much, and good wine is wasted on me. Mostly, alcohol makes me fall asleep.



Thank you for hosting me, my dears! Let me know what you need from me to make this go smoothly for each of you.

Comments

[roy-batty.livejournal.com]

Re exercise: If you're schedule weren't already so packed I'd ask if you'd like to come to Kali Group with me :-)

Re: Meditation, while staying at the Maison d'Etre you are welcome to use my zafu&zabuton, and/or our temple room :-)

[sabrinamari.livejournal.com]

Oh gosh, when is it???

Wooo-hoo! Thanks!

[roy-batty.livejournal.com]

I'm trying to get back into the Tuesday, Thursday, Satuday habit. If you wanted to get up early Saturday, we could hit their weight/equipment area and/or the Kali class that starts at 9:00, and still be back for brunch.

[sabrinamari.livejournal.com]

Yes! Let's get up early and go play. I would love to do both, but if that's not practical, I'd love to check out the class.

I am slow and lack balance, and I have no discernable talent at the martial arts, but want to go and try anyway. As long as you understand that I will not perform well and are OK with that, I'd love to do whatever I can, to the best of my current ability.

[roy-batty.livejournal.com]

No problem, everyone starts SOMEWHERE. Now, if you felt like going to one of the phase classes, that'd be the full experience. >:-)

Oh, hey, and we could hit the mats while we were there and wrassle! hahaha

[sabrinamari.livejournal.com]

I need to start at the beginning level and will happily do so. : )

On the mat: cool. Teach me the basic moves first---show me how it's done, and how a smaller person might gain an edge over a larger person. see, you offered in jest and now I will accept in seriousness, and try to learn something.

[siobhra.livejournal.com]

If Sabrina choses to go jogging make her take a map.

[vgnwtch.livejournal.com]

Ooooh, harsh! True, though...

I say this in lovingkindness. Not to mention that I may have a worse sense of direction than her. You'll have heard the stories of us in a car together, for they are epic.

Map good.

[faedaughter.livejournal.com]

I will keep this in mind when giving her directions anywhere. She is primarily visual then? (Rather than verbal in which case you probably would have mentioned directions rather than a map).

[sabrinamari.livejournal.com]

I just need to have something to look at---words are fine! A map is good too. My memory for spacial relations isn't good, and my ability to judge distance and understand space is limited.

[(Anonymous)]

Yes, I did get lost jogging at the FG a few years ago.

Bad sense of direction.

[faedaughter.livejournal.com]

Ok I hate to be a pest, but what do you *like* sweetie? There are few things as gratifying as making something that someone likes, or even better, something that they *might* like but haven't had. And about mushrooms... how do you feel about those guys?

[(Anonymous)]

I love mushrooms. Alot. I love all vegetables except brussels sprouts. I also love all seafood except octopus, anchovies and sometimes, calamari (sp?). Love dairy, love grains, beans, rice, tortillas, salsa. Anything tomato-based is yum. Thin crust pizza is great, thick crust is good too. I like chicken, especially chicken breast, and turkey. I love most things that could be labeled "healthy", and even adore tofu and soy meats. Like to eat lowfat, whole grain, high fiber by choice, but will not pass up full fat dairy and sweets when offered unless I am training hard.

sadly, I have a mean sweet tooth and self medicate with sweets and massage, especially in response to SAD.

also, I will try not to be a touchy feelie pest but if I am happy and feel relaxed and safe I may try to curl up close to someone and/or snuggle, especially in non-sexual, non-threatening contexts.

Thank you for asking. I really appreciate all of your efforts and hope to be able to care of you and your family in return some day.

[faedaughter.livejournal.com]

*squeee* Mushrooms, mushrooms, mushrooms.... had already planned a special mushroom thingie and then thought to ask. *some* people don't like the mushroom (I don't understand that) :p

[sabrinamari.livejournal.com]

One of my favorite things is too get a bunch of white mushrooms and portobellos ans saute them in veggie or chicken broth with a squeeze of lemon juice or balsamic vinegar and throw in some thyme and Italian herbs at the end. They absorb the liquid and sear a bit when everything is absorbed, caramelizing like edible gold. So yummy! I can eat many many mushrooms that way.

They are just yummy. Fortunately, Shannon gives me all of hers. : )

[sligoe.livejournal.com]

Hmmm.........will have to have my honey whip up some mushroom duxelles for the next feast---all sorts of mushrooms chopped fine, sauteed in broth with shallots and cream until they form the most delectable morsels---then popped into puff pastry and baked. Delicious!

[sabrinamari.livejournal.com]

wow, sounds great!

[frodo-jim.livejournal.com]

Not that it's relevant at the moment, mostly curiosity, but then again, you might come visit us in Seattle some day, right?

You note that you avoid ground meats. I am curious as to why -- is it a flavor/texture/like-dislike thing, or is it a sanitation/fear of getting sick thing?

By extension, I would then wonder if you also avoid things made from ground meats, like for instance, gyro meat? And then again by extension whether it would matter if you ground the meat yourself?

[sabrinamari.livejournal.com]

I am planning on coming sometime in 2006. I just need to figure out when. I want to see so many of you: yourself, seedmoon, cmyriam, Tess.

It's a texture thing. And you're right, I don't eat anything made from ground meats, and it wouldn't matter who ground it. It's just a texture i can't work with, weirdly.

[flamespirit.livejournal.com]

Happy Travels Sabrina oxo