Towards the end of this afternoon's acupuncture appointment, Mr. Kuwahara, the director of the clinic, asked me if I was a vegetarian. Ha, funny one. I think I had a vegetarian 36 hours last week, which I think was more out of laziness than either health or ethical concerns. (Really, who wants to take the time to defrost chicken? Especially when you're hungry RIGHT NOW. It makes me wonder why I bother buying it ahead of time and putting it in the freezer in the first place sometimes.) I eventually thought to inquire as to why he had asked. Apparently, he often notices a drop in energy in vegetarians this time of year... which is to say that he told me that he had observed a drop in my energy.
So, it registered that he was talking about a relationship between diet and the internal energies, which seemed to provide the perfect opportunity for me to ask him what kinds of things I could eat to help things out. (I've been reluctant to ask him too much since he seems kinda busy checking in on multiple clients. Plus, sometimes it's hard to understand what he's saying, what with the thick Japanese accent and all. And of course, there's always the off chance that he'll tell me to do something that I'll have no interest in doing... and then I'll feel guilty about it. Sometimes best to avoid the whole thing altogether and just stick with the program they've already given me.)
Anyway, his answer: fermented vegetables. Miso, natto. (um, no. Notto not gonna happen.) Scallions, onions, garlic. (Well I could probably get myself to eat more garlic, but onions/scallions can be a bit unfriendly...) He then suggested checking out the asian markets for various preserved vegetables, especially some of the Korean varieties.
Korean food?
"Yes, Korean food," he helpfully confirmed.
Hmmmm. I've just been told I need to eat more Korean food. Yes, I think I can handle that.
