Yehuda Katz finds culinary religion!

In his post titled “Delicious Food“, Yehuda Katz (of Ruby community fame or infamy, depending on your point of view) discusses his recent branching out into a life of truly considering his diet.

While this is only one incident, I hope it portents a seachange. I find that more and more the Powers That Be are attempting to spoonfeed the idea that all technically oriented people (be they developers, sys admins, or even just “hardcore” gamers) MUST indulge in a diet that is terrifyingly high in saturated fat, processed starch, chemically manufactured corn-based sugar products, and “brain enhancers” like guarana or caffeine. In discussing his epiphany regarding his diet, Katz extolls the positive benefits it’s had on his health, his weight, and the level of enjoyment he derives from the simple act of eating.

Working on the help desk and transition into full time admin work, I found that the diet of most of my peers can be described as one of convenience at best. Lunches are short, and often taken at Burger King, D’Angelo’s, local take-out Chinese counters, or the local mall. The meals are high in processed, saturated fat and processed starch, and loaded with flavorful chemicals. The staple is red meat, and the only vegetables I see eaten regularly are in the form of french fries and bread and butter pickles served on sandwiches. Snacks are frequent and often come from the candy vending machine. The sugary beverages, often provided from the soda fountains and fruit juice machines on every floor, flow freely; 200 calories of high fructose filler at a time 4 to 6 times a day.

I don’t know what the industry average for obesity, diabetes, or heart disease are compared to the rest of the population, but I’d be willing to at least make a safe wager on it being markedly higher. When I realized that this was killing me, I quit High Fructose Corn Syrup outright, cut caffeine from my diet, and began attempting to sharply limit the amount of refined sugar in my diet. Some months I do better than others, but the act is about the effort as much as the results with large lifestyle changes like this.

Nitpicking aside, while I might think his use of a bread maker is indulgent (because I have a seething disdain for machines that only do one thing well) or that his claim of cooking brown rice on the stove being “impossible” is misleading (full disclosure: I use a rice cooker to get back space on my stove top; It’s an excellent steamer in addition to a rice cooker, therefore not a uni-tasking space hog), I applaud his willingness to examine his diet and make the big changes. I respect his willingness to talk about a subject that I find more and more of our peers just don’t “get” or want to understand. I wish more people would do what he’s doing right now, much less more geeks, nerds, admins, or developers. Talk about your diet! Think about your food!

And Yehuda, if you’re reading this for some reason (or, you know, anyone else who has made it this far), check the instructions for the grain cultivar you’re cooking if you ever try brown rice on the stove again. No two brown rice cultivars are the same and they all have (sometimes very) different directions. I recommend basmati rice if you’re so inclined. The brown variation is fragrant and nutty, with a pleasant chewiness that white basmati lacks. Goes well with both red and white meats and is an excellent rice for a hearty pilaf.

If you’re interested in literal food for thought, in addition to the books that Yehuda recommends, might I also suggest Ruhlman’s Elements of Cooking where he discusses both why professional chef’s do what they do and how they do it, and Jacques Pépin’s Complete Techniques, which is an essential primer for learning to do simple things better, and making hard things easier.