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Monday, April 28, 2003
The Key To Fullness
Had pho (properly pronounced "fuh" but some of us San Diegans are keen on calling it like it looks, "foh") for lunch today. For the unfamiliar (which isn't likely if you're anyone I know), pho is Vietnamese rice noodle, usually served in flavorful soup with slices of meat and other stuff. If you end up drinking all of the soup (like I usually do), you'll realize through the advent of a headache what exactly is making that soup taste so good: monosodium glutamate, or MSG (here's a bit of background info). My mom used to tell me that too much was bad for you, but that's true of everything I think. Like you can eat too much of something good, like vitamins, and it'll still end up harming you. Anyway, I digress. The interesting thing about eating a large bowl of pho is that it's almost inevitable that you'll be hungry just a couple of hours later (definitely sooner than you might be after having eaten something else). It's probably because pho doesn't have much substance, being mostly liquid. A totally different breed of food - breads - shares the same problem. After eating some rolls or biscuits or whatnot, you can start feeling really full, but give yourself a little time and you'll find that you're just plain hungry again. So, this got me to thinking, how does one get past the fleeting fullness and truly attain a lasting sense of satiety? Vegetarians must be hungry all the time because I think the key lies in the power of MEAT. The more meat, the more full you'll feel, and the longer that full feeling will last (places like Hot Pot are very powerful). I love meat advertisements (remember the days of "Beef - It's what's for dinner" or "Pork - The Other White Meat"). No meal is complete without meat.. just picture your patty-less hamburger or your hamburger-less Hamburger Helper. More precisely, you need stuff that has protein in it.. this can include dairy products like milk and cheese to your wide variety of cuts of meat from different animals..even beans are a good source of protein. The combo of various elements is powerful, too. Hence, a pearl milk tea can be quite the filler with its milk (protein), tea (liquid), and pearls (starch). So, the next time you're feeling hungry shortly after having eaten a meal, ask yourself one simple question.."where's the beef??" =)
4:32 PM Albert
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..a life in DUO