Dieting like the Israelites

 Writing this little post in case you want to diet like it's Bronze Age era Israel. This isn't going to be a super strict recommendation post for Christians, they were explicitly freed from dietary restrictions courtesy of God as revealed to Peter in the Book of Acts. Regardless, a lot of their diet is a good idea and I'll provide an overview of the basics should you wish to diet like they were supposed to.

First time God provides specific diet instructions is in Exodus Chapter 12, when discussing the Passover meal. I'll start here because a lot of this is repeated in later parts and it's best to get that out of the way first.

First off, there Passover was meant to be eaten quickly, given it was the night before they could leave Egypt, and thus the meal was a quick and simple one. Unleavened bread (made without yeast), roasted lamb or goat, and some bitter herbs.

Unleavened bread was required for most sacrifices requiring prepared grain, and God demanded most sacrifices roasted on an open fire. For dietary reasons, yeast is good to avoid if you have an allergy to it (it is a form of fungus used to make bread dough rise, and also a brewing ingredient for alcoholic beverages). While most consumable forms of yeast are quite safe, there are types that cause infection, and spoiled food can develop the dangerous forms of yeast, so avoiding bread with yeast would be a prudent decision if you want to ensure your health, albeit it will be harder to softly chew since it's basically flat bread.

Roasted meat, as opposed eating it raw (doable but dangerous for health) or boiled takes much less time and generally does a pretty thorough job of cooking it. God said the Passover was to be in haste, so it was ideal for that purpose.

That said, unless you want to be ultra-traditional, roasting over an open fire is not strictly required, nor grilling. You can get mostly the same effect via baking more or less, just it will take longer. Note, strict observance of the Passover or Eucharist as Christians call it should be done via roasting to keep it like it was done originally.

Note in all cases God had a strict prohibition against eating animal blood. Basically, no rare meat, well done or bust. Me, I'm diagnosed autistic and I get really ill eating anything less, apparently because my palate cannot stand the taste of anything other than dry meat. If you are going to do this, no law against livening up the meat with some sauce or something to hydrate it, but it better be cooked well done by default.

We will fast forward to Leviticus Chapters 11 and 17 next.

Chapter 11 says all animals that were possessed of completely split hooves and chewed the cud (consume grass or grain) were suitable for consumption and offerings. Otherwise, no.

The pig, for example, will eat ANYTHING, it's not strictly herbivorous, so it was off the table. Pigs were also a common animal preferred by pagans, so the prohibition against eating pork prevented social gatherings between the two. Pigs are also highly prone to carrying parasites and very easily spoils unless cooked well, so it's just safe to avoid pigs on dietary concerns alone. If you really want bacon, you can always get it from other animals like turkey. Bacon refers simply to a cut of meat from a certain portion of the pig, healthy alternatives also made from real meat can be derived from turkey and lamb (i.e. -mutton). They also tend to be leaner and less salty.

Unclean aquatic life includes anything that does not have fins and scales. So yeah, no shellfish. If you are oyster, crab, lobster, squid, or anything of that nature fan, well, sorry.

As for unclean birds, here is the text on that from the NetFree Bible translation

 [13] "'These you are to detest from among the birds - they must not be eaten, because they are detestable: the griffon vulture, the bearded vulture, the black vulture,  [14] the kite, the buzzard of any kind,  [15] every kind of crow,  [16] the eagle owl, the short-eared owl, the long-eared owl, the hawk of any kind,  [17] the little owl, the cormorant, the screech owl,  [18] the white owl, the scops owl, the osprey,  [19] the stork, the heron of any kind, the hoopoe, and the bat. 

(Leviticus 11:13-19 [NETfree])

Given modern day IRL most of these are not considered fit for consumption, not hard to follow this.

Unclean insects, for those of you who are cool with eating those, well, if it doesn't have jointed legs for hopping around, such as grasshoppers, locusts, or katydids, then it's a no go. I'm not a fan of eating insects, mind you, but 

Chapter 17 is where God reiterates his prohibition against eating blood. This is established because God wanted to remind people even if you killed an animal you could eat, you did kill a living being, albeit for sanctioned purposes, so you had to drain it of it's blood before cooking it because you were not to eat it, and the meat had to be cooked well to remove the rest. To be fair, this does minimize the risk of blood borne pathogens in meat, so it's just a sane idea if that concerns for dietary purposes.

Now, just to cover some other foods not specifically mentioned.

Milk is fine, but according to the laws on animals, the Jewish do not mix dairy or meat in any way at the same meal, so no cheeseburgers if you want to obey this strictly. The Bible specifically mentions you can't cook a goat in it's mother's milk, so no meat with a cream sauce. Cheese is also acceptable under the same rules.

All vegetables, fruits, and grains are acceptable, no particular rules on those not already mentioned.

Alcohol, specifically wine, it's fit to drink, but with the caveat you watch your intake and drink in moderation. If you are getting to the point you can't drive or are acting stupidly, you need to stop. Not only is that perfectly good common sense advice to avoid injury or embarrassment due to intoxication, the long-term health of your liver will thank you.

On the joys of Halloumi

 I ordered some Halloumi with the Pecorino Romano I ordered not too long ago, didn't cook it at the time I wrote the other review. Now that I've done that, time for the actual review.

First some history on this cheese.

Halloumi is a sheep's milk cheese of Middle Eastern origin, specifically from Cyprus. It's typically stored in a salt brine, flavored with some mint, and typically served in slices or cubes, either fried or grilled.

It's a cheese with a super low melting point, which is why you can put it on a skewer on the grill or pop slices into a pan to fry (no oil required) and cook it till it's browned, then eat. The stuff I bought was made with a non-animal based rennet, which is no problem for the flavor.

Another fun thing is that while it can be eaten raw, it's best when cooked, mostly because you cook out the excess salt brine and the texture is far more agreeable. Still tastes good either way, though be advised it will "squeak" as you chew it due to the texture. This is harmless and just adds a weird note on the way down is all.

As for the actual taste test, Mom and I pan-fried a 0.5 lb block of this in a small pan and cut it into quarters (first chopped in half then the halves were chopped in half). After a couple minutes in a small non-stick pan where the excess brine cooked off and the sides got browned, we gave this stuff a taste.

First off, for a cheese, the taste is very meatlike in texture, to the point if you are vegetarian and want a good meat substitute (and aren't vegan), this can make a good meat stand-in and provide high amounts of calcium and potassium.

It will still taste pretty salty, so I recommend eating it with other foods to blunt the salt taste a bit, fresh vegetables, lean meat, and noodles are all good in combination. Once you get past the salt, it's remarkably similar to mozzarella, with a gentle taste you can savor on the way down, this is a very approachable cheese that is quite soft to chew.

It's also going to be stored in a small sealed package to keep it fresh, and I recommend eating it all in one sitting once you remove the packaging and cook it, this does not store well under refrigeration, it's sill edible but will quickly taste rubbery when chilled. 

If you need a cheese to liven up a grilled meat fest, want something to balance out part of balanced dinner with a dairy item, or just want a quick snack, Halloumi is highly recommended for all the above. Do be advised like all cheese, if you have cholesterol problems, remember to eat this in moderation.

Otherwise, enjoy. I know I sure did.

Pecorino Romano, my impressions

 Recently ordered some 12-month-old Pecorino Romano from Murray's, and before I get on to the taste testing, I want to cover some interesting history. For the Christians and Jews in the audience, this will cover topics relevant to religious history as well.

First off, Pecorino (from Pecor, the word for sheep) Romano is a very time-honored Roman and now Italian cheese. It goes back over two thousand years in tradition and was written about by various Roman authors, such as Marcus Tertulius Varro and Hippocrates. Virgil also mentioned this cheese, specifically noting it was part of the rations given to the average Roman legionaire, at a rate of 1 Roman ounce (27-28 grams) per man.

It was touted for it's keeping qualities, it's nutrients were considered ideal for health, and was favored both dry and fresh. Any Pecorino Romano over eight months old is considered suitable as a grating cheese and over five months as a fresh cheese.

On the religious front, this cheese would have been one part of the Roman diet that you could have gotten Jews and Christians raised Jewish to agree on. Sheep are kosher animals, and the methods used would not have been prohibited under kosher tradition. When it came to Roman love of pork, they would not have seen eye to eye, but the cheese would have been in profusion around the time of Christ and widely enjoyed by all Romans and their subjects.

Ironically, it is now mostly made in the Sardinia region of Italy as opposed to Rome proper (due in part to their high amount of sheep and due to earlier prohibitive food making regulations in Rome), though they still make it according to traditional Roman methods.

The Taste Test

Like before, I got my fellow cheese-loving mother to help with the taste test. First, though, I ordered a pound of cheese, which was shipped in two 0.5 lbs wedges. It had a slight yet not unpleasant odor, just enough to be detectable, and was undamaged from transport. It had been kept cool with icepacks and other packing material.

Both mom and I tried a wedge of it. I could definitely pick up that grain-like texture you usually associate with parmesan, and given Pecorino Romano is typically an alternative to it, this did not surprise me. It's a bit gritty going down but not to an uncomfortable degree. It's definitely a cheese even in its fresh, non-grated form that goes good with salads and pasta. Like the Manchego I ordered a while back, it also had the distinctive texture I usually associate with the sheep's milk cheese (which is less dense and slightly flaky as opposed to cow milk cheese) and was mildly sharp in intensity.

Mom noticed it also had a slight peppery taste, and I found that to be just enough to add a bit of zest to the umami, it was by no means too strong.

We decided to save the rest for our next pasta night.

Advice to pass down to children for my generation

 I'm writing this because I just reflected recently on why I plan to die single. I have neither the means, ability, or emotional and mental maturity for having kids. I came to this conclusion long ago and have reconciled myself to never having a child of my own, whether via siring one myself or adoption.

That said if anyone out there is a parent. I'd like to pass on advice to give your kids if you are interested.

1. Teach them how to survive without high technology

As much as I love computers and the convenience of technology, there are far too many people who probably starve to death without modern tech. As much as preppers and people who shun tech for low tech from days gone by get stereotyped as Luddites, let's face it, if the power ever goes out, a computer is just a paperweight and a cell phone is meaningless. At the end of the day, people need to remember how to survive without them. Our ancestors had to do it, no reason why we shouldn't, and I advise you to teach your kids some basic survival skills if only so they don't wallow in despair during a power outage or natural disaster.

2. Have them get an honest job

College is not a be-all and end-all these days. Someone will always need a plumber, not everyone needs a master's in sociology. In fact, the plumber often has a higher chance of not going without unemployment these days. College is fine if you get a useful degree and secure a good job, but anyone who learns an actual trade as well is always going to have a near bulletproof fallback.

It also builds character. The most basic hard labor is going to teach any child that life is not and will never be easy when they have no one to rely on but themselves. Life only seems easy in our society because there is so much outsourced to technology and other people. Strip that away, and having to survive on your own hard work will give you a firm base for times of hardship, and thus your children would be well advised to learn honest labor that reminds them of this truth.

3. The Internet is not for everyone, especially social media

As much as the Internet has become a cornerstone of human interaction in my era, it's also given far more idiots, lunatics, and degenerates a microphone than ever before. Social media is just a distilled version of this concept in one of it's most direct forms. Parents, if you love your kids, please teach them to be careful in the following ways.

A. Email should always be approached with caution. Teach kids not to open everything without hovering over where the links go. If it seems suspicious, don't touch it. Spammers, phishers, and other scum will do anything to fleece people these days, teach your kids to double-check everything, even legit seeming emails that seem the slightest bit off.

B. Social media has its virtues but also the worst parts of a hugbox and insane asylum where the inmates are running the show. As much as you can build constructive friendships and associations there, it's also where some of the vilest cliques will form, and your kids need to be careful who and what they associate with. Parents, I especially urge you to keep tabs on what your kids interact with in these places, at least till they reach the age of adulthood legally. Your kids may resent it, but if you want your child to not fall into a bad crowd, get molested, be exposed to child porn, or otherwise fall into the rabbit hole of some other illegal or at least incredibly unsavory act, you need to monitor it like a hawk and impress on them the dangers that await.

4. Grow a thick skin

As I learned through my own experience, humanity can be very cruel. While it is within our species to do some of the laudable and honorable acts we are capable of, far often we are more prone to some of the base, depraved, and debauched acts. It's far more often your child will be pounced on by wolves than they will run into fellow sheep, and if they don't watch for those in this world who seek to tear them down as people, they will be overcome.

With that in mind, teach your kids how accept the cruelty of this world as reality as soon as they are old enough to comprehend the lessons. If you help them accept not every lesson the trials of the world present will not be easy, the harder and harsher ones they can deal with more maturely.

5. Teach them values

Disclaimer, I'm a Christian, but even for the most hardened atheist, agnostic, or even the parent who desires to impress no particular religious or moral creed, this advice applies to you too.

Some values should be taught your kids no matter what morals you personally subscribe to.

A. Have basic dignity. Don't do things you find immoral, degrading, or uncomfortable simply because of peer pressure.

B. Have standards. Don't be a mindless bigot, but don't be overly permissive of everything. Tolerance is a good idea, but it should only go so far. Sharing dirty needles is something no sane person should tolerate even if they aren't against recreational drug use, have some basic standards for your own health too. If you are religious or not, share your values on a voluntary basis, never try to force your values on others, whatever they may be.

C. Treat others equally. There a lot of people who demand special treatment. While some deserve respect above others for their responsibility and position in life, and such people, within reason, are entitled to basic minimum of courtesy, don't be a doormat. Respect is a two-way street. Much as military salutes are a courtesy a subordinate gives and superior returns, so should respect given when it is expected to be received in kind by the other party.

D. Be smart. Don't accept anything without an inquisitive mind and conscience. Lots of people will lie in this world, or at the very least tell a slanted version of the truth. Not everything written down is accurate, and not everyone can be trusted out of hand. Do your own digging. Make sure you shake the trees of the claims of others and see if any inconsistency falls out.