3
Burn to Bake
"Everybody loses weight when they come to America" is the biggest lie I have ever heard. Though, I would give it some partial credit. The whole lifestyle change with much more walking and self-cooking shocks your body initially to drop some baby flesh, but then once you get used to the American lifestyle, oh-baby, you are so dead!
When I came to the United States, I was a pathetic cook. Every graduate student in the US says this at some point in their lives. I certainly wasn't the worst of all, but I did suck terribly at it. I couldn't even make dal without burning it in spite of mom supervising me over Skype. I cooked to survive. But now, I cook to flaunt. A few months ago, I was introduced to the whole concept of baking and ever since my weight loss is going downhill. I now find myself following more food blogs then fitness blogs. Much to a lot of people's annoyance, I watch the Food Network more than I watch Glee or How I Met Your Mother. I have spent way too much money on baking equipment. My cupboard in the kitchen is loaded with all these fancy sounding ingredients that when added in different proportions make these amazing, calorie-rich dishes that have even more exotic names. Every time I turn on the oven or light the stove, I secretly say a prayer to hope that I don't set the house on fire like I did when I baked for the first time.
Other than weekly culinary attempts, academia takes the rest of my time. And if you are a graduate student, you know that this is the time of the semester when all the deadlines come breathing fire down your neck. Projects, Posters, Paper presentations, Classes, Assignments, more projects and lots of caffeine to survive through all of this. I'm not sure if all this knowledge has made me wiser or not, but I can vouch for the fact that I have more caffeine in my system than blood. I am much more forgetful than ever before. I set reminders for myself and then have stickies all around the house to remind me about the reminders. I eat for comfort and then run facing the guilt. This is clearly not working for me.
But on the bright side, I have better things to look forward to in a few weeks. Until then, eat a cookie! :)
When I came to the United States, I was a pathetic cook. Every graduate student in the US says this at some point in their lives. I certainly wasn't the worst of all, but I did suck terribly at it. I couldn't even make dal without burning it in spite of mom supervising me over Skype. I cooked to survive. But now, I cook to flaunt. A few months ago, I was introduced to the whole concept of baking and ever since my weight loss is going downhill. I now find myself following more food blogs then fitness blogs. Much to a lot of people's annoyance, I watch the Food Network more than I watch Glee or How I Met Your Mother. I have spent way too much money on baking equipment. My cupboard in the kitchen is loaded with all these fancy sounding ingredients that when added in different proportions make these amazing, calorie-rich dishes that have even more exotic names. Every time I turn on the oven or light the stove, I secretly say a prayer to hope that I don't set the house on fire like I did when I baked for the first time.
Other than weekly culinary attempts, academia takes the rest of my time. And if you are a graduate student, you know that this is the time of the semester when all the deadlines come breathing fire down your neck. Projects, Posters, Paper presentations, Classes, Assignments, more projects and lots of caffeine to survive through all of this. I'm not sure if all this knowledge has made me wiser or not, but I can vouch for the fact that I have more caffeine in my system than blood. I am much more forgetful than ever before. I set reminders for myself and then have stickies all around the house to remind me about the reminders. I eat for comfort and then run facing the guilt. This is clearly not working for me.
But on the bright side, I have better things to look forward to in a few weeks. Until then, eat a cookie! :)
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