The Reluctant Vegan...Maybe

The results are in...Eosinophilic Esophagitis.  I am still learning what this all means.  The next step is seeing an allergist/immunologist.  My appointment is in a couple of weeks.  Until then, I take medication to help with the inflammation and try to quell the occasional bouts of foodie panic that goes something like this:

My Husband:  Wow, the cat is really getting big.

Me:  What if I am allergic to peas?  I can't be allergic to peas!  I just decided that I actually do like peas.  I grew up in a family that didn't eat peas...not ever...and it turns out that I actually really like them.  I can't give them up now!  What about my Shepherd's Pie?  I love Shepherd's Pie!  I make a damn good Shepherd's Pie!  How can I move to England someday like the psychic said if I can't eat peas?  What about mushy peas?  I have never even eaten mushy peas!  How can this be happening to me?

This is usually met by a moment or two of stunned silence, then with awkward attempts to placate me.  Typically, I grab a Kleenex and try to regain some composure.  I try to ignore the raised eyebrows of those that are forced to deal with my hysteria.

Sirius Black

My Husband:  Yeah, he is definitely getting bigger.  And his fur looks better...remember how funky his fur looked when you first brought him home?

Me:  Holy crap?  Do you think it is bacon?  Could bacon be doing this to me?  Dude, no...not the bacon!

Two more weeks of this; I am not sure he can take it.

I read online somewhere that the average person with Eosinophilic Esophogitis has 3.4 food class allergies (something like that).  Personally, I am hoping against hope that one of my allergies will be to wheat.  I figured that since my daughters have Celiac disease, and our home is already gluten free, well, it would be very convenient...  Therefore, this possibility has become decidedly more remote.  I simply don't have that kind of luck.

I need this shirt from Cafe Press

No, with my luck I will probably end up being allergic to sugar...and honey...and molasses....and pumpkin.  (Damn, I love pumpkin...) 

And don't forget the bacon.

What is really funny (funny/mean not funny/ha-ha) is that I had been toying with the idea of going vegan.  Depending on what the test results show, I may become a reluctant vegan.  I would definitely prefer the option of doing this on my own terms rather than having all my food options removed against my will.  I would rather embrace the option due to philosophical and/or moral reasons rather than having it forced upon me.

With the whole "Celiac thing," I have already mourned many a family recipe.  Beloved dishes, prepared lovingly each holiday, the recipe passed down from generation to generation...the memories of the flavors fading, the combination of spices forgotten.  Don't get me wrong, some recipes were modified...close approximations of the original...  How many more recipes will be lost, or changed, or will simply fade from the family table? 

I wanted to save all the recipes, to preserve the new version that had been lovingly converted into foods that my family could safely eat, recipes they would be proud to continue to pass on.  A dear friend and I even started another blog to share the recipes. The recipes I had planned may now all need to be reworked again...

I feel like I am in Foodie Purgatory.

I will let you know if I descend into Foodie Hell.