Croissants

You would think writing a blog once a month would be an easy task. Well, it is almost the end of March, and I have not added any blog posts. Shame on me! With all that is going on in the world, my thoughts tend to drift towards political and social issues. However, I have had many discussions with myself, and made the decision not to go there. So here is my latest… Warning! It is frivolous.

With age and declining health, I started on a plant-based, whole foods diet with the help of one of my daughters almost six years ago. The “whole foods” part is sometimes replaced by processed vegan foods, but the effect on my overall health due to giving up animal products has been huge.  I have meat eaters in my family, and I cook meat for them, so I am no saint when it comes to promoting plant-based foods. Just like any change, I believe each person has to decide for themselves if they want to change their eating habits. No real change comes from the outside; only from within. With this lofty statement, I am going to talk about a very decadent food item - croissant.

I have always loved croissants. The best ones I have had were in Japan. The bakeries there are fantastic. The croissants they offer are flaky, light and buttery. Eating a plain croissant with a cup of latte was just like being in heaven! My youngest daughter who is a long-time vegan told me that when she traveled to Italy, they had vegan croissants that tasted just like the traditional ones. I had not had a croissant in many years until recently when I discovered vegan ones sold at the bakery at a local supermarket. I had to try them. It came in a set of four in a plastic container. They did not look quite like the traditional flaky croissants and looked more like big bread-like crescent rolls. Once I toasted them, however, they looked flakier and lighter. I wanted to make a vegetable sandwich, so I cut the croissant horizontally in half. The inside looked very much like a traditional croissant, and the inviting buttery fragrance was a nice surprise. After spreading some vegan mayo (creamed avocado would have been better), sliced English cucumbers were neatly arranged on top of a big piece of crisp green leaf lettuce. I took a bite, and it was indeed heavenly (and decadent). I enjoyed every bite and was very glad I tried the croissant.

Although I try to avoid white processed wheat (yeah, right!), I convinced myself that I deserved this treat. It was not just the rich buttery croissant that brought about the happy feeling, but it also triggered past memories of Japan. The combination of the mayo and cucumbers with the croissant brought back the taste of home. My late mother would not approve of this comment, but I believe that mayonnaise is a big part of Japanese cuisine for ordinary folks like me. The most popular mayo sold as Kewpie mayo is so good with salads, bread, pizza and even rice! It goes really well with soy sauce, too. I saw the vegan version of Kewpie mayo sold on Amazon, but it was way too pricey for me. I convinced myself I can do without it since I consider this as another decadent food item.

I had my croissant sandwich for the month or maybe for the year, but I confess that I am already looking forward to my next one as it comes with fond memories of the past!