Oh, Sweet Temptation

Happy Monday to everyone.  Florence is bustling with the usual crowds of tourists this morning, despite the gray sky.

I've had an interesting weekend, which always makes blogging a little easier.

The entire weekend's weather looked like this:

I like to call this a "bipolar" sky.  Amidst the dark, scary cumulonimbus, small fractions of blue were trying to peek through.  This shot was taken Saturday in San Gimignano.

That's a town about an hour southwest of Florence.  Here are a couple more shots from there:

The reason I'm telling you about my Saturday day trip here (besides the fact that San Gimignano is a cool place) is because I encountered a moment of weakness in the old Tuscan town.

Besides featuring old castles and guard towers, there's also supposedly the world's best gelato.  Ged and I walked into this place and looked at all the pictures of famous celebrities and public figures eating this gelato, including Tony Blair.

Ged had to get some.  Who could blame him.

I, however, felt like throwing a tantrum.  I backed into a corner and watched as flocks of people ordered various flavors and sizes.

As I watched people lick the insides of their cups that were filled with the gelato pictured below, I kept thinking to myself Why the f*** am I torturing myself like this by putting limits on my life?  Why can't I just be like everyone else and forget about the cow's milk and enjoy the World's Best Gelato?  

(source)
I was upset.  I was jealous.  I was pissed off because here I was feeling like a caged animal being taunted and teased.

I know I've made the personal decision to choose the lifestyle I'm living, but gosh darnit, sometimes it's really hard, especially in an environment where your lifestyle isn't supported or even recognized.

I wanted to give up right then and there and eat that ice cream.  I wanted to stop being vegan and forget about all the crap I've been telling myself since I became vegan (i.e. you're preventing animal cruelty, helping the environment).

But I didn't.  I walked stomped away with a grimace on my face and sat down to think and calm myself for a minute.

An, as always, Ged was there to help me simmer down and think about how important being vegan is to me.  I know how this probably sounds--I need someone else to convince me that my lifestyle is a good one?  Well, yes, I did.  In that moment of weakness, I needed someone to support me and tell me that I was doing the right thing, even if that's not the lifestyle he personally practices.



I actually cooked a very nice vegetable platter for Saturday's lunch.  We had a ton of veggies in the fridge that were begging to be sauteed.  

Some boiling, olive oil, garlic, pan frying and voila!  The fresh al dente asparagus was the best.

Here's to hoping your day is lovely and full of strength to resist any kind of crap that may tempt you.