Raw on the Set

Dear Jill,

Remember when we started this, how I was worrying about being on the set of PRETTY at LUNCH TIME? I knew it was going to be a comfort food wonderland consisting of pizza and Subway. A world full of soda, cookies and bowls of mini candy bars. In the past when I worked I ate whatever was offered, without thought or complaint. Yeah, it might not be the healthiest stuff but it's free and besides I DESERVE IT! I knew this time though, if I was going to stay raw, I had to brown bag it or else. Unfortunately, I didn't have much time to prepare anything super fancy but managed some magic mushrooms, my famous cucumber salad and some chopsticks to make my meal feel more exotic.

It was a grueling day - super hot, a ton of scenes, a gazillion costume changes and did I mention it was hot? Unfortunately, I didn't drink any water (or have breakfast) and by lunch time I actually felt so bad that when the pizza arrived, it wasn't THAT big of a temptation (trust me feeling crappy was a blessing because pizza is my favorite - I'd eat it every day if I could get away with it and if someone ever said they were going to make a house out of something that I'd have to eat my way out of - I would say make it a pizza house please) It did smell good but I didn't feel like I was missing anything. While everyone else was slapping their greasy pizza on their paper plates, I was pulling out my raw lunch and yeah, I got a lot of ribbing but I also got a lot of folks really wanting to try my food and liking it so much they wanted more. And of course I got the ol' "Where do you get your protein?" question which I found kinda funny considering that the person who asked was chomping on pizza and drinking a Diet Coke.

The next day - due to my forgetting my lunch on the deck, I was forced to try and figure out something to get from TOGO's. It was like that scene from Five Easy Pieces as I tried (through the A.D.) to get a place that doesn't make salads to make me a salad. I basically said... I'd like a sandwich with extra lettuce, onion, avocado and whatever other salady things you have - with no cheese and no bread. I stressed AVOCADO at least three times. What I got was a plate with some shredded iceberg, bits of onion and two scoops of hummus. I felt a little sorry for myself for a second, kicking myself for leaving my raw smoothie stuff at home, until the producer informed me that they have an avocado tree! I traded my hummus for an avocado, drizzled it with oil & vinegar and ate it happily while everyone else had their boring ass sandwiches and chips. I know to others I must have come across like a freaky, hair shirt wearing Ascetics but honestly , I loved what I was eating! BTW an avocado has 4 grams of protein. I'm just saying.