C'mon, how can you ever say no to this?
... or this? (for the record, I could just eat the tops off those buns in the second photo. They are A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. I'd go as far as to say that they're better than s... alright, let's not go there).
Well, if you haven't already realized, I find it extraordinarily, agonizingly difficult to display resistance in the face of these golden beauties, even though these suckers are loaded with a million calories apiece (alright, I exaggerate, perhaps about 300-400 each). If you haven't tried buns like these yet, I caution you against sampling them, because your tastebuds will sing like no other from the sweet, crusty, fluffy loveliness and they'll be all you think of in your dreams for the next few nights.
Chinese bakeries are readily available everywhere in Singapore. There's typically four or five good old-fashioned, mom-and-pop affairs in each residential neighborhood, where you can get as many as 6 good-sized buns for something like USD $1.00. There's been a recent proliferation of bakery chains just about everywhere back home as well. The undisputed leader is BreadTalk , but I actually prefer the chains that sprung up on the heels of BreadTalk's success (somehow I think the quality of their baked goods is higher, perhaps because they've had to compete with BreadTalk and one another, and also probably because they use more butter in baking. Dang.).
Anyway, carbs like these are my kryptonite. They make me go weak in the knees. I'd gladly subsist on them for the rest of my life (except that it probably wouldn't be long before I keel over from having ingested a glut of white flour, shortening and sugar).
But I'm proud to say that I've been free from processed carbs for 8 days and counting now. I'm hoping to keep this up (obviously, all bets are off when it comes to next Thursday), and continue following a Paleo/Primal-style diet.
Photos courtesy of ieatishootipost and Rasa Malaysia.
5 comments:
I suspected you were human. :)
Do you think that the all or nothing needs to be followed for a while to adjust your body's cravings? Do you think after a while you can eat "street carbs" in moderation?
Feng!
You're killing me with this post! I haven't had anything made with flour since Sunday and today has been the worst day because I've been CRAVING bread.
(But darn it, I'm gonna tear into some dinner rolls on Thursday!)
-Fred.
Sharon S. -- Yes, I AM human after all. Dang! I thought I almost had you fooled! ;)
I do indeed believe that the only way to counter these cravings, hard as it is, is to go cold turkey. I won't deny, the initial few days will be crazy difficult due to several reasons -- 1.sugar IS addictive (why did you think I called this "getting off the crack"), 2.you'll probably be bemoaning your decision all day as images of frosted cupcakes and sticky buns flit across your mind's eye, 3. you'll have to exert tremendous willpower to resist the wily mini Snickers bars serenading you from across the office.
So, yeah, it will probably be extraordinarily difficult at the outset. But hang in there, give it a week or so, and I bet that your cravings will have diminished considerably. I wouldn't reintroduce street carbs (ha ha) right away, since you haven't been off them all THAT long, and thus might be prone to overindulge in them and restart the entire vicious cycle.
But I definitely think that you'll eventually reach a point where you get so adjusted to eating healthy, where you regard street carbs as occasional treats rather than the basis of your diet, and I think at that time you'll be able to practice moderation in all aspects of your diet.
Fred -- Hey! Glad you checked in! AWESOME JOB on staying off the flour so far. That's great. Y'know, I fervently believe that holidays are meant to be enjoyed. No point sweating one day out of many (as long as your feasting doesn't end up stretching all the way to Christmas). Enjoy your dinner roll (and remember to dab plenty of butter on it, a la the Anabolic Diet!) ;)
Hey Feng - God some days, I miss the Kachang Paos!!! There is a bakery near our flat in Yishun that makes the best hard rolls and when I went home during grad school, I'd make a trip down everyday to get my fix for $0.50. Now, you've got me thinking about mooncakes, paos, all the other locak fare. Pandan cakes and other malay goodies - OK I'm stopping now!!!
The PSMG got off to a good start yesterday. I wasn't really hungry w/ all that protein from the cheese. Drinking hot water and ginger tea definitely helps. Today was a pseudo day today since I have dinner plans and I don't want to explain to all my buddies about this stuff.
Back to hardcore tomorrow and I totally agree - going cold turkey is the best way to do this!!
hahaha breadtalk. and those nai huang baos. (what are they called in english anyway?) i never liked chinese pastries very much, i actually really dislike them, but i'm a sucker for shao mai.
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