I don't really know what I expected to eat when I decided to be vegetarian. I didn't like vegetables. I didn't like beans. I had never even tried tofu. Was my self-loathing really so great that in my metabolism's glory days, I decided to take fried chicken out of my life in favor of a diet consisting mostly of foods I would describe, at that point, as "icky"? Wait, we're talking about junior high. Of course it was. Something beautiful happened, though. Repeated exposure is a magical thing and, eventually, I began to love things that grow from the ground.
It took me a few listens to get into Dirty Projectors, as well, but they managed to permeate my indie rock buzz band ennui thanks to their aggressive utilization of Tricia's Three Most Important Elements of Awesome Music on 2009's Bitte Orca: harmonies, a good beat, and unapologetic weirdness.
Inevitably, I will dance and sing around the apartment if I put this album on, so if I'm going to eat anything (and I really should as and man cannot live on boogie alone....yet - get on that, science!) it had better be a meal that will pump me up, or else I'll get bored and leave the table.
These days, my cooking philosophy relies on two questions:
- What do I already have in my pantry/fridge?
- Can I stuff it in a red pepper?
All this considered, I recommend listening to Dirty Projectors while you eat quinoa stuffed red peppers and drink pomegranate margaritas. It's got all the good stuff (veggies! heaps of protein!) and all the bad stuff (tequila!) that I learned to love and will put you in the mood to rock out until you pass out.
