Julia, our queen of trying everything at Delish, recently granted me the opportunity of a lifetime: a week-long vacation from cooking, a complete break from my usual role of researching, testing, and developing recipes. Following my weeks of intensive chickpea experiments and scrambling together $3 budget dinners, this was an offer I could not turn down.
The catch? I had to follow The Aaron Diet for the entire week, and document my journey. I can already hear your questions: "What is The Aaron Diet? And who is Aaron??" Ask and you shall receive! Aaron is my partner of nine years, and The Aaron Diet has only one rule: to eat exactly as Aaron eats, when he eats, no modifications.
I started the week on Sunday with equal parts elation (no cooking for a whole week, yay!) and trepidation. Aaron's circadian rhythm is about four hours off from mine: His breakfasts happen later than my lunches, and his dinners run dangerously close to my bedtimes. I learned quickly that drinking plenty of water and staying hydrated was crucial to keeping my wits about me for the duration of the diet.
To his credit, Aaron fed me some real winners: Japanese curry with fragrant glutinous rice. Corn tortillas fried in bacon fat until crispy then coated generously with gochugaru-curry seasoning. Juicy-sweet summer cherries drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with spicy-sour Tajin.
But then again, there were the truly painful moments of chewing through creations I would only wish upon my third grade bully: cavity-inducing blueberries and peanut butter chips tossed in cinnamon maple syrup; tamarind-Sriracha sticky rice that was so acidic it burned right through my esophagus; globs of peanut butter, feta, and chocolate atop soy-flavored rice crackers.
Despite all the questionable concoctions I had to endure, I spent my last night on The Aaron Diet sitting wistfully with bittersweet gratitude. The food I consumed during the week was only a part of my experience being on The Aaron Diet. What truly changed my week for the better wasn't limited to Aaron actually feeding my body much-needed vegetables (steamed broccoli was the real MVP of the week), but extended to the wholesomeness of being alongside him as he cooked, and actually being present in the moment to sit down and eat together.
Even though we've been quarantined together in the same small apartment for the past five months, we haven't quite been living together so much as just existing in the same physical space. We'd each grown used to doing our own thing every day, eating our own snacks and meals separately, running on completely different schedules and sleep times.
Being on The Aaron Diet forced us to be with each other in a way that made me reckon with just how much I appreciated my partner. It reminded me of the inherent social aspect of eating and sharing food with other people, a feature of dining that's fallen by the wayside since worldwide self-isolation was imposed.
While I relished my weeklong break from cooking for work, I enjoyed far more the unforeseen bonding effect of The Aaron Diet. Who knew quality time together could make food taste that much better...and make life that much less depressing. I may not look like the poster child of gratefulness here, but trust me when I say that my seven days on the butter-blasted, sugar-glazed Aaron Diet has made me happier, healthier, and so very grateful to be here snacking on cheese with my BFFL.
