- The amount of garbage you make per week is going to skyrocket. Unless you've got a clever plan for your pulp (like composting), you're going to create a gigantic pile of pulp, rinds, stems, stalks, peels, and pits that will leave you speechless. Before juicing, two people in my house (my mother lives with me) created roughly one garbage bag of refuse per week. On my own (she's traveling right now), I produce twice that. And I'm talking full, heavy bags here. The quantity is astonishing. And that leads me to my next point...
- The smell of your garbage will get exponentially worse. Think about it: Warm, wet, organic matter packed densely in a dark place? It's like a Disneyworld for bacteria, and it's going to stink. One bag leaked into my plastic bin and I had to bleach the bin, the scent was so horrible. You may not be shocked by the increased raunch of your garbage... but I sure was.
- You're going to wash dishes. A lot of dishes. You'll be surprised how much you have to wash when you're not actually putting food on a plate most of the time. Glasses, cutting boards, jugs, jars, knives, bowls, etc. You can't leave your juicer just sitting there after use, either... so after every use you're washing the blades, the hopper, and several other internal parts to make sure the nasty mass of death that's stinking up your garbage bag isn't having the same effect on your juicer. And here's the cruel twist: The average dishwasher won't do a good enough job rinsing the pulp and silt off your glasses and cutlery... so make sure you're stocked up on rubber gloves.
- The mere fact that you're juicing is going to annoy some people, and some of those annoyed people are going to tell you how much they disapprove. Here's an excerpt from a conversation where I got dressed down for juicing.
In her defense: Though she was very aggressive and rude, she was genuinely trying to help... but not open to the idea that I knew what I was doing and had done the due diligence in preparing for it. Some people will attack you for less compassionate reasons. And many of them will make it sound as if science is on their side when they start talking about juicing as a stupid fad (which science is not).
This often happens because you are taking steps to do something that a lot of other people know they probably should do. Many people feel bad about being overweight, weak, and sick, and they know it's something they could control if they wanted to (did any of you who saw Fat, Sick, & Nearly Dead notice how many of the people interviewed by Joe Cross said they were the blame for their condition and that they knew they should start doing better?). You changing your life for the better is rubbing salt in those wounds. Many people are a lot more comfortable with the idea that we're all failing together and they take some comfort in it. Seeing you taking control of your life embarrasses them, and that will be expressed as anger. How you deal with this is up to you. I don't have a "one size fits all" response. Generally, however, if someone's not in a receptive mindset then you're wasting your time trying to say anything. Most of the time I just say "Thanks for caring about me" and then I resume with life. After all; getting into juicing isn't the same as becoming an evangelist or fundamentalist. If you become someone who tries to shout dissenters down, that's got nothing to do with juicing. That's all you.
No comments:
Post a Comment