A lactose intolerant summer + an announcement
When you're a farty girl in a dairy world
CW: I don’t know who needs to hear this, but consider this your content warning for farts and poop.
Hi Barbies!
I’ve recently discovered I am mildly to moderately lactose intolerant. This learning came about when I had lunch two days in a row at one of my favorite restaurants in Brooklyn, where pretty much everything on the menu is adorned with lavish amounts of butter, cream, cheese, and/or sour cream. Within an hour of each meal, like clockwork, I positively flew to the bathroom, and I was forced to finally connect the dots and admit that while dairy might be my palate’s dream, it is my butt’s nightmare.
Tbh, I’m not yet sure what this means for my diet or this newsletter. Like many lactose intolerant people, I’m learning that eating high-lactose dairy products (milk) yields significantly worse effects than eating foods that have had much of the lactose processed out (yogurt, hard cheeses like Parm).
Truthfully, the world of plant-based cheeses and butters depresses me—no matter how much they may look or act like the real thing, the flavor (and often the texture) almost universally tends to disappoint. Trying to use them in the ways I would revel in using regular cheese and butter simply doesn’t excite me, though I’m optimistic that may change as I continue to broaden my knowledge of this world and as the offerings continue to get better.
In the meantime, I’m choosing to focus on what I can add, rather than mope about what I must take away. It turns out there’s a whole lot of dairy-free goodness that I’m really looking forward to incorporating into my cooking. Flaky butter-based pastry is one of the things I love most in the world, but my devotion to it means I’ve overlooked techniques for things like olive oil pastry dough. I’m planning on making a dairy-free version of this zucchini pie encased in phyllo for an end-of-week picnic and I am so excited to get to know phyllo better. No one is arguing that spiced and seared tofu chunks are the same as paneer, but I am arguing that are in fact delicious in a creamy, dairy-free saag (I like Sheil Shukla’s recipe from Plant-Based India). And I truly cannot wait to share tomorrow’s recipe drop for (yet another) cold noodle dish dressed in a dreamy silken tofu cream thickened with cashews and enriched with olive oil. Dairy wishes it could! In the meantime…is it time for me to embrace Lactaid?
An announcement
Starting this Thursday, most of the content on Gentle Foods will be going behind the paywall, which means most of the content on here will only be available to paid subscribers.
What does this mean for you? Well, first, I hope it means you will consider becoming a paid subscriber. Paid subscriptions are the only reason why I can continue doing this work. Your support helps cover the costs of the time I spend developing and testing new weekly recipes, the groceries I need in order to develop these recipes, and the time it takes to write essays about food and diet culture and mental health. I have truly loved the work being on Substack has allowed me to pursue, and purchasing a monthly ($7/month) or yearly ($70/year) subscription is the number one way to keep my work sustainable. If you have the means and would consider becoming a Founding Member at $150/year, which allows me to offer comp subscriptions, I truly thank you.
Moving forward, paid subscribers will receive:
A brand-new recipe every week inspired by what I’m cooking right now (that’s 4 new recipes a month!)
All of my personal essays and other non-recipe writing
Access to comments so we can talk about whatever we please in a fun safe space
Announcements about my pop-ups, talks, classes, and other events before anyone else
Access to the archives so you can always quickly reference your favorite recipes
If you remain a free subscriber, you will continue to receive the following:
1–2 recipes a month
Occasional non-recipe posts
Announcements about my pop-ups, talks, classes, and other events
And if you need a comp subscription for whatever reason, email me at gentlefoods@substack.com and I’ll set you up, no questions asked.
Thank you for being here. See you tomorrow!
–Chaey
Miyokos Vegan butter is cashew based and tastes very good/ subistutes like real butter in recipes. If you need any good dairy free recs please let me know! I've been lactose intolerant for 13 years. I've tried all the awful and yummy things. Tanyabarsi@gmail.com
DF gal here by choice and I have tasted them ALL. I have wasted money on so many dips and find when I make my own it's so much better. The closest DF Ricotta that I use is expensive but worth and it's Kite Hill. Also, nice firm sheeps cheese is great with charcuterie (Manchego, which is available at Aldi and a big chunk is available at Sams Club.) Nutritional yeast also tastes delish on veggies. I did use the new Country Crock Avacado Oil "spread" but don't eat it now because of the canola oil in it. But it worked great for baking for me. Ben and Jerrys DF icecream and all Sorbet is also dairy free. I eliminate dairy rather than take a pill but I understand people that do take it and why and it works for them. I will say we have come a long way from even 3 years ago regarding what is available. Good luck on your journey!