The art of eating in: Interview with Cathy Erway

INTERVIEW

February 26, 2010


 

Here at The Young and Hungry, we are well versed in the ins and outs of eating in and out, so when food-blogger Cathy Erway decided to publish a book on just that, naturally we were intrigued.  Erway’s blog, Not Eating Out in New York, followed her experiences, from dumpster foraging to cooking cows stomach (tripe), as she abstained from eating restaurant food.   Two years later, ten pounds lighter, and with a slew of original recipes at her fingertips, Erway chronicles her adventures in her book: The Art of Eating In.  She sits down to talk to YAH about failed yogurt experiments and which restaurant she still wants to try.

 

Sum up your motivation for eating in.

It was a little bit of everything.  I wanted to get better acquainted with everything about my food and play a more active role in my everyday diet.  I also I wanted to save money. Cheap food tends to be the least healthy — yes, it can be good at times, but mostly you can make a better version yourself.

 

What were your eating habits like before you started?

I would cook maybe twice a week.  I couldn’t afford to eat out all the time, and I had roommates, so we would eat together.

 

Your mother and father cook.  Did you learn from them?

They cooked pretty much every meal.  They packed lunches so I wasn’t eating out like some other kids.  They stuck to that regime, which seems old fashioned today, but I learned from it.  I learned how to cook from them, but over the years, also from friends, relatives, observing, reading books.  I had never taken a cooking class before the blog.

 

Which food was most difficult to give up?

I would crave pizza, sushi, all those staples of takeout culture — so I set about making them at home, and they turned out even better.   Homemade pizza turns out a lot better than your corner pizza shop.  Sushi turned out to be something I could make any day.

 

Were there any cooking failures?

Yogurt didn’t seem to work out for me.  I didn’t like it that much.  No, I don’t think I failed, there were certainly lot of things I was ho-hum about, but I didn’t find anything that I couldn’t make.  I’m sure I couldn’t make real southern BBQ, but thankfully, it’s not something I missed.

 

Do you have a favorite grocery store?

The greenmarket, that’s my grocery store.

 

In the book you say you only spend $25 dollars a week, but we cant seem to get out of the store for less than $60.

The $25 came from some fresh items, not for stuff that was leftover in my home, or dry pantry staples like flour or homemade stock .  I don’t shop for a week at once, instead, I pick up things piecemeal here and there.  I think about what needs to get used up and add on from there.  I’m not shopping for a recipe, so much as what I have, and that’s where the book’s recipes come from in the end. 

 

Do you have any money-saving tips for grocery shopping?

Go for the cheaper items!  There’s no reason why you have to get broccoli rabe all the time, try collards or some curly kale instead.  Expensive doesn’t mean better.  Winter vegetables are in season right now; turnips and carrots are incredibly cheap.  I saw butternut squash for 75 cents at the greenmarket and they will last for a while, you can keep them on hand.  I certainly invented many a things from having one too many carrots around.  

 

What about organic, humanely raised meat, which tends to be a lot more expensive?

You don’t have to eat meat everyday.  I generally don’t eat meat unless it’s a special occasion. I like meat, and if I’m going to buy it, it has to be sustainable, humanely raised, pasture raised, organic meat (same with vegetables).  But if you’re going to eat a lot of meat, and that’s what your values are, consider that buying that meat from a restaurant is still a lot more than buying it from the market. 

 

So what were the “side effects” of the project?  You lost 10 pounds while eating in, correct?

I was 10 pounds lighter the whole two years.  Unfortunately, after a few months of eating out again, I was surprised when 10 pounds appeared.  I don’t think it’s directly linked to eating out, but more about lifestyle changes.  It became Fall instead of Summer, and because I wasn’t outside, running around as often.  Eating out was probably the main reason, though.

 

What are your eating habits like now that your restaurant-fast is over? Do you eat out frequently?

No, I don’t eat out frequently, but I do like going out for friend’s birthdays, special occasions, dim sum ,that kind of thing.  I have many potluck parties and dinner parties too, which are fun. I do prefer cooking on a normal daily basis.  In fact, this week, I am doing the week of eating-in for the Huffington Post.  They are doing a challenge where people take a pledge to not eat out for a week and blogging about it.  So I’m doing that again too —right now I’m actually pulling some bread out of the oven and it’s hot!

 

Do you have a favorite restaurant when you are eating out?  What restaurant is on your “to-try” list?

Just the other day, friends and I got inspired and we went to dim sum.  That’s something you can’t do at home.  I don’t have a favorite restaurant for that, but special dining experiences like that.  I have never been to Back Forty, and I would love to.  I met Peter Hoffman at a cassoulet cook off, and he’s into small farms too.

 

You wrote about a lot of people that are actively involved in your personal life. How have they reacted to being a book?

A couple people have thought it was hilarious and liked it.  And I did give them a heads up, I have good faith they will be okay with it.  

 

 


Posted in FOOD on February 26, 2010 10:00am by Rachel Hochhauser | 0 comments




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