Balance

I was in the waiting room at the dentist today reading a Popular Science article about how some people are afraid of unhealthy food and eat the opposite extreme, for example, only eat leafy green vegetables, etc. These people develop hyper-controlled eating habits and become paralyzed with the anxiety of consuming something they believe is “bad for you,” like a piece of cheese. The result is a new eating disorder called orthorexia, which is “a pathological obsession for biologically pure and healthy nutrition.” Thomas Dunn, a psychologist at the University of Northern Colorado, explains that just as anorexia is driven by a fear of being fat, orthorexia is driven by a fear of being unhealthy. Orthorexia diets can lack essential nutrients, and they make the vitamins and minerals a person does get from limited meals impossible for the body to absorb. This can lead to fragile bones, hormonal shifts, cardiac problems, psychological distress, and delusional thinking.^[1] Apparently eating real food is not as obvious an alternative to processed foods as I thought.

It reminds me of a housemate I had in college who once treated herself to half of a mini Hershey’s kiss as a dessert. This was a slim and athletic 20-year-old involved in 2 or 3 extracurricular sports in addition to working and being a student, meanwhile counting every calorie. The entrenched and delusional thinking started permeating her whole life.

We’ll continue on our path of real food with this ethnic treat that combines just about every food group in one dish. Olivier salad is a Russian comfort food created by a Belgian chef in the 1800s, and was originally a combination of game birds, vegetables, and a sauce made of egg yolks, oil, vinegar and spices.^[2] It’s pronounced like the actor Sir Lawrence Olivier’s last name. Now it is popular throughout Asia and Europe in a lot of variations. Its creator, Chef Lucien Olivier, always made the salad himself and never shared the recipe before his death.

Salad Olivier makes an interesting appetizers accompaniment, a great side dish, or a sandwich. It’s perfect in summer but I’m serving it today with a side of soup and a warm baguette. All ingredients are finely cubed into equal pea-size pieces, and in almost equal amounts. I’m not a big fan of peas so I used mixed vegetables. You can make any or all of this in advance and refrigerate.

Salad Olivier
Salad
2 C shredded chicken
2 C cooked and diced potatoes (3 lg)
3 diced hard-boiled eggs
2 C frozen peas (or mixed vegetables)
2 C chopped pickles

Dressing
1 C mayonnaise
2 T olive oil
2 T lemon juice
2 t Dijon mustard
Sea salt & pepper
Place all salad ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
Add all dressing ingredients to another bowl and whisk. Taste and check seasoning for salt and pepper. Add the dressing to the salad and stir well until evenly mixed. Cover and let rest in the fridge to allow the flavors to combine.