food that is white

Yesterday, my friend Veronica made me stir fry for dinner. As I sit here alone in my apartment, eating the remnants of its leftovers (I eat all the veggies out first), my bowl of white rice with bits of egg white, white beans, and water chestnuts reminds me of an article I read in "Alone in the Kitchen with Eggplant." The article in question discussed at length that a vast majority of individuals find comfort in eating white food, as in food that is white. This fascination with colorless food has left me befuddled in the wake of my turn toward healthier eating. White food, by and large, is made that way artificially.

White flour is only white flour because it was once wheat flour that was bleached of all its natural nutrients. I tend to avoid white food. Wheat noodles instead of plain. Yogurt with fruit in it instead of just plain yogurt. Multigrain breads instead of white bread.  The list is endless. Of course, when Veronica made her stir fry, I was not going to complain about her use of white as opposed to brown rice. I was too busy appreciating her cooking of my meal. But I wouldn't have chosen white rice if I had made it myself. I'd have used brown.

Generally, I've found that in addition to being more nutritious, the non-white versions of foods are more flavorful as well. Even so, as I sit alone in my apartment, picked up bits of water chestnut in my target-purchased chopsticks, I can't help admitting that its sort of like a security blanket, the sticky rice, the beans, the egg, and that satisfying crunch of water chestnut between my white, white teeth.