5 Steps to Freedom: How to Liberate Yourself from the Standard American Diet
Stavanger is one of Norway’s oldest cities. The first time I visited, I wandered into the city center and marveled at the cobblestone streets, quaint shops, and beautiful people. The sky was steely grey and tendrils of cold, humid sea air whipped across the harbor as I hunted for a place to get some food. Cafes serving strong, bitter coffee and fresh pastry beckoned. I peeked inside packed restaurants serving kebabs, pizza, seafood, Indian, and sushi and finally settled on a rambling restaurant with a nautical bent. Service was slow but the portions were generous, and the beer was cold. I would eat there most evenings, curled up with a book in the corner amidst the shining brass, nautical ropes, and ship wheels.
Walking back up the hill to my hotel, I passed restaurants and bars and shops in a city center that was missing something obvious to my American eyes: fast food. Sure, there were takeaway restaurants but no McDonalds. No Taco Bell. Nothing like that. I sighed happily and looked around at the tall, thin people who seemed to exercise from dawn to dusk and marveled at this magical, health-conscious place. I returned to Texas with an ache in my heart for the happy and wholesome Scandinavian lifestyle.
Now let us fast forward six years. I walk down the hill towards the city center…
