Two weeks into my gall bladder being on the fritz, I decided to go all Paula Deen on it. If I simply refrained from eating fat or consuming alcohol, I prevented the attacks, which were more painful than a lifetime sentenced to eating Kwanzaa Cake. But I was hosting book club that night. And we were reading Shark’s Fin and Sichuan Pepper, one of my favorite books. An array of home-cooked Chinese dishes peppered the table, wowing me with the skill of my friends: beef tongue, celery, and pig ear from Tiffany, egg tarts from Snacking in the Kitchen, and dan-dan noodles from me, among others delicacies. I couldn’t resist the temptations of my favorite cuisine made by my favorite people. My doctor had given me Vicodin for any pain when I got attacks, but since the pain was prevented by eliminating fat and alcohol, I had yet to actually use them.
Until that night, when I tried to emulate the woman who should be nobody’s hero, Paula Deen. Instead of using my diet to prevent the symptoms, I let them happen and tried to treat the pain with the drugs. Worst. Idea. Ever. Vicodin was no match for the multiple playing dice-sized gallstones (I later learned) that had taken up residence in my organ. There was nothing to do about the pain but suffer. From three to six AM I cried out in pain, I danced, I did yoga, I lay perfectly still. I tried to think of happy things (Chinese food! Wine! No, wrong tactic) to get the pain off my mind, but nothing alleviates the pain of a gall bladder attack but time (and the good drugs I eventually got in the ER, but that’s another story). I stopped eating fat after that, until a week later when I finally had surgery and got the damn thing removed.
I’m all better now; it seems that the gall bladder is an entirely unnecessary organ. Like the Robert Irvine of body parts: it could fall off the face of the earth and nobody would even take notice. Now that the gall bladder and the stones it harbored have been taken out, I get to go back to a totally normal diet. For the few weeks that I couldn’t eat fat, though, I did notice that much of the protein I ate came from things with fat in them. I love tofu as much as the next person, but usually pan-fried. I’ll take you up on that steak, or maybe a little bit of ground lamb. Cheese? an excellent source of protein–and also fat. Don’t even get me started on the horrors of fat-free cheese. Worse than a Rachael Ray marathon coming on when you’ve got a broken remote control.
So I looked into beefalo, which I’ll keep eating, because it turns out to be low-fat and full-flavor, a rare combination, the unicorn of the food world. I found bean dip–which I at one point (and never again) had to eat with a fat-free Pringle. I survived and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone, but life goes on, life gets better, and being gall-bladder free is no hardship. In the meantime, I got really good at making nice light recipes, like the one below.
Healthful Spicy Edamame Dip
A healthful, low-fat, and colorful dip that goes well with tortilla chips, sandwiches or bread.
Prep Time: 5 months, 5 minutes
Cook Time: 1 months, 1 minutes
Yield: 1 large bowl worth--enough for a casual party
Serving Size: 1 Tablespoon
Ingredients
- 1.5 Cups Steamed, shelled Edamame
- 1 TBSP Shiro Miso
- 1 Jalapeño (de-seed if you don\'t like spice)
- 0.5 Bunch Cilantro
- 1 TBSP Sesame Oil (More--up to 3 if you\'re not watching your fat)
- 0.5 Fruit Worth of Lemon Juice
- 1 tsp Kosher Salt
- 1 tsp Fish Sauce (Optional, to keep it vegetarian/vegan)
Cooking Directions
- Chop cilantro and pepper
- Blast everything in the food processor until smooth, about 1 minute. Stop to scrape down sides, if necessary
Ugh. I had a nasty gallbladder attack after Thanksgiving last year, resulting in pancreatitis that landed me in the hospital for almost a week. I was told it could’ve been much worse. And for the month in between that & surgery, my most frequent craving was mac & cheese.
Never heard of beefalo; I’ll have to look for it. Unicorn of the food world–lol.
That sounds awful, Jena. Definitely look for the beefalo–it’s a cross between buffalo and beef, and it’s darn good!
Whoa, so glad you got that nasty thing taken out! Hope you are feeling much better by now and can wine along with the rest of us. I had a sample of a commercially prepared edamame dip and it was great but had no clue how to make it. I’ve bookmarked this for my next snacky night with friends.
Aw geez, I didn’t know about the ER thing. I’m sorry that happened! I’m glad you’re feeling better now. Thanks for the book club invite. I’m looking forward to the next one, and perhaps another offal inspired dish.
Glad you’re feeling better! I love your recipe for this dip. I never thought to put miso, that’s a genius idea.
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Gnomey!!!
I stumbled across your gem of a blog this evening while reminiscing high school and thinking about old friends. I love your blog as food is also a passion of mine.
Hope all is well! xoxo
Can you drink alcohol after you had your gallbladder out?
Yup! My doctor gave me absolutely no restrictions following my gall bladder removal, and so far it’s been smooth sailing!
Worst pain ever….had mine removed at age 20. I had to wait months to get it taken out and attacks ended up being like 13 hrs long. And your right…drugs don’t help….unless its ten times stronger than morphine and even then u feel it. I love edamame. This looks good.