The Mock Duck

Well, that’s it then: I’ve unblogged my blog. I’ve saved all of the pages as private just in case I want to try a recipe again, but I’ve decided to put The Mock Duck to bed for now. As a therapeutic exercise it has been very successful. I was at the tail-end of a depression when I started and everything, including food, seemed dull and flat to me. However, it rekindled my interest in food a bit too much and I am now seven pounds heavier than when I began! This comes as no surprise to me. I’m not stupid - I do realise that eating cakes every day is not a good idea! It was just necessary at the time. It was an interesting exercise. Looking back, I can see that I eat far too much cheese, butter and meat when left unchecked and can quite easily descend into gluttony! My daughter was a bit upset by something I blogged about her not eating the food I cooked. It is an ongoing battle to get her to try new things, but I know that a lot of children her age have very boring tastes in food and so I’m just trying to get her to eat as balanced a diet as possible. It never actually occurred to me that anyone would read my blog and so I have perhaps said things that should not have been said publicly. If I have upset anyone else, then I do apologise. I have tried lots of new recipes and ingredients over the past months. My favourite recipe was the mock char siu dumplings and my favourite new ingredient was Cumberland Sauce (it is lovely added to gravy). My favourite cake was my daughter’s birthday cake and so I have left you a photograph of it. One last word on depression. There is so much misunderstanding and fear surrounding mental illness. A lot of people really have no idea how to deal with a depressed person and so just avoid them. Last summer, when I was at my most depressed, being given one healthy cooked meal a day would have been very beneficial - even just some homemade vegetable soup. I could continue to cook for my daughter on automatic pilot, but I could no longer care for myself fully, because it felt like I had died and my body had been taken over by someone who hated me. I don’t remember what I was eating at the time, as it all tasted like dust to me. Don’t expect the depressed person to be grateful for your help. In fact, don’t expect anything from them at all. Just do it because it is a kindness and it will do them good. Goodbye for now. The Mock Duck.

Well, that’s it then: I’ve unblogged my blog. I’ve saved all of the pages as private just in case I want to try a recipe again, but I’ve decided to put The Mock Duck to bed for now.

As a therapeutic exercise it has been very successful. I was at the tail-end of a depression when I started and everything, including food, seemed dull and flat to me. However, it rekindled my interest in food a bit too much and I am now seven pounds heavier than when I began!

This comes as no surprise to me. I’m not stupid - I do realise that eating cakes every day is not a good idea! It was just necessary at the time. It was an interesting exercise. Looking back, I can see that I eat far too much cheese, butter and meat when left unchecked and can quite easily descend into gluttony!

My daughter was a bit upset by something I blogged about her not eating the food I cooked. It is an ongoing battle to get her to try new things, but I know that a lot of children her age have very boring tastes in food and so I’m just trying to get her to eat as balanced a diet as possible.

It never actually occurred to me that anyone would read my blog and so I have perhaps said things that should not have been said publicly. If I have upset anyone else, then I do apologise.

I have tried lots of new recipes and ingredients over the past months. My favourite recipe was the mock char siu dumplings and my favourite new ingredient was Cumberland Sauce (it is lovely added to gravy). My favourite cake was my daughter’s birthday cake and so I have left you a photograph of it.

One last word on depression. There is so much misunderstanding and fear surrounding mental illness. A lot of people really have no idea how to deal with a depressed person and so just avoid them. Last summer, when I was at my most depressed, being given one healthy cooked meal a day would have been very beneficial - even just some homemade vegetable soup. I could continue to cook for my daughter on automatic pilot, but I could no longer care for myself fully, because it felt like I had died and my body had been taken over by someone who hated me. I don’t remember what I was eating at the time, as it all tasted like dust to me. Don’t expect the depressed person to be grateful for your help. In fact, don’t expect anything from them at all. Just do it because it is a kindness and it will do them good.

Goodbye for now.

The Mock Duck.