If someone would have told me that in my 53rd year on this planet that I would not only be a headliner at a famous comedy club, but actually sell out the show, I would have told them they were crazy. But that’s exactly what happened two weeks ago at the world-famous Ice House Comedy Club in Pasadena.
In all honesty, I can’t say that those people came just to hear me, but rather they came to hear my message and get the information they needed to better their health, and they did so in the middle of a work week! It’s also one of the only times in a comedy club where communicating with the guy on stage was actually welcome.
According to management at the club, I had to be off the stage after exactly 90 minutes. But I hung out in the lobby and bar area afterward, chatting with fans for an extra hour, until the club actually turned the lights off and kicked us out, forcing us to move the party to the sidewalk.
Pilgrimage of the Confused
One guy I was happy to meet was Jim, with whom I had done a phone consultation just a few days earlier. One woman there was recently diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. Two other people were living with the auto-immune disorder lupus. And several others were dealing with morbid obesity. The whole time I found it crazy that in this day and age they would have to make a pilgrimage out to a comedy club to get advice from a middle-aged Italian guy.
But come they did, because they were confused. They were confused because the messages they get in the media, in advertising, in reports by so-called medical experts on chat shows, are all over the map when it comes to nutrition, and what to eat. I hope they came because they knew that I would not lie to them – that I would give them the naked, honest truth.
Can Mexicans Eat NSNG?
Let’s talk for a minute about the woman who had just been diagnosed with Type-2 diabetes. She actually hadn’t even really wanted to come in the first place. She wasn’t familiar with my podcast, hadn’t read my book, and really didn’t know who I was. But she was dragged there by a friend who thought she really needed to hear about NSNG. After she told me about her diagnosis, and asked about the NSNG lifestyle, I launched into my “NSNG 101” spiel, essentially telling her that especially for her condition, she should cut out all grains and all sugar. She responded by saying “but I’m Mexican, and our diet includes a LOT of grains – rice, corn, and wheat!” I told her that I too love Mexican food, and eat it all the time. But there are still a LOT of dishes in Mexican cuisine that don’t involve grains at all – fajitas, carne asada, grilled meats and shrimp… the list goes on and on. I pointed out also that I’m Italian, and love Italian food, but that doesn’t mean I eat pasta. Her friend, fortunately, was very supportive and encouraged her to listen. I hope she does, as she seemed like a really lovely person and with Type-2 diabetes, her health very much depends on it.
Taking the Big Fat Show on the Road
As a direct result of the success of the show at the Ice House, I’ve now booked a show at the Improv in Irvine, CA. I hope any of you who are close enough can come out to see me. Like the show at the Ice House, I’ll be answering your questions directly, and it should be a great time. The date is in late October, so stay tuned for more information.
And with that, I’ll turn things over to Anna Vocino (whose wonderful new cook book, “Eat Happy,” is now available for pre-order on Amazon), for one of her fantastic recipes.
Salmon Burgers
“Eat Happy” is now out for pre-sale but the launch date has changed to 8/16 b/c of complications with amazon. The hard copy will be up soon. You can still sign up for lots of free recipes at annavocino.com to tide you over until then!
Plus, make some Salmon Burgers and be the hero of the house!” Get the full recipe HERE…
