Vegan Kickstart: Day 18 (and No Tastebuds)

I've been sick with a nasty case of bronchitis now for 5 days. Over the course of this illness, I've had a nagging cough, a slight fever, body aches, a runny nose, a stuffy nose, you name it. And all of that sucked. But nothing sucks worse than losing my ability to taste and smell. That's what happened today — ALL DAY!

I'm on Day 18 of the 21-Day Vegan Kickstart plan and I was pretty stoked about breakfast — Van's Gluten-Free Buckwheat Waffles with homemade Berry Applesauce:

Unfortunately, I took one bite only to realize that I couldn't taste a thing. The dish had a nice texture though. Bummer. I was sure my tastebuds would be back in time for lunch, and I was pleased when I could sort of taste my leftover Buckwheat Pasta with Seitan:

But only sort of. I had to blow my nose between bites to really catch the flavor. Since I ate at my desk today, I didn't want to blow my nose every five seconds lest I gross out my co-workers.

My snack today was Grapes, and though my sense of taste was mostly gone again by snack time, I enjoyed the squishy texture.

I was way excited about dinner — a wholesome bowl of Zippy Yams and Bok Choy Over Brown Rice:

Okay, they were actually sweet potatoes, but the recipe called them yams so I'm doing it too. These were seasoned with soy sauce and curry paste, and thankfully, I was able to vaguely taste the first few bites. But then my sense of taste died again. So sad. I don't see much point in living if you can't taste. I would rather be blind or deaf than lose my tastebuds. Let's hope they're back tomorrow so I'll have a reason to go on (and yes, I am kind of a drama queen).

Which of your senses is most important to you?