A fellow I met on the golf course yesterday asked me what I do besides play golf. Of course, I have a big list, but I didn’t feel like getting into it. I said, well, I cook, read, swim. He said, “You obviously don’t eat much.”
The day before, my neighbor asked what I did for a living prior to retirement, and she was surprised I wasn’t an engineer. She said, “You’re tall and skinny.” Like that’s a prerequisite for any kind of job, let alone engineer. I’m pretty sure engineers have to do math, so that ruins my chances.
A communications major is God’s way of saying geometry isn’t for everyone.
I guess people assume skinny is a compliment, and anyone anywhere saying anything nice … I’ll take it, but I find it odd near-strangers think it’s OK to comment on my body. I don’t believe anyone would say, “You’re short and fat, so I thought you were an engineer.” Or, “You like to cook? No wonder you’re so fat.”
Anyway, I’m not complaining. It just surprises me. This happens to be what my body looks like at this point in my life. I don’t diet or do anything special, which is also surprising, since I was a thin child who packed a bunch of pounds in high school. Weight gain led to depression and probably an eating disorder.
Although I tried every fad diet on the planet, I finally lost the weight for good in my early 20s, when I started cooking, eating quality food and exercising. I’ve maintained a healthy weight since. Still, body issues are not easily dismissed. If someone asked all the fat girls to take a giant step forward, I’d probably jump in line.
I love food, and I love my body. I’m a scarred-up mess from two bouts of cancer, but I view them as survival badges. And I especially love that food is not my enemy. I know there are people with serious food allergies and sensitivities, but I personally am tired of all the gluten-free hoopla. I do not believe any real food should be demonized.
As for me? I’d like extra gluten, please.
I’ll eat just about anything, but I try to make smart choices. I don’t waste calories on stupid food. If it’s decadent, it had better be good. For example, I would never buy a packaged scone, but making them from scratch? I’m in!
Linda at Retired Introvert is a fellow retiree who likes to cook. She shares lots of great recipes, including these lemon blueberry scones. I made the scones yesterday, and we had them for breakfast this morning. Presentation is part of the dining experience, so I dragged out this Franciscan Desert Rose plate from the cupboard. There’s just one – I like to buy remnants at discount stores. We call them the designer plates.
The scones were delicious! I ate two, which I normally don’t do, but they were scrumptious. I tried to savor the experience and eat the scones slowly to appreciate the textures and flavors – making sure to alternate with little sips of coffee that added to the complexity. The lemon glaze is like nectar – sweet but tart from freshly squeezed juice.
Food is one of life’s greatest pleasures. When I struggled with my weight in high school, I ate for emotional reasons. I really didn’t care what I put in my mouth, as long as I was poking something down. Thankfully, that time is gone. Savoring the best of what our planet offers is a true delight, and it’s my contention the more you focus on the food itself, the better off you’ll be.
Thank you, Linda, for the inspiration!
Your scones are beautiful!! Thanks so much for the call out. I love the exposure it brings. I hope people like what they see.
And I have to say something about the skinny comments. No one would say that to me now but I got plenty of it when I was younger. I wondered the same thing. Why is it ok to insult a skinny person?? It’s just as rude as calling someone fat.
You are welcome! The whole body thing is weird. I don’t mind when a friend says, oh, lucky you, you’re thin, but I don’t like strangers thinking it’s OK to say any old thing they want, even if they think it’s a compliment. As someone who once struggled with weight, I don’t ask people if they’ve lost weight, even if it looks like they have, because it’s not my business to comment, and somehow it seems to imply it was needed. I just think deal with people as they are and try not to judge superficial features.
“There are things you do because they feel right & they may make no sense & they may make no money & it may be the real reason we are here: to love each other & to eat each other’s cooking & say it was good.” Real Reason by Brian Andreas. (www.storypeople.com)
This resonates with me. Food ticks off a lot of boxes for me. “And I especially love that food is not my enemy.” Everything in moderation (including moderation). I like shopping for food, maintaining a well-stocked pantry. I like taking stock of what there is in the fridge/freezer and pantry and making a weekly meal plan. It’s a challenge to use up every last bit as I seriously dislike waste. I like sharing food with friends and family. I like reading recipes and cookbooks. I like preparing food that is often better than what I could pay for in local restaurants. I’m honoring myself/body by tending to my nutrition & my health. I like planting seeds in the spring and harvesting the produce in the fall, then preserving it to use through the winter. There is such a rhythm surrounding food. And connection when the granddaughters get their raspberry jam from grandma. Yeah, food checks off a lot of boxes in my life.
You should be a food writer, Mona! Thanks for such a great tribute to our friend, food.
When I first saw your scone image, I was taken back by how many little things we have in common. I grew up with Franciscan desert rose plates and they were my moms greatest joy. Later in your piece I see that you have just the one plate but it totally took me back. We even had little rose salt and peppers.
I’ve been fat my whole life and my body doesn’t seem willing to give it up just yet but I feel some change coming. Whenever I tell people I am a foodie or that I like to cook, I see that one eyebrow raise coming with the silent ah-huh.
I’m impressed you had the salt and pepper shakers. I inherited shakers that look like monks from the front but penises from the back. I really don’t know what to do with them.
It’s true thinner people can say they like to cook and are foodies, whereas heavier people get judged harshly. Not fair. I think weight gain is an occupational hazard for those on the Food Network., and they seem to be doing just fine. I’d rather live my life loving food than worry about other’s people’s opinions.