The idea is that eating with other people helps us to be in tune with our bodies and, in turn, prevent us from eating in ways that make us fat. I also really enjoyed reading “The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals” and “In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto,” but this is what happened to me when I followed this particular food rule:
What happened to me #1: Upon meeting a friend for dinner at a restaurant, she expresses to me, “Oh, my God, I’m STARVING! All I had today was half a yogurt.”
To this day, I don’t know why she didn’t eat the whole yogurt. She probably wouldn’t have been so hungry if she had.
What happened to me #2: I’m enjoying a beer and waffle fries. The person I’m eating with looks at my food and beverage and tells me, “Ugh, I’m on a diet.” I continue to enjoy my beer and fries. Approximately three minutes pass. The person I’m eating with reaches for a fry while asking me, “Do you realize what we’re doing to our bodies?” She answers herself, “The beer and the fried food at the same time…” She shakes her head, indicating that the message of her unfinished sentence is that ‘what we’re doing’ is unacceptable. She comes to a conclusion, “This is so many calories.” I’m no longer enjoying my beer and waffle fries.
Yes, believe it or not, she continued to help me eat my fries despite how wrong it was. I can’t decide if that shows she’s brave or a risk-taker.
What happened to me #3: I’m sharing a large order of shoe-string French fries* with a friend during happy hour at a bar. I eat a hefty handful. She eats a few – maybe 8 shoe-string fries, which is about the same as 4 regular-size fries. We pay the check and proceed elsewhere. The walking causes her body to feel the full effect of all that she has just consumed. She rubs her flat belly and moans, “Oohh, I’m so full. I have a food baby.”
If she hadn’t eaten as little as possible or drawn attention to her stomach that was not in fact protruding out, I most likely would not have known that she knows that she’s thin.
* * *
I believe in you Michael Pollan, but eating with other people is scarier than you think. Or maybe I’m just not thinking clearly right now – all I had to eat today was a bite of a raisin.
________________________
*I eat French fries frequently.
What happened to me #1: Upon meeting a friend for dinner at a restaurant, she expresses to me, “Oh, my God, I’m STARVING! All I had today was half a yogurt.”
To this day, I don’t know why she didn’t eat the whole yogurt. She probably wouldn’t have been so hungry if she had.
What happened to me #2: I’m enjoying a beer and waffle fries. The person I’m eating with looks at my food and beverage and tells me, “Ugh, I’m on a diet.” I continue to enjoy my beer and fries. Approximately three minutes pass. The person I’m eating with reaches for a fry while asking me, “Do you realize what we’re doing to our bodies?” She answers herself, “The beer and the fried food at the same time…” She shakes her head, indicating that the message of her unfinished sentence is that ‘what we’re doing’ is unacceptable. She comes to a conclusion, “This is so many calories.” I’m no longer enjoying my beer and waffle fries.
Yes, believe it or not, she continued to help me eat my fries despite how wrong it was. I can’t decide if that shows she’s brave or a risk-taker.
What happened to me #3: I’m sharing a large order of shoe-string French fries* with a friend during happy hour at a bar. I eat a hefty handful. She eats a few – maybe 8 shoe-string fries, which is about the same as 4 regular-size fries. We pay the check and proceed elsewhere. The walking causes her body to feel the full effect of all that she has just consumed. She rubs her flat belly and moans, “Oohh, I’m so full. I have a food baby.”
If she hadn’t eaten as little as possible or drawn attention to her stomach that was not in fact protruding out, I most likely would not have known that she knows that she’s thin.
* * *
I believe in you Michael Pollan, but eating with other people is scarier than you think. Or maybe I’m just not thinking clearly right now – all I had to eat today was a bite of a raisin.
________________________
*I eat French fries frequently.
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