Food For Thought

So it's no secret that I really, really love food. Other people say they are overweight because they are "lonely, and try to fill that loneliness with food." That's not me. I'm not lonely- hell, I haven't been to the bathroom by myself in four years, so lonely isn't what comes to mind. I'm overweight because I really, really love food. My favorite types of books to read are about food- Heat, anything by Anthony Capella, Ruth Reichl, Amanda Hesser, Jeffrey Steingarten. I heart Top Chef, and live for date nights when my hubby takes pity on my macaroni and cheese Monday-Friday existence and takes me somewhere swanky where they use napkins! And wear clothes to the table! And don't blow milk bubbles out their nose!

I was a skinny kid, and blessed with a high metabolism until I turned the age of 18 and started birth control. God punished my wanton ways with expanding hips, and an expanding desire to stuff baked goods into my mouth. But even when I was skinny- I remember being obsessed with food. I remember being four, and my Mom was making dessert, and had half a container of Cool Whip leftover. She saw me laying on the 1970's linoleum floor (my favorite game was to act like I was "dead" and see the depths of despair of whomever found me). and took pity on my warped self and tossed me the tub of processed goodness. I couldn't believe my good fortune.

Then, in my sophomore year in high school in Hawaii, I suddenly became friends with a girl called Micki. Micki was a senior, and a cheerleader, and ran in social circles that I was only exposed to via John Hughes and Molly Ringwald. We called each other the "eating buddies." I remember going over to her house the day after Thanksgiving, and completely gorging on stuffing, and turkey and pie- and joking with her how we needed to "pace ourselves, so we could go the distance."

So it's pretty clear where this story is going- right? Micki had a raging eating disorder, and was hospitalized for bulemia before her senior year was up. I had no idea she was purging in between our Thanksgiving feasts--- and kind of shrugged my shoulders when I wondered why someone would want to get rid of all of that yummy food.

That same year, my high school's drama department got a call from one of the swanky resorts in Wakikia. They needed a high school student to dress up as the Easter Bunny and give out treats during their brunch. Instead of paying money, they would treat the Bunny's family to brunch. I jumped at the chance. I didn't care that I had to wear a white man's tuxedo. I didn't care that I had to wear a pink bow tie, and pink bunny ears, and a tail. I only cared that they had shrimp bigger than my fist, and a crepe station and desserts as far as I could see.

So I'm not trying to fill any emotional voids with food- I'm just seriously enjoying some good eats. Unfortunately, these days, I'm just trying to enjoy them a little less.