Special occasions call for special foods. We all associate certain foods with certain events. But if they are special happenings, are they still special without the food?
I performed an unintentional experiment this past week with two different "special" events: my birthday and Super Bowl Sunday. I tend to associate certain foods with each event, and do look forward to making those a part of those special days.
My long-time birthday tradition, dating back to childhood, is to have whatever I wanted to eat on my birthday. The spotlight was on Long John Silver's. It's possible you went "bleech" to that last sentence. Understandable.
The nearest LJS growing up was about 25 miles away, so it was very rare when we could go. So by asking for it for my birthday, I had to get it. Again, it's an association thing.
In my adult years, I lived near a Long John Silver's. And so I have continued the tradition, even in the last few years, as I started to eat much better. After all, having a treat once in a great while is fine.
This year went as normal. And the recent trend, patterning previous trends, is to not eat so well throughout the day. I had breakfast (French fries) as normal. And as good as the LJS tasted, I was dragging a bit during and after lunch. I did move around more than a normal birthday, which could account for some sluggishness. But I wasn't feeling great, and it had something to do with what I ate.
Some of the discomfort stems from not doing so well overall. I've gained a little weight, and I can tell it's making a negative difference. And so the day wasn't as enjoyable as it was on paper.
Contrast that with Super Bowl Sunday. Feeling a little burned-out, I couldn't jump in full force into the typical SBS feast. I looked at steaks, nacho chips, and garlic bread, I just couldn't do it. Had no enthusiasm for going nuts.
I didn't completely go veggie and tofu. I had a turkey burger with some pre-made bacon sprinkled on top (not a lot at all) with the sandwich thins I mentioned earlier. I did have French fries, broiled in the oven. And I had a salad.
Not the most exciting meal I've had (even that week). But I felt better after I ate it. And it was still fun.
The meal couldn't change how bad the commercials were, how lame the Springsteen set was, and how bad the officiating was in the game. So was it a "Super Bowl"?
It was okay, not great. But clearly I survived without too much heartache or stomachache.
Until I get seriously better, eating crazy meals will probably have to go on hold. While it's sad, and might end up being against tradition, I do have to be concerned for my health. I have done a decent job at finding compromises, so maybe I need to find out what lines to draw in the sand to see what works for me.
And hey, the next major eating holiday is Opening Day of the baseball season (April 6). Let's see how well I can do until then.
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