"Food Freedom"
I'm sitting here in South Station in Boston waiting for my train home after a doctor's appointment at Mass General. South Station is a great place to people-watch, as are many busy public places in Boston. I'm sitting here with an almost untouched styrofoam container of chicken and broccoli and white rice. My stomach has put up with a fuss with each of the few small bites I've taken so I'm trying to listen to it (my stomach, not the food) and not push food on it when it obviously doesn't want it.
As I sit here people-watching on the little area for eating upstairs I'm struck, as I often am when I'm around people eating, by the kinds of food and quantity of food people are eating. A huge piece of pepperoni pizza, a big mac and fries, a container of fried orange chicken smothered in sweet glaze and fried rice on the side. Okay, so the selection of food here at South Station doesn't particularly give very many healthy options but it says a lot that the lines at McDonald's are much longer than the lines at the salad place, which doesn't seem to draw much of a crowd.
But it's not just the kinds of food people eat or how much they eat, it's that it very clearly brings to my attention how...I hate to say "abnormal" I am but it's what comes to mind. When I choose what I'm going to eat I can't even consider the greasy, cheese covered pizza or the fried chicken strips or the chicken covered in orange glaze. And I can't seriously consider salads because raw veggies will most often cause, nausea, pain, abdominal pressure, and just not be good. Essentially "fast food" is off limits. And it's not me making these decisions, my stomach makes them for me. So ti always amazes me when I see people eating "normally", at least "normally" for Americans. Eating a whole plate without any apparent problems. Going back for seconds...or even thirds. not having to worry if eating this or that will make you want to throw up or curl up in a ball with abdominal pain. "Food Freedom" I'll call it. And of course one can never tell what's going on inside - maybe the people I see eating bacon cheeseburgers and french fries have their own stomach issues. Maybe not. Just an interesting afternoon of people-watching.
Yours,
Penguini
posted by Penguini @ 11/17/2006 03:53:00 PM
2 comments
2 Comments:
You're not in Boston . . . I think you have the wrong date on this one. You're right above me. lmao there are just some very inaccurate ways that can be taken. For those of you with dirty minds I meant she's upstairs, I'm downstairs.
She's above me. I'm actually heading up pretty soon, the insomnia's wearing down. By the way . . . really sorry for dragging you along for the ride, I'm sure you'll manage to sleep more at night once you get home . . . :( which is really not that far from now.
. . . I think I just messed up the black nail on my left hand . . . actually the one on my right is screwed up too . . . I'm telling you that bottle of black nail polish is ancient. I forgot to do ruby on my thumb when I went in the kitchen that time, I did it on my pinky instead.
Oh and the food thing, the point of this entry. I can't completely relate to the food thing, I've had some issues (all kinds of issues as you well know, but at the moment I'm talking digestive) but nothing even close to your extent (thankfully). But I can definitely see the fascination in watching people who go about their daily lives without thinking about stuff like remembering pills (gotta love timers), trying not to crash, and trying to be awake for some daylight hours. And brain fog . . . I seriously thought I could come up with a better list than that.
Is there a limit for how long blog comments can be? What if it's longer than the post you did . . . ?
So now I'm thinking, should I sign my name? You know me by my Garbungled name I think, and if you don't know the name you probably at least know the picture and I'm not nearly the only Heather you know so . . . to sign? . . . or not to sign . . .
-H
Okay, so you said I should add a comment underneath yours so you don't seem completely unhinged. Well, I'm not sure if I can accomplish the hinging but I'll add the comment to explain why your comment isn't completely weird.
So your comment isn't completely weird because originally the date on it was yesterday (December 18th) because I forgot to change the date on it to the date that I actually WROTE it on (versus posted it on). So, yes, when you read it I was right above you (upstairs). So, you're not completely unhinged.
However, I find it funny that you spent such a long time considering whether to sign and then you ended up putting your name into the consideration anyway. And, yes, I do know that you are garbungled and I recognize the pictures so no need to write your name and try to differentiate yourself from the other Heathers I know (although few of them post comments on here, I think).
And thanks for reading my entries!
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