Sunday, April 23, 2006

Manifesto of what I don't want to hear while I'm eating

Today my friend made the apt point that women can often be their own worst enemies. I wouold add a corollary to this: some women are everyone's enemy at the dinner table. This is something I have come to realize especially in college, and was illuminated to me again last night when someone told me it actually can be a chore to eat with certain girls because of how dull and annoying their conversation is while they are eating. Not all girls, mind you, but many, and thus, I present you a manifesto of what I don't want to hear while eating with you. Bascially, anything related to dieting, exercise, calories, is incredibly annoying!

  1. "I've eaten so much today."
  2. "I didn't go to the gym today. With what I'm eating now, I better go tomorrow."
  3. Any general account of one's gym schedule (I don't care!)
  4. How the no fat salad dressing really isn't that bad (pshaw)
  5. "I just can't eat [fill in the blank]" referring to something that I am eating (usually something "adventerous" or not particularly healthy). Guess what, no one's making you eat it, so let me eat it in peace!
  6. An oral food diary (again, I don't care what you ate today!)
  7. "I need to lose weight"
  8. "[Fill in the blank] is so skinny." or "[Fill in the blank] has so much self-control."

This list could of course go on and on, but my fundamental issue is that I want to eat in peace. Women are socilialized in our society to think it is bad to eat, and that is truly unhealthy. Women of America, unite against this conventional wisdom, and let yourself eat to enjoy food rather than to fear it. Or at least don't drag me into your sprial of food obsession!
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2 comments:

Steph said...

soooo true! it's a good illustration of how the worst oppression is when you start keeping down your own people. On a side note, your fifth bullet particularly gets me...I get really angry when someone says to me something to the effect of "Ewww, that's yucky or gross." Please do not ruin my gastronomic experience with your personal opinions and ignorance. Secondly, I am usually offended that this is often in relation to non-American ethnic foods...and I find it extremely insulting that someone would denigrate such an important part of someone else's culture. It's the equivalent of saying, guess what you and your culture has no place here. When I was a kid, I was so embarassed to bring my Filipino food for lunch for fear of being told it was "smelly" or "weird." How awful that I would be made to feel ashamed of my own culture! Please have some respect! There's my random rant for the day.

7:56 PM, April 23, 2006
Elaine said...

Yeah, AGREED. I usually get it about non-American/non-Western Hemisphere food, as well, and it definitely represents an element of close-mindedness. I'm always wary of people who are closed to trying new foods, just because I think it reflects something about their personality (stubborness, fear of change). I have also never understood why people feel the need to tell you that they don't like what you're eating. Thanks?

9:30 PM, April 27, 2006

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