It is exactly 15 days into the 40 days of Lent. I am not Catholic, but I have always thought that this ritual of sacrifice is a good thing, especially during this time of the year when I am typically "mowing down" on comfort foods and hibernating.
So I've given up (all) sweets, and Brian has given up meat. Neither sacrifice is an easy feat.
After two weeks of drastically altering my diet--and I mean drastically because I normally live off pastries, chocolate bars and giant chocolate chip cookies--my body feels refreshed and somewhat thankful.
Brian is not as happy with how Lent is treating him. Even though I have been trying myself to abstain from meat so as not to make things harder for his carnivourous appetites, he insists on eating many sweets in front of me, including my heart-shaped box of Lindor chocolates that he gave me for Valentines day. He also shakes the wrappers in front of my face so I have to smell the delectable, forbidden goodness of the chocolate.
It's getting easier though. And Brian is expanding his usually meat-dominated cooking repetoire to include veggie chow mein, eggplant parmesean, and various vegetable stews. He has even agreed to try meatless meatballs.
Now when I even have a green tea latte my body goes into a crazy sugar high that hints strongly of my former dependency on all things sweet. Despite my cravings, and despite my shameful withdrawal symptoms, I feel oddly proud.
This process has made me develop a creepy habit to pass the time while I wait for buses, sit on buses, wait in lines, and work out. I constantly find myself wondering what other people have/would-have-if-they-did-this-sort-of-thing given up? This gets me wondering about other peoples' vices, and also wishing certain other people would give up certain things. For example:
1) The student who never fails to have some kind of crisis every time I am at work and spends at least 2 shifts of 15-20 minutes talking on the free phone (which is right beside me), looming over me, and asking his mom/brother/girlfriend "nellie"/group member to email/bring/do something for him that he forgot to do.
--> this guy should give up depending on others and getting in peoples' personal space.
2) The people who sit right next to me on the bus after eating a large and heavily-scented meal
--> these people should give up: onions, garlic and other noxious food items before getting on public transit.
3) The people who get on the elevator and furiously push their floor button and the close door buttons incessantly, and after every stop the elevator makes.
--> These people should give up impatience
4) Many people at the variety of art festivals I've been to lately, and certain people at the gym whose armpits always seem to be near my face.
--> these people should not give up deodorant.
I'm not normally this moody, so I'm blaming it on the sugar deprivation.
7 comments:
hahaha, my computer did that wonky thing where one screen disappears and another screen i'm working for opens while I'm still typing...and it appears you got half of the "i love you, bye" i was sending to adam...that's awesome.
bah, and now my first comment is gone...it said something like "it's funny that this is you ON A BAD DAY, as that's like me on a GOOD day." and then at the end there was the accidental, meant for adam "I love-" and it cut out good.
anyhow.
i'm done.
haha your post made me laugh out loud! i missed reading your blog when i was away!
as for the strongly scented meals... i do believe a certain roommate of mine who always enjoyed an onion soup??? luckly for me my smellers and non existant! haha, this lack of smelling ability was also handy in Ghana - kate would always tell me about the awful smells as i strolled ignorantly by an open sewage, haha!
talk to you soon! cheers :)
brian is giving up meat? I dont know what to say, maybe he should come here to japan, ill introduce him to whale. Nothing is more satisfying then eating the largest creature on the planet. Us humans are on top of the food chain, and brians recent sacrifice has got me questioning why god put us on this planet in the first place.
Pranay, I'd heard rumours of you eating precious creatures. I only hoped they weren't true, but I see my worst fears have been confirmed. How could you eat snake when you have a pet snake?
its just for a month or so, pranay. i figured if i stopped for a bit, it would offset your rampage in japan.
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