How did I go from cute little high school girl to, well, this? I realize that the journey involved a few curve balls. Five pregnancies and menopause for instance. But I beieve there's something deeper. I started pondering this while reading a magazine article the other day.
It was written by a midwestern lady, a healthy farm girl who was extolling the virtues of Quinoa. Then how to use it in a casserole. Casseroles are the quintessential fabric of midwest life.
Really?
They may bake casseroles in the midwest, but Southern women give birth to them.
Then we dress them up in patchwork, zippered carriers with handles and take them out in public.
They end up at church socials, women's organizational meetings and family reunions. They hold places of honor and comfort at every birth or funeral.
They arrive at the above mentioned event with great fanfare. They are announced and placed stratigically on tables and counters. Then they are compared to other women's birth casseroles. Sometimes with raised eyebrows and whispered, "She adds Cream of _____ "(fill in the blank). And of course the birth mother of said casserole sees hers as the crown achievement above all others.
Then if they are consumed right away, women can be found hovering around their dish. Stirring, poking, fluffing. And heaven help the casserole that was barely touched. The "mother" will carry her baby gently back home, prevailing to heaven what might have been, if only a different ingredient had been used.
And it was this philosophy of food that is woven in the fabric of my upbringing.
"Comfort food" does just that. So I believe I need to make a serious mental and physical effort to first identify my triggers that need comforting. I will learn to reach, perhaps, for my bible and abit of alone time, instead of mac 'n cheese (don't get me started....)
Because losing weight and getting strong enough to pull a donkey up a mountain on a trip to another country is only the start of this NEW journey. It's a new me. I'm still inside this body and I need a new lifestyle and intellectual outlook on a new season of me.
So who knows. I may soon be posting recipes. A casserole with quinoa and no "Cream of Anything". But I promise not to condemn myself if I "fluff" alittle bit of Aunt Nettie's broccoli casserole at our next church function....
