I go out to eat with friends or family pretty regularly. I am usually the last to order, so once the waitress gets to me, she has already noted a variety of unmodified meals from the menu. I always begin my order by saying, “Please don’t hate me for this…” I can feel her thinking about how hard she would like to roll her eyes the moment that I say this. I look at the others at the table, and they nonchalantly avoid eye contact with me. They know that I will have a “complicated” order, and they are secretly praying that the waitress does not add “extra ingredients” to their meals just because they are at the same table as me. I feel like I am under the gun, and hastily spit out my order: the 6 oz steak, a double side of broccoli instead of fries, with absolutely no butter, and a side salad with no cheese, croutons, or dressing. After the waitress leaves, I generally hear, “What’s the point of wasting your money on that?” Yes, I am embarrassed. I can feel my face flushing from the heat of the imaginary limelight under which I have been placed for making a the atypical decision against ordering the restaurant's signature meals. I look at my husband and whisper, “I wish I could eat like a normal person.” Immediately, I regret my choice of words. The statement is untrue. In reality, there is no reason that I would have changed my order if I did not feel as though I was being judged negatively by those around me. I would have made myself the same meal at home and felt no qualms about it, whatsoever. Furthermore, the statement is absolutely illogical. How, exactly, does a normal person eat? In Japan, a “normal” person might snack on wasp crackers, much like a child would eat a chocolate chip cookie. In Africa, some people like the crisp, crunchy, apple-like flavor of stink bugs. In South America, your adorable pet guinea pig, Wilbur, might be served to you whole and roasted on a bed of vegetables. (Read more here: http://www.hostelworld.com/blog/the-50-weirdest-foods-from-around-the-world) Before I add any further stress on your gag reflex, I will stop there. You get the point. There is no normal way to eat. So why do we, as Americans, assume that if we are not partaking in the greasy, fat-filled, carbohydrate-rich treats featured in every restaurant’s menu, that we are not eating normally? If you research typical meals from around the world, most of them consist of deliciously fresh veggies, lean, grilled meats, and “good” carbs. Meanwhile, the average meal in the United States is cited as consisting of a cheeseburger and fries. Is this stereotyping? Maybe. However, in most stereotypes, there is some truth. (Read more here: http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/what-people-eat-for-dinner-around-the-world-a6732036.html) Americans eat poorly, and furthermore, we have eaten poorly for so many generations, that it is actually considered abnormal to make healthy meal choices. People are also intrinsically motivated to be accepted by their peers, and will make choices for the sake of fitting in, sometimes even at the risk of their own health. This is a lethal combination in a society in which superficiality rules most of our decisions, and it has led us to earn the title of the “fattest country on Earth.” The good news is that a paradigm shift seems to be happening in our country. More and more, we see restaurants listing calorie content right on the menu and offering “lighter” fare. This is a tiptoe in the right direction, but by no means a leap. Often, these meal choices are segregated to their own section of the menu, or forced to carry some symbolic indication that they are healthy choices (you know, right next to the indicators that tell you that you will probably die if you are allergic to peanuts and eat it, or that you’ll get e coli if you order it under cooked). This still attaches abnormality to the meal itself. The fact is that we need to eliminate this concept of what “normal” eating looks like. To do so means to stop judging people for what they choose to consume. If you are with someone at a restaurant, and they choose to order the grilled chicken salad with only chicken and lettuce, please refrain from diverting your eyes away from the waitress in silent disapproval. Believe me, it is not silent in the least, and your single, reproachful glance could be the difference between that person continuing to eat healthily or giving up on good nutrition altogether.
1 Comment
6/18/2017 04:51:42 am
Thanks for this spot on post Crystal! Seems like the norm is starting to change, but it takes people like you to create consumer demand for different from the usual.
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