Your Relationship With Food

Ah, the New Year.  It seems that everyone I encounter has made some sort of New Year’s resolution regarding food.  And, that’s a good thing if the resolution can be kept.  Usually, though, they can’t which makes the resolver feel like a failure.  Hence, the reason I don’t make New Year’s resolutions.  I don’t like feeling like a failure.

But that’s not what this post is about.  What it is about is my observations about peoples’ relationship to food and others’ perceptions about that relationship.

I have a friend who used to be a high fashion model.  When she aged out of her profession, she decided to take a long overdue vacation so she went to Greece where she promptly began to put on some extra weight.  “The food was SO good,” she told me, “and the Mediterranean Sea air stimulated my appetite.” Not used to the extra 10 pounds, she began to anguish but didn’t stop eating. Food – and the dining experience – was part of the Greek way of life. Besides, she realized that for her entire modeling career, she had been on a diet and was probably a bit underweight during that time for her height and frame so she could easily handle the extra 10 pounds. She stopped anguishing about the weight gain when it was explained to her that Greek men liked a woman who liked and enjoyed food as it indicated that the woman was passionate. And, passion – to the average Greek man – was very important.

When she told me her story, I began to pay closer attention to how women behaved around food. Over time, I’ve come to believe that Greek men are on to something.  EVERY size 0 – you know, the women who you never see eating yet aren’t anorexic  and who only drink Perrier at parties – I’ve ever observed or known never seem to be in a really good mood.  You also never see them consuming something and rolling their eyes in ecstasy – a reaction I’ve observed that REALLY interests men. The other thing that I’ve observed is that most men are attracted to women who are passionate to some degree about food. Sometimes that passion is very subtle – but when it’s there, men pick up on it and equate that with passion in another room, if you get my drift.

So, if you are one of those size 0 folks and are having trouble connecting with potential dates or mates, maybe you should have a sandwich – or a hot fudge sundae. You know, something really good that will make your eyes roll and put you in a good mood. Who knows where the simple pleasure of enjoying something good to eat will lead?  My former-high-fashion-model friend never regretted those extra 10 pounds and found true love. She swears it was because she was finally able to relax, eat and enjoy life. Something to ponder………