Sunday, April 8

Thinking... about food


When I was a little girl meal times were associated with immense stress and at times, depending on what was on the menu, I would be so anxious I would be close to tears. I was phenomenally picky and disliked almost everything, and the thought of eating the food put in front of me regularly left me feeling physically sick. I can still remember the feeling of absolute dread as I sat down, faced with yet another plateful, each bite expanding, growing in my mouth as I chewed and chewed and chewed, unable to swallow... it was torture, on a daily basis.

Of course my not eating caused my mother no end of stress and she tried pretty much every trick in the proverbial book, from letting me eat only what I liked, to forcing me to remain at the table until I had cleared my plate (this approach did not last long since I then ended up sitting at the table in front of a plate of stone cold food until well past my bed time).

I know that my problems had nothing to do with my mother being a bad cook, in fact she cooks very well, and food now plays a huge role in the enjoyment of visiting my parents. My taste buds must have simply been severely under-developed, and I only really started enjoying food when I was in my 20s. And when it happened it was like flicking a switch. Suddenly almost everything (apart from runny egg yolks, which I still don't like) tasted delicious. Food and everything to do with it became synonymous with pleasure.

I'm currently on holiday in Istanbul, visiting my partner's parents, and it's interesting to notice how the familiar feeling of stress sometimes rears its ugly head during meal times. Don't get me wrong, the Turkish cuisine is absolutely delicious, everything is so fresh and so full of flavour, and apart from a peculiar dessert made from chicken breast, it doesn't contain anything scary. It's just that they show their love and care through cooking, and they want you to eat and eat and eat. Turning down seconds and thirds becomes an offence, and I feel almost panicky as I struggle with the mountains of food placed in front of me.

And so as we prepare to go to the country house for a big Sunday feast today I kind of regret putting myself on a diet these past few weeks. Had I not done that, my stomach would have been in better shape to accommodate the copious quantities I know will greet me this afternoon. What if I explode? I'll let you know how it goes, if I survive...




On a different note, Meredith of Poppy Fields really surprised me the other day by passing on the Thinking Blogger award. Thank you so much Meredith, I'm really chuffed! I love visiting your blog, you paint beautiful pictures with your words, and I especially love your descriptions of the smells and tastes of Provence.

Now the idea is for me to pass on the award to five other bloggers who regularly make me think, not an easy task, since the very reason I read the bloggers I do is because I find their writing stimulating and thought-provoking.

But here are five of my favourites, in no particular order:

How participation works:
If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think. Link to
this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme.
Optional: Display the ‘Thinking Blogger Award’ with a link to the post that you wrote.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

well, you are very lucky, really. say yes to everything apart from the chicken dessert. Hope you're having a great time.

oh and thank you for tagging me, it's quite an honour. Obviously if you hadn't tagged me, you would certainly have been on the list. :-)

daisies said...

oh how sweet ... thank you so much ...

enjoy your vacation time :)

Maryam in Marrakesh said...

Wowza, Istanbul! And, ummm... a chicken desert sounds really very delicious in a sort of open-minded way:-)

Concetta said...

Sorry to have been gone so long. Sometime life - and death - are hard.

Hmmmmm. Chicken dessert? I'm too full, really.

;o)

Cheers!
- Concetta

Sharon said...

No thanks on the chicken dessert. Tell us more about the cuisine.

Suzie Ridler said...

Holy cow, I can't believe the similarities in our experiences with food growing up. I was the same way for a very long time. My battle of wills with my father over eating my peas is legendary in my family, I would sleep at the dinner table until bedtime while he read the paper.

I dealt with mine by learning to cook and bake and still, am so disappointed most of the time. I'm glad your taste buds woke up!

That is the craziest "dessert" I have ever seen. Chicken pudding, how bizarre.

Judith in Umbria said...

I would love to visit Istanbul! Lucky you.

I'm also so happy that you were not my child, because I would have spent those years banging my head against a wall. I was not that kid, but my mother thought I was skinny and forced me to overeat. I sat at table many times into the night. That's just wrong.

Mrs. Spencer said...

i have a friend who takes no pleasure in eating, simply eats to live. i cannot fathom this. i am so pleased for you that your taste buds grew up.

i am quite sure the food in turkey is delightful, no? as i'm hoping your holiday is too. i just ate at a small place here in the u.s. while visiting my brother called cafe istanbul. the food was delightful and authentic.

and thank you for the thinking blogger award. i am flattered.

cheers!

Caro said...

I wish I didn't like food. It would make dieting easier.

Anonymous said...

That chicken dessert wouldn't appeal at all but I am very curious about the other dishes you've enjoyed in Istanbul.

Cherrye said...

Ugh, I know how you feel...Italians are the same way. At a "family" dinner one time, I literally thought I was going to start crying, and all I could think of was," I want my mom!!"

Hope you made it!

PennyBlue said...

Cool beans on the award!!

Lacithecat said...

Oh Thank You! That was lovely that you nominated me. Now if I understood at all how to add the little logo thingy - I might be able to pass on the tradition.

But I do have a problem, I just read a very few blogs and two of which were just nominated by others.

Oh my!

Have a lovely holiday and look forward to you coming back.

strauss said...

oh I felt so sorry for you (and your poor mum) in your early toturous experience with food - how awful. Glad you were able to develop an appreciation for food later in life.