Thursday, September 30, 2010

Food is Not Your Dog

I've had a seriously crappy evening.  Even though it wasn't necessarily up there vying for first place with some other craptacular days of my life, it's the kind of day that makes you want to run for the hills and never come back.

For starters, I seem to have misplaced a crucial piece of paperwork, which would have apprised me of a very important deadline--which I may or may not have missed.  Then, Husband came home in a foul mood, which was compounded by the issue of the missing paperwork and the uncertainty over the deadline.  I got a repeat invoice for some home repair work I already paid, and it looks like it's going to rain for the next three days, which will cut into my dog walking time...

To top it all off, I was made aware of the fact that I had become the object of unprovoked vitriol and personal attacks by people with whom I had parted ways some time ago...

How can so many crappy things come crashing down in such a short time?

I was actually quite upset and rattled, especially when I learned of the attacks against me.  Who made them and what they said is frankly immaterial, and relevant only insofar as it upset me.

In the past, I would have considered this kind of a day as a valid reason to order a large pizza, and eat it by myself, washed down with a bottle of wine.  I would have used my emotional upset as an excuse to eat a whole bag of cookies and at least two quarts of milk.  Or, at the very least, I would have made myself one very large, strong, and sugary girly drink to "settle my nerves."

I did nothing of the sort.  Not that the thought of the bottle of wine or the strong girly drink didn't cross my mind, but I got distracted and never got around to it.  As for eating?  Well, I wasn't hungry.  I had already had dinner.  Yes, all this crap came down in the space of about an hour, after I had already had a long and frustrating day dealing with poorly designed, glitchy data editing software.

I chatted with friends, I worked on this blog, I folded laundry and listened to a book on my iPod, I made peace with Husband, and I hugged my dog.  After a while, I felt much better.  If I had followed through on the pizza or the cookies or a myriad other similar options, I would have been just as upset as before, plus I'd be feeling the effects of abusing my body with an excess of unnecessary food.  I am so done with that.

Food is not your friend to listen to you.  That pizza will not join you in being angry at those who wronged you.  That gallon of ice cream won't tell you that stupid joke that's sure to make you smile.  Those cookies will not put their arms around you and let you cry it out, nor will that bag of chocolate candies lick the tears off your face.

Food is not your dog.  And I bet your dog is glad that he is not your food.


8 comments:

  1. Carolina, whoever went out of their way to attack you really must have a lot of free time on their hands. Do not let those people that cannot accept you hurt you because they are not worth it.

    You look so beautiful by the way! Good job on all of your progress!

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  2. dogs are supposed, however, to be delicious

    Philippine Dog Stew, Wedding Style.

    "find and kill a medium-sized dog"

    3 kg dog meat -- * see note
    1 1/2 cups vinegar
    60 peppercorns -- crushed
    6 tablespoons salt
    12 cloves garlic -- crushed
    1/2 cup cooking oil
    6 cups onion -- sliced
    3 cups tomato sauce
    10 cups boiling water
    6 cups red pepper -- cut into strips
    6 pieces bay leaf
    1 teaspoon tabasco sauce
    1 1/2 cups liver spread -- ** see note
    1 whole fresh pineapple -- cut 1/2 inch thick

    1. First, kill a medium sized dog, then burn off the fur over a hot fire.
    2. Carefully remove the skin while still warm and set aside for later (may be
    used in other recpies)
    3. Cut meat into 1″ cubes. Marinade meat in mixture of vinegar, peppercorn,
    salt and garlic for 2 hours.
    4. Fry meat in oil using a large wok over an open fire, then add onions and
    chopped pineapple and suate until tender.
    5. Pour in tomato sauce and boiling water, add green peper, bay leaf and
    tobasco.
    6. Cover and simmer over warm coals until meat is tender. Blend in liver spread
    and cook for additional 5-7 minutes.

    * you can substiture lamb for dog. The taste is similar, but not as pungent.
    ** smooth liver pate will do as well.

    Suggested Wine: San Miguel Beer
    Serving Ideas : Rice, naturally.

    NOTES : During my wedding reception, my brother- in-law suggested we add to the
    feast by having dog stew. Wanting to be part of the family, and having been
    subjected to all sorts of socials tests already, I agreed. The result was...
    well.. a lot better than I expected. In fact, it was great!

    It was only later I found out that dog should *not* be served at weddings, as
    it may make the bride and groom flight like dogs during the honeymoon. But what
    the heck. It didn't seem to have that effect... at least not until a few year
    later. :-)

    For the faint of heart, you can always substitute lamb in place of next door's
    rover, but the meat will not be as sweet or as rich in flavor.

    Found on line at Recipe Source.com & credited to one Joe Sweeney – there are a number of different postings of this recipe on various sites, but all seem to retain Mr Sweeny’s elegant language, so credit where credit is due.

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  3. Haha, James, thanks for the laugh. Nero informed me that, at a mere 15 pounds unpeeled, he probably wouldn't have more than a couple kilos meat to give once we've slaughtered and deboned him, certainly not enough for a large family feast.

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  4. Food isn't my friend? I swore that my coffee yesterday was whispering sweet nothings to me.

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  5. You know, when personal attacks come out of the blue, it's all about the attacker and not the attackee. I think I know who you're referring to, and this person has recently admitted to putting on a significant amount of weight in a short period of time - not to the point of being "overweight", but still it must be a little disconcerting in spite of what is said publicly. When certain personality types feel as if they may be losing control, they will sometimes focus on perceived "faults" in others to make themselves feel better. It's maladaptive, but what can you do? :)

    Anyway, I think you look great! And good for you for not giving in to emotional eating!!

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  6. @James, I think the "liver paste" might refer to Braunschwieger rather than pate de foie gras, no?

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  7. I am more proud of you today then ever. Chin up buttercup. Food pun intended :D

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  8. Carolina, your attacker is really showing his true colors with his attack. Seriously dude don't cherry pick the pictures you steal to make your point. Use the recent picture of Carolina in the leather jacket. She CLEARLY looks better in it than in ANY of the pictures you used.

    You really do Carolina.

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