More Cruise Thoughts

I had a few more thoughts to share on the cruise.
(and no, I am not talking about Katie and Tom’s wedding. Congrats to them – but enough already!)

I mentioned in my last blog that I hate buffets. I feel the need to elaborate. Lest I get some angry letters from the Buffet Union or something…

Here is why I hate buffets:

- All those DATELINE specials scared the bejeezus out of me. You know the ones where they expose hidden germs from the workers or cooks who don’t wear gloves or who do nasty things like spit in your food or…(well, you get the picture). I am sure this isn’t the case for every buffet out there – but if they found it in at least one – well, that was one too many for me.

- I am not a fan of sharing my food from a trough like horses or pigs. I just feel like there should be ‘moo’ sounds coming from the throngs of people who push and shove their way down the salad bar sticking their thongs messily in the tomatoes and ending up cross contaminating them with the peas.

- Buffets can stir anxious feelings of scarcity and competition in chronic dieters or from people who came from large families. Chronic dieters and compulsive overeaters may feel that there is ‘never enough’ available for them when they have to share food and that causes the feeling of scarcity and results in piling your plate with everything you can – even dishes you’ve never heard of – or even like.

And lastly – if the buffet is a free buffet – like the ones I experienced on the cruise ship – why, oh why, do we eat more food when the food is free? Think about it. I saw families piling no less than 10 deserts on their plates at one sitting – in a frenzied rush to try all of the deserts on the buffet – because god forbid they left the nasty looking plum pudding for another night? Perhaps it is because we all love food. And we all love free things. And when those two are combined – it is dangerous – feeling we must get our share – what we are ‘owed’ – to make up for all the times we overpaid for food in pricey restaurants and ended up getting decorative orange slices for $45.

There was a frozen yogurt and ice cream machine near every buffet line near every pool and outdoor eating area on this boat and the lines to put your own ice cream in a cone were mind boggling. And I am not talking about all the 10 year olds on the boat – grown ups – especially grown ups over the age of 40 – were standing in long lines waiting for their chance to make their own sundae!

Perhaps it was because there were finally no parents around telling us what we could or couldn’t have. Perhaps it was because we always dreamed of having an ice cream machine right in front of us for our use – any time of the day – or perhaps it was because we thought we were getting all that we paid for on this boat – by using up all that they offered to us. Even if that meant eating 4 ice cream cones a day.

Is it possible to refrain from overindulging when free food is around? What does it stir inside of you when all ‘rules’ disappear and you can have as much (and as many kinds) of food as you desire?

When we are at events or dinner parties and there is free food – how many of us are guilty of packing in our purses some extra pigs in blankets? Odds are - we’d cram in the spicy meatballs, too, if they weren’t so messy!

Comments

I'm right there with you on the Dateline/trough thing! The sneeze quard just isn't enough for this border-line mysophobe (I had to look it up after co-workers started teasing me about being a germ-freak). BUT - on the up side of this, I'm less likely to graze at the office when people bring in food!

I just discovered your blog today and I am enjoying reading the articles so much. I did have a serious LOL moment when I read about how you do not like buffets and I agree with you. But...your comment "people who push and shove their way down the salad bar sticking their thongs messily in the tomatoes" just cracked me up. Just visualize people sticking their thongs (panties) in the tomatoes. I know you meant tongs, but I am so glad that you spelled it thongs...made for some seriously disgusting visuals. Loved it!!

Just the idea to over-eat is repulsive. The power to stop eating before we are full can be so much more rewarding; yet so many people look to food for reward instead of seeing the reward in a nice looking body.

HA - I didn't even realize I wrote THONGS but you are right - it is a crazy funny visual! :)

Hey Jackie - just a question to throw out there to you and to the rest of the crew...do you think it is really all about will power to stop eating before you are full or do you think it is learned technique to figure out your hunger and fullness signs in your body?

The only Buffets I like are in Margaritaville!

When I am eating, I need to be aware of my body sensations and be alert to the feelings of fullness. If I "zone out" or forget my goal, it becomes too easy to continue to eat. A wise man once mentioned to me what an energizing and sexy feeling it was to stop eating while one is still hungry.
I do try to live by this, and I soon find out that within a few minutes I forget about food and indeed, I feel satisfied. So the goal is to quit eating while still hungry.