April 26, 2013 — Ms Balance
April 26, 2013 — Ms Balance
“Ma’am, can I help you with something today?”
“Yes please. Eggs.”
“Cage-free, free-born, kosher, or organic nutrient enhanced?”
“I said eggs.”
“Yes ma’am, I was asking what kind?”
This is a simple reminder for me. I am miles away from Naija, where egg were just what they were — eggs! This is America; home of batter, steak and cheese, and land of All-You-Can-Eat buffets, where I ask for cheese in my Subway sandwich, and they ask, “American, cheddar or blue?” I ask for pepper, “sweet, jalapeño or habanero?” Okay, I want beans to make moin-moin at home, “Red honey beans or black eyed peas?” Life as I know it is no longer simple and I am terrified of the obesity levels here, even to the very air we breathe which I suspect must be thick with cholesterol and calories.
Lunch with friends today was at Shokitini, a Japanese grill on West Clayton Street, and I had some tasty crab sushi. Because it was my friend’s birthday, we got fried ice cream on the house. Yup! Fried ice-cream. I got curious about the Tempura Oreos on the dessert menu — Oreo cookies, deep fried in batter. I reminded myself that this kind of food is no longer fun and games and the reality being that the difference between me and a participant on “The Biggest Loser” is somewhere between a few steaks and shakes. I desisted from ordering the fried cookies but forked one off Yetunde’s plate when she ordered same.
Since I did badly at lunch, I must make amends with dinner. Feeding for me has become a branch of arithmetic and aptitude tests, constantly evaluating nutrition facts and doing the math before eating or shopping. For dinner, I am making my own burrito and taking control of carbs and calories. Spinach & Herb tortilla wrap: 90, tomato: 16, onion: 7, squirt of lemon juice: 5, tilapia fillet: 100 and some mild seasoning. With green tea simmering by the side, I lay mayonnaise on the tortilla and wrap things up.
Ah! The fear of obesity is the beginning of wisdom.
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Miss Balance is a tech enthusiast who spontaneously gets out of her head, and goes by a mantra and checklist of ‘read, eat, travel’ in no particular order. She tweets as @MissBalance and blogs at Miss Balance.