Simple. You bring your own food. You make a great paleo-friendly dessert to share. In this case: chocolate almond butter (w/ coconut) cups. 100% chocolate with no added sugar. Yum! Sure, it stings when a few people ask you what it is sitting there on the "dessert" table and then squint in dissapproval. Or worse, when you overhear someone saying "those are nasty". But, hey. You, and by you I mean "I", tried.
I think the most difficult part about trying to stay the course is all the questions. And for all the questions I get I have one overarching question back: "Why do you want to know?"
I can only assume that my way of life is somehow threatening and that by asking questions it tears down the mystery that make it so threatening. As if eating only vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds and meat is so unusual. It is fascinating how unusual it can seem to others. Or that I can easily turn away a coffee cake, or a piece of candy, or chips, or beer after beer after beer. That I stop and ask myself the following:
1. "Do I want this in my body?"
2. "Will having this enhance the experience I am already having?"
3. "Is this my only chance to try this and if so, will I regret NOT trying it?"
4. "What am I missing if I have it and what am I missing if I do NOT have it?"
5. "Will I regret having this?"
These questions help guide nearly all the food choices I make. I am guessing I am the exception and not the rule on this one.
Also, it has occurred to me that by somehow abstaining from eating all the "other" foods I am somehow silently lecturing or condemning others. This is not at all the case. Yes. I worry about others who continually make decisions to eat or drink poor choice foods. But my choices are not a reflection that I think your choices are bad. These reactions only make me wonder if others are feeling defensive and thus not 100% comfortable with their own choices. If that is the case, lets talk about it. Instead of skirting the issue by focusing on criticizing or scrutinizing my choices, lets talk about why it is so important for you to do so.
Having said all that, lets get back to the first point. You help make the ice cream. You talk about how to make it. You even help clean it all up. You try one teaspoon of each of the flavors, you talk to the other guests about what you taste in each one and you pick your favorites, just like everyone else.
That. Is. How. You. Survive.
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| Making Pistachio Ice Cream on the farm 07/06/2013 |
