What’s In Your Feed, September 18th

Remember that totally iconic Tootsie Roll commercial from way back in 1976? If you’re too young to recall (lucky you, you young whippersnapper!) it was a trio of cartoon kids wanting that addictive oblong piece of chewy, chocolate candy so badly that they sang, “The world looks mighty good to me. Cause Tootsie Rolls are all I see. Whatever it is I think I see… becomes a Tootsie Roll to me.” I guess manifesting candy takes up a lot of head space when you’re a kid, right? (Author’s note: I was today years old when I learned that Tootsie Roll Industries also makes Charleston Chews, Andes, Fluffy Stuff, Razzles and Junior Mints!! Mind blown. Yours too? I had no idea.)

Everyone who knows me knows that I’m a bit of a foodie. What you might not know is that I actually hate that word. I’m not an expert of any kind– I have no formal training whatsoever other than sporting a healthy appetite. I love breakfast, lunch, brunch, dinner, supper, snacks, samples, hors d’oeuvres, pigouts, munchies, flights, bar food, treats, goodies, and buffets. So the minor differences between me and a regular ol’ food lover like yourself is that I probably talk about food more passionately, think about food rather obsessively, research recipes and restaurants on the daily, and (duh) I actually take fingers to keyboard and write about food… a lot.

And just like those cute kids singing about Tootsie Rolls, I’m sure it’s no coincidence that my social media feed is filled with food. In my case, maybe it’s called “feed” for a reason? I’m perpetually tempted and enticed by exciting foods and new restaurants. There are must try mussels, pop up pancake places, scones near the Seine, SoHo smashburgers, Miami slices, and so on. The recommendations come so fast and furious that I swear I can barely keep up. Like your average run of the mill OCD champ, I of course keep a dynamic index organized by city of what I’d love to try next. In Manhattan alone my hit list boasts over 72 hot spots and the mere mention of those names makes me produce saliva like Pavlov’s dog. (I wish I were kidding.) So it follows that I am also inundated with memes about food. And you can imagine how hilarious some of them are…

So I guess the step I seem to be on regarding my weight loss journey is bargaining. A Thursday afternoon thought bubble might read something like, “If I juuuuust have ONE HUGE COOKIE today from Chip City or Levain, (swoon!) that will absolutely squash my undeniable craving and I promise that I’ll swear off cookies for the next three months.” And then sure enough I see this… and I think someone must be screening my thoughts…

And so of course I take that as a sign that I should have the damn cookie. Wouldn’t you? And then I wonder how they get those cookie outsides so crispy while the cookie inners stay so melty and moist? I know, I know– high heat and a lower cooktime. And just as I have that thought…

And this seems to break the food tension because c’mon that’s hysterical and it’s back on the plan for me. So I look up to the sky and say…

But we all know it’s a day-to-day challenge that is sometimes frustrating and can push a struggling person determined to change her eating habits into a fowl mood… Yep, not a typo as I’m referring to craving chicken wings with extra blue cheese.

So the health quest slash be the best version of myself slash eat clean journey continues. I do find inspo from those giant pandas that mix up their diet of primarily bamboo to indulge in a good carrot from time to time. There must be some Mr. Miyagi sort of fortune cookie lesson in there for me I think.

Whatever your feed serves up today, remember to make every bite count!