Sticking with a healthy diet is fairly easy at home. Outside the house, however, it's kind of a circus... literally.
Yesterday, Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus (supposedly the "Greatest Show in the World!!!") came to Las Vegas. I went, and was shocked by more than just the animal abuse; there was not a single thing that Andrea and I could both eat! If you don't want to die by your own hand-- mouth, really-- don't buy anything but water at the circus. Everywhere I turned, fat of all varieties, cholesterol, sodium, sugar, was leering at me. It was a dietary disaster: we looked everywhere for something to eat, but all we encountered was cotton candy, churros, pretzels, snowcones, popcorn, and sugary lemonade. Half the food looked like gout-in-a-bite, the rest, our good friend diabetes. Not a thing in sight that we could eat without going instantaneously into cardiac arrest. This made me think about going out altogether. What should we do when we go to the movies? When we do anything?
Firstly, readers, learn from my mistake. Always bring your own food out if you're not sure whether there will be an option for you. I'm not saying to take broccoli florets in a bag. Bring something that resembles the food around you- I've found that actually helps with satisfaction. If everyone else is eating churros, bring along caramel-flavored rice cakes. If you like fruit, bring along a pear or an orange for that juicy sweetness you crave in a snowcone. If you want something salty, like potato chips or popcorn, go for some delicious whole grain chips. They have a great flavor, and their crunch adds a huge deal in the gratification department. You'll forget that you're eating something a heck of a lot more healthy, and just go with the flow. And if you're at the circus, the performance should absorb most of your attention anyhow. None of the other stuff is really that satisfying, anyhow. So don't feel bad. Just be content and enjoy the show-- that's what you went for in the first place.
Let me digress and talk a bit about the circus itself. I was nervous about going; I had heard horror stories of what they do to the animals. In the end, Andrea's father convinced me that I had to see for myself that which I had such strong feelings about. I can't tell you how correct I was. Don't bother with the circus, guys. It's not the fantastical, antiquated, or charming entertainment the media leads you to expect; it's not the marvel in a gigantic field tent you like to think of when you hear a designer talk about the circus as his inspiration. It's an artless bunch of acrobats who are, in today's age, the castoffs who weren't quite good enough for Cirque du Soleil, obnoxious music, an arena reeking of pastrami, hot dogs, and unwashed masses with babies, and most outstandingly, it is a virtual Colleseum, an orgy of glorified torture. If they're willing to unabashedly whip the animals on stage, just imagine what they do backstage. And what really got to me was how little the animals added to the show. Making tigers walk on their hind legs, elephants jump over each other, llamas run in frantic circles, it wasn't at all exciting. I just cried. There was no appeal to me, and the problem is that so many people don't realize that something that unnatural just isn't meant to happen, so it continues. I won't rail on, but just know that the circus is not something worth supporting on a thousand levels. What are your opinions on the subject?
Anyhow, good luck going out! Bring a little something similar to what you'll find where you're going and it'll be just fine :) Live life, and forget about what you're eating while you do it!
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