My husband and I are polar opposites when it comes to food. My side of the grocery cart may have things like organic milk, almonds, kale, and gluten-free non-GMO corn chips. His has something sweet, some sort of deli meat for his daily sandwich, and potato chips. I like to eat ethnic food and stir fry, the spicier the better. HE prefers simple cooking, canned vegetables, and a bowl of ice cream every night. Now, due to a diagnosis of gout, he needs to limit certain foods like whole grains, legumes, and beer. Two out of three ain’t bad, as they say. You can guess which one he hasn’t completely cut out of his diet. Since many of his relatives lived well into their 80’s and even their 90’s, and many of mine died by 60, I’m not the one to cast any stones. For the most part, his diet is healthy and besides, I’m his wife and not his mother. This week, he is planning to stay at our cabin to mow, split wood, and fish. He spends more time working than cooking while he’s there, so he asked if I could pick up some canned beef stew and hot dogs so his meals could be both quick and filling. My treat while he is away is something he detests: Fresh salmon, and glory be, it was on sale, too. Waiting my turn at the fish counter, I visited with Mrs. Nice (but too skinny) Customer who was explaining to me how much healthier the wild-caught salmon was than the farmed salmon. I don’t know why she thought I needed to know this, except perhaps it was because I am kind of pleasingly plump and was dressed like I just jumped out of the rutabaga truck in jeans with stains on the knees from gardening. I hadn’t noticed until it was too late to change. I had just that moment snatched away a fresh green pepper that my grandson was trying to chew on, telling him it was icky. Of course “icky” simply meant that it hadn’t been washed, so I didn’t want it in his mouth, but in trying to keep those little hands busy, I had handed him a package of his grandpa’s hot dogs instead. While chatting with Mrs. Nice Customer about healthy foods and explaining that I was a Cardiac Rehab nurse who knows these things, I noticed that she kept looking in my shopping cart. The fresh fruit, salad greens, and organic dairy products were buried under potato chips and processed cheese (HE loves it!) with a loaf of non-gouty soft white bread balanced on top. The cute toddler seated in the cart was happily sucking on a package of hot dogs. She just looked sadly at me and walked away. I’m sure she had a tale to tell her husband at dinner. Me? I’ll probably still be dressed like a country bumpkin at dinner time, because after all, it is my day off and I’m eating alone, but I’ll be eating the same thing. Really, I will.
The picture of health
August 31, 2014 by The Minnesota Farm Woman
Posted in Uncategorized | 9 Comments
9 Responses
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The Backyard Pioneer
I can sooooo relate to this. My husband’s diet is similar to yours… hot dogs, chips, day-old doughnuts that are chock full of preservatives… but as you said, I am his wife, not his mother. He is a grown man, reads the sames things that I do about healthy food choice. He just simply likes it. I get similar looks when grocery shopping. (And yes, I have been known to run errands while still dressed in my gardening clothes and I am sure some folks wonder if I even have ‘nice’ clothes).
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I didn’t even mention the canned ravioli, either! Thanks for reading!
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There is a rampant problem with shopping cart shaming or judging going on. It is so weird! Living in California now it seems more prevalent than when I was living in the South. I sadly don’t have a garden anymore, but when I did I have gone to the store in my gardening clothes also. I usually have uber healthy things in my cart, and I usually get, “Wow! That looks so healthy!” I guess they think it is odd that I am so fat but have the “right” groceries in my cart. Weird, I tell ya! I loved your story. 🙂
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Thanks! 🙂
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PS: I used to live waaaaaay up there in Lancaster, MN! I sure do miss Minnesota.
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Minnesota misses you, too! Thanks for reading, and for commenting. 🙂
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Oops, I meant your husband’s diet, not yours. While he is stocking up on hot dogs, I am adding fresh greens, organic milk, etc… 🙂
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I had to laugh at how judgemental people can be! To each his own. Your husbands side of the cart sounds just like my late husbands preferences. Needless to say his choices over the years did him in and I’m searching in my later years for a healthier way to be. I make and drink kombucha every day and ferment my veggies to make them easier to digest. I eat fresh at every opportunity and have been a friend to the local farmers market this year. I’m in essence trying to return to the ways my grandparents lived as it was healthier and less stressful than my life has been. By the way she was right about the farm raised fish. It is done in such a filthy and unhealthy way that you wouldn’t want to feed it your cat!
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Yes, and I was lucky thay they were both the same price!
Thanks for reading, and for commenting.
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