Christmas Baking And Our Relationship With Food

I’ve mentioned before that my wife is both an excellent baker and a yoga instructor.  A combination that isn’t exactly conducive to keeping me slim and trim.  Over the Christmas break, she made a variety of treats, which she gave as gifts to friends and co-workers.  One of them, pictured below, is her dark chocolate baby bundt cake.  Yes, it is just as yummy as it looks.  I chanced upon an interesting exchange between three of her co-workers over her little cakes.  I found the whole thing all the more humorous because it took place at a fitness gym.

The Dark Chocolate Whore

A woman walked up to my wife and described herself, using those exact words.  She followed with…

“I don’t know what you put in those cakes, but its like crack, and I want more”

Of course, we took the time to point out that the cakes are made with dark chocolate, and as such, must be counted as health food due to the high level of antioxidants found in dark chocolate.  She agreed wholeheartedly, later admitting that she didn’t eat the whole thing, but shared it with her kids and husband.

The Denier

A guy walked up during the course of the conversation, and overheard some of the women praising these little morsels.  They offered to him one, and he refused, under the pretense that he was trying to lose weight.  They pressed the issue, saying that it wasn’t a big deal to have just a bite.  After all, its the holidays, and that’s a time to indulge.  I’ll give him credit for holding fast and refusing to cave to peer pressure.  He viewed this as his first real test of self control.  And with that, he walked away.

The Indulger

The last lady said she really appreciated the gift, and found the morsels so tasty that she couldn’t stay out of them.  Sadly enough, one of the people my wife had made baskets for had already left town, and in the interest of making sure all of my wife’s hard work didn’t go to waste, she ate their share as well.  She praised these as the best cake she had ever eaten, and since it was Christmas, it is O.K. to indulge a bit.

Our Relationship With Food

It’s funny to me what an emotional reaction food can elicit in people.  Myself included.  For the most part, I know that I don’t give conscious thought to how my feelings about food influence my willingness to justify (or deny) myself treats.  At this moment in time, I’m riding an addiction to Raspberry Dark Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream.  I justify this by telling myself that there are only 240 calories in a half cup, which isn’t so bad, and everyone needs a vice, otherwise all efforts to lose weight will go out the window.  Am I right?  Never mind that I usually have more than that 1/2-cup serving.

I should probably spend a little more time thinking about how my emotional responses dictate my willingness to justify decisions when it comes to food.  Then again, maybe not.  Sometimes its not a good thing to look too closely in the mirror.  I may run the risk of stripping away my self-delusional belief that I have complete control of what I eat.

So, what is your weakness?  Is there something that you simply love to eat, and wouldn’t want to go without?

Related posts:

1. Carrot Cake And Other Comfort Food At Christmas
2. Our Silly, Sometimes Whimsical, Relationship With Food
3. The Unintentional Health Food Nut
4. Merry Christmas From The Live Fit Blog
5. Post-Holiday Recovery – The Day After Christmas