The Big Mac Soup

When my sisters and I were young, and my mother had to haul us with her to the grocery store, she would always head straight to the cookie aisle. Taking three little girls to the store at the same time required strategic planning like that of D-Day. Before she would lead us to the cart, she would hand each of us a small box of circus animal crackers – ironic as most parents would agree taking your children to run errands takes an amazing feat of skills. The box had a white string at the top that we would pretend were purses, and we would satisfyingly eat our way through the store. Like so many Southern women, Mama was a genius. Not only did it prevent us from begging for things as we passed, but by the time we got to the candy-tempting checkout line, our cravings had been fulfilled.

Growing up my father would say that I had two stomachs and a hollow leg. He put a lock on our kitchen pantry because I would eat a week’s worth of groceries in one sitting. When I was five, I ate an entire jar of Duke’s mayo while watching Saturday morning cartoons. My parents were hoping that I would get sick and learn a lesson, but as you know, it still remains my favorite condiment. Unlike my sisters, it seems I lived to eat rather than eat to live. When it comes to eating, Americans are a hedonist group. Our relationship with food has undergone a change during COVID. Stress and psychological disturbances cause the release of appetite-stimulating signals of the brain. We are responding more to external cues in choosing when and what to eat.

An increasing proportion of food consumption appears to be driven by pleasure, not just by the need for calories. Eating for pleasure rather than to satisfy our biological need is the norm rather than the exception. This phenomenon is referred to as hedonic eating and results in food intake that can override the body’s innate homeostatic system that helps control eating similar to other hedonically driven activities such as drug use and gambling. Hedonic hunger, a new dimension of appetite, is now widely recognized.

Appetite is a complex phenomenon, so how do I control my hedonist ways? I recognize that food is my love language, but I have chosen to love myself more. Nothing tastes as good as being mindful feels (except for Duke's). David does 99% of the grocery shopping because, like my mother, he understands the temptation. I’ve always loved spicy food and trying new things, so cooking is a way for me to enjoy the experience beyond eating. While my sisters joke that my body never grew, my palate fortunately did. Finding sophisticated spices and herbs not only satisfies my cravings but keeps my hunger under control. I still wake up every morning thinking about what I am going to prepare for dinner; however, I'm just as eager to write a story about it as I am to eat it. But for now, I must wait for my enabler to get back from the store. I just hope he remembers to bring home the animal crackers.