's motd Sunday May 30, 2010

[Guest guest]

SUNDAY GO TO EATIN'!

Sunday, 30 May 2010

For as long as I can remember, I went to church on Sundays at St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans' historic French Quarter. My parents would get my brother, Lenny and I up a little early so we could put on our suits. When we were younger, Lenny and I wore matching suits. (Now how cute is that?)

Following mass, we'd walk across Square to Cafe DuMonde for a little after-church treat of beignets and chocolate milk. After our walk back home, we'd change clothes and get ready for an early afternoon dinner. And speaking of dinner...Oh! My father made the best fried chicken In New Orleans. And along with that fried chicken, he'd prepare mashed potatoes and gravy, corn-on-the-cob, and for dessert, he'd have picked up some fancy pastries from Royal Street Bakery.So Sundays and good eating always went hand-in-hand at our house. And I don't think we were the only family in America eating that way on Sundays. Well, I'm glad to say that today people are still going to church on Sundays. (We do love our churches here in America, don't we?)

But I've noticed from people who E-mail me that a lot of them don't cook so much at home on Sundays lately. They "go out to eat." Oh, there are so many restaurants now that cater to "family style" dining.For instance, I've seen commercials for restaurant chains like Hometown Buffet where, for just $9.99 per person, you can eat all you want...as much as you want. (Oh, oh.) And at some places, the kids even get to eat free!You can choose from an assortment of entrees. And then there are the side dishes, a selection of breads, lots of salads and, of course, the dessert bar. All you can eat! Now tell me something...how can they afford to charge just $9.99 and let all of those people loose in a room full of food?I mean, do you think the restaurants steal that food off some truck in the middle of the night or what? I guess they can afford to serve food at that low, low price only because so many thousands of people come in, all shelling out their $9.99!

And it's not just Hometown Buffet. These days, a lot of Chinese restaurants also feature buffets on Sundays and they're usually all you can eat, too. Fried shrimp. chow mien, Kung Pow chicken, egg rolls, potstickers and all kinds of fried rice. (Oh, I think I'm in Heaven!) And here we go again, those Chinese buffets offer all their dishes up at a bargain price, too. All you can eat!Then you have Olive Garden. (I always think of the Mount of Olives in the Bible when I hear their name.) Have you watched Olive Garden's commercials on TV? Everyone's sitting at huge tables with bowls and bowls filled with pasta, lasagna and their 22 specials of the day. And how about those homemade breadsticks of theirs, huh? Then there're the barbecue buffets where you can have yourself a plate full of pulled pork or a big-old platter of ribs the size of your head. And oh, there's cole slaw, baked potatoes, macaroni & cheese along with a big slice of pecan pie to top it all off. Oh, my!I could go on and on but I think you're getting the picture. I mean, do we really need to wonder why there's an obesity epidemic in America? Hey, you can't go into one of those places and expect to have a 500-calorie meal. Are you kidding? Please! Multiply that 500 by about 8!

So there you are, one moment you're praying in church and the next you're in a restaurant saying grace over a giant plate of beef stroganoff! You have to know this, Sunday is a special day but, in many ways, it's just like every other day. Please don't "celebrate" on Sundays by overeating! On Saturday night or early Sunday morning, why not prepare a healthy meal for you and your family? And when you get on the scale come Monday morning, you'll be shouting Hallelujah...because your weight-loss prayers have been answered!Love,