Well, or not? - was Re: giving blood

[Guest guest]

I agree. I usually feel sort of the odd one out when the subject of

eating out comes up. I get the impression that my lifestyle is

drastically different from most on the group, which is why I don't

really post much. I am so glad that Esther chooses to share her

experiences, good or bad, with the group. It really does help. I

have not encountered as much of a problem as many have with eating

out. Not to say that I haven't been sideswiped once or twice . And,

I'm talking about a consenting adult, I think the rules would be

different if a child were involved.

To answer Shez's question about what kind of lifestyle would require

eating out all the time, I am transitioning from a lifestyle of eating

out most of the time (we're talking 80% or more) to cooking for

myself. I still eat out a lot by Silly Yak standards, just in fewer

places than before with a more limited menu and a bigger PITA factor.

I'm sure everyone's reasons are different, but for me growing up, it

was always understood to be optional in my house to learn to cook or

not (reservations are still the best thing for dinner). There were

always alternatives (sit down, take out or drive through). In my teen

years, I discovered that I am definitely not the home ec type. I

never had the need, desire, or the skills for cooking (forget

baking). I never worried over it, there are thousands of restaurants

in the city happy to do it for you. Right? I still don't really enjoy

cooking (or cleaning up after), but now I do have the need so I am

slowly gaining the skills and getting over not being able to eat

anything I want, anywhere I want :/ (I now literally dream of dining

without research!)

But, I don't think I will ever give up eating out. My BC life (that I

was enjoying very much) for decades included lots of breakfast

pastries over the newspaper, lunches out with co-workers, dinners out

with friends, pizza delivery for board game nights, lazy weekend

brunches with my husband, junk food at amusement parks, experimenting

with cuisines from around the world. All with never a dirty dish in

my kitchen. It's fun, social, culinarily diverse and, I like it. It

may take me years to perfect it again.

If you are raised in an environment where going to the market and

preparing food from scratch every day is commonplace, the skills

become common sense. Yes, grocery shopping is a skill, grocery

shopping on a tight budget is art. So, for some of us, we are having

to unlearn and re-learn everything from the bottom up, which can be

time consuming and frustrating on top of lives and schedules that may

have been full in the first place.

But, that's just me.

Lori in ATL

>

> Esther,

>

> The eating out issue is one of my biggest differences with so much of

> the talk on this site. Our family like yours lives a lifestyle where

> we eat more meals out than we do in. It is a dangerous lifestyle but

> it is our reality too... I respect the people who are busily

> preparing food all day for the GF and non GF members of their family

> separately, but in our house that is just not possible.

>

> Like you we pursue diligence in all ordering at the restraunts, but

> employees can be wrong or irresponsibile and the occasional foul

> happens to me as well...

>

>

>