Yesterday I got to play with my girlies. We had a GREAT time downtown Salt Lake City. You need to understand, I now live in a small town south of Salt Lake. Even though the "big city" is only 45 minutes away, it's like traveling to a different state for me. It seems funny that I would even admit that considering I grew up north of Seattle, and I can't tell you how much of you teenage youth was spent downtown Seattle. My best friend Cami and I used to skip school (college) all the time and go shopping, "lunching", and wandering. To this day I still know my way around downtown Seattle better than I do Salt Lake City. Just makes me giggle cuz Salt Lake is sooo much smaller. Anyway, I digress.
We hit the downtown Farmers' Market and then Whole Foods. We snacked, shopped, and enjoyed ginormous salads. It was so much fun.
By the time I got home, I was beat. For the last little while I haven't been feeling so well, and I was exhausted. The thought of cooking dinner did not sound appealing - w-h-a-t-s-o-e-v-e-r!
We dug out our coupons (everyone's trying to save money these days - including US), and headed in to town to pick something out for Greg and Dakota. Secretly I was hoping they would pick something that wouldn't even tempt me, but it was their choice. On the table was Panda, Sonic, JCW's, and Little Caesars. All of them I felt I was fairly safe. I already knew I was going to eat the leftover tilapia from the night before along with my steamed peppers and a yam. Now that sounded good. There was still a little part of me though (in my weakness of not feeling well) that was open to fast-food temptation. I'll admit it.
In past years we rarely ate at Sonic or JCW's. We'd have pizza on occasion, but I rarely crave pizza anymore. A good hamburger? Sonic wouldn't deliver, but JCW's might possibly. That COULD be a temptation, so I hoped we didn't go there. Panda. We used to eat there all the time. It was close to home, and all of us loved their so-called Orange Chicken. I remember I'd order double noodles (no rice please) and extra Orange Chicken. If I was feeling "healthy", I'd ask for some veggies too. Those were the days of not knowing better. Oblivion. Panda COULD be a temptation.
After much going back and forth (banter) between Greg and Dakota, they decided on Panda - the one place we did not have a coupon, and the one place we DID have some history and therefore COULD be a temptation. They ran in while I remained in the car with baby Z. I kept myself busy looking through cooking magazines, thinking about my dinner at home. I wouldn't be tempted, even in my moment of weakness.
Once home, they got out their spread while I reheated mine. We all sat down to eat. So far so good.
At one point, Greg stabs a small piece of Orange Chicken, and says, "I picked out a small one for you" and shoves the fork in my face. I take it. Without hesitation, I put it in my mouth and chew.
It had been three years easily since the last time I tasted Panda's Orange Chicken. I remember liking it so much. I could devour it back then.
That's what I remember.
This time wasn't the same. With my mouth still full of food, I asked Greg if he would be disappointed if I spit it back out. It just wasn't worth it. It wasn't at all as I remembered it. The chicken was chewy. The breading was soggy, and the orange flavoring was sugary. It just tasted "blah" in my mouth, so there was no way I was going to waste the calories (and fat, and sugar, and carbs) in swallowing it. Sorry. One less bite for Greg, but it wasn't worth it to me.
I can't say that I've been 100% strong all the time. I'm just like anyone else, and I am faced with temptation all the time. Temptation doesn't always come in the form of fast-food. For me temptation comes in the form of extra fruit, extra oatmeal, extra healthy carbs - all of which add up.
But last night I realized that my old temptations don't necessarily live up to their memories. What I remembered as so good for so long was such a disappointment. I realized most of what I used to eat probably isn't as good as I remember, so why even let those old foods be temptations? What I really thought once I spit it back out was, "I can make Orange Chicken soooo much better than this."
Last night was a learning experience for me. Thank goodness. Heaven knows we all need a few less temptations, and now I'm happy I've shaved one off my list. Panda is no longer a threat to me. **smile**
