Skipping the Food Funerals

Last night I had my first and last food funeral before my surgery.  I still have almost a week before I start my pre-op diet, so there is still time to eat "normal" food.  My husband and I wanted to eat at The Melting Pot one last time.  It has been one of our favorite restaurants for many years.  It's pretty damn expensive so unfortunately we only eat there once or twice per year for very special occasions.

We were incredibly disappointed with the food last night.  It almost seemed like they had changed management or something.  There was just something different and almost a little off about the whole meal.  Our cheese was good... but things went downhill from there.  The salad was smaller than usual and didn't have all the fixings--like no eggs or anything.  Same salad we always get.  Then the entree' meat--I was not a fan of my chicken.  It was super rubbery.  The shrimp was fine, so that was good.  Some of the dipping sauces were different too--like the spicy cocktail sauce and the green goddess.  They didn't seem as fresh as usual.  We left about 1/2 our entree uncooked and not eaten.

By the time we ordered dessert, we had kind of given up and just laughed about it all.  Here I was trying to have my last awesome experience at the Melting Pot, and they were totally underwhelming us.  For our chocolate, we always custom order a "Flaming Amaretto Meltdown"--it hasn't been on the menu in years, but we simply tell them it's white chocolate with amaretto, and then to light it up.  Our waiter poured WAY too much Everclear onto the chocolate.  There was so much Everclear that most of it did not burn off, and ultimately it was almost inedible.  You could only dip from the top, center of the chocolate--the sides and bottom were all Everclear.

The whole experience really brought me some clarity.  Food has been such an important part of my life--it has been my coping mechanism.  But to be totally honest, it doesn't usually live up to my expectations.  It isn't a friend.  It doesn't see me through my problems.  It just clouds everything and causes long-term problems.  I don't want it anymore.  In some ways, I wish I could give it up completely and never come face to face with it again.

I can live without this particular food.  I don't need to say goodbye to it or any other food.  I'm done with it.


... Now let's just hope that I keep that attitude for many years to come.