Pandemic Dining - Day 162

AUGUST 30, 2020

I eat all of my meals out of a bowl; same as my dog.

It started with this pandemic dining, me eating alone, quarantine style, in front of the tv. One large serving bowl is quite convenient. It holds a lot of food. Nothing runs off the side.

I also started cutting up my food ahead of time, similar to how I fed my kids when they were little. Easier that way. Now all I need to eat a meal is one bowl, one fork and a napkin.

Over time, I realized that using a dish towel was better than a cloth napkin. Since I’m eating on the couch, in front of the tv, out of a jumbo bowl, my food already cut up - it’s safer to have a dish towel in my lap. In case of spills.

I feel like a toddler as I load up my bowl. I no longer bother to pour my water into a glass with ice. Too risky, to have a full glass while I’m hardly paying attention to my meal, my eyes fixed on reality TV. So, in my efforts to keep order, and mitigate waterfalls in my living room, I now drink my water out of a water bottle. All that’s missing is a bib.

 This week, after chemo and feeling nauseous, I noticed that it turned my stomach to have my food touch. And a deeper weirder level in pandemic eating was reached.

Larger bowl, smaller portions. No food touching another category of food. Same dish towel but drinking bottle was swapped for jumbo red plastic beer-pong cup filled with crushed ice, water and topped with a bendy-straw.

I’m my own Assisted Living Director in my own Assisted Living Room.

When I was a little girl, it was a huge treat to eat a Swanson TV dinner (fried chicken was my favorite) in front of the television on a TV tray. Which we called a Snack Table.

I still remember the rickety metal tray and the way it snapped down on the simple frame. This TV dinner dining treat was reserved for the rare occasion when my parents were going out for dinner and we had a babysitter coming to watch me and my little sister. 

Swanson’s tv dinners; the cute compartments of food, the greasy and delicious fried chicken, the triangle of oddly-smoothed mashed potatoes, the little compartment of corn and the scorching apple cake in the upper right corner. Food lover’s heaven, if you’re eight years old!   Still, eating out of a tray, on a tray seems more civilized than eating out of a jumbo bowl, balanced in my lap. 

And until I was unloading my dishwasher just now, these past 162 days of plate-less eating almost went unnoticed!  If a bowl falls in the sink...

Tonight, I cooked a yummy dinner. Comfort food. Skillet-style cooking. Real Mashed potatoes with browned onion, ground turkey, peas and corn. Seasoning. And of course, topped with ketchup.

I decided enough was enough. It was Saturday night, time to be fancy. I took down a plate to serve myself, nicely arranging the food. Scoop of potatoes, topped with a spoonful of skillet turkey, peas and corn. Salt and freshly ground pepper. Voila! Filled a glass with crushed ice and water. Got out silverware; fork, knife, spoon. Walked halfway to the dining table and then thought to myself - uh, nope. Don’t want to sit there. Never mind.

Grabbed a big bowl, scraped the pretty food from my plate into the bowl. Grabbed my dish towel and a straw. Found the TV clicker and got comfy on the sofa.

Well, I thought to myself, at least I’ll have one plate in the dishwasher this week.  Hard not to self-judge my digression in dining habits. Hard not to self-judge period.

Maybe from now on, whether I eat out of bowls or serve myself food on a plate, I’ll stop the inner-critic-bitch from giving me such a hard time.  It’s my picnic after all.  A plate of food; a bowl of ice cream. A glass of ice-water, a bendy straw and thou. 

Just eat, drink, and enjoy!