Say Cheese!

Nope, I didn't sit down and take a "before" picture yesterday and then post it on my refrigerator. However, I did test what I refer to as my "experiential eating" boundaries quite a bit. You see in my world there are quite a few foods that just belong together and bring out the taste in each other. This is what I refer to as "experiential eating." Having one thing and then having to pair it with another.

I went to see a movie with the kids and was easily able to forgo the popcorn, but I did treat myself to a Reece's peanut butter cup on steroids (one of the really big ones). I love (love, love) going to the movies, so I was just riding that good feeling out with a small treat. Experiential eating in this case is pairing a movie with a treat -- usually popcorn or some sort of junk food usually enjoyed while at the theater.

I was feeling pretty good about it all, so I decided to test another boundary. CHEESE!

To me, cheese and wine are synonymous -- they go together like Jack n Jill, meat and potatoes or dark chocolate and a good red. To have one without the other is almost inconceivable to me. I knew that introducing good cheese at this point would be diet warfare. It would be like going to a party with a gratis bar and not getting anything!

And, let me tell you, I love cheese just about as much as a nice bottle of white wine! Mozzarella, Munster, Manchengo, Feta, Gouda, Blue Cheese, Provolone, Cheddar, you name it, I love it. And, there is nothing that enhances a good piece of cheese (in my opinion) more than a crisp, fruity, cold glass of wine.

Matthew had guitar practice with his friend Davis and I was picking Davis up at his house. Davis's mom had gone cheese shopping on her way home from Ohio, and I knew she had plenty of cheese in her refrigerator. In fact, when I pulled into her driveway, I wanted to invite myself into her kitchen to partake in her newly acquired store of cheese. However, I have given enough lessons to my children about inviting themselves into other people's homes to know that I had to come up with a plan and earn an invitation. So, I casually offered to bring back some chicken wings after practice with the boys, so that I would be invited into her cheese shop (assumption on my part). I know, this all sounds horribly desperate, but now I was just plain hungry, and the only thing that sounded good to me was, yes, CHEESE!

Upon our arrival home, Stephanie pulled out an overflowing drawer-full of an assortment of cheeses. I felt like clapping. My eyes got big and I was so ecstatic, just like the first day of Hanukkah when I was five years old. There were many NEW tasty flavors in the cheese drawer; Farmer's cheese, a nutty, sharp cheese with a name I can't pronounce or remember at the moment, but just plain fabulous. There was a wonderful Spanish cheese much like Manchengo, and a marbled round cheese that melted in my mouth. My friend carefully sliced up a plateful of cheese, while I sat and picked up each slice with reverence and delight! Little did I know, she was also preparing some Trader Joe's mac and cheese and fettuccine Alfredo. I was in cheese heaven, but diet hell. A glass of wine never even entered my mind because I was too busy stuffing cheese down my face.

I thoughtfully considered the noodles and decided on a fork full of each, and thankfully was able to stop at that. I helped myself to a glass of water and a few chicken wings and called it a night. However, I am still thinking about all that cheese.........yummy, yummy, cheese ;-).