Stranger Danger

It's funny how complete strangers can feel comfortable talking about a few subjects. "Wow this weather is sure great," "Did you catch the (fill in with local team) game last night?" The one conversation that perfect strangers feel inclined to engage in that confuses me the most, is about people's choice of being vegetarian. As soon as someone hears that you're vegetarian they immediately become your nutritionist. There are three questions that follow once someone hears that you're vegetarian: "Where do you get your protein, Why are you vegetarian, How long have you been vegetarian?" This continues to shock me, why do strangers care where I get my protein? It's not like I go around asking people crossing the street where they get their vitamin C. I understand that getting a proper amount of protein can be difficult for vegetarians, but so what? Maybe I'm eating no protein, I still don't know you so it's weird that you're asking me about my eating habits. It's like the minute they hear that you don't eat meat, they have to justify why they do. "You know they say eating meat sparingly is good for you.." I don't understand why these people judge what I choose to eat and not eat. It's not like I judge them as they shove the third cookie of the night into their mouths...okay maybe I do a little. Or it's not like I tell them repeatedly that they are eating what was once a living breathing animal, though I may be thinking it. Little bit of advice, don't give any to people you don't know. Wait until you "meat" someone to advise them on their protein intake.

Delusional Dieters

I don't know if it's something in the air around campus or if this happens everywhere, but all I know is that it's a problem. Going to a Catholic school is interesting, once Lent comes around, everyone decides that they are going to give up something significant in their lives. Whether it's the girl who eats 10 cookies a day deciding to give up all sweets, or the Vegan deciding to give up Tofu, it's madness. Why don't people understand that trying to quit cold turkey isn't the easiest way. Or maybe don't choose the one thing in life that defines you. If you're known as the "cookie girl," don't give up your alias. My friends all tried for about a week and couldn't last any longer, the week of cookies they gave up were eaten in about one hour on their day of failure. What's better just eating sweets sparingly, or trying to stop eating them completely and then as result gaining 10 pounds from binge eating? This Lent craze has led to continuous calorie counting. If I hear one more person tell me that I'm about to eat 200 calories in my ice cream, I'm going to scream. That's like me as a vegetarian, telling them each time they have bacon that they're eating Wilbur. It kills me how these super skinny girls are obsessed with losing weight. What has this world come to? College Athletes forced to run until they can't see straight, worried each day about stepping on the scale. Don't they understand that they are burning 700 calories each practice, so they need to eat more in order to survive. Or that the gained weight could be a result of the four days a week spent trying to build muscle in the gym? It's gotten to the point that food is completely controlling their lives. If I get to that point where calories are all I think about, I hope I'm obese. If I'm going to let food control me that much, I might as well eat it! Also, what's wrong with being fat and happy? It may just be me but those skinny models don't really seem like they are the campaign for happy...? Why are we fighting to be like them, so skinny that every curve has fallen off of their bodies? I wish we could live in the olden days when being fat was a good thing, and it meant that you had money. I wish these girls could love themselves for who they truly are and not hate who they are told they are supposed to be. There's no point in "weight"ing to enjoy life <3