October 14th, 2009

I Am The Eggman

I’ve been doing a lot of changing in the last few months. I’ve always been one for self-critiquing, but I haven’t always been one for doing anything about the findings. A combination of events (my birthday being one of them) was the push I needed to help me move past myself, however little the steps might be.

Most of my adjustments have been in my thinking – how I approach relationships, how I handle conflicts, how willing I am to take on new responsibilities, that kind of thing. I haven’t turned into SuperMup or anything, but the changes have been good for me. I think the best way to describe it is that I’ve become less adamant. Not about important things, of course, but about things that I’ve learned aren’t as important as I thought.
Anyone who has known me for any length of time whatsoever knows that I am not a “vegetable guy.” I am a “meat and potatoes guy,” through and through. Also, “dessert guy.” I couldn’t see the point in eating stuff I don’t like the taste of.
Along comes this mindset change, and with it this thought: “I should try lettuce again.” Now, please understand that this thought is as foreign to me as Clark Kent is to Planet Earth. I had tried lettuce on many occasions dating back many years. A long time ago it made me gag. More recently I found that I no longer gagged, but I still didn’t like it any. Turning 37 was apparently my rocket to Earth, and Texas Roadhouse ended up being my Ma & Pa Kent.
I tried some salad. If I remember correctly, I tried someone else’s salad. And… it was okay. It wasn’t awesome, but I could eat it. That was the first step on a slippery slope. The next time I went, I actually ordered a salad for myself. Then I ordered salads at other places. Now ordering salads is a standard part of my restaurant experience. And something weird happened along the way: I actually starting liking salad, even looking forward to the next one and even more strangely, occasionally getting a hankering for salad. I have apparently been replaced by a pod person (but not a pea pod person, as I still can’t stand peas).
A couple of things about my learning to eat salads:
  • I am still on the hunt for the exact right salad dressing. The Caesar at Texas Roadhouse is the current favorite, but I feel like there is something I’m yet missing.
  • The House salad (minus tomatoes!) at Texas Roadhouse is my absolute favorite salad, and it’s all because of the hard-boiled egg on it. Just writing about it is making me want one. If they were open for lunch I’d go tomorrow.
  • I can eat tomatoes on salad, but I don’t like to.
  • Eating salads hasn’t changed some other eating habits. For instance, even though I can now eat lettuce, I still don’t order it on things I liked before liking lettuce. I won’t get lettuce on Taco Bell soft tacos or on Culver’s butterburgers, for example.
I’ve discovered that my mantra has become “I can eat that.” As in, “That may not be my favorite thing to eat, but… I can eat it.” I can’t adequately explain to you how much of a change in thinking about food that is for me, nor can I find the words to describe how that is indicative of a sea change in my thinking as a whole.
I’m not sure where this change in thinking will take me, but I will say that so far it’s been a good thing.

6 Comments on “I Am The Eggman”

  1. Wahooty says:

    I'm so proud of you! You've come a long way from "lettuce juice."

    Don't force the peas. Even I think peas are evil.

  2. Lorelei says:

    Give peas a chance, srsly. :)

    I suggest trying a nice Cobb salad. It usually consists of lettuce topped with your basic hardboiled egg, bacon, avocado, chicken, black olives & crumbled bleu cheese. It's a great protein fix & you might not even notice the lettuce that much. lol

  3. Meags says:

    I'm a fan of the steak salad at Saltgrass.

    Also: I AM THE WALRUS – KOO KOO KA-CHOO!

    Had to be said/sung/typed.

  4. Mandy says:

    I LOVE salads, and I make a mean one. Not so mean that Mup wouldn't eat it though ;)
    Have you tried dressings other than the creamy ones? Because you may like a good raspberry vinaigrette, if you like sweet.

  5. the obscure says:

    Get you some goat cheese, sun dried tomatoes (the candy of the tomato family), pine nuts, leafy greens, and a nice balsamic vinagrette.

    Might have to go to a nicer restaurant than Roadhouse, though.

  6. Lyssa Zwolanek says:

    So you're saying maybe there is hope for your nephew somewhere down the road?

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