Sunday, July 6, 2008

Humane-itarian, Part III: The Problem with Pub Grub




I had a sneaking suspicion that Fourth of July weekend would pose a problem with regard to my new Humane-itarianism...most likely in the form of one of my relatives attempting to force-feed me a hot dog while accusing me of manufacturing my esoteric new dietary program just in time to avoid the annual patriotic spread. But as it turns out, my family were the least of my worries.

The Annual Burning of the Meat (or Pops and Brats, as it is sometimes known) with my Dad and his clan could not have gone better. I suggested ahead of time that I bring the meat - knowing that I would be able to source something equally virtuous and grill-worthy that would please everyone invovled. Sure enough, with just the teensiest bit of grumbling from dear old Dad, I was allowed to take over the hunting, while the rest of the family gathered side-dishes, breads and desserts. The free-range organic chicken did beautifully on the grill with just a kiss of barbeque sauce, and as an added bonus, everyone commented on how tender and flavorful this chicken was, in comparison to the average, everyday bird.

Crisis averted. Or so I thought. Later in the weekend, I hit the Londoner with friends for some laughs and several dozen beers. As the evening progressed and my Blue Moon tally went from 2 to 3 to "it's gonna be a long night", I knew that my tummy needed a little something to bolster its beer defenses. No sooner had I begun to ponder the menu than one of my companions announced that a round of cheese fries would be arriving forthwith. Joy! Perfection! Cheese and carbs and not an animal product in sight! Well...kinda.

The fries arrived with a generous coating of *gasp* bacon bits standing between me and hangover prevention. Rather than make a scene, I simply did my best to avoid the bacony badness - and felt totally terrible about it every bite of the way. In retrospect, I should have ordered a second basket of fries, 86 the bacon, and probably no one would have even noticed. Instead, starving and too embarrassed to make a scene, I made my first pitfall one week into the program in the form of pub grub topped with politically incorrect pork confetti.

This week's tally: Beer Goggles 1 - C&S 0


4 comments:

Robin Brant said...

Those glasses are the best thing I've ever seen.

Jennifer said...

It's important to not dwell on what happened with the cheese fries. It's a new day!

Suzy Shoup said...

I heart Blue Moon! :) Good for you and your humane-itarian goals. Baby steps! :)

Unknown said...

Wow, that really shows your courage and conviction to scrape off those bacon bits. I'm really proud of you!