Here's the deal. Every Friday we ("we" being the missionaries "we") go to the same house for lunch. We get to sample a wide variety of local Swiss dishes and also some regular ol' American food. Mandi and I were discussing what we thought might be on the menu that day and I, like my usual self, was hoping for some type of potatoes and not the beet dish we've had in the past.
After arriving we went to the table. I saw the plates from a distance and my first thought was "hmm, okay, grapefruit." But wait, grapefruit is NEVER served on a plate and why would there be a lemon slice on top of it. Walking into the room made my own personal fear factor increase ten fold! Oh no......I was even wishing for the beet salad at this point
Was it really?............ No, it can't be, can it???.................Okay Rach, you can do this, but start thinking of a way out of eating it NOW! That was pretty much the dialogue going on in my head as I sat down. That, and "does my plate look like it's the fullest, maybe I should quick switch before anyone else comes in the room....." Didn't happen.
So, we all sat down and what was staring up at me so scarily, you ask? Only a big pile of peach and white striped fish flesh that was cut into strips. Most of you know I'm not a big meat eater on a good day and this was pushing WAY past my limit. I like fish, don't get me wrong.....I'll vote for a fish fry at my folks anyday......because, well, THE FISH IS ACTUALLY COOKED!
Yep, still staring at my plate and wondering what to do. I see Mandi eating hers and that opens up my list of possible disposal options, good. (See, this just proves that those I'm not eating this! tactics you learn in childhood are pretty valuable resources!) I know I needed to try a bite, since I am an adult, so I cut off a piece and took a swig of water before popping it in my mouth. Very salty and right there I knew there was no way I'd get the plate of it down. I could just imagine a dead fish plucked right out of the ocean and skinned - staring right back at me. Yuck!
What to do??? Hmmm, what are my options here and what resources did I have available?
1. Maralee hadn't arrived yet and I was praying hard for her to come right then for a distraction.
2. Because then, I could quickly give some of my fish to Mandi and move the rest of it around on my plate like I ate it. Of course, then I thought "what if they think I like it since I ate some of it?" and I threw that plan out quickly.
3. Hide it in my napkin.......nope, too wet and stinky.
4. Take my plate to the kitchen and just dump it? Nope, too obvious.
5. Keep praying I could get it down......good, but I only managed 2 more minuscule bites.
6. With all my options exhausted I did the only thing I could do: I took the shame and didn't eat any more.
I opted for enduring the "you have to eat the weird things in Africa that they give you" lecture and not making myself sick. Not fun, but also not nauseating either!
The rest of the meal came and there were potatoes and regular vegetables that I did eat (minus the "sauce"). Mandi saw my dilemma and said she would have helped me with one of my plans, but she couldn't eat more either. Maralee didn't get there until later and she wasn't too keen on her plate either. Anyway, I survived. The plate of virtually untouched fish was covered and put back in the fridge and my friends were supportive (after dinner on our walk home) in my not being able to eat it.
Believe it or not, I've come a LONG way in my eating habits and I attribute a lot of my tastes to the "Boeve genetics." My family has many of the same dislikes as I do and I have realized that it is okay to not like certain foods. I'll deal with what comes on my plate in Africa, once I get to Africa.......I have a hard enough time here in Switzerland sometimes! Oh well.
PS - Now I know I don't have to spend my money at a Sushi Bar......not that I had planned too or anything, but it's good to be certain about some things.
No comments:
Post a Comment