Having owned up to being a foodie, I am now concerned with protecting the brand, so to speak. There really is an ongoing debate (here's another episode) about whether this is a good label for people who are interested in food or whether it is pejorative. I'm starting to think that those who consider it pejorative would rather fancy themselves to be on the "epicure"/"gourmet" end of things, which then leads me to think of them as the very snobs that foodies would not want to be. More precision in definition, however, is still beyond me.
One thing I do know: Mama is not a foodie. Yes, she is interested in food. Yes, she talks (endlessly it seems) about what she has eaten recently. Yes, she spends a lot of time considering where her next meal is coming from. Her interest, however, is in getting something tasty and filling to eat in a timely manner, not in how it was prepared, what its ingredients are, and what variations might make it better. Indeed, Mama is pretty much locked in to the children's menu in most of her food tastes. Chicken fingers. Chicken pot pies. Sausage and biscuit. Cereal. Pigs-in-a-blanket. Hot dogs. That sort of thing.
Since I am staying with Mama more these days, we have had some food wars. Or at least some battles. I need healthier foods. Her menu would (a) kill me in under 10 minutes and (b) make me fatter before it did. She, on the other hand, is wasting away. She's lost another 5 pounds in the past month.
We have reached something of a detente lately. I will fix whatever she wants, if she will have it. Many times she just says she is not hungry. I will fix whatever I want and offer it to her. Most of the time she will refuse it. Oftentimes, however, she will sneak a taste of what I have cooked. If she likes it, she will get a bowl and serve herself. If she doesn't, well, there's always another pot pie in the freezer.
The battles were bad for both of us, so it's not just a matter of giving up on feeding her. I do worry about that weight loss. Indeed, it was one of the things that made me decide that I would spend most of my time at her home rather than my own. At her (great) age, this sort of weight loss is not a good thing.
My solution (aside from hoping she will eat something that I have cooked for myself) is to try to get some of those kiddie foods to carry a little nutritional value. My best success so far is nachos with fresh veggies. It's not much, I admit, but I added diced tomatoes and green onions to the chips and cheese along with some shredded baked chicken. She would so much rather have the gloppy version from Fuddrucker's, but I have managed to con her into my semi-homemade nachos a few times. I'm not sure she'd touch a tomato otherwise.
On the other hand, I had no luck whatsoever in getting her to accept carrot chips instead of corn chips with her grilled cheese sammich. *sigh*
1 comment:
I know what you mean about getting elders to eat. MY mother could go forever not eating, If you take her out she will eat most on her plate. At home you have to remind her to eat. She could live on cheese puffs.
She does like to eat broccoli cornbread crumbled in milk. People can take food over if she likes she will eat if not it goes to frig.
The idea of putting the spinach in the sauce was good. You would not have known it was there.
Moolady
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