WHAT WE EAT

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158
HenryM
Feb 12, 2025 9:23 am

WE HAVE TO EAT.  Some of us eat too much.  New ostomy patients puzzle over what they can eat and what they better not.  Too many people in the world wonder where their next meal is coming from.  For those of us fortunate enough to have supermarkets around the corner, our concern is more the prices than what’s available.  But everyone has different tastes.  Your dog may be happy with a tossed bone while you’ll want the steak itself, medium rare (or whatever).  Then there’s the poor animal from which the bone and steak were produced.  Before he became part of the food chain, he had to eat too.  A famous French gourmet once remarked about the variations in eating habits.  “Animals feed,” he said.  “Man eats.” Then he added:  “Only a man of wit knows how to dine.”  I can only assume that he counted himself among the last category.  

Jayne
Feb 12, 2025 1:29 pm

Good day, Henry,

'

Your Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin quote reminded me of a Victorian saying that my mother adopted [not attributable to anyone in particular, it appears], and that is: "horses sweat, gentlemen perspire, ladies glow" ..... which my mother used when she figured I was being 'uncouth' [usually following a tennis victory in the heat of summer] ......... The fact is all we mammals need to cool down - AND eat - but say, Henry ..... food can be SO varied a treat for those of us fortunate to be able to grow/source/create flavor combinations - HOW LUCKY ARE WE!

I am a little naughty - as your quote stimulated my looking up the author of my 'memory knee jerk' - only to find who the gourmet chef was - with such a handle I quite see the relevance of omission - naughty me - Forgive? ..... TY - suffice to say I was rewarded 'appropriately' by NOT finding the 'author' of my own mother's [outdated] observations - But I AM ever grateful that some of us DO have the opportunity to be 'considered' when shopping and when creating from our own growing - and for me this is special - to be able to be creative and feel the effort is 'worth' the result - not an elitist act - but a genuine joy for which - so long as I am able to masticate food [texture is part of the equation] - I am mindful of those of us who cannot - either temporarily or long-term loss - I am glad to be able to share! Creating and enjoying good food is a real pleasure - never to be undervalued! [The weight management being a necessary consequence, however! ...... but that's a consequence - and challenge - also worth doing!

So not only does 'wit' - but 'good intention' come into play - and INDEED WE ALL NEED TO EAT - and for those who take their nutriment through supplementary means - I really, really hope that your fulfillment has been found in other experiences within your life - for I am very MINDFUL OF THE CHALLENGES OF NO LONGER BEING ABLE TO MASTICATE FOODSTUFFS!

BW to ALL

As always, Henry, your daily words are a pleasure to absorb .... And the self-task of their creation must be a very worthwhile share for you - I hope you are able to continue - for you are an example to us all

Big smiles

with gratitude

Jayne

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SusanT
Feb 12, 2025 1:54 pm
Reply to Jayne

LOL, our mothers must have crossed paths at some point. She used to say, "Dogs sweat, men perspire, ladies glow." She attributed it to her mother.

HenryM
Feb 12, 2025 3:35 pm
Reply to Jayne

Aha, Jayne, you discovered, very intelligently, why I omitted the name of the author I quoted.  It was simply too much name for me.  He obviously wasn't born to be a John Doe.  

Jayne
Feb 12, 2025 10:16 pm
Reply to HenryM

Quite ;-)) ....

On the flip side, I feel for folk who do have a very well-populated name combination - must cause them to be extra 'creative' in order to make their mark, hey lol

J

 

My Ostomy Journey: LeeAnne | Hollister

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Beachboy
Feb 12, 2025 10:40 pm

Food and eating, while basic practices for our survival, have evolved into an art form. Food is prepared and presented for the eye. We get so used to it.

Watching cows in a field, it never strikes me they are the basis for an excellent filet mignon served medium rare with Cabernet sauce. The accompanying baked potato, of course, is grown in a field too.

During my medical adventure in late 2022, I ate very little for 2 months, then nothing by mouth for another month in the hospital. Just TPN... served via PICC line from an unappetizing plastic bag. After surgery, and a couple of days later, I was brought my first liquid diet lunch. A bowl of warm chicken broth. I took a sip. Oh my goodness! It was the most wonderful thing I ever tasted. I took little sips, slowly swallowing it. My wife just stared at me. I tried to explain how amazing it was. She shrugged and said, "Hello! It's just chicken broth."

I've eaten many meals in my life, fancy dinners and fast food. None of it comes close to that chicken broth.

Jayne
Feb 13, 2025 12:37 am
Reply to Beachboy

Yup - I know exactly what you mean - having been there with deepline feeding for a period of six months - and I do not want to ever return there - hence I will reluctantly - but gratefully, carefully manage my foodstuffs when I have an exacerbation or temporary hold-up/blockage .... for the alternatives are truly scary!

And yes, I too like good food - but when one actually gets to receive the full feedback of one's taste buds after a period in abeyance - that is something else - absolutely - and cannot truly be appreciated by those who do not relearn that special moment after a period of absence!

;-Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooohhhhh la la

PPS - Isn't there a groundhog day somewhere in here Dan?