The Weight of Change

You know how I said before that I was having an inordinate amount of fun shopping for new single dishes to use in this blog?

Today I had the day off and shopping I went.

"What does Carrie do on a day off when not on vacation?" you may ask.

Well, I first visited with my mother and grandmother.

Then I headed to one of our best local libraries but alas it was closed for Columbus Day. :(

We have the BEST public libraries.  The one I intended to go to has a wonderful coffee shop inside and lots of cushy chairs and couches to sit and read in.

So since I couldn't get my book fix at the library I went to Barnes & Noble instead.

The employees are starting to know me by name now which may be kind of telling.  ;)

Lastly I decided to look for a parfait glass, for a recipe I want to try, in an antique store.

I haven't been to an antique store in ages so it was really fun!

I went to Hobby Lobby too.

I found all sorts of cute new glasses and plates.

Just look!

I found these cute plates at Hobby Lobby for 40% off and, yes, there's actually color!

This is so bold for me considering my propensity for neutrals.  I was rather proud of myself for purchasing this.

The thing that hit me while I was shopping today was the size and shape of the antique glasses.

When I got home, just for kicks, I used a measuring cup and poured water into each of them.

This one held 1/4 cup.

This was only $1.00!

This one held approximately 3/4 cup.

This one was $1.50! 

When I saw the first one, the sherbet cup, I thought it looked more like a cute little taste testing cup because it was so incredibly small.

But this is what portions used to look like, nothing at all like what they look like now.

That begs the question, when did our tableware get so big?

Who decided it should get bigger?

Did anybody ask us first?

Who decided bigger is better?

I don't really have the answers but it's clear there have been some big(pun intended) changes over the last several years.

Sadly, as our tableware and portions grew so did our waistlines along with all obesity's co-morbidities.

What's worse is that we've gotten so used to eating this much that it has now become hard not to eat in this quantity.

It may be my skewed perception but it seems more pronounced here in the States.

However, I don't always have the need for huge portions.

It seems to me that when food is really good and really pretty that I tend to go slower and savor it more.

It becomes an organic experience, a sensual dance of flavors across my palate.

Of course it also seems that there would likely be many people who would buck going back to old portion sizes because everyone wants more for their money and we seem to have pushed past our biological feedback mechanism to stop eating when we're full.

I don't have the cure-all for this but I think for me it's about mindfulness.

It's also about loving and respecting my body temple and listening to my body's wisdom.

The noise created by such loud chemicals as high fructose corn syrup has drowned out our own still small voice that says "Please give me something real" and "Please stop now, I'm full and I've had all that I require to keep this beautiful and amazing biological masterpiece at optimal operation".

The next time you sit down to eat remember that your body, no matter what you think of it, is a gift, an astoundingly complex and exquisite gift.

It is something to cherish, something to honor.

Your own wisdom is still there underneath all that noise.  You can still hear it if you listen.

And today, is the perfect day to start.