A few times this week, Gary’s complained that he’s achy, he’s nauseated, he’s had a bad sleep, his stomach is upset, or he feels on edge, and then I say, “Well, of course, you’re under stress.”
“I’m not stressed. What stress do I have?”
I realize our families differ, but in MY family having your MOM sliced open is stressful. That’s just me.
He’s been slowly suckling quietly at the Bailey’s teat, and other than that he’s been eating anything he damn well pleases, and that’s how he’s dealing with the gnawing worries. This is loads of fun for me, because I can buy all kinds of unusual treats and see if any do the trick.
(It occurs to me: stress-smokers stick with one brand, alcoholics usually have a preferred liquor, but stress-eaters like variety. What about cocaine / pot / etc. addicts? “I’m a black-tar heroin man.” )
So, I experimented quite a bit today with untested grocery items. Here are my reviews.
Magnum Chocolate bars.
Made by Unillever, the soap concern. The British have been hoarding these. I’ve never seen them before. I agree with Gary, the chocolate on chocolate with the fudge buffer layer was a bit much chocolate. One the other hand …
Haagen Dazs “Sundae Cones”:
BRUTAL Disappointment. No flavor! The chocolate and carmel were only there for decoration.
(Yes. This is akin to a crack whore coping with her pimp’s overdose by complaining “I’m dealing with his death with this crack, and this crack had no flavor.”) However, Gary loves them because they are “snack size.” And speaking of snack size, what of wee little bagels?
Rold Gold Everything Bagel … Pretzels ? Nuggets? Hard little carbs?:
The Momma bear, after eating the too-intensely flavored Magnum bar, and the too-subtly flavored “Sundae cones,” said, “Oh … these are … just a salty flour and water paste, really.” Bitter bitter disapp – no, not bitter, that would be a flavor.
So! No stress-relief so far!
Snacks failed. I tried to make Gary a stress-relief meal. I bought fresh shrimp and made fettucini alfredo, the real stuff, with cream and parmesean and eggs that are “cooked” by throwing hot pasta on top. This time my bowels didn’t have to remind me, “Hey, moron, raw egg allergy.” I realized the eggs were barely cooked and only ate a little. So, I got no joy.
I was about to set to an old reliable favorite, Synders Butter Snap pretzels and Philadelphia whipped cream cheese, when I realized there was one untried food in the house:
Kozy Shack Chocolate Pudding
“Bleah!” Gary cried when he saw the package. “No fat! No gluten? You HAVE to have GLUTEN.”
“No you don’t! I tried some – It’s really good. ” He got a spoon. “Don’t eat the whole thing.”
He spat it out. “Bleah! Blah!” He wiped off his tongue. “It needs gluten.”
I bought it on Becs’ recommend, and even though she says it doesn’t have the same magic now, I haven’t built up a tolerance yet. It was good. And Gary seemed to like the fettucini, so we’re all good here.
20 responses to “Stress Eating”
You don’t have Magnums? But the flavour you spurn (ONLY my favourite) is called Memphis Meltdown!
The only legitimate Kozy Shack pudding is the rice pudding. And as I have moaned before, they’ve changed the formula on the rice. It’s just not the same.
Does Gary like potatoes? That’s a good carb – well, to me anyway. And you can load it up with butter, cheese, bacon. Yum.
I’m a Cozy Shack Tapioca girl, myself. and I’ve yet to have ANYTHING that was “too much chocolate” — until we are talking, say, square yardage. Then again, I like chocolate up to about 87% pure, which, I admit, makes me unusual. I just say my taste for somewhat bitter chocolate is what makes me capable of eating vegies without butter in compensation.
But for pure stress eating (and I’m a past master at this particular sport) — Nutella on a spoon, babe. Nutella on a spoon.
Once I was pissed off hunting for something in the kitchen I couldn’t find and a mini kit kat jumped into my mouth. Literally flew through the air by itself. True story. Shame about the Haagen Dazs cones.
Big Dot – nope, just called “Double chocolate here. And, you are so US-centric! When I hear Memphis I think of ancient egypt.Becs- it seems he loves the tasteless bagel pretzels. Potatoes require prep. Evem cold taters need to be peeled.Sherri – you lost me with the 87%, then you got me back with nutella. Hey! I just introduced wilma to Kinder Bueno, I think maybe Wilma doesn’t know about nutella. (It’s hazelnut, right?)Allison – Wilma had a June bug fly in her mouth once. I believe you.
Well, there you go, never knew there was any other Memphis than the one in Tennessee. And the guy in the ads had a Southern accent, in my defence.
Ryan and I love Magnum bars, but we prefer the original, which is just vanilla with milk chocolate on them. While I’m glad they’re finally here in the US, they still taste better in Europe, though. The milk over there is much creamier.
Cozy Shack rice pudding is nice
Big Dot – A number of places on the Mississippi river have Egyptian place names: Cairo comes to mind. I guess the Mississippi is like the Nile? Faythe – I was sad to see my flavor didn’t have the M stamped on it. What’s the deal with that? Magpie – I’ve never had rice pudding. It’s like zuchinnni bread to me. A food oxymoron.
Never had rice pudding?!?!?!?!?! Fix that, stat!
Big Dot – So… is this something I could make a tiny dish of? Or should I really buy a tub of it?
Here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/bakedcreamyricepuddi_67511
Ordinary butter’s fine, and I add 1/2 tsp of salt too to give it flavour. Just bung it in the oven and leave it. No, this isn’t a tiny dish, but you’re going to love it, and will be surprised how, when it’s cold, “tidying up the edges” makes it shrink away to nothing. And at worst, Mac will adore you for it. If Gary doesn’t.
I don’t like rice pudding that much. I’ll eat it if I want dessert and there’s nothing else.
I was raised on Jell-o pudding. All other pudding tastes funny to me. Alas.
Big Dot – Wait. It calls for “pudding rice.” What the hey?Tami – I thought so too, but that Kozy Shack was good.
Use Arborio. It’s a hangover from the dark days of “English cooking” when there were only two kinds of rice: short grain, for puddings, and long grain for boiling to eat with beef stew.
Big Dot – Okay. This is my project for this weekend.
I hope you’re not going to blame the poison ivy for not making your first rice pudding. Because, priorities!
Big Dot – Wow, you are right. All I need to buy is rice and then I am ready.
And…..?
Big Dot – Oh my GOD! Fine! Getting the rice right now!