A question from Miki
Hello Mr. Bruni:
I am normally a slow reader, but I read your book in 2 nights - sure I was sleep deprived, but I just thought to myself; "Hey, being awake burns more calories than sleeping! I'm using my brain to read too! That's gotta be worth at least two bites of Skinny Cow Ice Cream Sandwich!!"
...I do the weird calorie-math-thing too.
What amazed me the most was that reading your book, I realized that I wasn't alone.
I come from a family where we planned our day around the evening meal, a Grandmother who prided herself and her economic-social status on her ability to feed people (surviving post-WWII Japan did it to her), and just being able to somehow eat more than my sibiling and my cousins...and be PRAISED for it by my family made me the "fat kid".
You wrote in your book that you got teased for having initals "FB". I got teased for being "debu" (fat in Japanese) when I was in grade 3. There was another kid with the same first name as myself, so I was the "debu-Miki" and the other one was plain "Miki".
I went through adolesence being on what form of diet or another, everything from eating only green stuff (that lasted 3 days) to eating only a bowl of cereal a day. Still only to be the fatest one to be on the swim team (yes, I did that too = I was amazing backstroker, probably because I had more fat, and was able to float more easily...)
As I got older and entered college, various legal and illegal drugs came along helping me "diet". I looked amazing my freshman year, and was confident enought to wear a PINK CORSET to clubs (went to NYU...) But then, when I went back to Japan for the summer, I couldn't fight off Grandma's offering, and ended up fat again. By the time my senior year came around, I had quit clubbing etc., to concentrate on my studies. Studies came with midnight bagles and pizza, study groups with brownies and ice cream.
I had no boyfriends to speak of, and was always the fat chick that came with the hot chick.
I hated myself and finally decided to do something about it.
I joined a gym, got a trainer, got a dietian.
Now basically, I look for quality of the food that goes in my mouth rather than quantity. Sure, I do occasionally binge on Prime House Burger with 2 Martinis but that's why the gym is for. Spinning Class to go with the Burger, 6M treadmill runs for the Martinis.
It was just SOOOOO strange to read your book. It was almost reading about myself...well, not really, but you know.
And by the way...Mr. Bruni. If you like Japanese Food, you must try KYO-YA. It is the best Japanese food outside of Japan, and is FAR more affordable than Masa. I've been to both, and I recomment Kyo-ya over Masa. Take it from a real Japanese girl that loves food.
-M
Answer:
You write: "Basically, I look for quality of the food that goes in my mouth rather than quantity. Sure, I do occasionally binge on Prime House Burger with 2 Martinis but that's why the gym is for. Spinning Class to go with the Burger, 6M treadmill runs for the Martinis."
Bull's eye! At least in my opinion. You're describing my method for several years now, or at least my goal and my philosophy, sometimes better applied than at other times. I think a food obsession -- some food obsessions, at least --- can be redirected from quantity to quality, that a foodie from a fattie can be born. I also think a way for a glutton to embrace exercise is to consider it a down payment on the feast to come. That's what I've done for seven years now.
Thanks for writing, and thanks for reading.
