I started a new job recently, and the way people talk about food, I feel like I'm in a live-action women's magazine. First, there's constant talk about exercising and losing weight, including a "Biggest Loser" contest. (The assumption being, I suppose, that "everyone" needs to lose weight.) At the same time, we had a free pizza day and fancy cupcakes at the town hall meeting. Both the pizza day and the free cupcakes were completely surrounded by talk of guilt and self-loathing about eating them.
I mentioned it's like a women's magazine, because on a typical cover you'll see a picture of a big chocolate cake with a bright bold headline to the side that reads "LOSE 10 POUNDS IN A WEEK!" But it's not just women who have this attitude, at least at my workplace. People are completely mired in this mindset, to the point where it seems invisible, and completely normal.
It's also very hard to resist the dynamic. I'm new, and I want to be part of conversations and fit in. I can't help but get caught up in it a little bit, since of course I have things to say about what's healthier to eat, or how to decide when I'm full. Plus, people notice if I don't eat dressing on my salad, or I decide to forego a cookie. Regardless of why I'm doing this (which is typically because I happen to realize that it's not something I really need at the moment), it becomes part of my identity in that environment.
The problem is that it makes it hard to simply enjoy my cupcake, the free pizza, AND the salad that comes with the pizza. I want to feel happy at my good fortune to have these delicious things. Imagine what it would be like if everyone modified their conversation to express only gratitude for their food, just for one day. How odd, but also how nice it would be!
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