Photo A Day, Day 16: My Vice

My “vice”? The only thing about this topic that makes it difficult is the fact that the word “vice” is singular. Oh, if only I were afflicted with just a single vice. But alas, my vices are legion. I am tempted by so many things: by chocolate, by liquor, by laziness, by procrastination, by cheesy television… But at this stage of my life, I must admit that the vice I struggle with most often, that I fight against the hardest, that I am tempted by the strongest, is…food.

But not just any food. Food, in the purest sense, is not a vice. I’ve heard it said that food is the one thing you can’t give up cold turkey. You can give up categories and components of food, like meat, gluten, alcohol, or seafood, but you cannot give up food in its entirety and expect to live very long. Food is necessary for life. So I would never call food, in and of itself, a vice. Gourmet food, however, is my vice. And this past weekend, I indulged deeply in that particular vice.

As a 40-something female with two children under the age of 5 and a sheer revulsion for exercise, rich, indulgent food like this is definitely a vice. The increasing tightness in the waistband of all my pants will attest to that.

But you know those annoying diet ads that claim, “Nothing tastes as good as being thin feels”? Those ads are total bunk – for me, at least. Filet mignon tastes better to me than being thin feels. Hot chocolate ganache tastes better than being thin feels. Crispy duck breast, crème brulee, lobster bisque, and venison all taste better than being thin feels. Girl Scout thin mints taste better. So does deep dish pizza, Brie and bread, and Ben and Jerry’s Late Night Snack ice cream. 

If the price I have to pay for indulging in these delights of the palate now and then is going up a jeans size? Bring on the elastic waistband, baby. And pass the nachos. Because they’re my vice. And I looooove my vice.