I remember when I was still working in Jollibee, a fast-paced quick service restaurant company, my team would handle several projects simultaneously. Sometimes we would work long hours on weekdays and even on the weekends. I remember getting sick once. I missed that one day of work not because I lacked sleep nor because I got too tired, but it was because of the bowl of Hershey Kisses wrapped in silver foil and luscious beads of grapes lying untouched in front of me and my boss. I took one, and another one, and another one until my throat got painful. Colds started coming. My voice became like that of Fran in the Nanny. And the temperature starting rising. My mom took me to Ong Sian, a Chinese Herbal doctor in Manila who gave me some leaves, twigs, grasses and insects to brew. I know it's eww.
Then, there was this one Sunday afternoon when my mom, aunties and I went to the Fort to try out this new doughnut place called Krispy Kreme. I bit on their classic honey-glazed doughnut. Surprisingly, it did not have the bread texture. It was very soft and moist that I felt it was already melting in my mouth. I knew that one doughnut had approximately 360 calories. But because it was very light to eat, too smooth to chew and to swallow, I took another half. Then my throat started to feel the tingling sensation again. Guess what happened next? Of course, I had to visit (nobody other than) Ong Sian again.
Just last Sunday, we had a reunion in my grandma's place. My grandma prepared her famous lumpia (a healthy Chinese appetizer that has a mix of shredded carrots, tofu and meat wrapped in a very thin flour covering), sotanghon (vermicelli), lechon (tender pork meat) and plates and bowls full of fruits to welcome the bountiful Christmas and new year. I took a bite on each but kept a portion of my stomach for the dessert.
I ate the gift someone gave to my grandma. I saw the box with green and red stripes behind the dining table. Inside it were chocolate brownies with sprinkles of mini molded hearts and Christmas trees on top. I opened the box and the dark brown rectangles became all the more alluring. They resembled the healthy-and-not-so-sweet dark chocolate bars. They had dark brown (almost black) glaze on top that was too tempting to resist. And so, I took a bite. The glaze was very rich and smooth. It wasn't that sweet at all. The body was puffy like a sponge cake and it wasn't crumbly like the brownies hastily sold elsewhere. I told myself I'd just eat half (mind you, it was a big bar of 2"x5"). But my sweet tooth, couldn't resist. I ate ONE AND A HALF PIECES! Leaving the other half saved me some guilt.
What happened next? Nothing much, I just got sick again. Throat hurt again. Voice became hoarse again and visited the dreaded Chinese doctor again. Writing this entry is my way of reminding myself (and you who are empathizing with me) to be a better steward of the body. Don't give in to your sweet tooth! There are other ways of dealing with stress, boredom or simple cravings. Binging only gives temporary relief. It will lead you to Ong Sian, to several dialyses, to an endocrinologist, or worse, to your death bed.
Bye for now, I have a thesis proposal to finish. No more desserts for the stressed. Oh well, who needs extra calories and unwanted pounds anyway when you have a cup of Ong Sian's greenish-brown earthy juice. Cheers!
A very witty way of introducing this blog since you seem to get stressed from desserts more than the other way around, although desserts as a way to cope with stress is more true for most people.
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