I braved the vile weather at lunchtime and popped down to the shop – like an almighty plonker I’d made lunch and then realised halfway to work that I’d left it on the kitchen counter. Duh. But it didn’t matter too much, there’s a lovely deli at the shop near where I work so I popped in there instead, and whilst I was there I couldn’t help noticing the promotional baskets at the end of the aisles…Christmas seems to have arrived with a vengeance!
It made me smile, especially since I already know that this is the month where every aisle in every store is going to be bursting at the seams with Christmas goodies, and boobytraps designed to make the wheels come off any self-respecting food plan. But what jumped out at me was the box of ginger viennese whirls…and I knew I was lost. Firstly, ginger is one of my favourite winter spices…cooked in savoury dishes, in cakes, as a flavouring in coffee…I love it’s warm and spicy aroma, and the tongue tingle. And I’m also partial to the melt-in-the-mouth awesomeness of a viennese whirl.
Now, I’m not sure what rotten sod decided to combine these two taste sensations and make them a new thing when I’m on a diet…I mean that’s just bloody unfair, right? However, on the basis that I’m following weight watchers, where pretty much anything goes as long as it’s counted, I was allowed. I did the maths, four points that I could afford to spend…happy days, before I knew it I was hot-footing it back to the office with a box of them nestling on the passenger seat next to me, feeling as giddy as a virgin on prom night.
So, we ate lunch on the run…sort of a working lunch, our small but perfectly formed team of six sitting around the meeting table, chatting through our respective updates…all the time the box of six gingerbread whirls were sitting there just begging to be eaten. I barely tasted my salad – said, as if anyone tastes salad, ever – all I could think about was the way in which I’d have four, maybe five bites’ worth of crumbly, gingery scrumptiousness to go with my post-lunch coffee.
I imagined the sweetness of the buttercream filling and wondered what it would be flavoured with. Orange..? Vanilla..? Maybe even lemon….big yum. All good with ginger, in my humble foodie opinion. The anticipation almost killed me.
Shall I tell you what the filling tasted of…? Nothing. The actual ginger whirl wasn’t much better…I swear, I was so ready to be blown away. The MMMmmmmm….was poised and ready to burst forth as I took my first bite but it fizzled out before it got going…it didn’t even merit a Mmm. Not even close. I couldn’t bring myself to award a single M.
So lets have a pop quiz…what did I do, after eating the first disappointing bite..? One point consumed remember, in that one mouthful of vaguely spicy sawdust held together with gooey white stuff flavoured with…oh yes that’s right, nothing! Did I put it to one side?
No, of course not. I had another bite. WTF? Was I checking to see if the next one was better..? Like it’d improved since bite one..? It hadn’t. So I’m going to set it aside now, right? I mean, I’m two points in and I don’t like it.
Bite three and I’d cottoned on to the fact that it tasted of MDF and as I polished off bite four it occurred to me that I need only have wasted one precious point…I could have saved three by chucking this impostor of a Christmas treat straight into the bin. On reflection it’s like I was SO determined to enjoy it, I hoovered it all up anyway and then declared it inedible. As I wiped the crumbs off my lips.
Times like this, I realise I have a way to go…
I don’t know how i missed this post! Ah well
Just wanted to say I’ve had that experience so often lately that I’m really focusing on how I expect things to taste and to STOP if it’s not satisfying , or the moment it becomes unsatisfying. Diminishing returns you know?
Yep, me too but it’s definitely work in progress!
What a bummer. I was imagining the ginger sweet gooiness of the whirl when I saw the image at the top and read your first few sentences. It was so vivid, it was real!
A few days ago I really really yearned for a mince pie that I’d prepared and everyone else was eating. I knew the sweet mince was just yummy as anything and the pastry was wonderful. So I imagined eating it – every little nanosecond of the process – and then decided that the imagining was enough and I didn’t really need to actually eat it to get any more pleasure than had been generated purely by my imagination.
I’m sorry it doesn’t help your disappointment with the sawdust-tasting ginger whirl, but maybe substituting imagination for consumption is another weapon in the armoury en route to Skinnyville?
Toffin
x
Hmmm…I might need to give that some thought. I suspect it might be a safer bet for me to regard all desirable but naughty food as (excuse the expression, it was one of my granny’s favourites) tasting like shit with sugar on…I fear the asshole might get behind me and push otherwise 🙂
You are so very very wise. Fell at the first hurdle this afternoon – just rubbish weather outside, working on never-ending tedious project which is taking even longer because of well-developed procrastination techniques and there was the biscuit tin with lovely oat biscuits I’d made for the family. Well, I don’t need to tell you all that imagination never got a look in…
Back to the drawing board.
Toffin
x
Oh dear…you mean like home made hob-nobby type biscuits..? Yeah maybe I’d’ve been sunk too! Ah well, tomorrow’s another day right? D x
Aaurgghh, how true. This month is distinguished by stress, rush, major-league marketing, filthy weather, celebrations, STRESS, & an insane baking frenzy; plus a sh**-load of emotional associations .
You were outclassed, no question. My kryptonite would be cinnamon caramel yeasty gooey … Stay alert, everyone! We can get the flock thru this!! (still laughing – fleury)
We CAN Fleury! x
Blame inertia. Whatever is there will likely get eaten because the motion of eating it has already started, instead of passing it by in favor of a really good treat later. It takes practice to help break out of this form of inertia, and i promise it can happen. Someday you will take one bite, realize the treat isn’t worth it, and decide to spend the points on something else.
Well I look forward to the day when that becomes a natural reflex 🙂
i am so happy that I discovered your blog today. Your writing is genius! My 14 year old daughter and I were crying with laughter ?
Aw thanks Claire, I appreciate the lovely feedback! We’re a friendly bunch here, and you’re very welcome 🙂
So, I HATE when that happens. My weakness is ice cream and my next biggest weakness is anything at all sweet and SOFT. So, cheesecake, pie, soft and chewy cookies. (I can pass on a crunchy cookie, but not a soft home backed one.) This has happened to me with cheesecake. I see a cheesecake that looks amazing and I definitely want it. I figure it into my calories and macros, only to taste it and have it be “ok” but not good. Second bite and I’m, “Ugggh, this isn’t worth the calories.” And then I finish it anyway. It’s awful. I had some tootsie rolls the other day and I ate 12 of them because they were there. TWELVE! That’s crazy! I feel you.
OOOh I don’t know what a tootsie roll is but they sound awesome…twelve…wow you’re hardcore! And isn’t that just a big alarm in my head right there, I look at you and think ‘that’s ok though because you’re already in Skinnytown’…but of course it’s not because you want to stay there! D x
Dee, I started my journey just about 23 months ago to the date. I have lost 85 lbs. While I am in “Skinny town” now, I spent most of my adult life overweight and the last five to six years obese. To stay on track, I work out every day, I track everything I eat, I drink tons of water and I read lots and lots about nutrition and exercise and I read fitness related blogs to help me keep my motivation. I love your blog. You inspire me and I so relate to you. A tootsie roll is a hard, chocolate chewy candy, kind of like toffee, only harder. It is pure sugary sweetness. They come in varying sizes. I ate 12 of the big ones. :-/
Whoops…best steer clear of them for a while then! And at 85lbs off, you inspire me too…this time next year, that’s what I keep thinking!!
Isn’t that just so disappointing! I find that if I really enjoy a treat I rarely regret it, it’s the food that you don’t enjoy but eat anyway that make you feel guilty and foolish.
A weird thing with your site that I don’t have a problem with anywhere else, when I am typing a comment about every tenth letter doesn’t appear on the screen and I have to type it again.
Oh no not more gremlins in the system! Honestly, I could do with my own personal tech guy on speed dial, it drives me demented.Anybody else in the posse get the same issues..? D x
well, me! you knew i’d chime in! i get the notification (until this afternoon… oops!) then i look in at it again, wondering why no comments. usually i can male them appear later. bother…. i HATE to plague you! fleury
Haha I knew it! You never plague me, I see your name and my grin is automatic! 🙂
Sorry guys, I appear to be having problems with the subscription email again…it’s been stable for a month but my list has obviously tipped into the next threshold for numbers and I think my web host is blocking it again….AAARGH!!! I post daily at approx 7.30pm UK time so if you don’t get the email for a few days till they’ve fixed it, just pop in either here or on our Facebook page and you should find the latest post. They are testing my patience!! Dee x
OH.MY.GOSH. It’s because of the explosion of intelligent, discerning, génial, kindred spirits joining yr posse – isn’t it!? Hoo-boy, you’re a phenomenon! FK
Yup, four bright shiny new posse members yesterday Fleury…whilst technically explosion may be too strong a word, it was enough to push my widget over the edge!! D x