I remember the last huge meal challenge that I took. It was a burrito about the size of a football. I came within one bite of finishing it and I've never been so glad to leave it on the plate. It was delicious when I started, a glutenous pile of beans, rice, salsas, guacamole, cheeses, peppers, pork beef and chicken all seasoned to perfection. The first two thirds of it went down easy and then I hit my natural limit, the point where chewing and swallowing become work and your guts become uncomfortably pressurized by every bite you force down. Textures and tastes that were pleasing at first become vomit triggers that you have to repress. It was the last glob of juice soaked tortilla that got me in the end. It looked like what I imagined throwing up if I tried to eat it, so there it stayed. Maybe if I'd eaten the tortilla first... whatever.
The end result was that instead of enjoying the delicious burrito, I spent the next day and half proving what I don't have in common with snakes or my cat that can eat a large gopher in one sitting and look happy with a distended belly for days afterward. True gluttony is painful. I didn't even enjoy the burps, and that's a real tragedy!
I did better yesterday, though. I'm writing this as the morning after Thanksgiving closes in on eleven o'clock and I still have no urge to eat yet today. But the burps are delicious and the smell of another good dinner is already taunting me. Praise God for taste buds and the elastic nature of our stomachs.
Feasts are an essential part of life. It's God himself who built them into our routine for honorable occasions to remind us of the flavors he makes us able to appreciate and the abundance he meets our needs with. He knows better than anybody that the way to my heart is through my stomach and he proves it daily through my wife. I remember when she asked me what she should make for a friend's birthday party and the only guideline was something chocolaty. "REALLY!? Like, just imagine something and you'll make it?!" And so the marbled mint mocha ganache cheese cake was born, and devoured. Hope you enjoy the holiday flavors as much as I will. Just pay attention to your full switch. God made that so the rest of your body can enjoy the food as much as your tongue will.
The end result was that instead of enjoying the delicious burrito, I spent the next day and half proving what I don't have in common with snakes or my cat that can eat a large gopher in one sitting and look happy with a distended belly for days afterward. True gluttony is painful. I didn't even enjoy the burps, and that's a real tragedy!
I did better yesterday, though. I'm writing this as the morning after Thanksgiving closes in on eleven o'clock and I still have no urge to eat yet today. But the burps are delicious and the smell of another good dinner is already taunting me. Praise God for taste buds and the elastic nature of our stomachs.
Feasts are an essential part of life. It's God himself who built them into our routine for honorable occasions to remind us of the flavors he makes us able to appreciate and the abundance he meets our needs with. He knows better than anybody that the way to my heart is through my stomach and he proves it daily through my wife. I remember when she asked me what she should make for a friend's birthday party and the only guideline was something chocolaty. "REALLY!? Like, just imagine something and you'll make it?!" And so the marbled mint mocha ganache cheese cake was born, and devoured. Hope you enjoy the holiday flavors as much as I will. Just pay attention to your full switch. God made that so the rest of your body can enjoy the food as much as your tongue will.
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