O features articles by some good writers. Anne Lamott pops up a lot, and I love her writing. I’m always happy when I come to a piece by her. However, “My Dinner With Marion” (vol. 7 iss. 4) by Patricia Volk is incredibly funny and is really one of the best magazine pieces I’ve read in a while.
Volk grew up in a restaurant family and loves food. Marion is Marion Nestle, a nutritionist. It’s a better pairing than the Odd Couple. Volk has three meals with Nestle, and they also visit a grocery store. The rundown of the day is a delightful read. Nestle never eats breakfast (“Excuse me? A nutritionist skips the most important meal of the day?”) because she’s not hungry when she gets up (apparently she has the nerves of steel when it comes to eating and eats only when hungry).
Surprisingly, she does order oatmeal when the two dine at the Four Seasons in New York City. “‘I’ve got to see what the $16 oatmeal is like,’ she says.” Once it arrives, she looks at the bowl and divides the oatmeal into four parts, each of which equal a portion. “‘That’s a portion,’ she says.”
“‘Does it taste like $16?’”
“‘It tastes like oatmeal,’ she says.”
She goes on to critique Volk’s big breakfast, wondering why, if Volk ordered an egg-white omelet, she got cheese on it. Volk’s reply is that the cheese cancels out the egg yolks, so it’s OK. That doesn’t really fly. Volk also learns that burned food (i.e.–burned bacon) doesn’t have less calories.
Throughout the day, Nestle walks everywhere, admits that she never craves food, and only gained 10 pounds when she was pregnant. She doesn’t seem human.
The food tips you learn in the article are that you don’t have to eat produce that’s only in season. Baby carrots are cut down from huge carrots. Wash your bagged leafy greens, even if they’ve been washed. Drink organic milk because that doesn’t have rBST hormones in it. You don’t have to graze; in fact, maybe six small meals aren’t better than three. Studies have shown that the more often you eat, the more calories you may take in with each of those “meals.” She also doesn’t do vitamins or supplements. “Just eat a balanced diet,” she says. “Nutrition takes care of itself.”
Through these and other useful tips, Volk starts learning that portion sizes in America are just huge, and that part of the battle is making sure you don’t eat all that’s served to you in a restaurant. And also that bad habits can be difficult to break, but you can do them. All it takes is small changes.
I really really loved reading this article. Volk captured the mood so well and really was able to drive home some good messages about nutrition.
