PHOTO: Mary van Balen The morning after Halloween, my mom’s large, silver mixing bowl filled with small candy bars sits on my table, tempting me. Why not have a bit of sweet to start the morning. I had feared this would happen. Being new to the neighborhood, I had no idea if trick or treaters would find their way to my door, so I prepared with a few bags of candy bars. When my neighbor appeared outside in the afternoon ready to take a walk, I asked her about Halloween “traffic.”
“Sometimes we get a few,” she said. “But not too many. I think they don’t know which door to go to.” She motioned to the row of flats.
It also doesn’t help that my flat is located between two wealthy suburbs. I lived in one for a while and people from all over the city came with vans full of kids in costumes. It was safer. And the take was pretty good.
Before giving in to the call of a snickers bar, I prepared green beans for an evening potluck. Nothing fancy. Frozen French cut green beans, a little butter, salt, and fresh lemon juice. I toasted slivered almonds and put them on top. I saved a small dish to eat later. The longer I looked at the bright green beans and buttery almonds, the less I wanted to wait.
I had green beans for breakfast, eating slowly and savoring each bite. As I sat back enjoying the lingering flavors I wondered why candy held such an attraction. When good food tastes like this, why bombard my body with a sugar explosion that leaves me just wanting more?
Sweet, chocolate, and other desserts certainly have their place, but in a fast food environment they are too easy. Ripping open a paper wrapper or taking a bag from someone at a drive through window is quicker than taking even the few minutes needed to cook something.
I’ll see how long the delicious green bean breakfast can keep me out of the candy bowl. Just to make sure I don’t relapse, I sent most of the temptation with my daughter to share with grad students at work!
I looked
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