Cheeseburger tale

For at least ten days, I have eaten no meat. A week ago this past Wednesday, I came down with one of those miserable high fever flus, and it has completely overstayed its welcome, long after the fever wandered off looking for someone else to torment. So, I've been eating pretty light-- that is to say, almost not at all-- and that's not all bad, because it keeps my cholesterol down, and I've lost around five pounds I was planning to pay Weight Watchers to help me lose. But I think all this light eating has made me weak, and that, in turn, might be contributing to my inability to get well.

Today, I was lying on the sofa feeling sorry for mysel, when I was overtaken by a horrendous craving for a cheeseburger. I don't normally eat much fast food; it doesn't appeal to me, and I know that with my family history of coronary artery disease it's not good for me to eat. But this craving rivaled the cravings I got back in my pregnancy days. Come to think of it, with my first pregnancy, I craved nothing but cheeseburgers for about two weeks of my second trimester.

So, after spending most of the day lounging around feeling depleted, I jumped into the car and went to my local plate lunch joint and got a cheeseburger. I have lived in Hawaii for over twelve years, but somehow I always forget that they put all kinds of crap on your burgers if you don't tell them not to. Consequently, I found myself, as always, asking for a plastic knife and scraping off all the mayo-mustard nonsense they slather on there. But you know what? Even with that lingering hint of mustard taste, this was one of the best cheeseburgers I've ever eaten. I put it away in minutes and actually considered ordering a second one.

Why am I blogging about this? I don't know. Probably because I should be working on my short story but I'm not feeling particularly energetic or focused at the moment. Perhaps I was inspired by my son, who started his blog today and posted about eating macaroni and cheese for lunch. I guess the message is, never underestimate the power of comfort food when you are feeling physically and emotionally drained. Perhaps this cheeseburger is an indicator of a turnaround to come. I hope so, because I need a pick-me-up.