All Work and No Fried Food Make Pattie a Dull Girl

I’m a recovering Catholic. I haven’t been to a Catholic mass in years, although I have been to other church services since (Methodist, Baptist, Episcopalian, Unitarian Universalist) for various reasons. And while I’m not actively practicing Catholicism anymore, in recent years I’ve found myself giving something up for Lent. Turns out you can take the girl out of the church …

In recent years I’ve found myself sacrificing something for Lent not necessarily out of a religious need (OK, a little, but not a lot) but more to practice some self-discipline and sacrifice. I’ve given up fried chicken (which I LOVE), soda, and swearing (which was far harder than I expected), among other things. This year I decided to go one step further and really hit myself where it hurts: I’ve given up deep-fried food. And let me just say, it has not been easy. In addition to the obvious stuff like fried chicken and French fries, I can’t eat my beloved kettle-cooked potato chips, donuts from Dunkin’ Donuts, even the complimentary tortilla chips at Mexican restaurants, to say nothing of my beloved fried chicken chimichangas (or taquitos for that matter). I knew I ate a lot of fried food, but I had no idea exactly how many things are deep-fried until I started asking, like hard taco shells (which I thought were baked) and my favorite restaurant shrimp dish, which I thought was pan-sauteed. Nope — turns out they’re deep-fried, too.


So why go with deep-fried food? Because not only am I a little thicker around the middle than I like these days, but I have a certain little someone in my life who is going to start eating solid foods in the very near future. And I have to set a good example for her. Which just might kill me, but that’s what being a parent is about, right? Setting a good example no matter how much it sucks. Now, if I don’t lose any weight after the 40 days are over, well, then I just might have to kill someone myself. Time — and exercise — will tell.

Coraline’s high chair awaits her.