This One's for the Boys

I grew up surrounded by boys. Having three brothers entailed a whole chain of male friends. People always felt sorry for me when I was younger; they all assumed that I got severely teased and bullied. On the contrary, I think I have an advantage over most girls. My brothers taught me everything I know. Well, except the girly stuff, that was all my mother. They taught me how to play baseball, football, roller hockey; they taught me how to snowboard and sled of wicked jumps; they taught me how to defend myself using my fists (fellas beware); but most importantly, they taught me how to eat.

It seems like every time that I hang out with a bunch of girls (minus an exceptional few) someone always talks about being mesmerized by the amount of food that men can consume. Usually I smile and pretend to agree and then I quietly hide my plate. You see, I always wanted to be just as good as my brothers at everything, so I developed a “manly” eating habit at a young age because I continually tried to keep up with them (although my oldest brother still holds the record for the amount of tacos consumed in one sitting). I can easily eat a very large, juicy hamburger and all the fries on my plate and still have room for ice cream. Because I’m a nutritionist at heart I don’t indulge in this type of behavior all of the time, but every once in awhile it slips out.

Ireland has got to be every man’s dream when it comes to food; especially if they like meat and potatoes. Chips (our French fries) are served with absolutely everything. Pizza and chips, fish and chips, spaghetti and chips, you name it, it comes with chips. There is a famous chip shop right down the street from my apartment called Jackie Lennox (mouth watering). I think that their portion size of chips should be put in the Guinness Book of World Records. If you order chips with your meal I believe that they chop up a whole 10lb bag of potatoes, fry them up, and put them in the paper for you to take home. They add a squirt of vinegar and dash of salt for kicks. We tend to find ourselves eating dinners of chips & cheese from time to time, and usually have to look the other way with our noses and eyes closed when we pass by just to keep from stopping. Despite my ability to eat large quantities of food, I have yet to finish all of the chips they give you.

This past weekend a group of us went to Galway on the western coast for some Christmas shopping. For dinner we ate at a diner and had amazing hamburgers, chips, and shakes. Their portion of chips that came with the meal could easily have fed three of us. I finished my hamburger and shake, but I had to throw in the towel when it came to the chips. There were just too many.

Everything that is served here is in a “manly” portion. You definitely pay for what you eat and then some. I think I’m ready to get back with my brothers and have eating competitions. I just may beat them this time. ;-)

P.S. Don’t worry, I walk up a hill at least three times a day, play Frisbee, and workout, so my energy out is greater than or equal to my energy in.