This is not an attempt to wine about my childhood - I had a great childhood. However, when my father-in-law died, I noticed that there were about a dozen different causes. More than half of them related to the health care system, but a couple of them related to attitudes he learned as a child. The scary part for me is that I was raised with some of the same attitudes.
I was raised as part of the "Middle Class", but really it was lower middle class. We were not poor, we had everything we needed. However, we certainly didn't have everything we wanted. I was one of 7 kids. My father was a blue collar worker, and my mom raised 7 kids. In this environment here are some of the things I (and my brothers and sisters) learned:
- Don't complain about being hurt unless it's broken bones or otherwise has to be fixed by a hospital.
- Candy/Junk Food is a rare commodity (thus it became highly valued).
- Don't "pass the mashed potatoes" without taking some because there probably won't be any to come back.
- Don't waste food (Kids in China are starving you know).
- Don't waste money on frivolous items, people who do so are stupid.
- The only way to gain respect is to COMPETE in everything especially arguing.
- Stuff > Experiences.
- Free Stuff is the best thing in the world.
- Question Authority.
A Heart Monitor Experiment
Consider this experiment. Hook me up to a heart monitor and constantly measure my heart rate. You and I decide to share some valuable food like a Snickers bar. We come to an agreement that I cut the Snickers in half and you choose which half you want. It is impossible to cut the Snickers exactly in half so one will be a few milligrams heavier. After I cut the bar I will immediately determine which is larger, and my heart will start racing at the very idea of not getting the larger portion - even though for all intents and purposes they are the same size! If you pick the larger one my heart will keep racing for several minutes. Yes, I will have a physiological reaction to the idea of not getting the larger portion. This is INSANE. This is Me.
Speed Pizza
Another fun anecdote: when Lyn and I were first married (at age 20) we would sometimes order a medium pizza to share. Of course I wanted, or felt I needed to get more. How did I do it? If I just took more pieces than she did it would obviously be unfair and a breach of decorum. What to do? I simply started eating fast! I would have 2/3 of the pizza eaten at around the time she finished 1/3. The next time we had pizza she knew what was coming, so she started to eat faster. Noticing she was eating faster, I started eating faster. Eating pizza devolved into a race! This is INSANE. This is Me. The next time we ordered pizza she noticed I was starting to eat fast and she stopped me. "This is my half. I'm going to eat some of my half now and some of my half later. You can eat your half as fast as you want."
Called by Donuts
As a professional I have attended conferences and similar events. The easiest thing for the conference organizers to do is to serve Donuts. Logical Me looks at them and avoids them at first. After all TransFat + White Bread + Sugar = The worst thing you can put into your body this side of radioactive water. However, inside I longed for those donuts. Growing up I had the luxury of eating donuts around twice, maybe 3 times. The talks go on and they're not that exciting so my mind jumps to those donuts, kind of like they are calling me. I'm bored and when I'm bored my self control goes down, so as an excuse to get up I saunter over and have one. Between the talks I make conversation for a while and then have another. Later, I'll have a third and tell myself "No More!" Do you see the temptation? I highly value donuts, I even more highly value free donuts, I'm in a virtual frenzy about all-you-can-eat-free-donuts. It's like torture, they've stuck the knife in. After having some donuts, I have a self control boost. That's when the conference organizers twist the knife. How could they do that? What more could they possibly do? It's the end of the conference and there are still some donuts left. If I don't take them, they will throw the donuts in the garbage! This goes against everything I was taught. So, I grab 2 donuts and put them in my car for the ride home. This is INSANE. This is Me. If the conference organizers instead gave us free boxes of cigarettes I would not be tempted. Frankly, smoking a cigarette is more healthy than a eating a donut.
Because of these attitudes and for other reasons I have noted the following food behaviors in myself:
- Emotionally, I find Junk Food to be Valuable.
- Emotionally, I find Cheap Stuff to be Desirable.
- Emotionally, I find Cheap Junk Food to be Extremely Desirable.
- I Eat Quickly.
- I Hoard Food.
- I have more Food Self Control in the morning than in the evening.
- I REALLY want to eat when I'm bored.
- I have much less Food Self Control on days that I vigorously exercise.
- I don't believe Authority Figures (especially the Federal Government) without some sort of intelligent and logical reasoning.
- Organic Food is Valuable.
- When Buying Food, money is no object (you're basically buying medicine and that costs)
- I need to eat SLOWLY.
- The right food is valuable, the wrong food is not food.
- I don't use self-control because I'm happy with the foods I eat.
- I can have all the organic salad I want, any time I want.
- I still don't believe in Authority Figures.
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