Junky junk food

What have I done?

I accidentally underpacked food today. The orange that I had intended to use as a reflux barrier for my fish oil pill (trust me, you do not want to take one of those without a firm cap of food going down on top of it – I’m a petite flower, fish burps are not nice), turned out to be bad once I peeled it. Rats.

No big deal. I’ll just go down and get something out of the vending machine. I’ve been pretty good about “unmessed-around with food” for the last few days. A bag of something should be just fine. And actually, I haven’t had anything like pre-packaged chips or cookies in months. My indulgences have been more in the Taco Bueno nachos or Burger Street #1 combo vein. The grab bag foods that I used to rely on for lunch haven’t really been in the picture. It would be a nice little treat to have a bag of chips.

So, I grab a bag of salsa flavor Sun Chips (and old favorite), swallow my pills, smile in anticipation . . . yuck! What the hell happened???? That is really, really gross, people. Like, I would remove my tongue and wipe it on my pants if I could. Second bite, just as gross as the first. Revolting would be too strong of a word. But icky would not. I know I loved these things six months ago. Not that I was ever fooled by the “whole grains mean it’s health food” marketing ploy. Chips is chips. But they have a little texture. And the salsa flavor is zingy. Or it was. And I see no “new improved taste” label. I think it’s my taste buds that have changed. [And, I’ll note that my sinus cavity is burning a little, but that is probably just paranoia/hypochondria.] But having already taken the pills, I was committed to finishing the bag. Every guh-ross bite. Again, fish burps, not good.

On the one hand, I’m glad that this little bag of chips wasn’t just the slippery slope of a return to bad habits. Believe me, a bag of salsa flavored Sun Chips is no longer a temptation. But on the other hand, I’m kind of disappointed that they are really not available to me any more. At least on an occasional basis. I appear to have ruined my palate with healthy food. Possibly, I could get the capacity for these things back, if I really dedicated myself to debauching my taste buds. But the (allegedly) flaming sinuses thing doesn’t really make that sound all that tempting, even though it condemns me to healthy snack jail.

I offer this as a faint warning to others. It’s one thing to exert one’s will power. It’s entirely another to no longer have the option.