Saturday, February 19, 2005

Guiltless pleasure

I've always been able to sleep on a plane. I just close my eyes and will myself to sleep. Except this time because of the smell that was coming from the woman seating next to me. Not her body odor. The smell of food.
She was really big and at first I thought she was just obese. "Just my luck" I thought easing myself in the seat next to her. Then I smelled food.
The plane was still taxiing and she was eating rolls of sushi soaked with wasabi and soya sauce. The odor was overwhelming and kept me awake. I noticed the bag in front of her: she had gone grocery shopping before the flight at the upscale Whole Food market. I forced myself to close my eyes again.
Dinner was served soon after take off and she ate it all, adding some desert that she pulled out of her bag. It went on with some drinks also pulled from her brown bag. Then noisy snacks.
This is when I realized that something was different. There was something joyful in the way she ate, some "joie de vivre" unknown to most fat and obese people. She was no obese. She was pregnant.
No one else eats with such guiltless pleasure anymore.

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