Whatever else you have on your mind,
Wherever else you think you're going,
Stop for a moment and look where you are:
You Have Arrived!

The Making of an Arrogant Gourmet

by Kaye Bailey, Published August 1, 2005, You Have Arrived

For most of my life I thought fine dining meant eating at the food court, at the county fair and at the open refrigerator door. For me, good home cooking was hamburger helper or any casserole made with condensed soup and noodles. Sour cream solved any culinary crisis that Velveeta cheese couldn't correct. And if the dinner wasn't good, the best thing to do with it was eat it fast to get rid of it. I was not opposed to stirring chocolate chips into peanut butter and eating it by the spoonful. Eating directly from the container standing at the fridge was a beloved pastime. I ate with a shoveling deliberate intense motion because I was thinking about the next bite I'd stuff in my face, not the food presently in my mouth. Most embarrassing of all, I was not so proud to think food fallen to the floor was unacceptable for consumption many a times I looked right and left, then plucked the stray morsel and popped it in my mouth before it got away.

I was an ugly eater and a poor home cook. And I was obese because of it.

After gastric bypass surgery not one of those behaviors can be indulged. Not one. Talk about a wake-up call! During the phase of rapid weight loss, I ate a bland repetitious diet. I followed every rule, I achieved goal weight and I declared myself a WLS success. And then I went back to the kitchen to learn to cook. I was ready to eat again, but I was not ready to return to obesity. I wanted to cook healthy balanced nutritious meals so that I did not have to be afraid of food.

I started with one cookbook, The Cooking Light Cookbook, and read it cover to cover comprehending the healthy cooking tips and noting what appeared to be protein dense, flavorful, nutritious recipes. I learned cooking techniques. I experimented with different flavors and textures and with new ingredients. And during this period of learning I did not gain any weight. Imagine, being in the kitchen, preparing food, sampling and dining and not gaining weight. It was a miracle.

Some recipes were disappointments, most likely a failure of the cook. Some things made me sick; dumping and vomiting. I learned along the way and I kept trying new things. Recognizing a good "safe" recipe became easier.

But most of all, I became an "Arrogant Gourmet." I'm not talking about a hoity-toity foie gras' and truffles kind of nose-in-the-air gourmet. I'm talking about being discriminating with ingredients and selective with the foods I feed my body. I am no longer willing or able to eat copious amounts of nutritionally void foods of marginal flavor or quality. Today I chose not to eat bad food. Weight loss surgery was my second chance at life, but it did not mean I would never eat again. It forced to me cultivate an appreciative palate favoring quality over quantity. It taught me to feed my body well. I never expected such a fabulous outcome from such a desperate solution.

My husband will tell you he has never eaten so well in his life. He brags that my red-wine garlic reduction served over a well-prepared select cut of meat is superior to any gravy. He feels better than he ever has in his life because the fine quality of food we enjoy. He says WLS was the best thing to ever happen to his "Arrogant Chef". And I humbly accept his compliments.

Was the path to becoming an "Arrogant Gourmet" easy? No, and it still isn't easy. It takes planning and effort with a steady focus on health and nutrition. Some days I feel like throwing my hands in the air and saying "this is too much trouble". But I don't quit in frustration because I remember that being fat is easy but it also means suffering. I much prefer the task of chopping vegetables or following a recipe to the task of hoisting my obese body in and out of wheelchair because I've lost my mobility. I guess I can live with the "inconvenience" of eating well.

Today my cookbook collection numbers 115 volumes. The ones I use most frequently and have found to be most WLS friendly are listed below. I hope you will consider taking your own path to becoming an Arrogant Gourmet. Iit is a fabulous outcome to the desperate solution of weight loss surgery.

Back to Kaye's Place

© 2005-2007 Kaye Bailey - All Rights Reserved