Fat Woman Walking

The Author at Her 4th Birthday Party at Madge's Day/Night Nursery _____________________________ I’m not quite sure when The Beast was unleashed. None of my early memories revolved around food or the yearning for it. When I was four, my weight was normal – I was terribly little and cute, as most tots tend to be: a beguiling curly-haired blonde with mischievous blue eyes and a sparkling personality. Life hadn’t yet bruised me, although, unbeknownst to me, the world was crumbling around me: my mother in crisis, her drinking, joblessness, and love life reeling out of control. Living in California, I was parked at a day/night nursery, a boarding house for kids of all ages, placed there by Mo, my grandmother, when it became clear my mother would be unable to care for me going forward. Mo’s friend owned the boarding house, so she likely assumed I’d be happy there, and I was mostly safe, if not content – but some of my worst fears and nightmares occurred there. Madge, the pro...

Built Bars and Quest Bars _______________________ As someone who must constantly monitor weight, I am always looking for tasty products that can help me to lose and maintain a healthy weight. I have discovered two protein Bars that I like: Built Bars and Quest Bars .  Built Bars: Of the two, I prefer Built Bars, which has a better flavor overall and a real dark chocolate coating. Stats: 3 WW points; 110 calories; 15 grams of protein; 4 grams of fat (2.5 saturated); 6 grams of fiber; 4 grams added sugar (just enough to offer satisfaction for my enormous sweet tooth). Pros : a rich flavor, a substantial size, lower calories and overall fat, and the same stats for all flavors across the board. The bar tastes like a candy bar, a definite plus! I feel full after eating a Built Bar (with a salad or fruit). Built Bars can be a meal replacement or a snack. For consumers with nut allergies: no nuts and manufactured in a nut-free facility. Cons : Some consumers may not...

Left: Lilith, by John Collier (1892) ; Right: Another View of Lilithe ____________________________________________ What if we lived in a country that eschewed eating solid food as a social construct? What if restaurants and grocery stores did not exist? What if eating were considered a private act, performed at home or in private eating stations, never in full public view? What if it were illegal to ingest any food except for a sustenance provided and sanctioned by the state? What if medicines, prescribed by government physicians, were administered through the sanctioned sustenance? What if “feel-good” drugs were doled out as rewards for staying slim, exercising regularly, and informing on lawbreakers? What if the government legislated acceptable Body Mass Index (BMI) as 25 and under, and fined citizens who disobeyed? What if obesity were punishable by incarceration in fat farms or, worse case scenario, punishable by public execution? What if ingestables othe...