Make It Easy, Make It Cheesy
Hey guys! I had all sorts of plans to make the soup from last night into some sort of tofu and rice dish, but spending all day up on campus wore me out, and both Ryan and I were ready for an easy dinner by the time we got home at 6:45.
Enter the grilled cheese sandwich.
My grilled cheese had sharp raw cheddar, pickles, and the BEST tomato!!! I picked up this “ugly” tomato at the store on Saturday, thinking, “Well, it’s not tomato season yet, but these look good.”
Oh my gosh, this tomato was so good! So juicy and flavorful, you would have sworn it was picked in July! Yum!
I enjoyed mine with the (very little) wheatberry salad leftovers.
Sorry, I know you’re probably sick of these “food as face” pictures, but for some reason they just crack me up! Check out this wonky face:
We enjoyed our sandwiches with leftover soup and the season finale of Men of Certain age. Does anyone else watch that show? We kind of started watching it on a whim, but I really like it! It’s serious without being too depressing…and come on, everybody really DOES love Raymond! 
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Today for class, my students all read an essay by Susan Bordo, a professor of Philosophy. The essay is called “The Empire of Images in Our World of Bodies,” and basically explores the topic of body image in our culture, focusing more specifically on the role that the media plays in shaping our views of what we “should” look like, and changing our perceptions of what we see as attainable in terms of physical beauty and perfection.
We had a really interesting discussion in all three of my classes, discussing things like plastic surgery, stereotyping, pressures that men face vs. women, airbrushing and computer-generated perfection, etc. It was a good day.
One particularly interesting thing that my students said in ALL three of my classes was that they thought that the pressure to be thin/perfect/beautiful lessens significantly for girls when they leave high school and go to college. In all of my classes, both the girls and guys agreed that the college/university atmosphere is more conducive to accepting people for who they are, learning to love your flaws, developing healthier eating habits, etc.
I though this was really interesting! Looking back on my own experiences in high school and college, I think I was equally as insecure in college as I was in high school; it just might have manifested itself in different ways. In fact, I’d say I’m just NOW learning to be happy with who I am and to really focus on eating for health, as opposed to eating for the body I want.
I guess I’m not really going anywhere specific with this…I just found it interesting! Do you feel like you reached a point of healthy eating and self-acceptance when you were in college, or was it something that you still struggled with during those years? Do you feel like you’ve reached that point of acceptance now?
Feel free to ignore this segment and just comment on my grilled cheese. I just thought it was interesting.
Night, y’all! See you in the morning!
I loved college, but I definitely wasn’t secure with myself all the time. Something about the party atmosphere, sorority life, and class stress wasn’t conducive to true healthy living for me. But, if you went back and asked some of my college friends if I was healthy at the time, they would all say yes!
It wasn’t until I started graduate school that I “found myself.”
College is definitely better for bodies. Then again, I went from a class of 40 to a class of 1000.
Grilled cheese–omg there’s something I’ve missed since going gluten free
Funny you should bring this up because I was just thinking today about how at 18 I told myself that once I hit my early 20′s I’ll probably feel more secure and less focused on my eating issues. Here I am almost 30. I think the pressure really comes from within–regardless of where one is in life.
I’m thinking that bread looks delish! As for the body image and healthy weight thing, I think I was better off in my 20′s than I am now. It’s odd, I’m in the best shape ever, but I’m so much more critical now. I miss the carefree attitude I used to have (oh and the metabolism).
I think I was equally concerned with my weight/body image in HS as I was in college. The pressure is definitely there, I’m not sure it’ll ever go away to be perfectly honest. I think we just have to move past it and accept ourselves for who we are.
I’ve seen bins of ugly tomatoes!! I’ll get one or two next time!
Unfortunately I think just being a girl means being insecure. I don’t have any friends who haven’t hated their bodies at one point or another. Luckily I hear that the 30s are better!
I haven’t had a good grilled cheese in forever. You have inspired me to cook some deluxe ones up sometime this week.
Interesting discussion! I definitely felt more pressure in high school than in college. That might have been because I was sick of it by the time college rolled around though haha. I think it’s easier to have your own identity in college too, since it’s a new place and you’re on your own- not as much pressure to be just like every other girl.
I think that the college atmosphere is generally more accepting but it depends on the person. I struggled with it both in high school and college BUT only in the beginning of college. I think getting older helps some too.
Your dinner sounds fabulous… I had a kinda grilled cheese for dinner too but yours sounds better!!! And tomatoes.. fresh tomatoes are the BEST! Lucky girl to have found a good one in Feb!
First off, I wish I could take your class! In college even though I had gained some weight I was still surrounded by an amazing group of friends and boyfriend and felt very comfortable with myself (even though I knew I needed to lay off the cheesey bread!)
back in college i used to eat so much crap and called it “loving myself” b/c i knew so many people who were anorexic. little did i know that what i was doing was indulging in another disordered form of eating, binge eating.
Pickles on grilled cheese? Now that’s something I definitely need to try. Your entire dinner looks spendid!
As for the classroom discussions, I never took the traditional route with college (I’m going back to school this summer), so I never really got the first-hand feel of the post-adolescent college experience. However, I did come to accept my body more during those post-high school years. It’s not something that’s done easily, and I still struggle with body image issues to this day. For the most part, though, I’ve learned to tell the negative self-talk to taking a flying leap at the moon.
College was a blur. I’m so much smarter now! LOL!
you can keep making food faces all you want! i think they are awesome.
YUM to the grilled cheese…I love the pickles on it! I’m definitely at a better place confidence-wise now than I was in high school, but I think that has a lot to do with overcoming ED. To be honest, I think it depends a lot on the college. I go to NYU, and living in New York is like a constant fashion show. I can’t even tell you how many girls here are clearly underweight. As much as I love my school, it’s definitely something I’d like to change!
Gosh, it’s been such a long time since I was in college, but I do remember that I ate so much junk then (the dorm cafeteria for dinner and then out at midnight for Whataburgers with my roommates) and lots and lots of parties and beer. Working in Houston afterward was better, but I was very concerned about looking good and my body image (lots of beautiful, young people in a big city). Only after reaching my 30′s and settling down a little did I really get comfortable with who I am and my body. Also, with kids, you try to be healthy for them, or at least, I did. Having said that, I believe that if something about your appearance really bothers you (graying hair, crooked teeth, a sagging neck, etc.) that heathy living can’t change, and you would like to have it fixed, then you should do it if you have the resources. Within limits, of course. Too much plastic surgery is another discussion!
ah, now that looks like a perfect sandwich!
I don’t think I was any less insecure about myself in university, but I do believe that university has a much more accepting atmosphere. The pressure to be “cool” lessens because there isn’t really a “cool” group.
I can only speak for myself, but I was more secure with my body in college, but also a little more obsessed with it. I had lost a lot of weight and boys started noticing me (something that never happened before my weight loss) and I was obsessed with looking “sexy”. Whatever that is…I think it just went from one focus to the other. Great discussion!
I love pickles in a grilled cheese!
Your class sounds amazing! It’s fantastic that your students had these great conversations, I wish we had such great classes when I was younger.
A “lazy” dinner is always good, especially when it’s grilled cheese!!
I’ve been staying away from buying tomatoes because they aren’t in season but your success with getting a good one has convinced me to buy a couple next time i’m out. I missed them! That sounds like such an interesting class discussion. I think that college/university is the first entry into the “real world” for students. It definitely has a different focus and I can see how some may find it to be more accepting. Classes in college have people of all ages in them so seeing people who have come to terms with and accept themselves would really be a good influence!
I think that is so interesting! I hardly even thought about my body image until I got to college. BUT I realized when I was a senior in high school that the 8th graders/freshmen were dressing and acting much more maturely than I did when I was that age. Kids seem to be getting older when they are younger, and that is scary! It is incredibly frighting that your students think they are having the worst body image of their lives right now — college is awful in terms of that! It was when I went through my worst phase, as well as all my friends did. I would be really interested to hear more about what they think!
And, in terms of the grilled cheese — have you ever heard of Branston pickle? You can probably find it in the British section of your grocery store, but its a sauce with pickles in it and it is AMAZING, especially on grilled cheese =) Highly recommend it!
Delicious grilled cheese!!
And I definitely agree that college felt more accepting than high school in the body image department. I think I felt slightly more secure in an environment that I had created for myself- choosing new friends, classes, etc. Great topic!
I would say that as a whole, people in college are accepting of body types. However, I’m still not happy with myself and the way I eat, though I don’t think anyone else trying to make me feel that way. I just find it hard to balance eating things that taste good, things that everyone else eats, and things that I know are best for me.
I’m with Sophie. In HS I had such an amazing metabolism that I never thought about my size (my hair, skin, clothes are another thing!) It wasn’t until I got into college and lived with my ultra healthy roommates that I started feeling insecure about my health. Swapping clothes and getting dressed in front of each other really encouraged the comparisons in my mind. Nowadays I’m more concerned about my body image because I keep changing sizes- up and down!
That is interesting! I think I was probably more confident in high school. My graduating class was only 300 and so we all knew one another. I was VERY comfortable with my body and who I was. College…I went to A&M…60,000 people! I had classes of 500+ people my freshman year. In college I felt like I was so unknown…and it was hard to go from being a popular high schooler to a number on a campus. It made me insecure to think that not everyone knew me and if I looked like crap one day…no one knew that I didn’t look like that all the time. I don’t know…maybe I am just odd!
But I think overall, I am most happy with my life and my self today!
i’d say security with your body increases the older you get…my first couple of years in college i was just as obsessed with my figure as i was in high school, but gradually other worries (career, money, etc) became more important than fitting into a certain size…
and i like that you added pickles to your grilled cheese! YUM!
Grilled cheese is one of my fave comfort foods. Love the sandwich face!
I think that I felt less scrutinzed in college. Everyone did their own thing. I felt more secure in the sense that I could be myself without being subjected to microscopic analysis.
I had no interest in food during high school or college. I ate when I was hungry and stopped when I was full and didn’t think about it at all! It was only after I had Maya that things changed. Suddenly I had to worry about my weight and thats when things got complicated!
Great conversation starter. Interesting that all your classes had that same idea.
I really find the comfort with your own body increases every year – you just become more accepting of what you can and can’t change.
I’m sure this is not the norm at all but I felt no pressure in either high school or college to be thin. But then it all hit me around age 25. I think I had always resigned myself to being “the friend” and when I got in my mid-20s, I didn’t want that role anymore and suddenly felt all sorts of pressure to lose weight to shed that image.
Hmmm, that looks like a monster heirloom tomato I sometimes get from local farmer’s markets, they’re ugly, but rock flavor-wise. Oh man, I can wait for the spring/summer farmer’s market season!
In college I was recovering from high school disordered eating and was going through a period of self discovery and acceptance. Being in classes with young adults that wanted to be there instead of self-conscious beach-bum high school students definitely helped!
I was pretty disordered in high school and then went up and down in college. I was luckily not too bad and never got underweight, but between partying and drinking, I actually became much healthier after I graduated both! The most confident I ever felt was on my wedding day because I finally got past all the crap and just accepted myself!
How interesting that your students think they are more accepted in college than HS. I think that does make sense. People are awful when they are in middle school and high school.
I never suffered from a body image issues in high school. It was really in college that I started to want to be healthy. I was pretty oblivious until then!
I think that for me, there is also a major difference in body perception based on what part of the country you’re in. I definitely saw more of a focus on a particular kind of beauty (thin, perky, petite) in South Carolina than I do in the Midwest (perky, less-thin but still healthy). Maybe Midwesterners just spend so much time in winter gear and big coats that we care less what people look like in a tank top?