Collective weight loss, recorded at our Weight Watchers meeting today: 15.8 lbs. That’s 8.6 for my beer swilling, pork guzzling husband and 7.2 for me.
But despite my bitterness, I’m proud of Fred. Although Weight Watchers tries, a little, to be male-friendly, it’s not easy for the hapless man who stumbles into this largely female realm. Today, for instance, Fred was handed a slip of paper to read out loud at the meeting, with the following tip for feeling good about himself during the weight loss process: “A fresh haircut, a manicure, or some new makeup can go a long way toward boosting your spirits while you’re trying to slim down.” Perhaps I’ll pick up a new tube of mascara for him. It would bring out his eyes.
The most stunning revelation, though, has been that our weight watching is turning us into responsible locavores. We’re relying on fresh, local produce because we’re being forced to eat far more vegetables than meat, and they now need to taste good. This also means that we’re looking for seasonal produce that’s flavorful because it’s not been grown in a hothouse or shipped from too far away. We’re getting most of this from the Farmers Market in Raleigh and our CSA (Community Sponsored Agriculture) deliveries once a week, and if we can drag ourselves out of the house before noon on Saturday we might even try Durham’s own Farmers Market.
But we WON’T be wearing sensible shoes or peasant skirts, no matter how much they might help lift Fred’s spirits while he’s slimming down.
The Newlyfeds 
more good reasons to eat fresh local produce! our own csa is picking up steam — our most recent box was about 2X as heavy as any previous delivery, and included our first corn of the year. hurrah!
Although in theory I love the idea, I’m still a locavore skeptic. Are the vegetables really that much better than what I get at Kroger or Food Lion? Having said that, the yellow squash at Kroger has been terrible of late.
Good question, Paul. It depends on the season. If you’re buying seasonally at the grocery store you stand a good chance of getting some decent produce.With certain fruits and vegetables, though, I find it hard to get good ones in the store. Tomatoes and peaches are usually shipped before they’ve had a chance to ripen enough, and so tend to be too bland. Another advantage to shopping at farmstands is that you can try different varieties–Johnson tomatoes, Carolina Bell peaches, Haglund eggplant, and so on.This sounds like an excellent idea for a test tasting project!
Hey! Enough with the peasant skirt bashing!
Others are welcome to wear peasant skirts as often as they like. But I don’t think they would flatter Fred.
re: eating local food, last night I had a dinner of green beans fresh from my garden. They were on my plate within 10 minutes of being picked and were the best beans I’ve ever had.