At My Soiree: food police

Christmas brings out the food police. They are in the grocery store line-up, planning the company Christmas lunch, issuing orders, er, I mean giving advice, wherever and whenever they can.

The food police don't want anyone to have any fun at all enjoying all those wonderful goodies that abound at Christmas. Shortbread - ugh, no, too much butter! Gravy - OMG, saturated fat! Cheesies - you actually eat all those chemicals, not to mention FOOD COLOURING! Mashed potatoes - stop, please, high glycemic index! Chocolates - sugar and caffeine; you'll kill yourself!

Now, I am not against eating good healthful food. That's exactly what I do most of the time, organic too and not overly processed. I must also confess that I actually like tofu.

I once had Christmas alone, on purpose, and planned and enjoyed a vegetarian dinner. (I know, I know; it was a kind of self-dare that I could happily celebrate without company and without traditional food. It worked, although I especially enjoyed the champagne!)

But the food police don't want anyone to indulge in too much of anything, ever. They want to force their choices on to others at company lunches and breakfasts - fruit, fibre, salad only. They purse their lips and say things like, "We aren't bacon-eating people here at ABC company." (This is true; someone actually said this at a meeting to plan the menu for a gathering.)

Food police also find it difficult in grocery store line-ups, tsk-tsking at the choices their fellow shoppers have made. Often, this is done in mock friendly and courteous tones: "My, my, all that fat; it's not good for you, you know."

There is much variation in the lists of superfoods for good health; there are even one or two that work very well for feasting. Turkey and sweet potatoes/yams (marshmallows not included). But Christmas, for me, isn't about black beans and blueberries, oats and soy.

My list of Christmas superfoods includes Cheesies, as much chocolate as possible, especially Toblerone and truffles, dark fruitcake with lots of brandy, two helpings of Christmas dinner, including spoonfuls of gravy, and leftover turkey in a bun with cranberries and stuffing on Boxing Day. Did I mention chocolate?

Unless a person has a specific issue, like diabetes, high cholesterol, or morbid obesity, overdoing it isn't likely to hurt. Pleasure, even once in awhile to excess, is a good thing.