Thinking some more about eating styles

I've done a little looking around to see what other people think about your Myers-Briggs type and your approach to food, and it's been interesting.  Like any trip around the Internet, it had its highs and lows and a bunch of irrelevant side trips, but what the heck.  The journey is interesting.

In order to do that justice, I'll need to organize my thoughts and make links and stuff, and I don't really have time right now.  So instead, I'll babble about Introverts and Extroverts.  Or mostly Introverts, because I don't know much about Extroverts.  Not that that will stop me from speculating...

So this is what came from a conversation with an Introvert.  Introverts get energy from being alone.  My theory is that if introverts are around people for too long and don't get their "me" time, they might over eat to get energy somewhere else.  My I friend pointed out that he doesn't like to eat with other people.  That whole breaking bread community thing is an anathema to him.  (Word of the day)  And so, he isn't going to over eat in front of other people.

Now, think about this:  he is at a conference and around people all day and is low on energy.  He doesn't eat much if anything at the banquet lunch.  His energy is low.  What does he do?  Well, I would be eating Snickers bars all day, scarfing them in the corner when I got a chance to be alone.  And when I went home I'd probably eat cheese with potatoes and cheese.  And then I'd go to sleep.

And what about Extroverts?

I can see a couple of possibilities.  Say that an Extrovert is also at this conference.  She is getting lots of energy from the people around her.  She might forget to eat food, because she is so caught up in the flow of energy.  She might over eat to make the togetherness last (I'm picturing the never-ending pasta bowl at Olive Garden.) 

I also wonder if Extroverts eat more when they are alone because they are low on energy and feeling lonely?

I wonder how the other factors affect this.  An ESTJ might plan the meals, knowing she wouldn't eat unless she thought about it.  And INFP might eat in public because she didn't want to hurt any one's feelings.  And INTP might pack fruit so he wouldn't eat the candy on all of the tables.

I guess I'll keep thinking about this...

Whole Wheat and Tofu

When my husband & I first got married, many centuries ago, while the dew was on the rose and the honeymoon was not over, I discovered a wonderful, exciting, new recipe. It was very exotic for South Carolina in the 80s. Extra large pasta shells (called "big macaroni" by most people) stuffed with four cheeses (no American!) and covered in a marinara sauce ("spaghetti sauce.") It wasn't hard to make, but it wasn't that easy. The hardest part was finding the shells in the grocery store.

As I said, this was early in our marriage, when my darling husband still told me I sang beautifully. And so I presented this great meal, with a side of broccoli, which was our favorite vegetable. He tasted it and said, "Yum." He smiled. He poked at the shell, peeking under the pasta, the sauce, the broccoli. He looked puzzled, then said, "Where's the meat?"

I thought about this last night as my family ate spaghetti with whole wheat pasta, and no one complained. My darling husband has even suggested that we should try more vegetarian meals, although he has drawn the line at tofu . South Carolina has grown, too, and we can get all sorts of exotic food now. It's a part of our adventure, trying new food, making new choices, being new people; but still being together.

The dew has left the rose, but I don't think the honeymoon is over. Although he did tell me to go easy on the broccoli.