Edible Traditions

Chocolate bunnies.  Jelly beans.  Candy corns.  Candy hearts.  Candy canes.  Turkey.  Stuffing.  Ham.  Pumpkin pies.  Pecan pies.  Traditions surrounding food go on and on.  Each holiday seems to have some sort of edible aspect to it.  Americans even have an entire holiday, Thanksgiving, dedicated to eating. 

Easter might technically be a Christian holiday, but Americans celebrate it in the most wonderfully Pagan ways.  Those ways include decorating boiled eggs (later turned into egg salad) and a giant rabbit who brings gifts much like Santa Clause does at Christmastime.  Unlike Santa who only visits good girls and boys, the Easter Bunny brings all sorts of tasty treats to anyone who puts out a basket.  

In my basket this year I received a 1 lbs chocolate bunny, jelly beans, robin eggs, and a new book.  The chocolate bunny alone had 2291 calories.  Yikes!  I know you’re wondering…did I eat the whole bunny.  I did not.  For the last two days I have eaten on it, each time making myself sick.  Today I threw out the last 1/8 of it.  I had to.  Being sick isn’t fun.  As for the jelly beans and robin eggs…I ate the red jelly beans and haven’t opened the carton of robin eggs yet. 

We’ve all read articles and seen on TV how Americans are getting fatter and fatter.  The experts blame it on fast food, lack of exercise, and an entitlement complex.  I wonder if they’ve thought about counting the edible traditions in our country among the culprits.

In the past they’ve been my downfall.  Now it’s just a matter of time to see if I can withstand them in the future.  Wish me luck!