Dilemmas, dilemmas

I have my nephew and my brother coming over for a Father's Day dindin avec moi this afternoon/evening, and I'm torn as to what I should do.

I'm definitely making Thai Green Curry with Chicken and organic brown basmati rice, but the question is whether or not I decide to make something specifically for my nephew, ie: Mac & Cheese.

Making Mac & Cheese would take five minutes, but it'd be the easier road to travel. My nephew's symptomatic of the generation he's part of -- his diet is refined, refined, refined. Sugar, white flour, no veggies, processed meats, and that's about all that he'll eat. McDonald's is the culinary promised land in his mindset. His parents do sweet fuck all to try and change it, because they're just fed up with the fighting. Their diets aren't that great, either.

I've been very diet conscious of late. Sure, I'm not perfect, but I've been making some really great choices and I'm starting to see it pay off, both mood and health wise, as well as physically.

Last week, I was getting up from a job interview and was conscious that my pants were slipping down. Yeah. Nice to lose weight, but geez. A little quicker than I'd thought.

But I've been having a bit of a culinary awakening besides of late, too. Last weekend I was out with the guy and actually enjoyed eating mussels while drinking a little beer and playing some Scrabble by the water. The next day, we had some crab cakes. I've made a promise to him that any time he buys me dinner out, I'll make an effort to eat seafood. Sounds weird, but it's a big thing for me.

I've spent my entire life being somewhat ignorant about seafood and certain culinary specialties. My parents never forced me, and I wish now they would have. Last night I made salmon -- cheap, crappy salmon, but salmon nonetheless -- something I've always sworn I would never eat. I actually enjoyed that, too.

So something's happening to me: I'm realizing how wrong I've been.

Now I see my nephew, this palid, thin, unhealthy, picky kid growing up with the same narrow-minded perception I had, and it honestly scares me. I don't want to see him continue. But do I want to be the Mean Auntie and not prepare him any food? Not really.

So, I think I'll prepare slices of cucumber and carrots, and if he refuses to eat proper food, he's stuck with veggie slices. No fucking mac'n'cheese today.

And I'm proud of myself for getting past my stupidity with food. I'm pleased I'm taking chances. I wasn't wild about the salmon, but I certainly liked it much more than I'd anticipated I would, and now I think I'm going to work at least two seafood meals into my week each week. I've not disliked anything of late, and that shocks the shit out of me. Thirty-two years it's taken me to get here. It'd be funny if it weren't so sad. I'm just happy the ignorance is gone now, and I'm excited about how much more of the world of food is now open to me to enjoy. What a nice gift to myself.