January 21st, 2025
Today, we had snow in New Orleans. Real snow. For context, the last time, we had measurable snow was in 2009 which was 1/10th of an inch. Before that, the most accurate recorded record was 2.7 inches in 1963. Today Orleans Parish received nearly nine inches of snow so as someone who grew up in the northeast, today was a true nostalgic treat. It’s also a gift to so many in New Orleans who have never seen so much snowfall! It also means that we are home all day for the next few days with no city plows or salt trucks ready to roll in our city.
What I learned today is how much of a food vacuum cleaner I am. My family likes sweets but they are not addicted like I am. Ashley will buy something for the taste. She rarely if ever wants all of it and her sweet tooth is satisfied after just a little bite. Saja is the same way. This is where I realize that I have come in. Having no high standard or discerning taste buds in any real manner, I come behind them and finish off whatever is left behind, especially if it is sweet. For the last 23 days, I have not been doing my job as the waste repository for excess sugary delights and the problem is now compounding.
There is still that nicely wrapped oatmeal cookie on the counter waiting for someone to eat it. Saja’s friend brought a beautiful chocolate cake this weekend, which still has slices on the cake platter. There are at least two types of gourmet cookies in the pantry. There are still those tempting chocolate chips and granola laced with enough sugar that I do not dare eat. I know all of these things because I walk past them all the time and while I might not have eaten sugar, I still open the pantry and look in the same spot by force of habit. Finally, and most tempting of all, is a bag of chocolate covered almonds.
Pun intended- I am a nut for chocolate covered nuts. As a baseline, Peanut M&Ms have been one of my go to snacks for years. It is the perfect travel companion at the airport. It is the perfect little boost of energy in the afternoon. I think there is less guilt involved. Sure I had chocolate but there’s a healthy nut in the middle! Chocolate and peanut anything may be my favorite sweet combination of all time. In reality though, it’s just the most accessible combination. Any nut with any chocolate is a snack that that I find irresistible. So when there is a bag of artisan chocolate covered pecans from Maggie Lyon chocolatiers, I am in real trouble. In an attempt to help me, Ashley told me that they weren’t that good. However, that translates in my brain to, “Feel free to finish the bag!” or “You would be helping me by eating them.” That’s been the cue to indulge!
Given all the temptations, I just kept eating other things. I did make a nice pot of vegetarian chili to enjoy on the snow day so that helped. But I have to find a solution to this mounting problem of sugar temptations slowly accumulating all around me!