Get back to basics: The point of celebration

Recently, I have been out and about for various functions.  These functions were for various occasions such as birthdays, weddings, and other social gatherings.

These were different social sets; some were family some were friends.  Some were at private homes; others were at facilities, like hotels. I attended these functions and thought of the recent headlines that obesity is a growing health issue in America.

There are several topics that have been discussed in the media. One topic is the size of the portions one receives in restaurants.

Now restaurants are required to list calories next to whatever is being ordered. Does anyone change her mind after reading the caloric content?

I want what I want and order to my preference not what the calories are. But I often end up bringing home over half of it because it is simply too much.

I have come to dislike functions that involve buffets because there is simply too much food. Whose job is it to figure out portions?

Do they figure that an 85-year-old woman is not  going to eat as much as a 19-year-old boy? No, they charge the same amount for the whole party.

There are people in the world who eat all they can simply because the food is there. I often look at a large person and put my fork down so I won’t look like them. Health laws state that, once the food is put out, it can’t be sent home.

I have gone to several home parties where there has been way too much food.  I know how that host feels because I always, always made too much food for the number of guests attending whatever event.

But it seems like more and more people are eating it just because it’s there. The same thing happens with alcohol, especially if it’s free. Open bars at weddings seem to be more common now.

Older generations had receptions at home. They ate Aunt Whoever’s pot roast and called it a party. Now people hire a three-ring circus and resurrect the Beatles.

My frugality is showing here. Birthdays, weddings, baby showers, any rite of passage is supposed to be about the age reached, the love, or the new member of the family. This is being lost in all of the hoopla.

Get back to the basics. Put the plate or glass down. Use those hands to hold the hands of loved ones. Remember that memories can’t be bought but can be experienced when the food is put away, the drinks are gone, and the music has faded.

That said, when I have my next gathering, I am sure I’ll have a pig roast and open bar for a gathering of six people for a Sunday picnic. Peace, love, and rock and roll.