I Love Pancakes
I have from time to time thought, mainly during a long sermon at church when my mind wonders the most, if I had to give up an arm or a leg, which one I would choose. Funny, how many crazy ideas come up in church. I hope my pastor isn’t reading this. And I’ve also from time to time thought of which of the five senses I would give up if I had to give one up. Certainly sight wouldn’t be one, and hearing isn’t one of the top two on the list either but how about the sense of smell, or touch or even taste. Whoever thinks of losing their taste.
For the past couple of weeks I have not been able to taste anything. Friends have been asking me what that feels like. Well for me it has been pretty bad. Mainly because I never ate to live, I always lived to eat. I love food and it’s because of the taste. I love complex tastes, and simple flavors. I love flavors that most would agree complement each other like peanut butter and jelly, and even some that don’t seem to go together. Salty potato chips with cottage cheese, dark chocolate with a dry red wine, French toast made with savory herb bread, jalapeños and jelly, and an onion bagel, cream cheese with strawberry preserves served with steaming black coffee. I miss it.
Right now I can only describe my sense of taste as distant. Frustrating, like not being able to see a road sign from a short distance or not being able to read a menu in dim lighting. Curious, it’s like not being able to hear the whole conversation just every now and then a faint whisper of a loud noise. Everything seems foggy and distant. Like touching something while your hand is asleep, still tingling to wake up. That is how I taste. I know the morsel is in my mouth, the texture I can feel and the temperature is evident. I imagine I can taste it, but is it really the taste, or is it mostly what I remember the taste to be. Very much like if taste had a shadow that is what I would see, but I continue to eat hoping the next bite will satisfy the one taste bud that I seem to always have left. It doesn’t.
I see everyone around me enjoying the food, the smiles, the pleasure that a taste brings to the senses. I took my daughter to The Bistro 157 in Valpo and introduced her to the flourless chocolate cake. I watched her as she took the first taste, and I heard a giggle. I made a house guest some French toast with savory herb bread and real maple syrup not too long ago; he had never had French toast. I saw him take a big bite and watched him look longingly down at his plate and smile, he didn’t have to say anything, I could see pleasure in his face.
I’ve met so many people that eat to live especially as I’ve had time to talk to different people in hospital waiting rooms, I never understood that mind. I never understood how someone could say they were hungry and order a delicious appetizer and not finish it, or not take just a small taste of an awesome smelling freshly baked bread because they weren’t hungry. Now I do.
I eat to survive. I eat because the doctor and the nurse will yell at me if I don’t eat. Having no taste, I eat 2 or 3 chicken wings, and I’m done. Or 4 clam strips and that’s enough chewing and I’m tired of having to swallow. The other day I didn’t finish a small bowl of vegetable soup and only took one bite of my homemade bread. I dread having to go find something to make for dinner. The worst part, I can still smell the food.
I’ve been told to expect the loss of taste to be with me 3 to 6 weeks after my last treatment, which is the 5th of February, so I expect some help from my friends when my taste buds come back. How is that you may ask… well, let’s just start off with an easy one. I love pancakes, and I think I make some of the best pancakes around from scratch, and you probably make some pretty good ones too. So we can eliminate your house and mine. I need suggestions as to where I can get the best pancakes (locally) at a restaurant. But I will also take suggestions from any other restaurant on the planet, since I never know if I may one day visit that place.
Thanks for reading my blog. And don’t forget those suggestions.