I might be on to the cure for my eating disorder. We ate a late lunch today at a popular Mexican restaurant. I got the Menudo. I had never tried this classic Mexican soup. It was served in a giant bowl, with a good head of fat. There was at least 1/8th of an inch of red fat that parsed itself into every spoonful of this concoction. The primary ingredients were tripe and hominy. When I fished through the bowl I came up with about half of a trotter (pig's foot). The soup was chock full of tripe. I had seen tripe in the stores, and had an edible version of this variety meat in a Dim Sum restaurant. Cooked long enough it takes on a special texture. It is the slickest substance I have ever intentionally put into my mouth. At the same time it was spongy and tough. If you could get it cornered in your mouth, you could bite down on it without doing it any damage. Kind of like gumming a soft eraser. Each piece would race around my mouth until the "mouth feel" forced me to swallow. Tripe also takes on several different appearances. Some of it had a honeycomb look, and some disguised itself as chicken parts. After a few more bites of tripe, and another peek at the trotter, I was full. Susie fixed a nice dinner, about 8 hours after the Menudo. I was able to eat the equivalent of half of what would show up in a frozen Weight-Watchers meal. I have sipped about four glasses of orange juice trying to dissolve the memory of Menudo. I realized that the taste is long gone, but the memory might be permanently burned into my appetite. I have seen some things that have been permanently burned into my memory. If I close my eyes I can play a slide show of stuff that once it had been seen, can never be un-seen. I think I might have just added a taste to the ledger. I have the Food Network turned on right now. When they show one of their dishes, I have to turn away.
I may be on to something here. I can't wait until tomorrow to see if it works. This might be the turning point that allows me to get my weight under control. At breakfast tomorrow, I am going to mentally replay the Menudo. Right now, the thought of food makes me want to eat a soda cracker and get some fresh air. I will report on the progress of my weight loss. If the memory fades, I know where to get all the Menudo I can eat for $3.50.
For those of you that think that this must be an acquired taste, I submit that Scotch Whisky is an acquired taste. This stuff would spin Curly off into a fit that could only be stopped by Moe tickling his chin with a brush.
For my friends who are struggling with their weight, forget Jenny Craig, dump Weight-Watchers, flush those appetite suppressants and get your Menudo. If you live in Kansas City, you have to hit Southwest Boulevard on Sunday. The restaurants only make it on Sunday because; well, that is probably often enough.