Happy Meal

It's amazing to me how so something seemingly small and insignificant can make a person so happy.

Case in point: We were out eating at a Taiwanese restaurant with the kids and their Aunt, and we were trying to figure out what to eat.

At first, it was all anxiety. Where was the grilled cheese? What fried rice, not fried FRIES? It was not looking promising.

But then we ordered some food that didn't look like the generic food I serve at home, and guess what? They liked it.

This may not seem like much to those super parents (damn you, people!) whose children eat every form of cuisine known to humankind without blinking. But to us? A big deal. Happytime, USA.

The meal that began with whining and accompanying low blood sugar was transformed by an egg and leek pancake. Hearing my kids say, "I love it!" really was satisfying.

And tonight, I made myself happy by not stuffing myself stupid, as I am wont to do at restaurants with multiple entrees to share.

Did I mention I'm reading Mindless Eating? It's not directly about happiness, but it does address the myriad ways we eat too much, gain weight, and get depressed about it. I will go over what I've learned from it so far in a future post.

For now, it's off to watch this week's Lost and see what other Harry Potter parallels I can find. You KNOW they're gonna be there.