Slight Rant, With Apologies to Will

To diet, or not to diet: that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The rolls and jiggles of outrageous poundage,
Or to take arms against a sea of hunger pangs,
And by opposing end them?

And by this, Dear Readers, you may see that I still fight the Battle of the Bulge. Or, more truthfully, have been waving the white flag of surrender, having long since given up any hope of winning against these impossible odds. I am daily assaulted on all sides by tasty morsels, cheaply priced and conveniently placed directly in my path as I walk the streets of Taipei. Who can withstand such pressure?!

Seriously, I'm fat. I've gained 10kg since I arrived here in March 2005. That's a lot. I eat too much of the wrong food (even though I don't think I eat too much as in quantity of food), and I don't get nearly enough exercise. And let's face it, I'm not a youngster anymore, someone who can shed five pounds without any effort at all. Nope, if I want that five pounds to vacate my ass, I have to mount an attack with all my forces.

And, as Hamlet noted, ay, there's the rub. What's the point of living life if we don't enjoy the life we live? If I have to spend every day in a battle, depriving myself of food and drink that tastes good and eating food that does nothing more than nourish my body, where's the fun in that? Sure, I like vegetables - if they're covered with butter. And salad? Bring it on, if it's drenched with bleu cheese dressing. What? I can't have butter and dressing? Bleah.

And then I have to examine the reasons I want to be thinner. Sadly, the number one reason is not for my health's sake, as it should be, but because being fat has a stigma attached to it. Thin is in, fat is ugly and gross. This was not always the case. OK, so everyone knows that the goddess Venus is supposed to represent love and sex and all that crap, right, ergo she must be beautiful. Well, check out this painting by the Dutch painter, Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640), titled "The Toilet of Venus" (no, that's not toilet like you find in the bathroom, dudes). This was considered hot and sexy in Rubens' day. I swear, that could be my backside you're looking at!
So, what happened to appreciation for a fully rounded female form, soft and cuddly, the Mother figure that was so revered by peoples of the past? I'll tell you what happened - Twiggy. "'She had the body of a starvation victim and the face of an angel' is a very accurate statement for 1960's model Twiggy. The petite model began her career at 14, weighing a meager 91 pounds with no breasts and bony shoulders." EWWWW! I mean, come on, who seriously thinks that's attractive? Check this interesting website for Twiggy vs Sophie Dahl, an interesting comparison between the scrawny waif who started this ridiculous fad and the current model who hopefully will help change this image.

So I guess I'm holding out for that miracle to happen, when guys will wake up and realize that there's something just a little wrong if they're attracted to women who have the bodies of boys and they'll go back to wanting women who look like women.

Then again.....all this extra weight does make it a bit difficult to get my ass up the many, many stairs throughout this city, so I suppose I'd best quit whining and making excuses and at least get rid of that extra 10kg ;)