Don't let my Banana story lead you to believe that I am a Joyless Crabass when I go grocery shopping. I am not, truly. I love my funny grocery store where I not only buy groceries, but occasionally, thanks to the Closeouts section, come home with things like socks, shoes, cute shirts for the little granddaughter, mattress pads, lawn furniture, and--if I wanted to--a rabbit hutch or a pet staircase or a futon.
Someday, I'll show up and there will be cars for sale there, and I won't be one bit surprised.
But I digress.
A few months ago they set up a display of candies for three bucks a bag. Thankfully, none of it is candy that I like, but there are several varieties that Rick really likes. He has a weakness for any gumdrop sort of candy, due in large part to his late grandparents. They kept a ready supply in a charming little crock marked For Grandchildren Only, or something like that. It was usually full of spice drops, those wee little multicoloured gumdrops in flavours like clove, cinnamon, spearmint, and whatever the white ones are supposed to taste of.
I love surprising Rick with little treats that he loves. I bought a couple of bags of candy for him and fished out a suitable Candy Dish, after much careful deliberation.
Put the candy in a flat dish, and the sugar will be all over the place as he scoops them out. One with a lid? That lid will never be put back on the dish. A deep bowl? He'll eat them all in one sitting, no problem.
Here's what I came up with:
 |
| This was full to the brim the day before |
It's like one of those puzzle toys for dogs or cats who eat their food too fast. He can't fit his whole big hand into it all at once. He can't grab a huge handful and still get his fingers out of the dish. You can see there is some sugar on the end table, but not very much.
However, Success is limited. Rick will eat from the Candy Dish instead of having an actual lunch. He'll eat half the candy in the dish after dinner and then berate himself about eating all that candy. We've had several Adult Discussions about it:
Nance: I was under the impression that you were a grownup and could control yourself with a Candy Dish next to your chair.
Rick: And I was under the impression that I was a grownup and could eat what I want.
Sigh.
He's really ruining the Fun, Loving Thoughtfulness behind the whole thing for me.
post header image
LOL You know how I love Rick and Nance conversations. In my opinion, he's not wrong. I know very few people who can control themselves with a candy jar next to their chairs. I know I couldn't.
ReplyDeleteNo wonder you enjoy grocery shopping so much, Nance! If I had a store that offered all that, I'd LOVE going to the grocery store! I don't know Ohio laws. Does your grocery store also sell liquor? We have to go to dedicated Alcohol Beverage Control (ABC) stores here in VA but whenever I go grocery shopping with friends in other states and their stores have aisles of liquor, I am in awe! I know I'd buy a lot more liquor if that was allowed in VA but I think I'd be happier. Haha. I also think I'd spend more money on groceries. That would have to be good for the state in the long run, right?
Shirley--I usually love our conversations, too. And of course he can choose to eat what he wants, but (there's always a BUT) I feel like I need to speak up on behalf of his health. He's not 20 anymore, after all.
DeleteIn Ohio, we can't buy hard liquor at grocery stores, but we can buy wine. One grocery store near me has a state store (your ABC) right inside it. That's ultimately where I go if we want something like vodka or gin.
My grocery store only stocks cheapo wines, so I make a special trip to buy wines we like. Our wine cellar is a Sadness right now.
I like your thinking about The Happiness Factor leading to more revenue for the state. Draw up a chart and mail it off to Richmond!
I guess that depends on the size and health of your hubby! He could eat 10 gum drops and that would be 142.6 calories.
ReplyDeleteHere is a link that tells you the nutritional breakdown of the amount you eat: https://www.eatthismuch.com/food/nutrition/gumdrops,4487/
Maybe an Ipad next to the candy jar so he can check his totals!? LOL! That may spoil the fun of the treat, tho.
It doesn't have to be kept full all of the time?! It is hard to resist candy you love!
(I am not taking sides, tho!)
Ellen--He's no longer in a physical job, so he has to be more careful what he packs into his 6' 3" frame. He has never had a weight problem, but now that we're older, it's easier to gain and harder to lose.
DeleteI'm laughing at the idea of him ever checking calories for anything. That would be the day.
But you're right: I don't keep his dish stocked all the time. And he doesn't ask about it or request candy. IT'S LIKE MAGIC--IT JUST SHOWS UP! LOL.
Joyless Crabass - LOL! I think that's what I'm going to start calling my husband.
ReplyDeleteThe cherry hearts you posted at the top are my all time favorite candy. Now I need some and the only place I ever see them anymore is at Dollar Tree when they have their Valentine's candy. I seriously buy ten bags and it's always gone by March, and I don't even keep it in a candy jar by my chair or it would be much sooner.
What would ever make you think a man could possibly have self control or act like a grownup?!
Martha--Hee hee. You can just abbreviate it to JC, and he'll never know.
DeleteI forgot about those heart gumdrops. Rick adores those. I did buy a bag of cherry fruit slices, which are his absolute favourites and are next up in his candy dish. Try those.
Rick has this weird thing--completely backed by SCIENCE--that happens whenever he has eaten his fill. He starts sneezing. That's how he knows he has eaten enough and is full and had better stop or he will overeat. Seriously. It's referred to as Snatiation, or the stomach sneeze reflex. So odd.
And it doesn't always stop him. Sigh.
It doesn't matter Nance, he can't hear most of the time anyway. He'll probably think I said I wanted to grab his ass. I'll just say sure, stud muffin, that's exactly what I said lol.
DeleteI can't even find the cherry fruit slices. I have to buy the ones with the mixed fruit flavors and then childishly only eat the cherry ones lol.
Snatiation is really odd. I've never heard of that!
Have a great weekend. :)
My husband has a huge bowl of wrapped dark chocolate pieces that sits on the shelf of the chimney wall - so to get to the kitchen or back from it, one walks by the bowl. He is so disciplined that he only takes at most two a day to eat at bedtime. I try and avert my eyes, but sometimes the siren song from that bowl is so strong that I grab four. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteMary--LOL. Four! Bless your heart. You love your dark chocolate, I know.
DeleteI find that having all that stuff around--just knowing it's there if I want it--makes me not crave it so much. I have a huge jar of Peanut M&Ms in the cupboard at all times. I rarely eat them; maybe three times a month I'll have a quarter cup.
Perhaps if the candy were chocolate covered marshmallow things, I would be less restrained.
OMG. Laughing so hard. Mr. O. is *exactly the same.* I rarely buy candy for myself. If I do, it is a very, very special treat, and probably Reece's Peanut Butter cups. I do not buy them often because I know I would OD on them eventually. Mr. O. likes pretty much *anything* sweet. Over the last year, he has taken to buying himself, on his personal jaunts to the store, lifesaver candies and Werner's caramels. I have to resist the urge to eat the caramel ones because I also love that flavor. The lifesavers are a total waste of money because he won't eat the yellow ones, and rarely the green ones (unless that's all that's left, lol.) I put special bowls on the kitchen 'counter ledge' where he can grab them, but never put them in any container on the table in the living room. He still binges anyway sometimes, but at least he has to walk to get 'em! Whenever I ask him if he's hungry for lunch or dinner, he'll often say, "Not yet. I've been snacking a little." And of course, I know *exactly* what that means. Your dialogue exchange with Rick also made me howl. I gave up on even commenting on the 'candy dish' syndrome long ago. Luis gets equally defensive. I will sometimes buy him 'replacement supplies' on his preferred candy when I go to the store, and he is appropriately grateful. I have to settle for that. *He knows he is pre-diabetic, and had an operation for kidney stones 2 years ago.* So... I leave it to his folly to keep peace in the marriage. Men always seem to think their masculinity is threatened when we remind them about what is sensible and healthy. Sometimes they have to learn the hard way. *sigh*
ReplyDeleteOrtizzle--" Men always seem to think their masculinity is threatened when we remind them about what is sensible and healthy."
DeleteYes, yes, this! Or Rick thinks I am treating him like a kid or using my Teacher/Mom voice. It's a fine line.
We are the same with Reese's PB cups (or any of their seasonal offerings, which are always way better).
And yes, Rick, like Luis, is always happy and thankful when he sees his candy dish is back and fully supplied. (By the way, I filled it on Wednesday; today is Friday, and it is empty.)
This whole thing backfired on me. But it's nice to know I'm not alone.
Oh boy, I don’t feel like I crave candy, I will always take salt first. But a candy dish next to my chair? I would empty it, no matter WHAT candy was in it. If it sucked, it would just take longer.
ReplyDeleteJ--I used to be that way, too, wanting savory or salty. Suddenly, sweets are more appealing to me.
DeleteLiterally LOL'ed at your last sentence. I'm thinking if that would be true for me, too. I decided that it would NOT be true, especially in the case of Candy Corn. Ugh.
I'll eat the candy corn for you! Plus all the other candy, but NOT the gummy things that Rick likes because they taste like something my Noxzema scented Greatnanny would put in my Christmas stocking. Blech!
DeleteOh man! I love gumdrops and I'm going shopping this morning.....
ReplyDeleteVera--Oh boy! Guess who's putting out a candy dish!
DeleteI love gumdrops too. When I first saw the bowl your put Rick's candy in I thought they'd dry out and get hard before the dish was empty. But now i understand he eats them too fast for that to happen. Love your conversation. LOL
ReplyDeleteI have two special dishes I use for treats. One is only holds one ounce---a tiny thing that I use for nuts. I also have a two ounce dish I use for things like candy. I recently bought several 5 ounce dishes for ice cream. I've been know to fill these dishes up twice but at least I know how much I'm eating.
Jean--Oh, it is to laugh. I put out those gumdrops on Wednesday. That dish is already empty, and it is Friday morning.
DeleteYour nut dish would be a scoop for Rick's huge jar of cashews. And he does not bother with a dish for ice cream, but eats the entire pint of Ben & Jerry's or Haagen Dazs right out of the carton.
He knows how much he's eating, too. ;)
Dee--By all means, take Joyless Crabass and use it with my blessing. ;)
ReplyDeleteI used to have a massive jar full of Peanut and Plain M&Ms on the coffee table. It then became the Animal Cracker jar (a mix of chocolate and vanilla). I was fine with both. Rick, not so much. Eventually, I realized that I wasn't getting the full benefit of either, and I got rid of the jar.
Perhaps the same needs to happen with this dish, too.
Oh you have gotten to the heart of the problem with candy dishes. They prove you're not an adult with self-control which is why we do not have one. We like to live with the illusion that we're responsible adults.
ReplyDeleteAlly--Aha! Perhaps that's what Rick is getting at with his comment in our conversation. What fun is being a grownup if you can't do all the cool stuff you wanted to do when you were a kid thinking about Being A Grownup? Little did we know back then that all those Cool Things had strings attached.
DeleteSometimes, this Grownup Thing is not so awesome after all.
You're a smart one, Ally Bean.
My coworker keeps a candy basket by her desk & I'm its main consumer. At least I have to get up & walk over there to get the candy, usually Hershey's miniatures. But Horrors! She is on a Diet and hasn't added anything to the basket in weeks. It is all very sad. And healthy.
ReplyDeleteWe do NOT keep candy at home. I'm like a ravenous wild thing when it's around me. Same with ice cream. I've tried the "I'm just going to keep this in stock" idea, but no, it does not keep me from fixating and finishing it all off. Better to make it something I have to go to a store and purchase. I know that I could do some inner work to help with this, but right now it's easier to just keep it out of the house!
Bug--Oh no. When people decide to Get Healthy, everyone else is Collateral Damage in one way or another. You either lose their goodies or have to hear about what they eat or have to listen to healthy recipes all day. It's horrendous.
DeleteI completely understand the idea of keeping temptations at bay. I had to do that with Cheetos for years and years. It was definitely an addiction. Then, one day, they turned on me and it was OVER.
Heaven forbid that happens with you and ice cream. A life without ice cream sounds sad and lonely.
OH I am as guilty as he is. I ate cookies for lunch yesterday because ...someone made them for me and I was upset about Zach's cat. Which makes no sense . But I love the puzzle feeder for adults. Really. That's got to get a patent on it quickly!!!
ReplyDeletekathy--Maybe I'll go on Shark Tank with my idea! LOL.
DeleteI've had Bad Girl Food for lunch every now and then. It's okay. We can't always be Models Of Good Behaviour.
I could never describe you as a joyless crabass, but I did notice that bananas were 69cents a pound this week at my Publix!
ReplyDeleteWhen you started describing the candies I could TASTE them. It's been years since I've had a gumdrop but I loved them. Guess where I also enjoyed them? At my Grandma's house of course.
I think the white ones were licorice? Not sure, maybe Rick can clarify.
I love your gift to him and the fact that he gives you a hard time about it and then also defends himself. I LOVE MARRIAGE.
BB Suz--I love that you are looking at the price of bananas now. Not that you CARE about the price, but the mere fact that I'm inside your head a wee little bit tickles me. (And 69 cents a pound is ridiculous! Shame on them!)
DeleteRick can't confirm the taste of the white ones because--and get this--"unless they are the green or the red, I just pop a bunch in my mouth at once." I had to take a Time Out from typing in order to close my eyes and shake my head in Sad Dismay.
But, you know, I LOVE MARRIAGE TOO. It's incredibly comforting to be with someone all the time who Gets Me. Well worth putting up with any small annoyances for so many vast benefits.
I like your style...you keep thinking, and come up with a great solution.
ReplyDeleteThat conversation sounds familiar!!
Anni--Thank you. But the solution to rein in his candy consumption yet still preserve our Joy eludes me.
DeleteI think we all have Those Conversations, don't we? ;)
Could you be joyful with a candy dispenser that limits quantity dispensed within a timed period? There’s probably a device like that for pets, but humans? I don't know! Design one — start a Go Fund Me page — go on Shark Time — be a billionaire!
ReplyDelete