Chapter 4: Holiday Diets and Uno Chicago Grill
The next day, I met Sarah, James, and Henri, as well as some of my other best friends, Alex Russo, Justin Evans, and Max Greenwald at the Carnegie Library in Squirrel Hill to discuss holiday diets. "Hi, guys!" I greeted my friends. "Hi, Angel!" Sarah greeted back. "Did you guys bring some hors d'oeurves to share later today?" Alex asked. "Yes, we did," Sarah replied. "I brought a lot of my favorite spring and summer produce- asparagus, leeks, broccoli, green beans, poblano chile peppers, and blueberries," Alex stated. "I used to eat asparagus at Christmas every year with my family," I told Alex, "and I believe that I ate broccoli one year, too." "That's cool, Angel," Alex remarked. " I like to have ginger sesame green bean stir-fry with my Christmas meals every year. Do you think that maybe I should offer some vegetables to eat at my Christmas party next weekend in order to have something healthy?" "That would be a good idea, Alex," Sarah agreed. "I brought a lot of my favorite fall and winter produce- purple potatoes, spaghetti squash, savoy cabbage, grapefruits, rutabagas, and kale," Sarah stated. "Most holiday salads taste yummy in the tummy, especially when they are made with something other than iceberg lettuce, since that is not very healthy. However, I still don't consider potatoes a vegetable, since they are more of a starch." "Why don't you try making mashed potatoes out of purple potatoes next Thanksgiving, Sarah?" I asked. "Or even cooler, cheesy potatoes like my parents used to make for all holidays?" "I will consider bringing a salad to the party next week, along with our homemade macaroni and cheese," Sarah considered. "Yum," I remarked. "Salad and macaroni and cheese would taste great together." "I brought a lot of my favorite cheeses- Swiss cheese, blue cheese, and monterey jack cheese," James stated. "Angel, you mentioned something about cheesy potatoes. I have not made those, but I have made three-cheese sandwiches for the summer holidays. They taste very good." "I brought even more cheeses- Asiago cheese, camembert cheese, and ricotta cheese," Justin stated. "Holiday hors d'oeuvres, like crackers, would not be complete with cheese, in my opinion. But sadly, I did not bring any crackers to share with you guys today!" "Can I talk now?" Henri asked. "I want to talk about one of my favorite foods in general- pasta, since I brought a lot of them- medium egg noodles, tortellini, and farfalle. Macaroni and cheese with bow tie noodles would taste yummy!" "Henri, when you were in your support group, didn't John Quincy say something about celebrating Hanukkah and eating potato pancakes as one of his favorite holiday foods, also known as latkes?" I asked. "Yes, and he made fun of me for celebrating Christmas," Henri replied. "Maybe, he was jealous because he only celebrated Hanukkah since he was Jewish." "I like pasta, too, and I have brought a lot of my favorite pastas to share- long ziti, fettuccine, and orzo. Fettuccine alfredo is one of my favorite foods to eat!" Max exclaimed. "Okay guys, we are talking about holiday food, not our favorite foods in general," I reminded everybody. "So, does anybody have a favorite holiday food?" "I like green bean casserole," Sarah stated. "I like sweet potato casserole," James added. "I like pecan pie," Henri chimed in. "Alex, Justin, Max, what about you guys?" I asked. "Like I said, Sarah, I like to eat green beans for a holiday vegetable, but either steamed or stir-fried since the casserole is not always healthy," Alex pointed out. "Mashed potatoes and gravy is one of my favorite Thanksgiving foods," Justin added. "I would have to say pumpkin pie because it tastes so good, especially with whipped cream on top," Max chimed in. "As a kid, I used to love Pillsbury crescent rolls. Who doesn't love the Pillsbury Dough Boy?" I asked. "But now, I love Christmas cookies! Did you bring any to share with us, Alex?" "Yes, I did," Alex replied. "What is your favorite kind?" "Chocolate chip cookies, of course," I replied. "I brought a ton of cookies that we can eat for our dessert after dinner today," Alex stated. After our discussion, we went to Uno Chicago Grill in the Waterfront for dinner. Sarah ordered a chicken Caesar salad with savoy cabbage and kale and Alex ordered a berry and goat cheese salad with blueberries and strawberries on top and a side dish of steamed broccoli. James ordered half of a Whole Hog Burger with cheddar, Swiss, and monterey jack cheeses on top and Justin ordered a Windy City Works pizza and a side salad with ricotta cheese on top. Henri ordered macaroni and cheese with farfalle noodles and a side soup with egg noodles inside while Max ordered chicken and broccoli alfredo with fettuccine noodles. I ordered macaroni and cheese to eat, as well. "I'm sorry about what I said to you girls last week at the mall," I apologized to Sarah and Alex. "It's okay, Angel," Sarah agreed. "I just wish that I could fit into size 12 clothes again, like I used to, but I just need to eat less and spend less money on food," I told everyone. "I better offer some fresh vegetables for one of our side dishes, Sarah," Alex admitted. "Do you still want me to bring a salad, Alex?" Sarah asked. "Yes," Sarah replied. "That would be great." "I didn't order a whole cheeseburger, since it wouldn't be healthy, Justin," James admitted. "Is it okay if I have a few onion rings, James?" Justin asked. "Sure," James replied. "Well, you got your fettuccine alfredo like you wanted, Max," Henri stated. "And, you got your macaroni and cheese with bow tie noodles like you wanted, too, Henri," Max stated. "Farfalle," Henri emphasized. "Sarah, did you know that I was having weight loss problems when I graduated high school?" Alex asked. "No, I didn't know that, Alex," Sarah stated. "The day we went to Kennywood, I just had to have junk food, like chicken fingers and fries, as long as I ate healthy during my college years," Alex told us. "I heard that this is the time of year for cookies since I seem to be gaining weight," I stated. "In that case, I will only limit myself to two cookies," Alex decided. "Good choice," Sarah agreed. "You also do not seem as friendly and more tense than you used to be, Alex," I noticed. "Well, I have been very stressed about the holidays, and I have been having a hard time at work," Alex told me. "I also have a case of anxiety and depression." "This is why I am worried about you, Alex," I told my female friend. "Don't worry about me, Angel," Alex told me. "I am still your friend. I am just very busy a lot of the time." "You are just so busy that you wear yourself out a lot of the time," Alex added. After Alex shared her Christmas cookies with us, Sarah, James, and Henri drove me back to my mom's apartment in Highland Park. "Thanks for a great day, everyone!" I thanked my friends. "You're welcome, Angel," Sarah replied. "Bye, guys!" "Bye!"