Sneaking Into the Buffet Line: "What does this remind me of?"
Last Saturday afternoon I went to the Golden Corral restaurant to meet 3 of my team members for lunch. Lyle MacDonald and I (the Team High 5 science geeks) had planned to share notes on a nutrition seminar that we are preparing to give to our team.
I paid, told the cashier I was meeting some friends who had already arrived, and walked into the restaurant to find them. Along the way, I was stopped by one of the hosts, who asked me, "Did she ring you up already?" I said yes, and mumbled something about finding my friends who had already been seated. Suddenly I realized he was accusing me of trying to get into the buffet without paying! I glared at him, dug into my pocket for the receipt, and flung it down on my tray.
I guess my hands were shaking pretty badly because as soon as I found Rex, Lyle, and Caleb and tried to set the tray down on the table, I promptly dumped my entire glass of water across the table and onto Caleb's full plate of food. OK, so I was upset. Enraged. But still, I seemed to be over-reacting. Why, exactly, did I have such a strong reaction to being accused of sneaking into the buffet? I didn't figure it out until the next morning.
My buddy Derek tells me that any time you have a negative reaction that is out of proportion to the precipitating event, then you are being reminded of something that happened to you in the past. So, in order to figure out why you're feeling what you're feeling, you have to ask yourself, "What does this remind me of?"
Last season, after making the Fall World Cup Team, I walked into one of the catered dinners that is offered to the National Team at the Oval a few times a week. I knew that the food is paid for by the USOC (not US Speedskating), and as an athlete who is qualified to represent the USA in international competition, I figured I was entitled to a few crumbs off their massive tablecloth.
"I'm sorry, Eva. You can't eat this food. We have to make sure that nobody who isn't in the National Team program gets any of it," said one of the coaches.
Oh well. I walked home and opened a can of tuna, mixed in some mayo, and threw a sandwich together.
A couple of weeks later, Kip Carpenter - who had watched as I was denied food that day- informed me that he had asked some USOC lawyers about the situation, and they concluded that as a World Cup qualifier, I have a right to that food, even though I choose to train under a program other than the US National Team. But by that point I wouldn't have been able to eat their food anyways. It would have gotten stuck in my throat.
Last Saturday afternoon I went to the Golden Corral restaurant to meet 3 of my team members for lunch. Lyle MacDonald and I (the Team High 5 science geeks) had planned to share notes on a nutrition seminar that we are preparing to give to our team.
I paid, told the cashier I was meeting some friends who had already arrived, and walked into the restaurant to find them. Along the way, I was stopped by one of the hosts, who asked me, "Did she ring you up already?" I said yes, and mumbled something about finding my friends who had already been seated. Suddenly I realized he was accusing me of trying to get into the buffet without paying! I glared at him, dug into my pocket for the receipt, and flung it down on my tray.
I guess my hands were shaking pretty badly because as soon as I found Rex, Lyle, and Caleb and tried to set the tray down on the table, I promptly dumped my entire glass of water across the table and onto Caleb's full plate of food. OK, so I was upset. Enraged. But still, I seemed to be over-reacting. Why, exactly, did I have such a strong reaction to being accused of sneaking into the buffet? I didn't figure it out until the next morning.
My buddy Derek tells me that any time you have a negative reaction that is out of proportion to the precipitating event, then you are being reminded of something that happened to you in the past. So, in order to figure out why you're feeling what you're feeling, you have to ask yourself, "What does this remind me of?"
Last season, after making the Fall World Cup Team, I walked into one of the catered dinners that is offered to the National Team at the Oval a few times a week. I knew that the food is paid for by the USOC (not US Speedskating), and as an athlete who is qualified to represent the USA in international competition, I figured I was entitled to a few crumbs off their massive tablecloth.
"I'm sorry, Eva. You can't eat this food. We have to make sure that nobody who isn't in the National Team program gets any of it," said one of the coaches.
Oh well. I walked home and opened a can of tuna, mixed in some mayo, and threw a sandwich together.
A couple of weeks later, Kip Carpenter - who had watched as I was denied food that day- informed me that he had asked some USOC lawyers about the situation, and they concluded that as a World Cup qualifier, I have a right to that food, even though I choose to train under a program other than the US National Team. But by that point I wouldn't have been able to eat their food anyways. It would have gotten stuck in my throat.
posted by Eva at 9:11 AM
<< Home