Going out for business lunches is always a ridiculous experience. "Why are you eating like that?" - where that refers to something other than french fries and fatty meat. "I'm on a diet." "You don't look like you need to be on a diet." Well, no shit, right? Isn't that sort of the point?
Imagine how stupid that conversation would be in any other context.
"What are you doing today?" "Working." "Why are you working? You already have a job." Completely moronic, and yet when you change the context to dieting, suddenly no one can understand why a guy who looks fit is eating lean meat and vegetables.
Dave Tate captures the moment and sentiment:
You ever go out with a bunch of people for dinner when you're dieting? Isn't that a fucked up situation?
Let's say you're at a table with seven people and everyone's ordering their food. You're at the end so you're ordering last. They're getting ribs, chicken strips, spaghetti, and whatever. No one in the group cares what they're ordering. The conversation stays the same. Then it comes to you and your first question is, "How do you prepare your chicken breasts?"
People start looking at you.
Then you order two plain chicken breasts with a side of broccoli with no butter or seasoning. The waiter writes it down and off he goes to the kitchen. Now everyone's looking at you like you're a freak.
They didn't care that your other friend was eating ribs. They didn't say shit when the guy ordered his chicken strips. So how is your meal selection any different? It blows my mind.
If you ordered something that was complete shit, no one would say anything. But because you ordered something to help you achieve a goal, it's a problem. And now for the next ten minutes you're having that stupid fucking conversation.
"It's so easy for you to lose weight," they say. "I can't do it."
And you're thinking, really? Here I am at Outback Steakhouse ordering two plain chicken breasts and broccoli – which is gonna cost me 40 bucks by the way – and it's easy? This is something I want to do? You think I want to sit here and watch you fuckers eat wings and ribs? I'm here for your company, not to give you dieting tips you're not gonna listen to.
