Full Plate

When I was younger I hated eating dinner.  Frankly eating at all sort of got in the way of all my chattering.  If my mom would have let me main line chicken nuggets I probably would have taken that option, just to keep my mouth empty.

Growing up this discouraged and confused my older sister (I will call her Sweddy) to no end.  She and our older brother would snarf down their dinner while I regaled the family with tales from my day or random thoughts in my head.  Then I would be there with a full plate of (cold) dinner.  Nary a bite taken.

Table empty.  Plate full.  No fun.

After finishing her own dinner, Sweddy would ask my mom, "Can Nikki play?"  The reply was always, "She can play after she eats dinner."

My sister would heave a heavy sigh, grab a fork and eat my dinner.

This was nightly.

As we grew up I began to eat my own dinner.  Eventually my parents had another daughter 6 years after me.  (My kids call her Aunt ZZ, so I will call her ZZ here)

ZZ and Sweddy are eaters.  ZZ still even calls me to fill me in on the amazing amount of food she consumes before lunch on some days. She works with our dad and once she ate her own lunch, her afternoon snack and our dad's lunch all before noon.

A few weekend's ago Sweddy got married to her college sweetheart.  ZZ and I gave a little speech at the rehearsal dinner.  We were first up and provided comic relief to the others in attendance while they ate, obviously, this is my wheelhouse. 

Then ZZ and I got some dinner and watched the other speakers.  The way we were sitting I was in front of ZZ with my back to my plate. 

ZZ ate my dinner.  The only thing she didn't eat was my sausage- four 3 inch cubes.

I also missed out on key lime pie because I was too busy entertaining the masses that I failed to even realize there was dessert at the rehearsal.

The next day at the (gorgeous- straight out of a magazine) wedding dinner, my food was again snatched away after I had only taken a bite or two.  I believe there was a salad of some kind and possible a shrimp.  I have no clue.

The waiter basically ran past the table with a plate of food and if you were quick enough with your fork, well then lucky you.

Of course, later the photographer caught me sneaking a cookie (re: shoveling many stale cookies in my mouth) off the tray in the long ago departed pre-ceremony "staging area".  Leaving the photographic impression that I am the fatty fatty two by four of the sisterly bunch.

 I do feel the need to note that both of these sisters are tall and thin and seemingly in great physical condition.  The amount of food they eat when they are together is astounding.