During and after my frying session the other day, I realised that one of the reasons I don’t fry things often, is because fried food is largely considered bad for you. And yeah, I get it, all this oil, absorbed by whatever it is you’re cooking, is not the healthiest thing. My meals during the week are on the light side, varying from usually raw vegetables, cooked brown rice, quinoa or couscous, to steamed or baked fish and roast chicken, soups in the winter and salads during spring and summer. It sounds quite boring, but having a more or less specific diet not only prevents me from feeling too full afterwards, but also minimises time and effort in the kitchen.

On the weekends however, I usually forget about all those ingredients that I love, and get my hands on others that I love equally. First of all, butter. Man, I can’t even begin to explain or elaborate on how much I love butter, in all its forms and all its glory. There’s also a rotation of the following: croissants (and what do you know, there’s butter in here as well), lots of dessert and insane amounts of cheese. And, as we eat out at least once a week, our meals often involve greasy stir fry, burgers and fries (lots of them; and btw people, never, ever agree to get fries ‘to share’- it’s a trap. Get your own.), or Southern-style food, hence lots of sauce and lots of fried stuff. Damn, I’m hungry.

I guess all of the above fall into the not-so-healthy category. Which can then lead to the I-feel-guilty-I-ate-this category. Which I really don’t get. The whole ‘guilty pleasures’ thing is very confusing to me, whether it’s food, or music and films- if it makes you happy, why feel guilty about it? (What I do get is keeping away from things that don’t feel good for you. Trust your gut and your body, not necessarily your scale or what you read is what I’m saying.)

As a teenager, food was (kind of) a confusing thing for me; I loved eating, but I also wanted to be skinny. And as it’s hard to combine the two, guilt would often set in. I think (hope is probably a more appropriate word) that once you hit thirty, you get a little wiser, you start giving less of a crap and you eventually love the body you’ve had for all these years. I’m not sure I’m wiser, but I’ve fully embraced my love for delicious food and the fact that I’m lucky enough to be able to get my hands on a variety of ingredients and taste different cuisines; also, instead of being skinny, now I want to be healthy and strong. Apart from age, what also helps a lot is that the people in my life, my family, partner and friends, love indulging and know how to do it right, whether it’s food, alcohol or entertainment.

I can’t imagine living a life without indulgences- in moderation, sure, but they have to be there. We need them, we need to stray every once in a while and we need to have a taste of something that’s not part of our routine.

What about you? Do you indulge and enjoy it, or often feel guilty about it? (Please don’t!)

*Pictured above, my all time favourite indulgence: Ritz crackers. I don’t have them too often, but when I do, angels sing. And I always have them when I’m alone. Not out of guilt- but out of fear that I may have to share them.