Chew, Chew, Breath

There is a nasty head cold running though our family. I was stuck with it this past week and ended up taking two miserable days off of work. I optimistically stated in an e-mail to my boss that I would check e-mail occasionally. The problem with this was two-fold. One, my pounding, stuffy, dizzy head mixed with a good dose of mind-altering medication would have prevented me from making sense of anything I read or wrote. Two, had I been clear headed enough, the constant dripping from my over-stuffed head would probably short-circuit the laptop.

It was in this circumstance it stuck me as funny that I was having difficulty with dinner. I had been looking forward to dinner in a "comfort food" kind-of-way. As I sat down and started eating I noticed that I couldn't really taste the great meal my wife had cooked*. On top of that, I was surprised how often I had to stop chewing and breath. It was literally "Chew, chew and breath." What do you do when you can't eat and breath at the same time? You end up chewing faster then you're used to and trying to swallow before you are ready. It is a wonder I didn't choke on a large piece of chicken. So much for "comfort-food."

*Legal disclaimer: Taste and smell are linked therefore my perception of the savoriness of the meal was a result of my illness and not the cook’s ability.