Ruth Reichl’s Very Honest, Very Moving Views On Being a Woman in Food: ‘Big Women Don’t Get a Pass’

 

Leave it to Ruth Reichl to be candid yet humble about what it means to be a woman who, you know, cares just an iota about her weight and what not, and working in food. Namely that being a plus-size woman sets yourself up for a lot of hardship.

In a new episode of Cherry Bombe radio, cover girl Reichl talks about her morning routine: she cooks a big breakfast for her husband, but doesn’t necessarily partake. The conversation progresses to some #realtalk:

“This is a hard thing to admit, but not getting fat is one of the things, it takes up a lot of energy in my life. I’m someone who loves sitting down to a long leisurely meal, — I don’t get up hungry. And cooking this big breakfast for Michael satisfies all of my food needs for the morning moments, and I try to save my calories for later in the day. …

“It’s really had to be a food person and be a woman who — not only are you yourself affected by your body image but I think the world is … men have a different way of being in the world. You know, big men are ‘full,’ … they get a pass. Big women don’t. And as someone who was a fat teenager and was miserable about it, I just don’t want to be fat again. It’s a hard admission. I wish I didn’t care.”

So much of her habits come from “knowing yourself,” and learning to “study your own appetites.” Still, a pleasant surprise from a woman in food who’s not afraid to talk about how damn hard it is sometimes.

Also in the episode: storytelling tips and memories from growing up, her “complete addiction to fiction,” and the Gourmet stories she thought she’d be fired over. Good stuff.

[Heritage Radio Network]

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