Me, an inspiration?

Last night I went to a lovely party at a friend's home. It was an all-ladies, mainly neighborhood party. The mood was elegant but delightfully low-key, if that is possible. It was interesting for 2 reasons. First, the hostess is someone who is health conscious and just lost a bunch of weight herself. She says I was her inspiration but obviously she did the work herself. It was interesting to attend a party thrown by someone trying to be healthy.

The second reason it was noteworthy was the reaction my weight loss still seems to garner. I must have heard, to my face, and overhead at least 4 times that I was "an inspiration." I couldn't believe it. I mean, it's been months since I reached my goal weight, and now that it's cold if I am outside at all I'm bundled up in a down puffy coat. Why are people still talking about this? I don't take it pesonally. I've just come to realize that watching your average pudgy mom turn into a trim, toned woman is compelling. It happens to be me but that's incidental. I view myself as a living "before and after" example at this point. Who doesn't love looking at before and after pictures? People gasp when they hear I lost 45 lbs, even though they can tell I look really different. It's a big number.

The food was delicious and healthy. Turkey breast, with cranberry sauce and mustard for condiments, a veggie plate with hummos, a blue cheese ball (not low-fat but it was the only cheese there). The hostess took some roasted pears with procuitto out of the oven while I was standing in the kitchen.

"See Jenna, healthy," she showed me proudly.

Oh my God am I the neighborhood food Nazi? But like I said she just lost a bunch of weight and she said it in a very happy way, like, "look, I'm serving healthy, delicious food and after all, why not?" She's right, why not? Parties do not have to be greasy meatballs.

Despite the yummy pears, the star in my opinion was a beautiful, old fashioned Julia Child salmon mousse, complete with olive eyes and scales made out of a creamy coating (not the one pictured above but close). It was delicious and adorable. The hostess told me she covered the salmon in Greek yogurt instead sour cream because of me. I guess I suggested Greek yogurt as an alternative earlier in the year. It absolutely shocks me that people listen to my suggestions so readily - even if it's just about yogurt. But anyway the food was tasty and it was all really healthy. There were 3 little plates of dessert - 2 kinds of small home made cookies and a little bowl of truffles. It was just enough sweetness and the configuration meant you could have treat like a small Mexican chocolate cookie, or a little truffle without having to negotiate controlling yourself with a big slice of cheesecake on your plate. Party foods can be special without being gratuitous. Perhaps the sweetest thing there were the candy cane martinis. I stopped after 2.