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Eating Competition

If you've shared a meal with me, there are about 50/50 odds that you've heard some variation of the "come y calla" story. It just sort of naturally comes up, because I do eat pretty much anything. And heck, it's a funny story. On the other hand, there are some folks who are picky about their food. As you can imagine, it gets very interesting when these people get paired up with me or my siblings.

Well, guess what? My brother and sister both married people who are somewhat picky eaters. I sort of take it for granted that we're going to have a broader palette than most people, but they're also on the other side of the norm. So, if we're below average in terms of being exacting about our food, they're both above average. As you can imagine, this has led to a few amusing exchanges.

Now, both of my siblings' spouses recognize that they don't eat the same things that we do. They also have senses of humor about the whole thing, so they poke fun of themselves. They also keep an eye on each other, since they are basically each other's barometers. If my brother-in-law is eating the buns, then my sister-in-law might take a second look at the buns. More importantly, since they inevitably get introduced to other foods around their spouses, they have expanded their palettes.

You know what that means? That means that they are constantly making gains in this category, but they have no idea how much the other spouse has gained. Remember, they roughly act as each other's measuring stick. So, it's not surprising for one of them to think they've pulled into the lead, or for one of them to wonder who has a more diverse diet. In short, they compete a little bit with each other.

Let me tell you, it's funny as heck to watch play out. I've heard, "oh, I'd totally eat that, and I bet you [other in-law] wouldn't" a few times. There have been several discussions involving my siblings and I about who would win in a fictional eating contest. We've even broken it down by category: there is an expected front-runner for a dim sum meal, for example. The best part is that the conversation never gets old. Every few months, one of the two will decide to try a new dish, or that person will be feeling whimsical. So, it's never the same comparison. I've also heard, "wait, but I eat [some dish] now. I'd totally win now!"

Well, the Mild Girlfriend has been present for one or two of these conversations. So, naturally, someone asked how she would fare if she were present in this imagined eating contest. Quite simply, she'd clean up. Her eating habits are a lot closer to mine than to my in-laws, so it's her battle to lose.

Well, okay, if that's not a fair fight, what would happen if we tried to even the odds? What if it was two versus one? Yes, we actually had this conversation. I was laughing my head off the whole time. It was hilarious. In the end, we sort of agreed that it'd probably be a tie, but that the Mild Girlfriend had a natural advantage. As my brother put it, the spouses were playing for a tie.

You know what? Now I kind of hope this eating competition happens at some point. I would be the one off to the side laughing the whole time.

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