I always seem to focus on negative stuff not because there aren’t any positives but because truly, as a political animal, I am keen on those social ills we need to improve, not the ones that are already OK.
Today, as I was reading some posts about food policing and the social control people will have to endure during the festivities, I realized I don’t recall ever being food policed since I live here. Now, I am not saying it does not happen. I am sure it does because these days it seems to be a universal phenomenon of sorts. Probably it happens in the intimacy of families or maybe among young people. But really, I don’t recall a single instance where I was made uncomfortable or judged for what I was eating, how I was eating, etc. Not even by my doctor or all the doctors that treated me a year ago when I had surgery. Moreover, I remember I had a chat with the anesthetist right before my surgery and he asked my weight and I explained as a matter of habit I don’t weight myself because I had disordered eating issues in the past and it was best for me not to focus on that stuff. He asked if my weight fluctuates and when I said no, I’ve been the same weight for over a decade (I can tell by the clothes I own and wear) he remarked then it was probably my natural weight and I should keep on doing what I do. Then he said he would have to weight me for the anesthesia and asked me not to look. He said I didn’t need to and that the figure was only necessary to calculate the right dose he had to use. I commented my trainer at the gym had made calculations for my BMI/ weight to create my training program and if he wanted I could bring those, etc. No, not at all necessary.
And then, everywhere you go in public in The Netherlands, people openly eat in the streets. People of all ages and sizes and social backgrounds. It’s very much part of the culture and again, nobody will give you a second look, especially outside the tourist areas where foreigners seem a bit taken aback by this behavior. Coming from the extremely oppressive food culture of large South American cities where women are constantly bombarded with messages from media, family, peers, friends, colleagues, etc about body sizes, diets, what is and is not acceptable regarding food, I have to say, this nonchalant attitude to food and eating is a breeze of fresh air for me.
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