I woke up on the wrong side of the bed today. I am rather perplexed as to why things started off on such a bad note this morning - my dad took the dogs for their morning poopy walk, the shower water was warm, coffee was made, and I even had time to make omelettes for Butterfinger and I before we started working. For some mind-boggling reason I am just completely exhausted, despondant, and indifferent. I suppose it has something to do with my feminine moon cycles, but regardless, it is hard to get anything done when your brain feels like its missing and your body was beaten repeatedly by a North Philly gang.

After briefly falling asleep in the van this afternoon, (I thought a nap would be a good way to recharge my leaky battery) I headed to a local drug store to get a drink. I initially picked up a Starbucks iced coffee beverage, but a Godiva choco-delight caught my eyes, Godiva Chocolate Mocha. Glowing in its red and golden casing with subtle embellishments, it looked perfectly delectable. I could hardly wait to get back to Butterfinger’s dad’s house to enjoy my chocolicious beverage straight from heaven. At last, I thought, this will help to perk up my spirits and brighten my day, and for a few minutes as I was enjoying my too-good-to-be-true beverage this was the case.

It was not until I put my drink down to restrain one of the dogs and let the DirecTV man in that I realized something was awry. On the back of the bottle, in small black letters, read the date, Nov 18 07. November 18, 2007?! Now, I am not a big stickler for expiration dates, I tend to run with the school of thought that believes an expiration date is simply a guideline for you to follow for best taste. There are so many preservatives in most foods these days that the stuff they use to keep the food fresh is probably worse for you than eating it past the expiration date anyway. I have been known to use hamburger helper that has gone a month or so past its prime, and I actually prefer to eat bananas when they are completely brown on the outside.

This expiration date philosophy is not all-inclusive, there are certain foods with which the spoil date is non-negotiable. Within the top three of these items is the main ingredient in my Godiva delight - milk. As a child I had the unfortunate experience of leaving a cup of milk out in our basement for an extended period of time. After a week or so under a table I rediscovered the milk, I had wrongfully assumed was cleaned up by my mom, only to find the milk was well on its way to becoming cheese. This curds and whey experience has stuck with me, and I will not drink milk or consume any milk containing ingredient even one day after its expiration date, at least that held true until today.

I am somewhat comforted by the fact that my deceptively delicious chocolate beverage did not have the foul, rotten, pungent tang often associated with spoiled milk products. As I do with many other processed foods, I will rely on the preservatives to keep my stomach safe from harm, and I will most likely remain close to a toilet for at least the next 24 hours. It is now about 2 hours post rotten liquid ingestion and I am feeling fairly ok; I am even starting to get hungry in anticipation of the fancy dinner we are meeting my parents for in about an hour or so. I can only hope this post will serve as a reminder to all of you to check your expiration dates.

January 16th, 2008 | Friendly Encounters, Natural Disasters, Startup Diet