Monday, May 16, 2011

In-N-Tears

Let me sum up:
Video of the opening day of the Dallas In-N-Out (if you don't have 2 whole minutes to spare, skip to 0:58-1:30).

Let me splain:
I've devoted very little space to what a food-geek I am. I don't get snobby about many foods (other than Mexican food...as a transplant from California to the Midwest). But do I spend an enormous amount of time thinking about and enjoying food. For instance, my husband is about to do a bike marathon, and I spent 2 hours today googling delicious off-road sites where I can eat while I'm shlepping his gear from one town to another by car. Also, the main perk of my current psychology internship is that I get to be a cheese mule for an amazing local goat cheese (and get free samples) when I commute home on the weekends. Also also, I recently consumed my first (but not last) donut cheeseburger.

One of the first research labs I worked in studied hedonic capacity--essentially, the ability to enjoy things. I am very high on what they call anticipatory hedonic capacity (interestingly, this is often impaired in folks with schizophrenia). Early on while dating me, my husband realized you can't mention getting Japanese food in the morning and then decide you want pizza while driving to dinner. I've been thinking about that sushi all day, dang nab it...things could get ugly.

As a former Californian, I know that few things match the food fervor surrounding In-N-Out. I anticipate those burgers like few others (Kuma's Corner did recently blow my mind, though). Pre-smart phone, my husband and I had a hard-copy map to track In-N-Outs on our annual drive home for Christmas. I used to have a contest with another friend who had departed California to see who could eat at In-N-Out the most times during visits home. I remember feeling über-cool in Jr. High, in the back seat of my sister's boyfriend's car, enjoying a 3x3 while they ate their grilled cheeses with grilled onions (an enormous boon to vegetarians). All of which is to say, I feel your tears, random Dallas lady.

~Geek out

3 comments:

  1. Hi!
    I was so dang proud of myself for knowing what anticipatory hedonic capacity was AND how it is impaired in some schizophrenics (a good friend of mine has it, but we, oddly, have yet to talk about food. lol!)
    I am also a vegetarian, so the grilled cheese sounds good right now. But I have Dr. Pepper. So there. Anyway, I facepalmed because I had to look up the word 'boon'. That's a new word I'll be using tomorrow! :D Thanks!

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  2. Yeah, their grilled cheeses are amaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaazing! Never anything wrong with googling a new word :)

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  3. I wonder if there's an In-and-Out where I live. Hmm. :)

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