Fat man

[ailbhe]

Today I saw a very very very fat man in a café - a man I first spoke to in the café I used to go to when Linnea was an infant - and smiled at him. It was, unfortunately, a donut café, and he immediately started to talk about articles about why people crave fat, sugar and salt, and also to reassure me that he only drinks coffee in cafés like that, he doesn't eat the donuts.

We did change the subject when Linnea asked for words beginning in Z, and then accused me of making words up (Zoroastrian, Zarathustra) and he defended me to her. So that was nice. But I wish I'd been able to think of a way to say "You can eat donuts if you like. It's none of my business," to him. He didn't know I recognised him, I think; my hair and my family look quite different now! So he just thought I was staring at him because he was fat.

Which I wasn't, particularly. It was a useful distinguishing characteristic which helped me to recognise him, though. Perhaps that's just as bad.

As Rob said, if eating donuts made you fat, what size would WE be?!

Comments

[redshira.livejournal.com]

I think I would have said something very like "you can eat doughnuts if you like, it's none of my business" but I imagine it would have less potential for upset coming from very fat me. Also, I don't think it's bad that his fatness helped you to recognise him - it's not something you were judging him for. When I arrange to meet people in person for the first time I tell them to look for the very fat woman with long dark hair because it's just part of how I can be recognised.