HI Klara,
recently i got interviewed by a TV network about macrobiotics and it
really got me thinking about mb as a whole. I think the most
difficult thing about mb is the social aspect. I did not realize
before becoming macro how much of our social life revolves around
food. Since adopting mb i feel much more alienated from my friends
in terms of dinners etc.... I really hate going to dinner and
imposing my food preferences on others so now i just dont go! It
took awhile for them to understand but now they come to mine and we
go out to a neutral place (restaurant etc) where i can choose my
foods. It does happen like at weddings etc. where i sometimes cant
eat the food (in the UK they always have a vegetarian option in case
of despair) and look a bit strange to everyone. So i totally
understand your frustration with others. I recently went to a lunch
with friends - we were about 11 and EVERYONE on the table had a coke
or fizzy and meat. I really felt like i was having lunch in a lions
den or something!!!
However, a lot of my friends (who know about my health issues) have
commented on my improving health and have started to show interest.
I think people in general are showing more interest to their health
with the rise of cancer etc... I have also had a great pregnancy
with no sickness or anything and that has really made some of my
friends interested in mb. The best way is just to go about doing
your own thing and people will stand up and look. However, it is
very very difficult to be different so hopefully one day macro will
be more known and popular so we dont have to be too different!

Sigrun


--- In moderndaymacrobiotics@yahoogroups.com, Klara LeVine
<klara_levine@...> wrote:
>
> Simon,
> I think I may have painted a skewed picture - I was not out to
change anybody, I don't think. We were all sitting around the dinner
table, and it was quite obvious what I was eating was not what
everyone else was eating. So one person asked me, what is it I eat -
maybe I need not to answer and just say not meat, but that doesn't
feel honest to me - maybe I do have a superior attitude that I need
to work on, but when everyone around me is quite heavier than me
(and I'm not skinny) (except thankfully my son so far) and when
everyone seems to be downing aspirins or anti-acids, and I can't
remember the last time I had any such pills in my body (pooh, pooh,
pooh, right? getting too arrogant here??) and even they know that
the Coke they're gulping down isn't so great for them, I guess I do
hope that they will be interested.
> But truly, we've discussed this in the past on the site - I
really haven't nagged my family anymore, or tried to conjole them
into eating my food. And plenty of the discussion around the dinner
table was on other very interesting topics to me. And I truly
realize trying to influence family members is much harder than
strangers.
> I hadn't initiated the discussion. I just wonder why I couldn't
keep myself from getting into it, or if I was going to get into it,
how come I wasn't more convincing. Guess debate isn't my forte. Or
is it possible that maybe I don't believe mb is as great as I would
like to think it is?????
> Anyway, left me with a kind of disappointing feeling - like here
was an opportunity and I blew it.
> Klara
>
> "Simon G. Brown" <simon@...> wrote:
> Hi Klara,
>
> Sounds like an exciting day!
>
> I suppose the big question is why do you care what others think of
macrobiotics? Perhaps you have questions yourself? Is it possible
that you feel a need for greater support? Do you feel you are
macrobiotics and if someone attacks or dismisses macrobiotics they
are attacking or dismissing you?
>
> I think it is natural that we like to do things together and there
is a sense of security in numbers. However this also works the other
way around and some people might see you as a threat to their
security, sense of community and righteousness if you start eating
differently and proclaim your diet to be better and obviously out to
convert some of their members.
>
> Personally I have felt fine with my way of eating and have not
felt any great desire to bring any of my friends over to
macrobiotics. Perhaps this is partly because communicating
macrobiotics is what I do professionally and it is good to just be
with people as we are and enjoy that. I think your thoughts on
macrobiotics will have a much greater impact outside your immediate
circle as people who know you in a social context seem to find it
harder to accept advice.
>
> One thought I have is that I am not convinced eating
macrobiotically is necessarily ideal for everyone. I feel much
better eating this way and I know others who feel the same and have
witnessed people have incredible recoveries from seriously poor
health through eating macrobiotic foods but I do not see it as some
kind of universal panacea or necessarily good for everyone. Over the
years I have developed a greater respect for other people and their
way of thinking or eating and I am much more interested in people
and happier to listen that I used to be.
>
> Perhaps you could just try being interested and seeing what you
can learn from people and out of that you may find they become more
curious about you and have a greater listening to what you say.
>
> This is all rather rambling but I am sure you can get the gist of
what I am trying to say. Finding people interesting, fascinating,
amazing, extraordinary, stimulating might change the dynamic in
those particular situations. I think it might be in our DNA because
Mel is highly talented at this and will naturally find out
everything there is to know about someone over a cup of Kukicha!
>
> Thinking of you.
>
> Love,
>
> Simon
>
>
> On 30/9/07 07:21, "Klara LeVine" <klara_levine@...> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> We had guests who weren't aware of our divided kitchen, and
naturally asked - and there I went again, trying to put into words
that those who eat SAD can understand, trying to make it simple and
appealing, but of course I couldn't tell my husband to not respond -
>
> And he was quite strong in his replies (he's had much
practice :>) ) his main complaint arguing it's like a religion (that
came from my once mentioning someone being a scribe, and he jumped
on that - that's what religious people do) and who's to say what's
yin and yang, the guru's?? - he may be right, but for me it doesn't
diminish mb, but I know he feels invested in winning, so I don't
want to be pulled in yet once again.
>
> I think inside I was hoping to find just the right words that
maybe he would reconsider and see my wisdom :>) It just doesn't work
that way - even after the meal when one of our guests asked for a
pepto-bismo, they just didn't get it!!!!!! !!
>
> I blame myself of course for not eating perfectly - how silly!!!!!
I did share my onion butter (it really was great, with mochi melted
in it) and yes they liked it, but...
>
> Well, maybe just maybe I planted a seed - but why did I feel ever
so frustrated afterwards that I got hooked in once again, when I
told myself I wouldn't bother anymore. I think I was really
frustrated because I didn't convince anyone - oh to get off this
merry-go-round of wanting others to be convinced of how great mb
is!!!!!
>
> Klara
>
>
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