The Shame of Crunch
Ever since I discovered the wonders of raw vegetables as a young teenager, I’ve been eating as much of them as I can; take one look at one of my hummus plates, and it’s easy to see that I love me some crunch action. Unfortunately, crunch is not always welcome. In the interest of both my wallet and my health, I pack meals with some regularity, for traveling and for work. While packing a stack of carrots may seem delicious at the time of meal assembly, time and again I fail to remember that raw vegetables are loud. Inevitably hunger strikes during a quiet lull at work, or even better, in the midst of a dead silent plane ride. In situations such as these, I am faced with a dilemma: satisfy my hunger or maintain my dignity?
I thought my crunch-induced humiliation would subside after my teenage years, but apparently it’s a characteristic that has followed me into adulthood. Just this evening, I found myself breaking my carrots and celery into tiny pieces to perhaps deaden the intense crunch level. Oy.
Anyone else experience “the shame of crunch?” I know there are several fellow veggie lovers out there…
Here’s what I ate today, in all its crunchy glory:
I made a Banana Energy Sundae this morning, but today’s version was decidedly more simple. For the crunch factor, I used Barbara’s Shredded Oats. Two thumbs up!
For lunch, I put together a few of my favorite ingredients for a colorful salad. Purple sweet potatoes rock my socks.
I worked the evening shift at work, so I brown-bagged it. The wrap contains a white bean spread I whipped up with cashews and fresh basil. Embarrassing side items included carrots, celery, and an apple.
Alright, time to work on my snackin’ skillz. Ciao.
Filed under: Meals
Hello and welcome! I have created this blog for people who love food, especially healthful, vegetarian food.
I have just graduated from Duke University with degrees in English and psychology. I plan to pursue a master's degree in nutrition starting in Fall 2010. Ideally, I would like to combine my love of food and the written word someday as a health writer.
Lol veggies are pretty loud. I get that all the time
I don’t care about how loud the crunch is, though one co-worker of mine seems to always give me a look when she sees the raw veggies I bring everyday
Btw I LOVE purple sweet potatoes too!! Probably my favorite variety. They’re so nutty and sweet!
ahh i am SO with you on this one. on the days i bring my lunch to work, i get dirty looks because my favorite foods are either raw and crunchy (carrots, celery, cukes, etc) or micro’d and stinky (brussel sprouts, broccoli)!!! so embarrassing.
Nothing embarrassing about apples, carrots, and celery! Crunch them with pride.
Your breakfast sundae looks fabulous. I’ve never tried Barbara’s shredded oats…I can never seem to get past her PB Puffins.
haha- I crunch away every day at my desk. I used to feel bad for my office mate…now I think hes just used to it. Purple sweet potato? I need one…stat. And the banana energy sundae looks awesome. I am totally going to have to try one of your tofu recipes after my epic fail!
haha, I know exactly what you´re talking about! sometimes I even feel too embarrassed to eat a simple apple
depending on where I am, of course. THE solution: smoothies and soups in portable cups – enjoy the freshness in perfect silence. oh, unless you´re using a straw – the last few sips are dangerous *lol*
sometimes if i’m crunchin’ in class i feel bad, but i think it’s mostly paranoia since i’ve never gotten any dirty looks for it. except for once when i brought my own carrot sticks to the movie theater…heh…
I used to crunch carrots ALL the time in class. It kind of kept me awake, too.
Crunch on with pride!
I used to have an evening class during my usual dinner hour; I often brought raw veggies and chewed VERY slowly haha to minimize the sound. No one seemed to care, though.
Sometimes I would stick to less noisy things, like overnight oats
I’ve definitely had the embarrassing crunch happen! Luckily during undergrad I worked with people who understood my healthy eating and seemed to tolerate my crunching. The other day I brought a container of crunchy cereal to the movies and realized I couldn’t/shouldn’t eat it
. I have never even seen purple sweet potatoes, I definitely need to find one!
aiiiiiiiiiiiiiin’t no shame in the crunch girl. i’m the crunch queen! actually my dad is the crunch king but in the MOST annoying way. like stand over you with a loud pita chip and make sure you hear him crunch from 10 miles away.
purrrrrrrrple sweet potato!!!! WHY do they not bring those to new york!
I’m never embarrassed by what I eat because, at the risk of sounding haughty, I know it’s better and healthier than what most everyone else is eating! Crunch those carrots with pride. I think the sound is louder than your head than it is to others anyway, as long as you keep your mouth closed when you chew!
Definitely no shame at all, I am always happy to eat my crunchy veggies and fruits and if any dirty looks come in my direction I don’t even mind as normally it comes from those who don’t eat healthy at all and are always crunching on potato chips. So yes, I crunch with pride!!
Of course there are times when the loudness of raw carrots might be disturbing in a not so good way (depending on the place), but for most of the time it is just a matter of me being happy to eat my veggies, and so I munch away!
Wraps with bean dip and spinach are the best! yummy!
Ana
It boggles my mind that’s a sweet potato. Nature’s colors are crazy sometimes.
I’d rather hear the “crrrrrrunch” of vegetables than hear people chewing with their mouth open, licking grease off their fingers, or making slopping noses with their cheeseburgers. Perhaps I am being merely biased towards healthy food, but noises aren’t as offensive when they come from a plant than when it’s some sort of fast food.
Last time I experienced crunch shame was when I had a bag of carrots (not baby ones) on an airplane. You never realize how quite everything else is until you take that first bite.