You Want Fries With That?

My parents and nine-year-old niece babysat Vaught for us on New Year's Eve so that we could go see a movie, something we used to love to do and of course have not done in months. Within a few minutes of returning home, my niece asked me "What's the no French fry challenge?" I was confused for a moment. Then I thought Oh, she must be reading my blog! because I knew I had mentioned it on here in my New Year's Resolutions post. But later while making bottles, I noticed this lying beside the container of formula, and I knew she had to have seen it while making Vaught a bottle (she's nine, but she knows how to do all that stuff).

 

I began writing this list at work one day on a crinkled envelope I'd meant to throw away. For my blog post I combined a few of the resolutions for a shorter, more concise post. I kept this list just for motivation while writing. Most of the things on the list are pretty self-explanatory, but I could understand my niece's curiosity at the "no French fry challenge from 2012," so I begin to explain it to her. Then, even though they were gathering up their things to leave, my parents began to get it on the questioning. Thus, this blog post happened.

In the fall of 2010, I began prepping to go through sorority rush at Ole Miss. I was a sophomore there and met with a group of girls once a week who were also upperclassmen preparing to rush. After a rush meeting one night, we all had dinner at a burger joint near the historic Oxford Square. While placing our orders, my friend asked for a replacement side instead of fries with her burger. I didn't really pay the substitution any attention until our food arrived and after a few minutes, I offered her some of my fries when I realized I wasn't going to finish mine. "No, thanks," she said. "My new year's resolution was to not eat any fries this year, and I've almost made it." Everyone else at the table acted like it was no big deal, but I couldn't believe it. How does anyone eat a hamburger without any fries?! I probably annoyed her with all my questions, but she basically just told me that she thought it'd be an interesting challenge to try for 2010.

I didn't get motivated to do it myself until 2012. I made it all the way until May. I was proctoring a state test one day with another lady, and it seemed that the hall monitors had forgotten about us, for we weren't given a break to eat until nearly three o'clock that day. I had forgotten my lunch, and what did they bring me? A basket of fries. I couldn't say no, so there went the challenge. I suppose I could have continued with it, but to me it wouldn't have been fair. The goal was to not eat a single French fry for an entire year, no exceptions.

So now it's 2015, and I'm at it again. I don't have a French fry weakness, I don't even eat them all that often, but I am going to go an entire year without one.

The Conditions

I cannot order French fries in a restaurant. I can order roasted potatoes, mashed potatoes, or a baked potatoes, but no fries.

I can make my own fries. I make a "not-so-fried-fries" dish where I cut up potatoes, season, and bake them. Since they are not deep fried and covered in fat and oil, these don't count.

I cannot order sweet potato fries either, but I can make them the same way as listed above.

No waffle fries either!

Basically, I just have to make it a year without ordering fries from a restaurant menu or fast food window.

The Reward

Uhh... Pride, I guess..? I totally get why my friend did this in 2010... Wouldn't it be cool to say you went an entire year without a fry?!

 The picture above is my very last plate of fries for an entire year! We went out to eat before the movie New Year's Eve, so I ordered this as our appetizer. No shame in sharing that I ate well over half this plate! I don't know if any weight loss can be attributed to cutting out fries, but I will say that this will be perfect motivation to order healthier options as sides, even if I am indulging in a burger!

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Did any of you make any unique resolutions for the new year?