flowers reading news It's Like This flowers reading news
Previous Index Next

Don't Talk Tofu To Me

17.March.2005

Today we’re going to discuss Tofu and it’s heart healthy benefits in a diet low in salt (taste) and sugar (fun). We’ll discuss that right after we discuss the conspiracy to make me believe that my memory is failing. Which it isn’t. Today someone came up to me in public and spoke to me. Now normally I don’t go out in public to talk to anyone. You’re all strangers out there and I prefer to be left alone in my own little world as I go to the bank or surreptitiously hide chocolate bars under tubs of tofu in my grocery cart. If you can’t see it then there are no calories in it, got it? Good. I don’t go out to have people talk to me. I can talk to myself just fine, thank you very much. And I often do. I’m a wonderful conversationalist. Just ask me.

This person who spoke to me had the audacity to call me by name and inquire after my health. “Pam! Hi! (big smile) How are you? Are you feeling better?”

Better than what, I nearly asked. Better than someone who pretends Tofu is real food? She had a look of concern pasted on her face and try as I might I had no earthly idea who she was or how she knew I’d been under the weather. My health is a closely guarded secret, accessible to only the chosen few who have passed rigorous background checks. I was unsure how she’d passed that test without my knowledge.

“Oh hi! I’m uh, better. Yes, feeling much better. Thanks so much for asking!” I said this as I secretly nudged the chocolate bars further under the tofu in what I hoped was a sneaky maneuver. The woman said she was so glad I was feeling better and she’d see me later.

See me later where exactly, I wanted to ask. But I refrained. It would only have led to more conversation with someone I considered a stranger and I’m big on obeying my mother’s admonitions not to speak to those kinds of people. It’s never too late to obey your Mother.

Lest you think this was a one-time occurrence, let me assure you that this has been going on for years. People come up to me in public places and call me by name and talk to me! So much talking! And what’s worse is they fully expect me to know them and to talk back! This is the stuff of nightmares.

A few years ago I was sitting in the hospital lobby awaiting my third poke of the day. I was heavy with child and apparently that wasn’t enough suffering in and of itself, no, they needed to make sure I didn’t have gestational diabetes. This required four separate blood draws. A woman walked up to me in my beached whale state, called me by name and asked me why I didn’t come to our high school reunion party the night before. I so desperately wanted to point to the obvious growth in my abdomen region and tell her that I had a tumor of unknown origin and until they figured out what it was I was confined to the hospital. I didn’t. I smiled as she went on and on about people that I was supposed to know, but didn’t have any recollection of and events that I’d supposedly been to but again had no memory of. I was sure I’d never attended her high school.

I was trapped. My knowledge of encountering wild animals in the forest was useful in this situation. I sat very still, made no sudden moves and never said a word in hopes that the woman (wild beast) would soon tire of me and go off to torture some other person who didn’t know her. It worked. She said she’d see me later and I resisted the impulse to ask her where that would be exactly, so I could avoid that place like the plague. Then she left.

I still have no idea who she was and quite frankly I don’t care. This is a conspiracy to make me feel old and feeble. Well I’m not buying into all that hype about memory loss and aging. Besides, I eat tofu. At least I think I do.
Previous Index Next

editor's note: due to stoopid people who can't behave in public (ie, spammers) we have had to turn off the comment feature on our older columns. We'll try waiting a while and then turning it back on to see if they get bored and go away. In the mean time, we will manually add any REAL comments if you email them to us. The link is below.


You rock! While you can't remember me, just trust that you owe me some money, I think it was $500. send it this week. I appreciate it ;) LOL You have a gift my dear :o) and I think I just saw someone steal your chocolate!
Spasm
twilight zone, USA USA -
You made me laugh again, Pamela! But I knew you would. How you doing and hope you're feeling better. :-) Keep up the good work! (Chocolate bars? I don't have any chocolate bars)
Libby
Fullerton, CA USA -
It was a great day, the day I realized that I didn't give a crap if everyone knew I ate chocolate and not tofu. I don't even bother putting tofu in my cart, I proudly display my chocolate habbits for all known and unknown to see. Is that why nobody talks to me in public?
Jenny P
Puyallup, WA USA -
love it! I have to send this to another friend of mine it sounds just like her, minus the tofu. I had a similar experience here my first time at Costco. The check out person looked at my license and I had to say we just moved here. She asked if we were moving back? I said no this was the first time here. Then she said well I must have seen you last time then. I am thinking no, you must be mistaking me for another hacked out pregnant mom who just survived a 2000 mile move wanting to take solace in my 60oz. bag of chocolate chips. But I just smiled and moved on...and cracked into my chocolate chips in the car.
Jenny W
Puyallup, WA USA -
Great stuff, Miss P. That is why I always have several sarcastic replies locked and loaded for situations like that one. "I really wanted to go to the reunion, but they've got this silly rule about chemical weapons..."
Cynic
USA -
Lol @ not knowing who the people are who come up to you! Could it be that some are just readers whom you truly don't know, but they see your pic and know you on site, so just start talking? Of course, I wouldn't be able to do that to someone, I'd be too nervous, lol.
Carolyn
CA USA -
very funny and has happened to me too hehe
Christine
NJ USA -
Pamela, I had to laugh ... but I usually hide my chocolate bars under the bananas, broccoli or apples. I don't even pretend to like tofu, but I'll eat about anything. Mike
Mike Patterson
OH USA -
Hey...umm errr. well...you know who you are! It's me...umm errr. well...ME! I am glad to see you umm errr...well...well! be sure to give my regards to umm errr...well your whatever. you are just a diamond in the umm errr...well...potato salad. Somebody should syndicate you in the Miami...umm errr...well Peapicker. so... be sure to say hey to ummm errr...well...you know. toodle...umm errr...well...looo!
somebody Idonowski
somewhere, USA -
"Hi, Pam! How's it going!" I take it that means I have the security clearance? :-) I love your column! thanks again for the laughs!
Jeri Lynn
Shoreline, WA USA -

Scripts modified from Matt Wright's guestbook. His scripts can be found at Matt's Script Archive

Email Me At

ŠAll work is copyrighted and cannot be used without the written permission of the author