Old Dogs, New Tricks

They Say You Can’t Teach an Old Dog New Tricks.
(Maybe Cara and I are still young enough to try.)

“Cara, come here, Sweetie. Cara. Cara.”

Helana’s shy and nervous greyhound shifted her feet back and forth as she calculated how best to escape me.

It was only our second intern meeting. I had never been upstairs, where the greyhound hides from us, but this time nature called. I stood at the top of the stairs, and Cara stood between me and the bathroom.

Pictured: Helana’s dog Cara, a timid, sweet, but wonderful greyhound.

Kneeling down onto the floor, I presented my hand. Cara’s eyebrows scrunched together, and she took a few steps forward.

“That’s right, that’s a good dog, yes,” I whispered, an edge of triumph in my voice.

But, Cara retreated, deciding it was safest to keep on the move back and forth from the bedroom to the study, all the time running in front of the bathroom.

I gave up, darted into the bathroom, and shut the door as quickly as possible. Soon after, I heard Cara gallop down the stairs, probably on her way to complain to Helana about me.

Before coming out of the bathroom I ran my fingers through my hair, straightened my blouse, and took a deep breath. I understood Cara’s trepidation. After all, she had only lived with Helana for 3 months. Meeting new people, adjusting to new schedules, and learning how to do new things is nerve-wracking. Sometimes we want to curl up in a ball and say, “Forget it, I’m better here with what I already know.”

———-

I hate to say, but in the past I was guilty of doing just that with food. I hardly ever tried new things. I stuck to the greasy, crunchy, salty fried foods I had grown up eating: fried German potatoes, fried catfish, fried pork chops, fried everything. Unfortunately, I saw the results of my terrible eating habits sooner than others often do.

A year and a half ago I had to have my gallbladder removed at only 21 years of age.

Since then, it’s been a slow recovery.

Worst of all, I’m supposed to stay away from fried foods, and eating too much meat can upset my stomach. It’s hard to give up things you’ve been eating forever. I didn’t realize it before, but food helps define who I am. My attempts at healthful food were bland and uninteresting. And so, I would cheat with fried food. But, the food that I knew and loved was not, in this case, better for me.

At Clearly Delicious I didn’t expect my eating habits to improve that much, but in less than 3 weeks, I’ve tried more new and healthful dishes than I’ve tried in the last year.

By good fortune, I was put in charge of adding recipes on the blog to the Lent and Meatless Monday categories.

Perfect.

Being in charge of Lent and Meatless Monday has not only taught me how to work the backend of Clearly Delicious and navigate its dashboard, but it has also introduced me to many Amy-friendly recipes such as Broccoli Salmon Chow Mein and Matzo Ball Soup. My favorite, however, which I have already made twice and plan to make again for some friends at a barbecue on Saturday, is the Kale Chips recipe. Instead of grabbing a fried potato chip, I now reach for a healthy, green, and crunchy kale chip.

Pictured: Kale Chips recipe at Clearly Delicious (here).

I admit it. I could have looked online for healthful recipes before now, but as I said, changing your diet means changing the way you define yourself. Stepping into the unknown is always daunting. Until Helana put one of her recipes on a plate and a fork in my hand, I had been reluctant to try the healthier high road, but I’m glad I have.

———-

I slowly opened the bathroom door and peered out. I didn’t want to scare Cara again. With no greyhound in sight, I headed down the stairs and turned the corner to see Helana and Meredith laughing at me.

“Ha, we kept hearing you say, ‘Cara. Cara,’” Helana imitated jokingly.

I laughed—“I want her to love me so bad!”

As it was time to go, I gathered my notes and pencils together and stuffed them into my bag.

Then, something wet rubbed my elbow gently, and a gust of air blew against my arm. It could only have been one thing: the long nose of a greyhound. I stood still as sniffing noises moved up and down my back. Eager to pet her, I turned around, but Cara was already halfway to the stairs. She turned her head briefly to look at me with that scrunched brow and worried eyes and then charged up to the second floor.

I smiled. Waving goodbye to Helana, I picked up my bag and headed for the door.

It’s scary to try new things, but I think Cara is coming around.

—

 

Amy Laws is a recent LSU English and Creative Writing graduate, who couldn’t be happier than when she’s discussing a book or movie in depth. This March, Amy won the Country Roads Magazine’s short story contest with her story “The Living,” and will be published in their June 2013 issue. 

Contact: amy [at] clearlydeliciousfoodblog [dot] com

 

 

 

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