Mark Twain

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do ...
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Sunday, August 7, 2011

Guilty Pleasures

... been thinking about what they are.

... was surprised about how many flooded into my brain when I heard those words "guilty pleasures" on a pod cast recently.

How many guilty pleasures do I have? If they are guilty ones, could I blog about them? Could I admit them out loud?

So I went out to Wikipedia - the source of all knowledge (not) for a definition.

A guilty pleasure is something one enjoys and considers pleasurable
despite feeling guilt for enjoying it. The "guilt" involved is sometimes simply fear of others discovering one's lowbrow or otherwise embarrassing tastes.
Fashion, video games, music,[1] movies[2],
and junk food can be examples of guilty pleasures.[3]

Lowbrow? Embarrassing? Guilt? I wish there weren't so many things popping into my mind. Here are my top 4 - or at least the 4 that I am willing to share: :-)

  • McDonald Fries - Large size, of course, with lots and lots and lots of salt - bad, bad, bad. At 64 I should have outgrown this "culinary establishment". But their fries are wonderful. No redeeming value, I know. Even their standing as a vegetable is totally destroyed by the fat and the salt. But the taste - Yum! You will notice that I didn't go in and buy a large fries ... for a blog picture or anything. If I bought them, I would eat them. As it was I had to hold my breath as I got out of the car to take the picture. The building smells like fries 100 feet in any direction.
  • Dancing With the Stars TV Show - I can't stand reality TV, really, none of it. In my mind much of it is cheap TV. Most of it is so lame as to rot your brain just by clicking past it on the TV. But Dancing has something that keeps me watching. First of all I am quite sure it is not cheap to produce. And they have first line entertainers on it. Fun dancing, great music, magnificent costumes, many laughs, cheering for your favorite, unexpected injuries and personal dramas, growth and improvement of some contestants, suspense wondering who is going to be chopped this week ... it has it all. But when I admit I like this show publically ... why do I sometimes feel like I am slumming? Do you think my brains are rotting?
  • Caramel Apples - I am not talking about Candy Apples - those are an abomination, a fake, a waste of calories! I am talking about the apples with the thick, rich, gooey caramel that covers every part of the apple skin and drips down the stick a bit - sometimes with nuts but they can be bare of all other toppings and still be divine. An apple is healthy treat, but oh soooo much better with caramel smeared all over it. And I am sure the calorie count is not as much as Cheese Cake or a Big Mac (or Cheese Cake smeared on a Big Mac). :-) Fall isn't Fall for me unless I have one of these delicious delights. Who am I kidding ... one?
  • A vacation by myself - a month at the beach by myself would do me. No one to cook for, no chores, no schedule, blessed silence except for the waves crashing on the shore and the sea gulls squawking. No phone, no TV ... just a book, my knitting, my iPod Touch, my laptop and my iPad. Fries for breakfast, a Caramel Apple for lunch and Cheese Cake smeared on a Big Mac for dinner! I've never done this before - go on a vacation all by myself - but if I could I would. Of course, I would feel bad because I know even a week away would put a big burden on a lot of people I care about. Sometimes I am embarrassed even by the thought of this selfish desire. The stomach ache from my yummy diet would be justified for being so selfish.
So, now it is your turn!

Will you name one of your guilty pleasures for everyone to read?

Come on ... I dare you!

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm with you on the top two. I didn't realize I was supposed to feel guilty about them.. I may have suppressed my conscience.

Chatty Crone said...

I have done all of them and don't feel the least bit guilty. Sometimes to be able to help others more you have to do a little something for yourself. teehee sandie

Eliza Wynn said...

This is one of those expressions I've never quite understood.

I don't have any "guilty pleasures." The way I see it, if I'm embarrassed to admit I like something, I must not really like it.

That's just me.

Now, as for what people probably think I should feel guilty about, here are a few:

pizza with extra cheese and no veggies

bacon and eggs

soap operas

various old songs my husband can't stand

happyone said...

I can't think of any guilty pleasures because I'm don't feel guilty doing any of them. : )

Memoirs of Me & Mine said...

CHOCOLATE!

www.rebeccabany.com

Lindabee said...

McDonald's chicken nuggets; s'mores on a campfire; warm chocolate pudding with a scoop of vanilla ice cream in the center (my mom used to make this for a special treat); warm homemade chocolate chip cookies dunked in cold milk.

Linda said...

Hmm, while I do feel guilty at times, I don't let that stop me for the most part. That vacation alone sounds lovely!

g-girl said...

oh i have so many so called 'guilty pleasures' bad reality tv being one of them. lol. and then there's food but how can one be guilty of eating food?? ;)

Manzanita said...

I saw your name on Delores' blog and the word knitting caught my eye. Then I realized I am already a follower of your blog.
I'm with you on DWTS. But I don't feel guilty about watching because dancing has been my life...... so I guess it doesn't count.
But it's fun reading your post.
Manzanita@Wannabuyaduck