What Do You Eat When You Can't Figure Out What You Want to Eat?

Do you know that feeling when you're clearly hungry, and need to eat something, but you cannot figure out what you feel like having? Nothing sounds good. You know you want something very specific, but you don't know what that is. Maybe you go to the shops hoping for something delicious but end up leaving with something totally uninspired. Or worse, you end up in Pret out of sheer desperation.

Anyway, this happens to me frequently. I know I want something very specific (because nothing else sounds appealing) but I usually don't figure it out until way later and/or I don't have that food at home. The other week I was voice noting a friend (about something unrelated) and ended up live streaming my quest to find food on the way home. She said she got it. This happened to her too.

And I see it happen with my clients all the time. With them, I encourage them to make a list of easy, accessible options that they know hit the spot to grab when it's hard to figure it out for themselves. BUT I also freely admit that is a really annoying nutritionist flex. And have I made my own list for such situations? Have I fuck.

So maybe this is a niche topic, but I'd love to know how you navigate this. Does it make a difference if you're just feeding yourself versus feeding kids/a family? What about if you're neurodivergent or disabled and have to factor in low executive functioning or spoons? Do you keep a list? Do you make sure you always stock specific snacks or meals in the freezer (if you have one)? Or do financial constraints mean you can't follow your cravings as much as you'd like? What if you have an ED history and know that not eating isn't an option? Do we accept that sometimes food is just really disappointing and that's OK too? Or do you have a system for figuring it out? Maybe some questions you ask yourself to get closer to the answer? (i.e. do you want something salty, crunchy, umami, sweet, hot, cold etc...?). Or do you just cut your losses and have toast?

Links + Reccs

Currently reading Butter by Asako Yuzuki for book club. I'm maybe ¾ through; it's too long and I'm bored but stubbornly refusing to DNF. My main issue is the way it thinks it's radically subverting narratives around fatphobia while actually just reinforcing them. Plus the low-key trad wife vibes??? Have you read it? No spoilers but lmk your thoughts.