One of my primary thought threads after the holidays could be set to a country ballad. The lyrics would be “Where have all the sugar cookies gone?” and the video would feature me trying to bake “healthy” sugar cookies and crying as they turn to dust because I skipped the butter. When you’re not used to eating delicious cookies or sipping on egg nog spiked with rum daily, what happens when it’s suddenly gone?
For some of us, it leaves us like hamsters in plastic balls trying to get our diets back on track. No, I’m not talking “diet” as in a grapefruit from the 1970s sprinkled with Sweet N’Low. I’m just referring to the general stuff we put in our mouths day in and out. Say you eat whole grains and get most of your sugars from fruit. Throw in a stretch of cupcakes and suddenly you’re asking your husband where he hid the cookies in the middle of the night. Except you have no memory of this, because it’s the next morning, and he’s explaining how you shook him awake while frantically searching for hidden baked goods.
So yes, some of us can be a little obsessed with food. And it turns out that we’re in good company. Why? Because science just let us know that, yes, some women think about food more than sex. According to researched reported by Time, “25 percent of women think about food every half an hour, compared to the 10 percent of women who think about sex over the same time span.” This research came from surveying 5000 men and women. Time went on to report that 60 percent of all women are not happy eating in front of their partner and that 40 percent of women feel like they are constantly dieting.
There’s no denying that modern women are plagued by body issues, and that food can be easily made into a security blanket in this dog-eat-dog world. But rather than conclude that women are really just sexless, insecure creatures reaching over their significant others for pastries, this survey may just point out the obvious – that women really like food. And sex.
But does that really mean that women prefer sex over food? Nope, because we want both. After all, we want our cake and eat it too, not set it dolefully on the counter for our husbands and kids to enjoy while we choke down carrot sticks. Food is so much more than just nutrition – it’s about lustful enjoyment of life. It’s about comforting yourself. It’s about feeling good. Which are, of course, all things you can achieve through sex. If sex isn’t an option, some of us might turn to food. So can’t we sometimes choose sex over food without being considered sexless?
I suppose a question worth posing might be: would a man ever choose food over sex? None did in the completely scientific survey I just performed. (In other words, I pulled out my cell phone and texted my best guy friends, who texted back “no” coupled with “what are you talking about?” My husband just asked if this meant I was going to make cookies again. The answer is yes.)
Bottom line? Some women will readily admit to watching Food Network while others might watch a porn channel. But for some, the joy can be one and the same. Aren’t shows like The Best Thing I Ever Ate, where Food Network stars gasp over their restaurant favorite dishes nationwide, sort of like porn?
Ultimately, show your average heterosexual lass a picture of Ryan Gosling and a deep dish strawberry rhubarb pie, and odds are she’s going to want the Gosling AND the pie. And the order of consumption might swing toward Gosling first, while another mood might fancy a taste of pie. But at the end of the day, she’s still going to want both.
Don’t forget, the same study pointed out that 10 percent of women still think about sex every half hour. That still means a lot of us are getting busy – and if it’s off a sugar high, then it’s just another moment of synchronicity and chocolate.
Image: mahalie