Anatomy of a Binge

'Apple Pie' Lefse: sweet atonement

I was doomed from the start.

In my last post, Heaven Can Weight, I alternately reveled in and lamented over the astounding buffet at Circles Café in the Makati Shangri-La Hotel, where I could be found stuffing myself every morning during our recent Philippine vacation. As a result, my luggage wasn't the only thing that went over the weight limit.

From the heights of self-indulgence to the depths of self-remorse, I've spent the past two weeks cutting back on calories, working out like a fiend and dissecting how I lost complete control of my eating in the first place. My conclusion: I had no choice - the buffet made me do it.

The Buffet-volution of Tangled Noodle

It's been my personal rule to avoid 'all-you-can-eat' establishments after an unfortunate incident a few years ago at an Indian lunch buffet involving way too much korma, lassi and gulab jamun. Many of you, I'm sure, also decline to dine without limit. But the buffet scenario isn't always so easily averted: while  we can bypass a particular restaurant, it's hard to dodge the feast at personal gatherings where commensality is part and parcel of socializing. When it results in one too many return trips to the chafing dish, we're likely to blame ourselves - just as I did - for having weak wills.

Noodle family's Noche Buena spread

As I throw myself in penance onto the elliptical machine, it may help to understand what I was up against: like the Serpent in the Garden of Eden, that sly arrangement of food served as temptation for me to take one (or more) bite of a very large apple.

Variety is the Sneaky Spice of Life

In a 2004 study about the effects of the variety and arrangement of goods on total consumption, consumer behavior researchers Barbara E. Kahn and Brian Wansink (whose book, Mindless Eating, was discussed in this blog) found that the more varied the assortment of food offered, the greater the amount of food consumed (Kahn 519). In other words, the mere sight of a large medley of eats, as in buffets, may be enough to turn an otherwise disciplined and healthy diner into a chowdown chowhound.

How exactly does it happen? Kahn and Wansink cited previous research demonstrating an increase in 'good' moods when people are faced with variety, or multiple options, which in turn may lead them to view external stimuli more positively (Kahn 521). For example, at home I usually prepare and eat only one breakfast item, such as pancakes, yogurt and granola, or eggs on toast. At Circles, however, I was faced with ALL of these at once. Although it was so far from my norm, I was so thrilled by the variety that I saw nothing wrong with putting each food on my plate.

Ironically, when faced with the choice of so many favorite breakfast foods, I was unable to pick just one. This is part of what psychologist and author Barry Schwartz calls the Paradox of Choice:

"One of the 'costs' of making a selection is losing the opportunities that a different option would have afforded ['opportunity cost'] . . . If we assume that opportunity costs reduce the overall desirability of the most preferred choice, then the more alternatives there are, the deeper the sense of loss will be and the less satisfaction we will derive from our ultimate decision." (Schwartz 72)

If I had chosen, say, only pancakes for my morning meal, I might have wondered if the eggs on toast would've tasted better. By choosing to eat all of my favorites at once, I reduced the potential risk of regret. Unfortunately, I didn't completely eliminate the second-guessing: was the immediate satiety and pleasure I felt while eating really worth the remorse and self-disgust later when I couldn't button up my jeans?

Circles Café pastry case: one of each, please

May the Force (of Habit) Be With You

While opportunity costs and trade-offs might explain why I ate different foods at one sitting, they don't shed light on why I ate such an enormous quantity of them. For illumination, I turned to a recent paper by behavioral economist David R. Just, who noted that people make rational food decisions based on hedonics (short-term sensory pleasure) or utility (long-term health and wellness); however, extra-rational (i.e. mindless) choices are often guided by heuristics, quick, low-involvement decision-making strategies, such as 'rules of thumb', habits or preferences, e.g. 'I will not have second helpings' (Just S47). The catch is that heuristics are strongly influenced by context - the condition or environment surrounding the decision, like being in front of a buffet.

"Distracting stimuli [e.g. eating with others] may influence consumption by limiting the ability to deliberate on choice and intake . . . [and] may result in selecting and consuming types of food that have short-term hedonic benefits but long-term health detriments.

"[Environmental] attributes surrounding the presentation and serving of food [also] suggest a consumption norm that dictates what and how much to eat." (Just, 851)

The idea that our surroundings serve as an eating cue is supported by Kahn and Wansink, who also observed that "if there is a social norm to choose more variety, an organized larger assortment may signal that larger consumption amounts will be socially acceptable" (Kahn, 522). At Circles, other diners' rushed past me as I cast furtive peeks at their laden plates to see what they had chosen, and I'm sure they did the same of my picks. In this atmosphere, we were all engaged in the same purpose - to eat breakfast - and the colors, textures and aromas of the abundant food around us flashed one luminous, reassuring message: it's okay to eat like a horse, you're part of the herd!

There's No Such Thing as a Free Lunch (or Breakfast)

"I felt remarkably full but couldn't shake the feeling that since I could eat as much as I wanted, and had already paid a fixed price (about £20), two plates wouldn't cut it . . . 'Full?' I sneered at my stretching stomach. 'Get over it. I'm getting my money's worth.' " (Strimpel)

Sound familiar? It does to me. Like journalist Zoë Strimpel's experience, I've binged at a buffet until just short of passing out, determined to consume the amount of food equal to the money I spent. Once the fixed price* of all-you-can-eat has been paid, it's up to diners to decide for themselves how much to eat commensurately. To do otherwise would mean a loss of good money and, as Schwartz noted, "losses have a much greater psychological impact than gains" (73).

*Unless you live in Brazil, Peru and other countries where many buffets are 'pay per kilo'. This 'pay per weight' system is also found in many U.S. supermarkets where ready-to-go foods are offered.

Unfortunately, this kind of impetus makes us poor calculators. Once again, to avoid a negative outcome (regret before, loss now), a buffet-goer might make extra-rational food choices (per Just) in order to fulfill a socially acceptable goal - to maximize one's 'investment' in the meal. This means not only ignoring natural physical cues to stop eating, such as feeling full, but also breaking a law - an economic one, that is.

The Law of Diminishing Noodle Utility
(Graphic revised 1/17/10 - Thanks for catching the error, Tom!)

The law of diminishing marginal utility, in our context, states that with every additional bite of food, we actually take away less value from our eating endeavor. Proprietors of commercial buffets rely on this principle to operate successfully as diners rarely (with some exceptions) actually eat more than the restaurant's cost of the food. In trying to recoup our perceived costs, we consume more than is pleasurable, healthy or economic; we end up losing for winning.

An Accessory to Eating

At least in my case, the observations made by Kahn, Wansink, Just and Schwartz were borne out - the seduction of a large variety of food, the sight of others engaging in the same activity, and the need to 'come out even' came together to override the healthy eating habits that I worked long and hard to develop. It's rather disconcerting that subconscious elements have such influence on my behavior. I still believe the buffet made me do it but I'll own up to a portion of responsibility. Call it the Shangri-La Syndrome: I may have been unwittingly entrapped by Circles but in the end, I wasn't entirely unwilling to participate.

I must confess, those were the best ten days of breakfast eating EVER!

Works Cited
Just, David R. and Collin R. Payne. "Obesity: Can Behavioral Economics Help?" Annals of Behavioral Medicine. 38, Suppl 1 (2009): S47-S55.
Kahn, Barbara E. and Brian Wansink. "The Influence of Assortment Structure on Perceived Variety and Consumption Quantities." Journal of Consumer Research. 30 (March 2004): 519-532.
Schwartz, Barry. "The Tyranny of Choice." Scientific American. April 2004: 70-75.
Strimpel, Zoë. "All You Can Eat Buffets Encourage Overeating as People Strive to Get Their Money's Worth." TimesOnline. 10 Apr 2008: no pag.

Breakfast of Contrition

Now that the holidays are over, I'm back to my regular morning regimen of yogurt and granola. With the memories of overindulgence at Circles Café still fresh, I won't be cooking up huge Sunday breakfasts anytime soon. Still, I'd like to enjoy a treat. As I may have mentioned before, I love pancakes, so here are two recent iterations that are simple enough to serve as penance for my gluttony.

Atonement Apple Pie Lefse
Lefse is a traditional Norwegian flatbread made with potatoes, flour and cream and is often served simply buttered, lightly sugared or accompanied by jams and jellies (though savory fillings such as smoked fish are also popular). Luckily for me, lefse can be found in the refrigerated section of grocery stores here in Minnesota, which I used here. If you're not acquainted with a lefse-maker, consider making it yourself - check out this tutorial from Jennifer at Unplanned Cooking when she guest-posted for Greg at SippitySup.

No measurements here! Just use as much as you'd like, or try completely different ingredients.

Lefse
Butter, softened
Sugar (I used organic from Mexico)
Cinnamon
Walnuts, chopped into small pieces
Applesauce, unsweetened

Preheat oven to 325°F and place lefse on baking sheets. Spread with softened butter then sprinkle sugar, cinnamon and walnuts evenly. Bake for 5-7 minutes or until sugar melts into butter. Remove from oven, let cool just until it can be handle. Roll up each sheet and serve with applesauce on top or on the side.

Penitent Pancakes
(adapted from Totally Pancakes & Waffles Cookbook by Helene Siegel)
The original recipe for these silver dollar 'cakes called for sour cream but instead, I used Greek-style yogurt and some lemon juice for a brighter flavor. Don't be fooled by their size: they're packed with great taste and texture, proving that a little goes a long way!

A perfectly plain penance

Yields about 16 pancakes

Ingredients
2 eggs
1 cup Greek-style yogurt (or 3/4 cup plain yogurt)
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 Tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

To Make:
1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl, mixing well until batter is smooth;
2. Heat skillet or griddle over medium-high heat and add butter to coat. Spoon approximately 2 Tablespoons of batter onto pan, allowing space for it to spread;
3. Fry until bubbles appear on top and pancake is golden underneath. Flip and continue frying until done;
4. Serve with maple syrup, jams or powdered sugar. Enjoy!