Is it hard to be weird?

Yes, it is. I remember the time that a boy down the street came over to play. He walked into my dining room and saw the kombucha jar. He walked over and just stared at it for several minutes and my son became increasingly nervous.

"Uhh...what is that? Is that a pet?"

Nope. No such luck. That is food, buddy! Well, a drink anyway. Not only do I have things like that, I have water kefir and often a berry and milk beverage that is like dairy kefir. All sorts of jars, big and little, filled with all sorts of things that are not refrigerated and just sitting out on the counter and often covered with only a cloth. The night he came over, we had sourdough pizza on the grill and I remember telling him that I did not buy dough, I made it and that it had been souring all day.

"Ohh, you forgot to put it in the fridge. That means it is not safe to eat."

Wrong again, kiddo! Not only has that been sitting out since bedtime last night but we are definitely eating it. He did eat it, after all, all children have sworn a truce with any adult serving pizza so he was kinda stuck. But it does lead to some really interesting reactions from other people that we have such a different diet. Kids are just honest about it and ask questions but often try it because the other kids are eating it but adults are different. I either make them uncomfortable because they think I am nuts or I make them uncomfortable because they think I am digging through their cupboards looking for contraband. Either way, nobody ever invites us to dinner. It is kinda funny because I tend to assume that they are all good. Most of the time I forget my freak-tude and I just expect everybody makes their own yogurt and eats it plain.

Sometimes it is like a slap in the face that we are weird when people say things like, "If Junior spends the night here, what is his favorite breakfast cereal?" And the look of shock that comes to people's faces when they find out we drink raw milk or that I served them lard. Or the fact that my kids have never really had the experience of eating out so that the few and far between visits become subjects of myth and legend. Like the mysterious time some kids had Burger King once and now all the other kids ask questions like, "You were really there? What was it like? Were doctors hanging around to see who would get cancer?" We have a few hilarious events that have involved eating out, like the time we found some two year old gravy in a kid's car seat (read all about it HERE) or the equally infamous Country Buffet incident. Not to get off track, but we went with a dear relative and did it just to be nice and my son who was not used to that kind of food literally vomited all over the table before we left.  We were sitting next to a family celebrating a birthday and they had front row seats to the horror. I left a $40 tip and was grateful my mother-in-law paid so the staff did not know my name. Also, I did not make eye-contact with that poor family one the way out, I just ran.

It is a tough world, particularly when you get tough with your diet. You need a foodie buddy, someone who's got your back when the classmate's birthday party is at McDonald's. When the factory farm eggs hit the pan, who's gonna be there for you? If you don't have a buddy, find one. I am more than happy to be there for you in my shallow, internet friend way but it would be best if you knew at least one flesh and blood person. That said, just knowing other folks on the internet can help a great deal, I loved the camaraderie I felt with people who commented on my "Stuff in WAPF Kitchen" post HERE. But I have a few really great friends I can count on and it makes me feel better just knowing that they feed their kids like mine. It makes us feel less weird.

So, if you are lucky enough to have a foodie buddy, tell me about them! What makes it great to know them? How has having a buddy helped you? I would love to hear all about it!

Linking up to Fat Tuesday!