Just in time for Valentines weekend, I fell ill to the flu bug hovering about the office. Not that it makes any difference as the object of my Valentine is in another hemisphere. Good thing webcams have not progressed to allow for viral (the biological kind) transmission.

Between the hours of sweaty coughing and dizzy euphoric sensation from the medication, numerous friends and even a few collegues called to offer help. Typically, people do that as a good gesture, calling to say, "Hope you get well, let me know if you need anything." I happen to be pretty well stocked for the weekend hibernation, except that the flu medication expires "FEB 2009." That left me in a quandary - do I assume the drug is good until the end of February, or does it imply the beginning of February?

Countless hours were spent debating this situation. Why can't they label the darn things like milk, "Best if used before 2/1/2009???" Instead precious hours of recovery were wasted while I worked up the courage to take the drug, since I was in no condition to leave the house.

A unsuspecting friend who called to bid the cordial hello to the ill friend was caught off guard when I actually asked him to bring me some medication. If it weren't for the complex Valentines plans he had made with his girlfriend, I would've questioned his loyalty when he shamefully said he could not help me.

Anyway that was two days ago and I've been anchored to the bed/couch for the past 4 days. I actually felt good enough to get up and do some cleaning. The movement felt good for the cold joints and it was therapeautic for the mind to disinfect the house. I no longer feel contagious.

The past few days, food was literally a means of survival. Like Les Shroud or "The Bear" on Discovery Channel, I was eating to have the energy to cough, sneeze, and allow my body to heal. There was no enjoyment in it at all.

Today was the first day my appetite revealed itself. Unfortunately my food stores were depleted and I found the dry crackers and shriveled fruits unappealing. As I was watching a "Man vs Wild" marathon, I realized there are two reasons for food, sustainment and enjoyment.

To the layman this is obvious, however as a connessieur of fine foods and drinks, I rarely looked at food as sustaining. Thus began some contemplation on the foods I eat and drink. It seems to me the human body is very stubborn in its will to survive. It can process a lot of food, like the recent Chinese New Years debauchery; or it can take meager morsels and harness every bit of nutrient and energy.

Americans are often referred to, and correctly so, as a population of fat people. As a member of this portly population, I think I've stumbled upon something that may change how I look at food - which may be key to dropping some of the spare tires (speaking of which, time to rotate the tires on the Beemer).

I'm going to find something else I enjoy doing, and replace the fulfillment, pun intended, of eating with that. This is a psychological challenge which I hope will have physiological results. Perhaps over time, this will result in a different perspective of food, generating greater appreciation; and focusing on it's intricate flavors, rather than immense quantities.