Foods Feuds

Its the chicken-soup reign, again. As I noisily sipped the soup, it made me remember the typhoid days (and nights too), when I was supposed to have two big bows of soup in a day. Not that I don't savor the stew, but the everyday notion of it is a bit too much, esp homemade chicken soup has that homemade healthy, rather a very naive kinda look and taste which makes it even more unappealing.

The chicken soup lives, owing to the 'fact' that I ostensibly am become weak, my skin is darkening and the mental tension I have creates a need for rest. By the way, thats what my Mom feels although I wonder. According to her, my health is monotonously detereorating simply beacuse I eat skimpy quantities. If only someone could tell her what a ravenous raavan I am. And not just that I eat less, I eat all junk, oil and fat. Greens for me are a strict no-no, you see.

Sporadically and suddenly, at times, my mom shoots her statements in a plaintive yet authoritative voice, "Oh! you've become so week". Oh gosh! I thought I was just a day but now I'm week!! And then I flex my muscles and smirk, "Thats not true at all! See my muscles". "Look at your stomach!", she retorts. I then tighten my abs and show her what a macho I still am but I'm getting weak and puny and dark and tense and a million other things.

The chicken soup is still bearable. Umm.. Lets just say I'm inured to it now, but carefully note what follows. Due to a heavy soup with scads of chicken bits, which is generally served to me at around 8 in the evening, my appetite for 'food' further plummets which is the cause for more criticism and disapproval. But how, tell me, do I explain my plight to her ?
"Mom, I've had soup just now"
"So what ? Soup is only water and with that petty amount of chicken you feel full ? Boys of your age eat double than you guys" (My brother, too, is at the receiving end).
"If the soup is water, then whats the use of giving it ?"
"Shut up and eat"

Ab kya karein, atyachaar kee to aadat see pad gayi hai.

I can never make her understand this, I feel. So I quietly drink the soup and calmly have my food because I just can't help it. Perhaps, she knows less about material and energy balance or maybe I know too much.