Now, remember how most dj’s are seriously underpaid? We pay
rent and then wait on our Costco sized box of ramen noodles ready to pounce on
the new Mexican restaurant opening in town for an endorsement deal. We are all
so hungry. Literally.
I’ve never worked in a normal office, where you take
customer service calls and place orders to make things that get delivered to
people who want what you are selling. (Isn’t that what an office is?) But I’m going to go out on a limb and say that
radio stations always have some kind of food being delivered or catered, more
so than any other kind of office. (It’s so easy because most of the time, a
restaurant wants advertising but can’t afford it so they pay their bill in
free food for our meetings/live events/holiday parties/lunch on Tuesday etc.
This is called “trade,” or “barter.”)
It’s remarkable how quickly you can gain weight working in
radio. It’s easy to sit at the control board, ice cream sandwich in one hand,
computer mouse in the other just reading today’s gossip headlines and eating.
Readin’ and eatin’. (Actually, I’m doing that as I type. Munching on popcorn
and writing. Munchin’ and writin’. LOL) You are around listeners in a bar where
all you want is a drink to relax, then someone says “Hey! They are giving away
free hot dogs; you should get one.” Three dogs and two beers down, you are fat
and happy and no longer do Jane's ramblings about her kids favorite TV program annoy you at the live show.
I
have had my fair share of ramen, praying that tomorrow Jimmy John’s was going
to stop in with samples. “All you have is bologna. Ok. Beggars can’t be
choosers.” Talk about a glorious day when the boss wanted to take you and your
morning show partner out for lunch, just because he didn’t want to eat alone.
This always meant left overs!!! The problem is, I’d always be so hungry and malnourished
that I would eat that entire pecan salad from Applebee’s because “the dressing
wouldn’t keep anyway.” Way too many mozarella sticks and no togo box later, I
had a food coma that left me guilty for days.
Now, add in an eternal struggle with food...perfect recipe for an emotional disaster. After those lunches with the boss I'd be obsessed with running and high protein diets for
rest of the week. Come Friday morning my cohost would think I was ill and
acting like a b*tch because I worked out too hard and ate too little even
though Steve in sales brought in that box of donuts from Fred’s Gourmet Donuts.
“Just one. I need to even out my blood sugar.” I’d get through the rest of the
day, tying up loose ends for the weekend and managed not to snap at my cohost
again the rest of the morning. A quick apology, snag a donut for the road and
off I was to enjoy the weekend. Full of guilt and ramen. (And hopefully a date
to somewhere nicer than Applebees.)
This cycle is vicious and tough to break. Now that I work at iHeart
Media in Los Angeles, I feel like the stakes are MUCH higher. There is food 4 out of 5 days
of the week. This is no exaggeration. Pizza, cake, Chinese, taco platters, fruit platters, sandwiches,
ice cream socials. The worry is the same, but what’s being served is slightly
different. It seems, healthier.
Los Angeles has some of the best dining in the country.
Never have I ever tasted such pure, organic, fresh foods before. The seafood is
unbelievable. Vegetables are crispier here. The fruit…so sweet. And the amount
of options for restaurants is incredible. I just had Korean BBQ downtown last
weekend. I swear there were no preservatives. All made fresh. From scratch.
Delicious!
What’s being offered as a “reward” or as a “perk” or “payment”
in the kitchen at iHeart Los Angeles is by far the healthiest cuisine I’ve seen
at a radio station yet. Pico de gallo and corn chips, fruit platters, salads,
sherbert. Sure there are cakes and bagels and Chinese food to mix it up. But
the offerings are healthy, and the portions are smaller because there are so. many. people.
I look around the office and not only are there some of the
most talented people working in programming, creating content for the world to
consume, but there are some of the most good looking sales staff I’ve ever
encountered. Everyone dresses like a million bucks. People are thin, tanned, and
in shape. Their hair is well done, make up on point. People look good here.
This is a bizarre spot to be in. Terrified to have some sherbert for fear of
the extra calories added to my day and worried that I just can’t possibly scarf down another
PB&J sandwich when I get home. I mean, I want to look so good! Fit in with all the
beautiful, talented people. Yet the thought that ramen noodles are on the menu
again tonight has me dreading leaving the office looking for a way to box up
some chicken and broccoli to take home.
The struggle is real and I believe that people in L.A., outside of
the radio station feel it too, because everyone is so beautiful here. For example,
I went on a date with a guy to a sushi restaurant. I ordered a roll, and he
ordered a roll. I noticed about half way through that he hadn’t touched his
sushi at all. When I asked him about it, he said “I just like to order things
and look at them. I can’t eat this. I’ll get fat.” Verbatim. I scarfed down my
sushi and then a few pieces of his. (Because really, who only eats one roll of
sushi. I’m always hungry again in like 2 hours!)
People are obsessed with what they put into their
bodies in this city. And they should be! There is
more variety of fruits, vegetables and meats than anywhere I’ve ever lived. I’ve
also never SEEN so many things labeled “organic.”
My new approach? Embrace it. Enjoy it! Food is beautiful here.
Tasting (just like looking) is not only encouraged but expected! I’ve finally
come to a place where I know what foods make me really sick (dairy and red meat
and vegan cheese, if you can call that food) so I avoid them. Rather I take
walks to the local fruit truck to snack on mangos and pistachios. Walking,
hiking and yoga are all extra parts of my life now, mostly because they are
free to do and partially because parking is costly
and time consuming.
So bring it on, LA! I’m ready to taste everything you’ve
got. Unless it has dairy in it. Seriously, I’ll be sick for days.
"Eat It" Weird Al
"Don't you know that some kids are starving in Japan/So Eat it. Just eat it."
Thank you Weird Al, I will.
