Holiday feasting

Gooood MORNING!

Food is always a big part of a holiday, isn't it? Sampling the local delicacies and treating yourself to a cheeky Magnum have just got to be done as far as I'm concerned, but I've recently found myself wondering whether food has always played such a key role in a holiday...

Oh hello, almond Magnum

At the moment, food is fashionable, and all the trendy, young things are into it. Well, my friends and I certainly spend a lot of our time talking about, making, eating and snapchatting each other pictures of food, and judging by social media and the amount of press coverage about YBFs (Young British Foodies), my friends and I aren't alone.

Portuguese almond pastry thingymajig

So, it's unsurprising that when we go on holiday, food is a big part of making it special. I think I'm just too young to know anything else really (sorry.) As a child I was a bit of a fussy eater - I really feel for my poor mother - but as I've grown up, encouraged by society, I've grown to really appreciate food. Not even necessarily fine ingredients and snazzy dishes, just food in gen. (-eral) My gen (-eration) love food in gen(-eral). Am I taking my abbreves a bit far..?

I don't know about you, but I seem to have rather changed my eating habits while here on holiday (did I mention I'm on holiday?) We eat every meal of the day together as a family, which I absolutely love and which sadly we don't do at home usually. Busy lives and different routines, I guess. 

The thing is though, our family holiday meals often result in eating a fair amount more than normal. Well, on my part anyway.

For breakfast, we lay out a drool-inducing spread: freshly baked Portuguese bread and rolls, occasionally pastries, five different jams and spreads, three cereals, yoghurts, fresh fruit, eggs, tea, coffee, juices, chocolate milk (my fave) and more. All just for four of us. I'm not even exaggerating. It's fantastic. But then of course you want everything, despite making do with the one bowl of cereal at home.

But isn't it nice to make breakfast into a big deal? Especially when you've got a beach view as a backdrop. It's such a treat. I love breakfast, it's the most important meal of the day, and I enjoy giving it the attention it so rightly deserves. People who say you should avoid carbs in order to have a flat tummy in your bikini, well, just, no.

We LOVE milkshakes

We're not one of those families who go out for dinner every night, maybe every other night - would we EVER do that at home? GOD FORBID! As a student I NEVER go out for dinner, and as a family we tend only to do so for special occasions. Naturally, you eat more when you go out. restaurant portions are man-sized and unsurprisingly I do not do food waste. It doesn't help that the waiters bring you bread baskets while you wait - when you're hungry, who can resist that carby goodness? Not me.

My fam also tends to share a pre-dinner bowl of crisps. I don't know why. Well I do, they're delicious. If I have it my way we nom down some wholegrain Paprika Pringles - for real, they're so good, and I'm pretty sure you don't get them back home so obviously I have to get my fix over this fortnight.

Smoothie by the pool? Don't mind if I do!

So as you can see, mucho eating is occurring at the mo. If I was eating this much at home, I'd be thinking 'Rachel! Why on earth are you being such a fatso?! Stop it this instant and go to the gym!' But as it is, I don't really care. Well, not too much anyway (I may hate myself a little bit if I get home and can no longer fit into my jeans.) And I think that's the attitude to take.

These Milka wafer thingies are divine

I'm not saying we should all be absolute greedy guts for a week or two of the year while on holiday, but I do think it's important to just relax a bit and treat yourself. Enjoy that ice cream, savour those fries and treat yourself to a bar of that Milka you don't get at home. I know I am. Oh, and maybe go on the occasional exploratory stroll or pow out a few lengths in the pool to make yourself feel a little bit better.

Can anyone else relate to all this? I hope I'm not alone... That'd be awks. Right, time for dinner!