My Guilty Pleasure Episode

There are things we all do that we know aren’t good for us, yet we find ourselves doing them anyway. Many people experience guilty pleasures, which come in various forms - from late-night scrolling and binge-watching to drinking sugary drinks, procrastination, and those tiny habits we promise ourselves we will stop soon.

We’d say, “Just this time, and I will stop,” but we don’t seem to stop until it gets worse later. Guilty pleasures don’t always appear serious on the surface, but they quietly shape our discipline, habits, and sometimes even our character.

I have guilty pleasures, too but I would talk about one of them. What is that? Eating meat in the pot.

Have you ever been in charge of cooking and your portion is to handle the chicken, meat and fish? Oh mine! That excitement for me when I am chosen to take that role and I would feel like the leader of the team.

Being in charge of cooking for me always feels like having backstage access to the concert. Hahaha. Imagine that the food isn’t served yet, but you are already having a taste, enjoying the soundcheck. When meat is involved, whether boiled, fried, grilled or stewed, I used to feel the temptation and it almost becomes spiritual.

At first, it would be an innocent start. I will taste one piece to confirm if the salt is okay. Then take another piece to confirm if it’s spicy enough. Then one more just to be sure it’s well-cooked. And like that, I wouldn’t be able to control myself until it had turned into a full tasting session.

But by the time the food is finally ready to be served, and everyone gathers to eat, the meat suddenly becomes unappealing to me. I would sit there looking at the pot and wouldn’t feel like eating any more meat. We then become like strangers who used to be friends.

Meanwhile, everyone else is excited for the meat, but I would push mine around because I had already eaten enough during the cooking process.

Even when I tried to stop it, I couldn’t, and till now, it’s something I can’t bring myself to stop, knowing it’s a bad thing. But that’s what guilty pleasure does to one, right?

What makes it interesting is the way I used to justify it. I would tell myself, “Well, since it’s my food, nothing serious about it. I can do anything I want as long as I bought the meat myself.” It sounded logical and harmless but deep down, I knew it wasn’t that I was hungry, but about indulgence, lack of restraint and that little thrill of getting away with something.

I love meat and protein a lot. Who doesn’t? Whenever I find myself getting tired of eating either meat or fish before the meal even begins, it’s like I have robbed myself of the joy of actually eating with everyone else. For me, the pleasure was rushed, hidden and strangely unsatisfying in the end.

The truth about guilty pleasures is that it affects us more than we could imagine. It reveals how easy it is to overindulge when we feel we have full control.

It’s funny how something like “just a little” can turn into too much after many times of not controlling ourselves. And most importantly, this often reminds me how it’s much better to discipline ourselves even when nobody is watching.

For me, the real issue isn’t the meat, but the habit. It’s the inability to pause, be patient, and enjoy things at the right time and in the right way.

I have tried to caution myself many times over this guilty pleasure and when I promised to stop, I find myself doing it again and again. The pattern doesn’t stop when I am cooking for myself alone but when frying large portions for the family. Those tiny habits can be stubborn if not checked and disciplined.

Well, that’s what guilty pleasures do. They expose the small areas of our lives where we ought to work on our self-control. I am gradually working on myself, though, and hopefully, I will change. 😂

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