Why Your Last diet Failed You . . .

and How This Book Won’t Help You on Your Next One!   Today is Day 6 of my brother’s Virtual Book Tour!

I am sure by now most of you know that Charlie is my brother and he’s written this book:

Of course I think it is a great read, partly because he’s my brother, but because I get his sense of humor and I think he is a very talented writer.   If you don’t believe me, check out his blog.  But I think my favorite parts of the book is when he mentions me! 😀 

Seriously, two of my favorite parts of the book is the time you and I walked the half marathon in Iowa.  It was clear early on that you were going to walk faster than me, which was fine, except now I was walking alone and people kept running past me (soon I believe I was one of the last on the course!) telling me to try running again!  I wanted to shout – I never wanted to run the damn thing, I just wanted to walk it!  I don’t remember my time, but I do think I ran the last 50 feet!

This, of course, was part of our training to walk the Chicago Marathon.  I’ll still never forget starting to get a cough about four days before the race, and probably the day before you came into town.   I go to my doctor, he tells me I have bronchitis, and I ask him what he can give me so I can walk the marathon that Sunday.  I just remember the look on his face and he was like “I don’t even want you going to work on Monday!”

I believe Hannah, at age 6, broke the news to you!  While I was devestated, I have to tell you now Charlie that I was a teensy weensy bit relieved that I didn’t have to go through with it!  And you got the medal and you can say you have finished a marathon and that’s more than I can ever say.  I’ll stick to my 5k runs!

So I had a few random questions for my brother – here goes!

BIZ:  “When I told you that I couldn’t do the marathon, what was your first reaction??”

CHARLIE: “YES!!! Now I get all the glory!” Sorry, B. I just can’t share power.

BIZ:  “What is your favorite cheese??”

CHARLIE:  “Oh, that’s easy. Why don’t I just tell you which of my children I like the most or which one of my sisters is the prettiest? I’ll have to get back to you on this.”

BIZ:  “Can you please admit to the blog world that I am the prettier sister?”
CHARLIE:  “To be honest, I can’t even tell you two apart. Which one are you again?”

BIZ:  “Do you remember Mom making open face bacon and mozzarella cheese sandwiches for dinner when we were little?”
CHARLIE:  No.

BIZ:  Do you remember the first time Mom made “authentic” and by “authentic” I mean fried homemade tacos . . . Are those a staple for your family today like it is in my family?
CHARLIE:  Oh wait. Yes. Yes, I remember the bacon and mozzarella cheese sammies. They were broiled and very delicious. I should try those again. Like now.
 
BIZ:  And the tacos?
CHARLIE: Oh man! Of course I remember those! I talk about them in the book, back in the chapter on … wait a minute. You didn’t read the book, did you? I knew it!   Alas, for the pan-fried tacos! No, I haven’t made those for decades. It’s not that I don’t want to, but it just seems like too much trouble. Food is hard.
 
BIZ:  “How do you think your daughters will fare in adulthood?  They are both extremely healthy now, but so were we back then.”
CHARLIE:  “Ahhh yes, “back then.” How I enjoyed the Blissful Ignorance Period. Sarah’s very conscious of what she eats. She hasn’t had a soda (or anything carbonated) in at least three years and she’s developed a pretty good sense of what’s good for you and what isn’t. Rachel, on the other hand. Well, as much as it pains me to say this, I’m afraid she’s going to take after me. Genetics are mean.”
 
BIZ:  Do you think creating a healthy lifestyle helps if you enjoy cooking, or do you think people can be successful eating processed foods?
CHARLIE: Mozzarella.
 
BIZ: What?
CHARLIE: Mozzarella.
 
BIZ:  What about it?
CHARLIE: My favorite cheese. I said I’d get back to you on it. It really was a hard question. But I thought of all the different cheeses I like and then thought, “Okay, if you could only eat “one” kind of cheese for the next year, what would it be?” And as much as I enjoy cheddar, and swiss, and so many others, mozzarella’s taste, texture, and just plain versatility won out. Plus, if I “didn”t” say mozzarella, then I wouldn’t have been able to eat pizza for a year. I couldn’t live with that kind of a decision.

AND NOW FOR THE GIVEAWAY!   Simply leave a comment, tell me what your favorite cheese is, and your entered.  Two entries if you link back to this post.   You will win a copy of Charlie’s book and a $20 Amazon.com gift card.  What are you waiting for??  I’ll pick a winner on Friday, April 24, at noon – the last day of the Virtual Book Tour.

Check out last Friday’s interview with Jennette  at Pasta Queen  and check out Charlie’s guest post tomorrow at Jeff’s blog at Ecstatic Days.    I think my day is going to be pretty busy at work, so I may have to recap all my food tonight.  See you then! 😀