Fat Americans and the six hour vegetarian

Of course one of the concerns our Ukrainian daughter had before arriving in the US was about gaining weight.  Her 5' 7" frame was very happy at it's 100 pound weight.  Being surrounded by overweight and obese Americans made her seem more passionate about maintaining her figure. However, since her arrival in Wisconsin, Oksana had also been asking for "American ice cream," "American donuts" and purchasing peanut M&M's whenever they were available. 

One of our first activities, before our Pakistani daughter arrived, was a long weekend trip to Indianapolis for the "Women of Faith" event.  Audrey, "Oksana" and I piled into the minivan and set out for the long drive.  We pulled up to Starbucks for a beverage before hitting the road, and Audrey and I ordered our usual fat-free drinks.  Oksana peered at the menu and exclaimed, "Frappucino?  What is this? Can I have a strawberry frappucino?" 

"Certainly." 

Pulling away with our drinks, Oksana announced that she had decided to become a vegetarian.  As host parents we are not supposed to allow any drastic changes in the exchange students, anything that would upset their family like a change in hair color, piercing, religion or ... possibly vegetarianism.  So I asked, "What does your mother think about this?"

"Oh, she thinks it is a good idea. It is a healthy way to live."

Audrey and I gave each other sideways glances and smirked a little. We had already heard a few passionate ideas from Oksana's mouth and weren't going to put too much faith in this new lifestyle decision.

For lunch we stopped at Qdoba, where Oksana loaded her vegetarian salad (no beans please) with cheese and sour cream (healthy lifestyle, here we come!).  Then we drove on to Fort Wayne to meet up with my friend Deanna. 

At the Italian restaurant, Oksana didn't hesitate as she checked out the menu and quickly ordered the three-meat lasagna and a dinner sized chef's salad (loaded with turkey, ham, cheese and eggs).  Audrey looked at me and help up 6 fingers, mouthing the words "six hours". 

Attempt at vegetarianism, check!