Holiday Eating Tips For The Sane

I hate aspects of this time of year. Not for its crass commercialism and forced frivolity, but because it's the season when the food police come out with their wagging fingers and annual tips on how to get through the holidays without gaining 10 pounds.

1. About those carrot sticks. Avoid them. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Christmas spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they're serving rum balls.
2. Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly. Like fine single-malt scotch, it's rare. In fact, it's even rarer than single-malt scotch. You can't find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It's not as if you're going to turn into an eggnogaholic or something. It's a treat. Enjoy it. Have one for me. Have two. It's later than you think. It's Christmas!
3. If something comes with gravy, use it. That's the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.
4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they're made with skim milk or whole milk. If it's skim, pass. Why bother? It's like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.
5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Christmas party is to eat other people's food for free. Lots of it. Hello? Remember college?
6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year's. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you'll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.
7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don't budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They're like a beautiful pair of shoes. You can't leave them behind. You're not going to see them again.
8. Same for pies. Apple. Pumpkin. Mincemeat. Have a slice of each. Or, if you don't like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert? Labor Day?
9. Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it's loaded with the mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, have some standards, mate.
10. And one final tip: If you don't feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven't been paying attention. Reread tips. Start over. But hurry! Cookieless January is just around the corner.

MIT Course Evaluation Results

These are actual student evaluation comments taken from an MIT course evaluation guide in the fall semester of 1991.

• "This class was a religious experience for me... I had to take it all on faith."
• "Text makes a satisfying `thud' when dropped on the floor."
• "The class is worthwhile because I need it for the degree."
• "His blackboard technique puts Rembrandt to shame."
• "Textbook is confusing... Someone with a knowledge of English should proofread it."
• "Have you ever fell asleep in class and awoke in another? That's the way I felt all term."
• "In class I learn I can fudge answers and get away with it."
• "Keep lecturer or tenure board will be shot."
• "The recitation instructor would make a good parking lot attendant. Tries to tell you where to go, but you can never understand him."
• "Text is useless. I use it to kill roaches in my room."
• "In class the syllabus is more important than you are."
• "I am convinced that you can learn by osmosis by just sitting in his class."
• "Help! I've fallen asleep and I can't wake up!"
• "Problem sets are a decoy to lure you away from potential exam material."
• "Recitation was great. It was so confusing that I forgot who I was, where I was, and what I was doing -- it's a great stress reliever."
• "He is one of the best teachers I have had... He is well-organized, presents good lectures, and creates interest in the subject. I hope my comments don't hurt his chances of getting tenure."
• "I would sit in class and stare out the window at the squirrels. They've got a cool nest in the tree."
• "He teaches like Speedy Gonzalez on a caffeine high."
• "This course kept me out of trouble from 2-4:30 on Tuesdays and Thursdays."
• "Most of us spent the 1st 3 weeks terrified of the class. Then solidarity kicked in."
• "Bogus number crunching. My HP is exhausted."
• "The absolute value of the TA was less than epsilon."
• "TA steadily improved throughout the course... I think he started drinking and it really loosened him up."
• "Information was presented like a ruptured fire hose -- spraying in all directions -- no way to stop it."
• "I never bought the text. My $60 was better spent on the Led Zeppelin tapes that I used more while doing the problem sets that I would have used the text."
• "What's the quality of the text? `Text is printed on high quality paper.'" 

Quizzical

If quizzes are quizzical, what are tests?