mushrooms

A.: Hello?
Mom: Hello. So, have you recovered?
A.: Yeah, I got some rest.
Mom: Did you find... er, that?
A.: What?
Mom: You know... the cat.
A.: Yeah, she showed up.
Mom: Oh, good.
A.: I got your e-mail. You do have quite the supply of mushrooms.
Mom: Those were just one installment.
I'll send you home with some next time you visit.
A.: I'll gladly take some.
Mom: They're a good source of protein.
A.: I don't think they are.

I've let this go SO many times, but I think I've had it with mom's pop nutrition. She's been on this one for a while. I remember a doctor's appointment as a teenager where, upon being asked what I, a vegetarian, did for protein, said "mushrooms." The doctor looked at me like I was nuts. I thought he was just misinformed, such was my belief system molded in the image of my mother's.

Mom: They are. Mushrooms are a good source of protein.
A.: I'll look it up on the internet right now.
Mom: Well?
A.: Two grams per cup, raw.
Mom: Is that a lot?
A.: No.
Mom: Well, by the time they're cooked you'd eat more than a "cup, raw."
A.: Perhaps, but not that much more.

This went on for a few minutes.

Mom: Well, I'll look it up somewhere, too.
A.: Okay.
Mom: Goodnight.
A.: Goodnight.

***
August is the time of year when many in this town go on vacation and/or spend time with their families. Today I caught up with a number of people who had recently returned from time with family; most remarked on how challenging it was to stay sane for more than a few days with their relations. It's heartening to know that I'm not particularly impatient.