A Throwback to a Throwback...When Calories Didn't Matter!

by Skip Cohen

When I shared this post eleven years ago today, I should have been embarrassed. Well, I wasn't then, and I'm not now.  I miss the days when I could eat just about anything and wasn't concerned about nutrition!  

The post was first shared in 2014, but the lunch at Bun Boy took place ten years earlier. There are so many times in our lives when we've all done things that were simply stupid. When it came to ordering half the menu at Bun Boy's - we knew better, but it didn't matter. You've got to be able to laugh at yourself and your friends!

Bob Rose has been my partner in so many culinary crimes. He's been with me on a lot of adventures around the world. No matter what the trip or where we were, there's always been at least one thing I've done that wasn't particularly smart. And, when it came to food, nothing we ever did was really smart!

There was a time in my life when I really believed I could eat anything I wanted. I'm a foodie and, numerous times, have referred to myself as the number one lunch slut in the industry. Well, hanging out with Bob for so many years, the two of us have packed away some pretty amazing and not-so-amazing meals. Bun Boy in Baker, California, between Los Angeles and Vegas, is a prime example.

​In the group shot above, Bob's the one crouched down, and that's me and my neighbor, George, who just came along for the fun of it. We were all headed back from Las Vegas after the CES show with a short stop at Bun Boy. At the restaurant, we caught up to another partner in crime, Phillip Able.

There are few things more fun or worse for your health than a fully loaded Bun Boy burger, fries, Coke, and strawberry pie. Sadly, Bun Boy closed, but not before we consumed a few thousand calories.

Here's my point: every convention, workshop, meeting, and presentation you attend is a memory-maker. Get those images of you with friends and don't forget the ones when you make a fool of yourself, because years later they're going to make you laugh, often until you cry.

This is about friendships, and often it's those stories from the past that are the most fun to share. These days, there's no excuse for not capturing those priceless moments - everyone has a phone. Whenever you're with friends, take a moment to grab a few shots. Get those selfies and throw them in a file somewhere just to let them age.

Oh, and about being healthy. I can't and don't eat like that anymore. As you get older, you really do get smarter, and you start to pay attention to your family history. Joe Buissink once said to me, "You can hide from a lot of things, but not bad genes!" However, even though it's been a long time since Bob Rose and I caught up to each other for a meal, "moderation" is just another word in the dictionary and will never be in our vocabulary!

Happy Throwback Thursday!

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