I remember a time not too long ago when I never had to watch my waistline, when eating was as carefree as it could get. Back then I’d lose a few pounds whenever I even missed a meal. Fast forward to the present, much like me, the calories nowadays seem to find more comfort in staying in, settling down, and keeping themselves company.

With that in mind, it was tough eating my way around Vienna. Not for lack of choices but the total opposite – with names like Landtmann, Sacher, Bitzinger, and Demel, it was one calorie bomb after another that would surely give me diabetes if I wasn’t watching. While the Amsterdam-level prices gave us pause, the American-level portions we got were challenging to the moralist in me that didn’t like to leave food to waste. It was a constant battle that was won and lost on a daily basis and I have the war wound stretch marks to prove it.