I am a huge fan of the TV series “Gilmore Girls,” and I have always been in shock about how much they manage to eat in a day. As sort of a fun challenge for myself, I decided to put myself in their shoes. I ate exactly like Rory and Lorelai Gilmore for an entire day, which may not seem like a feat to some, but to me it was pretty funny, and also difficult.
For someone who cannot eat dairy, it made it even more challenging for me to follow their diet. However, with this challenge, I made sure to be cautious with the dairy products I ate while trying to stay true to their dairy intake.
Breakfast
Just like in the show, I started with a large bowl of coffee. Not a cup, but a bowl, as Lorelai clearly states in several episodes. After my stomach began gurgling with acidity, I ate a package of strawberry Pop Tarts. At 200 calories give or take, I was determined to eat only like the characters did most mornings.
However, around two hours after this unhealthy breakfast, I began to feel super lightheaded and sick to my stomach. This wasn’t unexpected, given that the only nutritional value in the entire meal was a quick surge of caffeine and sugar. I can definitely see where their energy and banter comes from.
Lunch
For lunch, I was starving. I usually eat more than a snack for breakfast, so I was ready to feast on some Gilmore Girls diner favorites. I decided to go with chile fries as they often talk about it in the show. While I had to bring my own Cabot cheddar cheese to put on top, I was 100 percent dedicated to this adventure.
So I ate the chile cheese fries, and they were honestly so gross that they were delicious. Washed down by a heaping cup of hot coffee, I was feeling more full, but not exactly great. I still had a terrible acidic feeling in my stomach, which again, I was totally expecting.
Coffee, Coffee, Coffee
While I am never one to have more than two cups of coffee per day, around two hours after lunch time I had another large bowl of “coffee coffee coffee,” as Lorelai would say. I also tried to get creative and had two Mallomars as a snack because they are Lorelai’s favorite. I was buzzing off the walls again with caffeine and sugar.
Dinner
Finally, with another bowl of coffee, I sat down to eat the last meal of the day. I had a plain burger with fries and cherry pie for dessert. This was probably the most filling and nutritious meal of the day, and pretty close to what I can usually tolerate.
The infamous “Gilmore Girls” probably would go right home after and eat countless candies and ice cream while watching a movie like “Funny Face” or “Casablanca.” So, I did the movie part, but honestly there was no way I could fit another morsel into my stomach. A few hours later, I was so wired on coffee, I couldn’t sleep. So instead, I decided to write this article.
To sum it up, I don’t know how the fictional characters did it for all of those years. And if they did do it, then I have no idea why the TV show didn’t also feature the large bottles of Tums that they must have kept in their bags. I know I did. I guess I don’t have the “Gilmore Girls” stomach of steel, but it was fun trying for the sake of my love for the show.