Monday, March 12, 2007

Good Food vs. Something to Eat

Funny enough, after my post yesterday, today my lunch is back to 'something to eat' rather than the good food of Saturday evening. Sigh.

My lunch today consisted of things that would make my father slap his forehead and say 'yeesh', while he fell back heavily onto his recliner (seriously, he would).
- 3 rice cakes
- 1 Odwalla super-protein meal replacement bar
- 7 almonds
- water

Sort of a 'prison-chic' menu I guess. Now, I actually like the convenience of meal bars - and don't mind the taste of them one bit. I've tried enough of them to know which ones to avoid. However, when there are so many good food choices out there, why did I eat this?
1. They were in my drawer at work
2. I didn't want to expend any more energy than possible this morning making a lunch (this daylight savings thing is killing me - and it's only day 2)
3. I don't want to eat unhealthy fast food, and i'm willing to settle for just something to scrounge up at my desk.

I know that there's a spiritual parallel here... and - ugh - I see it. Rather than 'going for the good stuff' I often simply scrounge up whatever passes for nourishment. I'll settle for CS Lewis' mudpies when there is something so much more satisfying to all my senses readily available. Am I motivated to do anything about this though, or is it simply part of the human experience this side of paradise?

So, what do you do when you don't have the luxury of time to prepare something interesting?

2 comments:

Gielsdorferin said...

Well, what I do when I lack the time or energy to cook a substantial meal is this:

1. Sometimes I have yummy left-overs from the previous day which I can heat up in our office's microwave. This is usually very healthy because Pascal and I receive a box with organic veggies and fruits from a local farmer every two weeks. It's fantas-tic because I've tried so many new vegetables whose names I had never heard before (e.g., parsnip, pointed cabbage, Jerusalem artichoke).

2. On my 'university' days I go to the students' dining hall where the food is okay and sometimes good (though I sometimes doubt its nutritious value). I could always opt for a healthy salad, but to be honest, I hardly ever do (more so in the summer).

3. I prepare a really delicious slice of dark German bread with French cheese or German pork sausage, together with some antipasti and gherkins).

4. On a Saturday night it might happen that I order a pizza (Ellen, you know how much I can eat - remember my very first visit to an all-you-can eat place? Back in 1992 we didn't have this in Germany yet - this novelty has palled by now...) or put some deep fries in the oven.

5. I dream of Ellen's pierogies …

Steffi

Ellen said...

oh wow - I forgot about pierogies... yes, I can make a killer pierogie. (or vereneki for the Russians) Mmm... my favorite? Cabbage / Carrot / Onion vereneki. People always look at me odd, but they're amazing. Don't knock it till you try it! :)