Eating Out

That's right. It may be a title guaranteed to make even TheWriteJerry blush, but most of you should know me better than that by now, so get over it. =)

Italians are known for their appetites yet, for years, while I never had a problem with quantity, quality was another matter. My palette was extremely limited in my youth, and going out to dinner in my mind meant fast food. There was a time when I'd consider Sizzler a “fancy restaurant”. I'd never had Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Indian or any other “exotic” food, and I certainly kept my distance from both vegetables and seafood. Once in college on a road trip, my friends insisted we get Chinese. The place we usually went to by school had an American menu, and I always had a burger and fries. There I was in my late teens, eating like a child. Of course the place we went to on the road didn't have anything remotely appealing to me, and while I liked Chicken, none of the items on the menu offered it alone. I asked a befuddled waiter if I could get the “'Chicken with Broccoli' with just the chicken, no broccoli, and in 12 years my friends STILL bring up the “hold the broccoli” story. I can't say I blame them. A few weeks ago in an IHOP, history repeated itself when a waitress asked me what kind of fruit I wanted and I said “no thanks”, somehow thinking the “Rutti Tutti Fresh and Fruity” was just a clever name. The waitress and just about everyone else pointed out my faux pas, so I got the cinnamon apples and it was slamming. I guess I was just tired that day or, to be more honest, I'm a moron.

Today at lunch, one of my friends had a craving for Bertucci's, which is why I'm in a food mindset tonight. We ordered a dish of Mozzarella Fritta as an appetizer, and the basket of rolls was piping hot and came with a plate of olive oil for dipping. The stuffed shells I had for my main course were amazing. Afterwards I was sated but extremely conscious of gravity, and were I not still angry about a work-related annoyance, I probably wouldn't have had the energy to channel into a 3.5 mile run in the gym tonight.

Escaping the building for lunch everyday is a key coping mechanism when it comes to dealing with work. Usually we walk into town where a plethora of eateries, from delis to supermarkets to pizzerias to rib places await us. Some days we head to the mall, while others find us at Boston Market or Panera. Panera is a fairly recent find, and the variety of soups and sandwiches are amazing, as is their trademark bread. Another place we frequent is Quizno's. Of course, when it comes to lunch, where we eat isn't all that important; getting OUT is. We've driven through blizzards just to avoid the overpriced poor quality food in our cafeteria, and to leave the building and preserve our sanity. I work late enough nights that not having a break in the middle is inconceivable.

As for my tastes, in some ways they've matured. I have no problem with Chinese or Japanese cuisine. I've tried Thai, and thought it was ok. Up the road from work there's an amazing Dominican restaurant we visit sometimes(having a Dominican friend along is key). I still won't eat seafood, especially sushi, and while I've tried shrimp I didn't care for it. Indian food didn't appeal to me either, at least in a restaurant. With respect to a good friend's mother’s cooking, the homemade variety is a lot better.

It's hard to imagine a time when lettuce was anathema to me. I imagine twenty years from now, I may find myself writing about my diet once more, and marveling at the things I won't have now.