I had Solo Performance Workshop tonight, which means I don’t even get home until 11pm and that it must be Monday. I was out late last night, too, babysitting for a friend, didn’t make it home until midnight. Tomorrow night I’m working until 8 but at least I could be in bed by 10.
Enough of that, let me tell you about my dinner tonight. I was intrigued to feel my heart race throughout the day each time I thought about hitting Starbucks for dinner on the run – a decaf soy latte and day old sausage ‘n egg sandwich. I’ve done that in a pinch for the last two Mondays and, unbeknown-st to me, it’s become quite a compelling habit. In a bizarre twist of enabling irony, my accountant sent me a Starbucks gift card last week to thank me for referring a client to him, so the thrill of refined white flour, processed meat and trace caffeine was heightened by the thrill of getting it all for free.
But what seemed a perfect plan wasn’t meant to be. First disappointment: they were out of sausage and egg sandwiches. Second disappointment: they were out of soy milk. “There’s nothing I can eat here!”, I whined at the barista, and shuffled, defeated, out of the store.
Up the street I hit Yes! Market, the natural food store that’s been in my line of sight for the last two Monday evenings while I sat on the curb eating my stale Egg ‘BucksMuffin. In there I found a hummus and avocado sandwich with shredded carrots and romaine, and a free-of-most-anything-that-would-have-tasted-good ”chocolate chip” cookie. I put the cookie in my bag for later and tore into the sandwich. There’s an alley I walk through to get to the back door of DC Arts Center, an alley I really didn’t want to take food into. It’s an alley you don’t want to wear open toe shoes into, frankly. It’s disgusting. So I stood at the entrance to the alley, on the sidewalk, and ate my sandwich. Now, I typically recommend sitting down with a napkin and a beverage for meals. I really insist on turning off the TV, focusing on the food, being mindful. But I had an interesting experience tonight. Standing there on the sidewalk, with the people milling about and the buses bumbling by, I felt really tuned into my sandwich. The hummus was thicker than I like it, but very hearty. The carrots and lettuce were a bit wilted. The avocado was creamy and satisfying. The bread was nutty and a little damp. I tasted, felt, savored and really lived every bite of that sandwich. While it was not delicious, it was very nourishing. The noise and bustle of the street kinda faded into the background while I stood there and ate. I’d say it was an out of body experience, but in fact I felt more in my body than I had all day.
www.HoweToEat.com
Tags: adams morgan, cheese, dinner, egg, hummus, learning, mindful, nourishment, open mind, sandwich, satisfaction, sausage, soy milk, starbucks
