Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

I always eat in my office alone, unless I go out to eat with coworkers (really rare), mainly because I enjoy the down time by reading SE and other sites/forums and I don't want to smell other people's food nor do I want people asking me what I am eating.

Most of what I eat is in the thread Chiff linked above.

Once, I made a Thai Kitchen noodle soup thing at work. I think it was hot and sour soup with lemongrass and rice noodles. Someone walked by after I was finished with lunch and opened my door, and thought electronics were frying in my office. I guess it was the lemongrass?? :O

Oh well, it tasted good.

Working where I do, I'm fortunate to a degree. The company invests in health, so in our cafeteria we have Canyon Ranch resort section serving hot and cold dishes, sushi, vegetarian section, large salad bar, fresh made sandwiches of your choice, made to order fruit smoothies, fresh teas. You just pay a premium price for healthy food. Lunch is easily $10.

I'm better off saving that $10 and applying it to the yoga classes offered 3 times a week for $20/session. :)

At work...

- pad thai
- fruit salad (only because I don't use canned fruits, but fresh cut fruits with contrasting colors, e.g., kiwi, mango/persimmons, blueberries, lychee, raspberries, ...)
- yakisoba
- roasted veggies (red peppers, yellow squash, zucchini, portobello mushrooms, asparagus, spinach, and fresh basil with olive oil and black pepper)

Hell, I never use the work fridge, so all the lunches I take sit in my office until I am hungry enough to take lunch (some time between 11:30 am - 3:30 pm). I usually get to work at around 7, my commute is around 10-15 minutes.

I won't vouch for healthy, though...

- yakisoba (Japanese fried noodles...kinda like lo mein but really different sauce that's distinctly Japanese) -- I usually use shrimp, mustard cabbage, egg, spinach, and sticks of Spam. Really, anything you want. I usually make it that morning, and it takes me 15 minutes from prep to in the container. I rarely ever (99.99% of the time) use oil to cook.

- chili with rice...the rice is because I'm from Hawaii. :P The rice won't go bad if it's not boiling in your office and cooked 5 days ago (ok, I exaggerate...24 hours ago). You can always eat chili with linguini. I'll do that when I'm in the mood for it, but with the linguini, I have this thing where a tsp of ketchup needs to be added. It's weird, I can't explain it. Oh, this is typically leftovers from the previous night.

- soup that's not really runny. When I make soup, it's really, really hearty, so I don't have a problem of leakage. I also put the soup in the container first, place plastic wrap around the container, leaving a bit of room to add rice on top so it doesn't get soggy throughout the day, and cover. 1 container meal. I don't like rattling around 500 empty containers back to the car on the way home.

- cop out meal that's quite filling...bring your own noodles/rice + a can of ready-made soup. Make sure it has a flip top lid or you'll go crazy clawing at the can with your fingernails...since can openers have legs. They really do! My favorite soups to do this with are Wolfgang Puck's:
- organic hearty lentil and vegetable
- chicken tortilla
- pot roast
- NE clam chowder

- We have a hot water dispenser at work and my stepmother sends me a lot of stuff from Japan on her trips there every few months, so I'll bring instant food to rehydrate to work. Yeah, it's not healthy, but it's fun. What I don't like is people asking me what I'm heating up.

I'm not sure how strong your stomach is, but I've been leaving my food out for lunch without refrigeration for 25 years - from school 'til present.

I'm a really strong opponent of frozen food because there is always some @#$@#$ person before me, regardless of time of day, who is defrosting their frozen solid meal for 10 minutes. Partly due to the directions, and they tend to be the kind of people who take the meal out every minute and mumble, "still not hot enough," put it back in the microwave oven, take it out, put it back in...

If I wouldn't catch hell, I'd take that lunch, open the window, fling it outside, and scream, "There! Is it hot enough for you now?!?" (only effective during the summer).

The last Mother's Day meal I actually celebrated was ~15 years ago.

When I was a kid, I would make simple things for my mother on Mother's Day like a grilled cheese sandwich for breakfast, since she loved them.

My mother preferred to go out because that was one less mess she had to clean up, re-shelve, or later find out she needed to restock since I used it all and didn't say anything. She really did not like anyone in her kitchen. Everything had its place, and she couldn't stand when things were out of order. I'm the same way now. o.O

Since my mother ate at a lot at different restaurants with her friends frequently, she was recognized when we walked in, so we never had issues with bad service. Ofttimes if the manager came out and saw the two of us, s/he would comp our meal...so it was pretty nifty. =)

When I lived at home, the last time I did anything for Mother's Day *on* Mother's Day, was take my mother to a restaurant of her choice. I don't even remember where anymore.

I haven't mailed my Mother's Day gifts to my stepmother or mother-in-law yet, even though we bought the gifts last weekend. I've been lackadaisical this year because my stepmother is out of the country and my MIL is really laid back.

On Sunday, we're going out with friends to an Indian restaurant for lunch.

Mmmm Jello!

I recently went to a graduation that had a shish kebab bar - there were a number of meats and veggies cut and laid out on a table inside, and you went through (with a pair of tongs) and created your own shish kebab to bring out to the host, who was outside waiting at the grill to prepare them. There were also a number of salads (pasta, veggie, and fruit) and a sandwich bar with different types of breads, deli meats, and roasted vegetables. Everything was a hit!

That's okay, Sieseye. Sometimes there's just a lot to say. :)

I'm actually a Libra. And yes - we do have our mood swings. But then again, each astrological sign has their particular focal points that are positive or negative.
Probably you just don't like this particular guy. Shame he has to ruin the good mood of the Farmer's Market by hanging around it.

Your notes about balance being missing so much today, particularly in food, are so true. But I do think that if one searches back through history, the same lack of balance exists in some way, in some factors, with our food in an overall sense. Whether it was the historic factor of the better food going to the wealthy as it has for so much of time (still does, but we have a larger middle ground) or whether it be the issue of contaminants or ways to extend the amount of food there has always been something going on. So in that way I have to give a nod of the head to some sort of "progress".

Actually, this entire topic would seem to be something entirely astonishing and unbelievable to most people through times past - for pretty much the only thing that ran through their heads about food was: How do we get enough of it?! And of course: How can we make something delicious out of what is right in front of us? So in that sense, simply to be able to ask ourselves these questions posed by HeartofGlass is a very real gift. :)

Gordon Ramsay in real life has promoted women cooks to higher positions, so in that way one can be sure he's not a sexist pig. Ha, ha! Also the persona on TV is pushed to the limits for entertainment value.
In my own experience I've seen both men and women be equally helpful, not helpful, able to perform or not able to perform in the kitchen. There is no one style that makes it work - but if the chef is able to work with people rather than doing the towering over them with a whip sort of thing it can definitely make the work more pleasant, just as in any sort of workplace with any boss or leader.

As far as people being turned off by the idea of vegetarianism there's two things. First, it's "different". People often do not respond positively to "different" just because it is different. No good reason, really. Just people being people. Secondly there's the self-righteousness that some vegetarians or vegans carry as their swords in life - pushing the idea forward like a merit badge that nobody really wants to see. That creates a feeling of not wanting to be interested or supportive among those not really all that interested in the idea in the first place.:)

The great thing is that as we do have the gift to be able to prioritize our food choices there's much more within food to discover in lots of ways - both in reality and in how and what we think of it conceptually.

And it is easier than people to figure out, thank goodness. There's a great quote by someone (too early in the morning to figure out who) that says "What I like about cooking is that if you put a chop in the pan, it will cook ."

So at least something in life is under control. Ha, ha!

^5 @ psychsarah! Sounds like a terrific day. Glad it went as smoothly as it did. You must have eaten at a very well run restaurant that didn't overbook and underestimate meal timing.

During the text exchange between my daughter and me, I told her, "Be patient! It's going to be a non-stop day." She responded, "Mom, that's EVERY day here..." So she was prepared for the throng. Our neighbors across the street went to Olive Garden and I'm curious to know how that went.

@foodiemama - congrats on a great MD!

BF cooked dinner and wanted me to take it easy in front of the TV. Eventually he needed a tiny bit of help with the phyllo/manchego/mushroom pastries.

Me: "Would you like some help?
BF: "That depends...you want to eat today?"

(ROFLMAO)

It was a good day, despite the potential for it being very difficult for me.

I hate Mothers Day, Easter, and Valentines Day, all because I am a server. The people that come out on those days are the people who never go out any other time, so it seems as if everything is new to them, from ordering drinks when asked, to how to tip. I had one table leave cash and a coupon from another restaurant, along with a 10% tip on the discounted price. The tip wasn't even enough to cover the coupon mistake which I had to pay for. Another table let their 5 kids (under the age of five) sit at a table all by themselves. The kids threw everything from broccoli to whole hamburgers on the floor. They also screamed very loudly when taken to the bathroom, so loudly you could hear them from every corner of the place. I am requesting off next year.

I have a big problem with always eating leftovers. Because I usually skip breakfast (I know, naughty-naughty) I can't stand to eat the same thing 2 meals in a row.

Right now I'm working off of the idea that justbento is running with. I have time in the morning to actually cook a few simple items and load them into a bento box. I spend sundays doing some minor prep. It does take time, planning, and effort, but I love to cook and eat so it's worth it. Check out justbento for the idea.