If you are what you eat, I’m easy, fast and cheap.
Unknown
The institute I work is near the center of a small town, but still, finding good food is difficult. There are supermarkets, canteens, restaurants, and the like, but it does not really suit me. Yesterday I bought a ready-made salad, complete with half an egg and sauce … and I couldn’t eat it. I just couldn’t. It just … before I even opened it, I could anticipate the plastic, the stale ‘aroma’.
So I thought about alternatives. After work, I bought two Tupperware-like boxes, some salad, some prawns, a box of cheese filled paprika, a couple of eggs and some mushrooms — and made my own salad. And box, does it make a difference.
In contrast to the ready-made salad, the sauce is actually some high quality oil (actually, two different oils filled into the same bottle, formerly used for sharp sauce), freshly grounded pepper, salt, hmm … no comparison.
I am currently playing through a couple of options, but it seems like I can combine the basic leaf salad with a few things to give taste and texture (mushrooms, paprika, eggs, chili peppers, cheese, olives, …) and one main ‘meat’-like ingredient (like the prawns, but also lamb, chicken, turkey, liver, salmon, and the like).
It should work and give me a few more options what to eat at lunch. An added bonus is that you can easily eat it while reading or in the park — just put the oil (and the salt and pepper) on it and it’s all contained in the box (take the chopsticks along).
As for preparation, you can do it in the evening of the previous day, e.g., while watching a movie (after finishing “Battlestar Galactica”, I’m currently working my way through “Star Trek DS9” ;-)). I think it keeps in the fridge, as long as you do not put sauce (or any spices) on it and remind yourself to pack the boxes (put into a plastic bag as an additional barrier to spilling) before you leave.
After all, you need your energy when you work … creatively. 🙂
