For someone like me, who doesn't eat breakfast, Lunch is important because LUNCH IS LIFE. This simple fact is what drove me to walk over a kilometer in the rain to get food, and then walk back to consume said food and return to work, but let's rewind a little bit to the start of the story.
I work as a software developer. I typically spend my time at work writing code for iPhone programs, complaining when it doesn't work, then fixing whatever stupid bug I somehow caused before attempting to add more new features. I find this quite an interesting task. However, a programmer needs his sustenance for this.
However, I tend to land myself in quite a quandary with this in regards to lunch. I hate leaving something that I'm working on in a state where it either flat out doesn't work, or crashes, or malfunctions horribly to go get lunch, or indeed to go home. This is due to the fact that by the time I return to it, I'll forget where I was up to, and have to spend some time reading around my code trying to figure out what was broken, or what I was doing to fix something if I've trailed off mid-fix. In the case when I bring lunch to work, this isn't so bad - since I simply retrieve my lunch from the fridge; heat it up (if necessary); and chow down.
This week I'm staying at my girlfriend's place. This leaves me without supplies to bring my lunch. In addition to this, as you no doubt know if you read my rambling regularly, or know me in real life, I am a Coeliac. This means that food that contains gluten will make me sick. This heavily restricts the foods I can eat, and the places I may dine.
Near(ish) to work, there is a Japanese restaurant. Their entire menu is gluten-free - and so in this situation I typically go there for lunch. Apparently there are a fair few other places that are fine for me to eat at nearby - but I don't know the area well. The other Coeliac in the office was going to show me some of the places, but she's been off work sick the last few days (if you're reading this Michelle, get well soon!) This leaves me with simply going to Matsuri for lunch.
Today, I delayed lunch due to having an odd crash bug in the current small project I am working on. As above, I didn't want to leave it in a bad state, so I stuck around with intent to fix the problem. At 1pm, I had finished fixing the issue, and dashed off to Matsuri with beef teriyaki on the brain.
Of course, with my amazing luck, I got there and there was a large line. That's not a problem - they're popular. Which is good, because they're awesome and gluten free. I'd hate for a safe eating haven to go out of business!
After what seemed an eternity, I reached the front of the line, and ordered. However, I was informed that they had run out of beef for the day. This was not helpful at all! The only other options were salmon teriyaki (didn't feel like fish), sushi (again, didn't feel like fish), and chicken dishes. I hate chicken. I can't understand why people like a meat that tastes so bland! I politely decline and leave the shop.
This left me in quite a quandary. There exists many a food-hole around here in Surry Hills. However, most of them aren't gluten free. In fact, the only one I knew with certainty was safe I had just walked out of! Short on options, I turned to technology.
On my iPhone, I have a couple of applications with food directories in them. These applications search for nearby places with gluten-free food, and then give me an approximate distance, and gives me the address. The nearest place was called Mad Mex - a mexican food place about a kilometer away from my current position. The only other options were Crust pizza (which was much closer, but doesn't open until 5pm) and Gelatissimo. I like gelato, but it is not lunch material. It was also much, much further than Mad Mex.
I weighed up the options - walk a kilometer in the rain to get tacos - keeping in mind I would need to hurry back to work, eat hurriedly, then code again. Or go hungry, and simply wait until the evening to make gluten free pizza for myself and Sarah.
My stomach rumbling provided the answer. To tacos!
It was only ten minutes later that I realised for the 572th time exactly how far a kilometer is. Particularly when hungry.
I finally reached Mad Mex, and mulled over my options for tacos. Being fairly western in my fooding, I went for crunchy tacos with beef, mild salsa, cheese and lettuce. No beans (not a fan). After paying (3 tacos and a can of Pepsi for about $12 - not bad!), I began the trek back to work.
Then the rain got heavier. Dripping with a combination of sweat and water, I trudged on the way back to work. Twice I got stopped by idiots asking me for money. Both were annoyed when I declined - one went so far as to make fun of me after I declined. Who does that? If I wasn't going to give you money before, then I sure as hell aren't going to now!
I reached the corner of whatever street it was... and the rain got even more heavy. Realising that the only way this could get worse was if I'd dropped the tacos that I'd walked so far for, I tightened my grip on the bag, and hastened down the hill.
I finally reached the office looking and feeling like a drowned cat, bag of tacos in hand. After drying off slightly in the bathroom, I sit down, and bite into my tacos. They were lukewarm (somehow), and totally worth the walk.
dos tacos
The moral of the story is... EAT. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD EAT!!!
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