WARNING: THE PHOTO TO THE LEFT WAS NOT WHAT I ATE FOR LUNCH. IT’S FROM SOME PERSON’S FLICKR. I’M STILL TOO SELF-CONSCIOUS TO PHOTOGRAPH MY FOOD FOR THE SAKE OF A BLOG. SOMEDAY.
Well, first day back and work and I knew this would be a challenge. Lunch. Dun Dun Dun.
Riverdale is a great place to work. One of the reasons that is true is free lunch. FREE LUNCH. And there’s chefs that prepare it. Not a catering company, not Aramark. My co-workers, employed by the school, make the lunch everyday, with love. I’m serious. This is a rarity even in the most posh of schools. And it’s pretty good. Most new employees gain a healthy freshman 15 upon commencing work here. We’re all thankful to the chefs and cafeteria workers – it’s nice to have them as members of our community and the food reflects that. Everyone at Riverdale looks forward to the relaxed social moments of lunch. Or, at least, everyone I know.
That being said, trying to live without processed foods, foods with gluten & grain and foods with lactose is almost impossible. Sure, there will be hardboiled eggs occasionally, or the soup of the day will be vegetable or seafood something-or-other (and they do label for lactose and gluten!), but for the most part, I find lunch each day to be a special challenge. Sometimes, there is something easy like Roast Beef and string beans or Fish and Winter Vegetables. However, sometimes, not so much. Today was especially bleak. As my co-workers chowed on what looked to be a pretty bad-ass baked ziti, I picked slowly at a scoop of egg salad and a scoop of tuna salad, trying to think hard about how mayonnaise fits into this thing I’m doing (the egg salad is pretty bad-ass, too…I was just worrying). Is it OK? Of course, I also had some baby carrots, a granny smith apple and an orange (I was staaaarving), but it just didn’t feel like enough and the smells of cheese and gravy were just so good.
Of couse, none of this was helped by the prevalence of post-holiday foods. Welcome back, Jen!
