Back to the buffet
School’s back in session, which means I’m seeing a lot less of my boyfriend and getting a lot more free food. I’d rather have John around, to be sure, but the food is some consolation. Did I mention that it’s free?
It’s not even the freeness that I love the most—it’s the not having to prepare it or choose it or think about it myself. I just show up at the announced time and place, and I will be fed. The food is almost always tastier and higher-quality than I would have prepared myself, but even when it’s not, who cares? I put zero effort into its creation.
Having food prepared for me comes in at the basic level of what I consider luxury. If I were ludicrously wealthy, I think I would still want to drive my own car, walk my own dog (except maybe first thing in the morning), and buy my own clothes, but I would hire a personal chef the first chance I got. (Second would be someone to do my laundry and, by extension, sort and put away all the still-clean clothes I throw on the floor.)
I can totally understand how some people enjoy cooking. The smells! The flavors! The experimentation! It makes sense. Even I like to cook every once in a while. On a special occasion, when I have all the time in the world, cooking can be fun. But every day? Then it becomes a chore. Which it is, literally, but you know what I mean.
Restaurants will make food for you, but the ones with healthy, interesting food generally frown on books and laptops, and they go through the whole rigamarole of “serving” you, which I’d really rather do without. Waiters make good food so expensive.
Restaurants (at least the mid-quality ones I can afford) also want you to CHOOSE your food from a long list of possibilities. What? Why do I have to make all the decisions? I thought *I* was paying *you*. I’m not a decider. Two, maybe three options is perfect. Just bring me something made of food, preferably containing no identifiable animal parts.
This is what attracts me to free food, I think. When someone is handing out food for free, they’re not concerned about whether this is exactly the kind of food I want right now, or whether I prefer chicken or turkey, or if I want it with extra bacon. They don’t bring it to my table, ask me how it tastes, and expect a tip. The food is just there, whatever kind someone else picked out, prepared the way someone with experience in food service thought it should be, and all I have to do is eat it.
I don’t have to plan my meals in advance, I don’t have to make long, detailed grocery lists, I don’t have to pack a lunch every morning, I don’t have to wash many dishes (I’m terrible at this anyway; ask John), and I don’t have to worry about eating the same thing every day because I’ve run out of ideas. What could be better? This is luxury, I tell you.
Tags: food
January 27th, 2009 at 2:13 pm
Hallelujah, sister. I work on a Marine Corps base, and our officer-and-enlisted club dishes out the most amazing buffet five days a week. I just show up, and there it is. Thursday is Mexican food; I think Wednesday is Chinese…I don’t even care – surprise me! I delight in the lack of thought required. Also, they have a mind-boggling salad bar. I go there at least twice a week just for that! I pay for my to-go box ($3.95, the deal of the century) and load up with greens, cucumbers, carrots, beets, cheese, eggs, croutons, everything! Plus there’s fresh fruit, and get this: they wash it AND slice it for you into bite-sized pieces. Yes, I WILL have more sliced, stemless strawberries please! Aaah…..heaven.
January 27th, 2009 at 8:53 pm
I enjoy the free food at work but there is no schedule so it usually happens to be there when I brought lunch or not on days I forgot my lunch.
January 28th, 2009 at 5:18 pm
Sandra, that sounds AMAZING. Free buffet and salad bar, plus all you can carry out in a box for $3.95? Wowza. I would never ever ever bring my lunch.
January 29th, 2009 at 11:08 am
Sorry, it’s $3.95 whether you dine in or carry out. The hot buffet is something like $6? I usually get the salad bar since it’s such a steal, so I’m not too sure about the other menu items.
January 29th, 2009 at 4:29 pm
the only issue with that sometimes is that you REALLY have to pay attention what you’re really eating… because, at least to me, it kind of matters how much bad s*** i’m eating… only sometimes do i not think about the calories.
$3.95 salad bar? count me IN!
February 2nd, 2009 at 2:28 pm
ugh… spam/hotdog beer…
February 13th, 2009 at 10:31 pm
kimberly: explain? spam/hotdog beer? I’ve got some Banana Bread Beer… but, I fail to see how you can ferment spam.
February 17th, 2009 at 10:04 am
it’s a beer that john got at a flying saucer fire sale… some smoked whatever… tasted like spam/ham/hot dog.
February 19th, 2009 at 10:35 pm
Actually it only smelled like ham. It tasted like liquid smoke. I really should have known better than to order a beer made in conroe.
February 20th, 2009 at 11:09 am
all that matters is that it was disgusting. and i still have bad thoughts about it. and it still makes me and nando laugh and grimace.