What do you eat when your S.O. is away?

My partner travels a lot, and when we are together, we eat beautiful, healthful meals. When I am home alone, I eat – well - junk.

Sometimes I don’t eat much at all – not quite pining away for my love, but more not pining away for anything at all.

The week at home alone almost always begins with a trip to Taco Cabana for some Bean & Cheese Nachos with a side of Guacamole. I don’t really like the tortilla chips that TC uses, but the nachos are definitely a comfort food, and they are filling. And since my appetite is usually down, I can get 2 or 3 meals out of them.

Once the nachos are gone, then I move to pizza.

Sometimes it is an Ultimate pizza pizza from Little Caesar’s (without pineapple and anchovies) and sometimes it is a frozen cheese pizza from our foo-foo grocery, Central Market.

Once pizza = about 4 meals.

Now, if I am still batching it by the time the pizza is gone, then I move on to hamburgers and fries.

I live right around the corner from a funky, down-home style restaurant called PoPo’s – it has a giant red neon sign that says, ‘EATS” The walls are covered with those little commemorative travel plates you can buy in truck stops – you know the ones with little scenes on them with the state flower, state motto, etc.

Besides travel dishware décor, the Restaurant has pretty good food. They make the best hamburger in town, and have these spicy French fries that I love. So I call them up and order a cheeseburger, cooked medium, and fries. They say, “It will be ready in 15 minutes” That is kind of the mysterious part about PoPo’s, 15 minutes is sometimes 7 minutes, and sometimes 35 minutes. So I take something to read and sit in their small waiting area while I watch the regulars sit at the bar and talk about sports and enjoy adult beverages. The wait staff hangs out with them, chatting while they wait for their orders to come up. It is a very friendly place, and they have really delicious homey foods that are dependably good.

Back to my burger, I get it home, add the mustard & ketchup plus all the lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, etc., and enjoy. Please note, this is the first fresh veg I have had in a week.

It is a pitiful cycle, but very predictable.

This week, it was nachos + chili con queso from Chaco’s – a really good fast food Mexican restaurant in San Antonio. Last night the nachos were gone, and I wasn’t ready for pizza or hamburgers, so I ate some naan type bread with copious amounts of a good sharp Cheddar Cheese.

When I was a child, my father had terrible allergies and illness that required bland food When he traveled for business, my mom and sister and I would load up on pizza, spaghetti, and barbeque (from Powdrell’s in Albuquerque). It occurs to me that my current eating habits might be tied to these early forays into forbidden food.

I also try to eat very healthfully in my day-to-day life. We are both good cooks and enjoy delicious meals on a regular basis – but now and then, I cross over to the dark side.

Contributed by Cynthia McKenna
http://CynthiaMcKennaCounseling.com

Comments

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Dina - that photo makes me laugh! It is as if you found the graphic illustration of my food dilemma.
way to go!
Cynthia

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Update:

My mom was in town this weekend and brought about 5 pounds of Powdrell's BBQ - it was delicious. There is something fantastic about the meat - it is moist and flavorfull. I am not a big meat eater - and am a sometime vegetarian, so my fondness for this beef bbq is worth noting.

Dear Mum also brought a big container of their sauce - which was fine. Really, the best sauce for BBQ comes from the Shell Station on Main St and River Road in Boerne - fantastic sauce.

There is something unusual int he south - getting good food in gas stations - it always makes me giggle - however, ALL visitors to our house make the short, 6 mile drive to the Chevron station in Comfort, TX - where you will be treated to AMAZING breakfast tacos, posole, and menudo for those who indulge in spicy tripe stew.

A final thanks to my sister, Kathy Schrieber, who told mom about my memories of Powdrells and thus instigated the meat-fest.

Cynthia
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Cynthia McKenna, LPC, NCC
Counseling