Lunch is my big meal of the day. I usually just have some cereal and milk for breakfast, then a big lunch, and then a smaller dinner (like, a steamed head of broccoli). There are a few main reasons for this.
First, I hate making a packed lunch. Perhaps it's a throwback to being a student. My mom used to make lunches for me for ages and I was the queen of trading it away for better things. Looking back on it now, I'm sure the lunches my mom made were generally wholesome and good, but I really, really wasn't into them. Instead, I frequently traded my complete lunch for this girl M's complete lunch. She was Japanese and her parents owned a Japanese restaurant. And so what did she have for lunch? Cute little bento boxes that her parents lovingly made that she was sick of. That worked out pretty well.
Second, because I am a single person, I find myself stuck with the same food for multiple days. You can't really buy enough to make one portion of things, or if you did, it would be expensive. So if you are to bring your lunch, you are likely going to eat the same thing for more than one meal in close proximity to one another. So what happens to me? I end up throwing good food away. Because I hate eating the same thing over and over, no matter how good. Unless of course it's Japanese food, but then that is fucking expensive to make so onto point three.
Third, and perhaps more importantly, is that the area where I work is full of cheap ethnic eats. I almost never spend over five pounds on lunch, and can easily get it under three if I wanted to. I can even get a fairly substantial lunch for just a single pound, or, well, I used to be able to, before they renovated my favorite Turkish place, but I'm sure I could find something similar at one of the many other Turkish establishments. If I were to buy food to make a lunch that I actually wanted to bring, I am sure I would be spending a similar amount on ingredients. This way I have a lot more diversity, and none of the work.
It's sort of a running joke at my office that I eat out every day for lunch. It's been suggested that I put together a restaurant review of all the places around the office to go eat. And I probably could. Of course, because I work in a slightly dodgy area, it's hard to get people to try new places. They're afraid of monkey brains and pigeon feet. So, for example, yesterday, I finally got someone to go with me to this Nigerian barbecue place that I've wanted to try for over two years and no one would ever go with me. And you know what, it wasn't at all bad, I would completely go there again, and so that was a huge bonus to find a new place to eat. The same person and I have loose plans to try a different Nigerian spot next week.
So yes. Lunch. In my little corner of life, the most important meal of the day.
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