It's been nearly two weeks since I've gone to the trouble of bringing lunch to work. A difficult two weeks; the result being that I've felt a bit like a money sieve .
Today's at work lunch expedition traveled to the local
Panera Bread. I've done a complete 180 on Panera since my first experience. At first glance the food seemed healthy enough, the service was speedy and the decor was corporate comfortable. I admired the simplicity and speed of the ordering/pickup system, which uses a number of vibrating coasters to notify patrons when their food is ready.
The problem is that if you look too closely at any sandwich from Panera you will find a Big Mac. The only difference is that at Panera everything tastes like I'm taking hits off a NutraSweet hookah. Eating there gives me exactly the same feeling that I get from eating at a place like Wendy's. It's the feeling where you feel only semi-necessary to the digestive process; as if most of the work's already been done for you.
I'm not saying I'm a glutton for digestive exercise, that I'd prefer to grind the grain with my own teeth and bake the bread in my stomach, but at fast food restaurants I
barely feel involved. The food seems to feel the same way. It doesn't even stick around in my system long enough to leave any nutrients behind. It's all: "Yo dude, I am out. I got a thing to do."
Bottom Line: Panera Sucks and I've got to get back to bringing my own lunch. The satisfaction of being lunch-self-reliant is tangible, and I miss it. Right now I'm giving up that feeling and replacing it with the feeling of eating diet-flavored laxatives.
That's a load.
