Au Bon Pain: Bread and Mush

It really was a struggle for me, but at the end of it all, it became quite a fulfilling victory, one which, in the greater scheme of things, is minute compared to other challenges we face every day...even if it's the same challenge on a different day. In particular, I am talking about choosing the right food to eat, and even more specifically, what I chose to eat yesterday during lunch on a cold winter Manhattan day.

My good friend and officemate and I decided to eat at popular bakery/we-have-everything-nice chain Au Bon Pain. The place was just a madhouse in terms of people traffic during lunch, but it was also a lunch equivalent to Willy Wonka's Chocoloate Factory. Well, maybe not, but it's much healthier than McDonald's but also not a vegan joint. After a long long morning drafting court papers for a couple of cases (and one morning of pure oatmeal, water, vitamins and a banana later), I found myself hungry yet again, and the view upon entry into Au Bon Pain did not help by encouraging indecisiveness and distraction from what I perceived to be a good healthy lunch: several cookies, brownies, croissants, tarts, cakes...big batches of rosemary, onion, garlic and cheddar breads...hot roast beef melt, cheesesteak sandwiches and so on and so forth...and of course, an offensive corner stand of KRISPY KREME donuts. I just wanted a small piece of everything hoping that there was something like an "ABP sampler."

Well, I ended up veering towards the soup and filled a small bowl with what turned out to be a yummy tomato basil soup. I wanted a huge piece of rosemary focaccia but decided against it. Instead, I got a half sandwich of turkey, tomato, lettuce and cheddar on a roll. The most difficult part was staving off dessert I must say. There were just way too many sweets from which to choose, but I used my will power and concentrated and focused, until my hands had voluntary movement again, resulting in the pickup of a banana on my way to the cashier. I ended up loving my lunch, and it felt good.

So, the question is, am I dieting? Perhaps. To a certain extent, yes. I think most importantly, this is just the result of having an uber healthy girlfriend. She isn't a hardcore health freak, which at the end of the day makes me believe that she is healthier than others, because she still retains beef, chicken (and KFC once in a blue moon for god's sake) and other good stuff in her diet, but she's gotten rid of a lot of bad things. I guess I have never really consciously said to myself, "eat healthy damnit." Her influence just sort of rubbed off and I'm just going along for the ride.

On a side note (an important one at that), I believe I've come a long way from the beginnings of this blog and have since transcended from what was then the underlying premise of my writings. Things have a way of coming full circle, and I am starting to find a clearer way through this thing called life. My girlfriend now is a huge part of that, and I would never have guessed that a close friend for 15 years would end up being that one special person.

Cheers to you friends and readers. It's been a long ride, but we have reached the beginning of something new, real and exciting. *End of Mush*

Have a nice day.