I Love Not Making Decisions

I love not making decisions. Now, usually I'm a fairly decisive person, because decisions simply need to get made, but sometimes it is wonderful to just let go and have other people make decisions for you. I learned this when I went to Charlotte. Why Charlotte? Well, I didn't have a choice in the matter, because it was for work.

Since it was a work trip, my only free time was a lunch, a dinner, and a breakfast before everything else was pre-scheduled. Instead of going through the hassle of making decisions, I let the decisions be made for me, and it was phenomenal.

Since I was in the Carolinas, I figured I needed to have some barbecue. There was only local option that was within the hotel shuttle's one-mile radius, so I was headed to Midwood Smokehouse for lunch. I looked over the menu, humming and hawing, trying to come up with the perfect option. I was asked if I wanted a beer, and that sounded good, so I asked for a recommendation of a good, local IPA. The waiter brought me back my beer, and it was delicious. I would tell you the name of that beer, but I'm really bad at remembering what types of beer I've had.

I still had to work through the menu, but the waiter did mention that the special was a French dip sandwich made with beef brisket that sounded pretty good. When I asked him what side he'd recommend, he said the mac and cheese, so that was going to be my side. The ease that I felt in not making these decisions was extremely comforting.

And this comfort and lack of thought proved to be quite prescient as my meal was delicious. I started moaning as the mac and cheese mixed with the brisket in my mouth. I am not ashamed; no, I was quite proud, because this lack of decision turned out to be a great decision.

On my way to Midwood, the driver highly recommended a place called Viva Chicken that had Peruvian food. Since I'm a cultured individual, I do not fear adding a little culture to my trip. I went with a chicken combo and asked what their popular sides were, and they recommended the green beans and the sweet potato fries. Since I was just a passenger in this culinary vehicle, I let the driver guide my decision and enjoyed my ride.

And boy am I happy I did. It was another phenomenal meal. I ate the meal like a starving child, but I just couldn't stop stuffing this delicious food in my face. I let the world guide me, and the world did not let me down.

Finally, I went to the only breakfast spot near the hotel. After I was seated, the waitress asked me if I would like some blueberry grits. Well, shit, I hadn't really thought about it, but why not?

And guess what? They were delicious.

But then I made a mistake. I strayed from the plan. I went rogue and decided that I should have some pancakes. What made me do this? Well, I had gone for a run that morning, and my body craves sugar after a run, so I figured pancakes were a safe bet to get me there. The pancakes were fine, but the syrup was bland, so I didn't even get the sugar rush that I craved. I should have asked the waitress for her recommendation. Instead, I made a decision, and I failed.

But man, it was really great to not make decisions. I should really do that more often...or not. I haven't decided.

I Can't Eat Fast Food

I am a cheap person. There are very few areas where I do not go for the cheapest option possible. The only areas that I don't are because of lessons I learned by being too cheap. This is a huge reason why I cook almost all of my meals. Normal adults go out for lunch during their work week. I have not bought lunch on a normal workday (travel sometimes requires it) in years. Now, these are not always gourmet homemade meals, as I have had to stoop to peanut butter sandwiches just to avoid purchasing a lunch. Typing this out does help me realize what a loser I am. But there is another reason that I make all of my own food.

Everything else fucks my stomach up.

I will occasionally fall into the fast food trap over the weekend, and it is always a bad idea. Chipotle, Papa John's, insert burger joint here; they all sound like good ideas at the time, but they mess my world up. It's stomach aches and farts for the next 24 hours. And yet I continue to make these same mistakes.

You know what sounds great every time I pass one or see an ad? Checkers. Checkers is garbage food, but I could easily go for some sort of burger with their delicious ass fries. God, my mouth is watering just thinking about it. But the gut bomb that eating that meal will cost me makes it totally not worth it...and yet I may still do it.

And even though I know fast food will wreck me, I will still purchase and consume it, because marketing works, and I believe that convenience now is a good trade-off for pain and misery later on in my day. I am a dumb human being and need to stick to my own meals. They're healthier and tastier, and yes, there is more work involved, but if you smelled my farts, you'd agree it's best for everyone.