Braindead Eating

A simple incident on what to eat over lunch inspired this crazy little post. And since it has a wee bit (at the very least) of analytical value, as well as a pleasant change from all these Gloriagate shit that everyone refuses to let go, that I decided to post it here rather than on my Multiply account.

(People, just beat her in the next election, goodness gracious! If you people can insist on Drilon remaining LP president because he can't be removed until the end of his term, how much more Gloria?! You anti-Gloria people are not only so damnedly holier-than-thou, you're also irritatingly inconsistent!)

Anyway.

The issue with food came up because I couldn't decide what to eat with the, er, menu I was given. None of the choices particularly caught my stomach's attention - and I haven't had a decent breakfast, mind you - and there isn't a North Park near enough.

So, feeling rather uncreative with my lunch, I decided to go to the nearby Jolibee and order my usual 2-pc. Burgersteak + upsized drink + extra rice.

In my opinion, this is "braindead" eating, meaning you do not have to go thourgh the mental gymnastics of deciding what to eat. Fastfood was designed, after all, to not only cater to the workman's budget (although you have to ask if that's still the case today; I mean, when was the last time you got a decent meal, even from Jolibee, at less than PhP 50?) but to also be, well, fast. This is production-line eating, the only thing faster being grabbing a Lucky Me or Nissin Cup Noodles.

While munching on my burgersteak, I was thinking about how wonderful a gastronomical experience my best friend and I had the last time we were at North Park. We ate buttered chicken, and something else she made me eat that I forgot what it was. Of course, there's the customary Yang Chao rice (a single order of which is good for maybe four of people my and Reggie's size and food capacity). Being hungrier than she was, and being the gentleman in the equation, I made her choose from the A3-sized menu, but really, I was feeling uncreative that night too and just wanted buttered pork on my yang chao. If we had gone to the nearby Gerry's Grill, it'd most likely end up with pork sisig.

Ha, ha. That's the funny thing about the modern world. We live our lives so fast and so hectic that even our food has to not only be rapidly ready, but quickly-selected as well.

Some of the nicest moments I've had with both my family and barkada were those times we'd let the waiter stew awhile as we debate on what to eat. Poring over a menu can show a lot about how your friends and family think, and the... negotiations on what to eat and what not to eat, and what to eat instead, can be quite fun and... instructive.

And resto dining is about taking one's time with the food, akin to Starbucks coffee-drinking sessions. You're not rushed. You have time to savor the food. You have time to socialize with people. Heck, you have time to enjoy the food you're eating.

Fastfoods on the other hand, will simply fill your need to be filled. I even doubt fastfood truly makes one full because I feel hungry just four or so hours after. Aside from this, the "line" makes you rush with your order. Anybody who's ever been behind a slow customer knows that feeling of wishing the person would get on with it, so you tend to look once and have an idea what you want to get from the limited options available. And if you dine-in, you're also rushed in your eating since so many people are coming in to be fed and need the space you're occupying.

Ha, ha. Braindead eating. Too much instant food. Our world has become so hectic that even our food has to be eaten not only on the fly but also without any deeper consideration on what we're eating.