Sunday, February 1, 2009

Adventures in Lunch-Making

I happen to be very detail oriented at times. Not about everything, but certain things have to be done in a certain way. For example, there is an accepted orientation of my wallet in my pocket. If my wallet is rotated or flipped, it just doesn't feel right.

When I was going to school, my wife refused to touch my backpack. The binders and books each had their own correct places and orientations, the pens and pencils and calculator too. I had earphones, a bottle of lotion, a water bottle, snacks, stapler, and an eraser - and every one needed to be in its proper spot. My wife would ask to borrow something and I would tell her the exact spot she could find it. She would never try to put it back, though, because she'd been offended too many times by me taking it back out and putting it in the right place or facing the right direction.

Lunch is sometimes also difficult. Some foods can just be thrown in Tupperware and re-heated at your leisure. Other foods are a bit more difficult - meals that are designed to be assembled at the time of eating. Take fajitas for example. If you made a fajita the night before and put it in Tupperware, the tortilla would get all soggy. Cheese gets a bit gross when it stays wet for a while and you also want to make sure that things like sour cream don't get put in the microwave. This usually means that you would need to take several containers to segregate each component. Unfortunately, my computer bag is organized too, and there is only so much space allotted for lunch dishes. So how do I take fajitas for lunch? Like this:


Yes, there are indeed separate little packs for sour cream, guacamole, and tomatoes - gotta keep that cheese dry.

Another challenge is cupcakes. It is such a waste of frosting for it all to come off on the baggie. And a Tupperware large enough to not get frosting on it too wouldn't fit in my computer bag. What's a nerd to do? You can't just leave that cupcake home - not with kids around. This is the answer:


Yes, those are toothpicks sticking out of the top of the cupcake to keep the bag away. Aside from looking like pinhead from the Hellraiser movies, this worked really well. What I was particularly impressed by, though, was that when I started putting toothpicks in my cupcake my wife didn't roll her eyes or ask me what I was doing.

She said, "I wondered if you would think of toothpicks."

I've never been more proud.

6 comments:

Karen C. said...

Absolutely astonishing! I love the little individual packages for the fajita ingredients. I will confess a certain amount of concern on my own part when it comes to packing lunches. Some foods just shouldn't be all scrunched together until the timing is right. If it wasn't so perilously close to being obsessive compulsive--I would say it was brilliant. I guess it truly is a fine line between madness and genius.
PS How's your shoulder???

Katie said...

Wow Neil, I'm impressed. I mean, obviously I pack all my fajita ingredients separately as well, but I don't have limited space so I haven't had to be as resourceful as you. But that cupcake thing was just pure genius.

neil said...

My shoulder is still a bit woozy and fuzzy. I wouldn't let it drive if I were you.

Karen C. said...

Silly Neil... shoulders can't drive!

Karen said...

The cupcake thing was such a Galactic graduate thing to do. I love it. I laughed out loud. thanks!

Sheri E. said...

I've always had the same cupcake problem, but your solution is genius!!!! I think I'll have to try that next time.