Something that Reminds Me of Gatsby

Every day on my drive to work, I pass this an eyeglass shop. It seems no matter what time day or night, the neon is lit. Two seasons per year, when I'm driving to work right around dawn, this sign reminds me of a paragraph from The Great Gatsby.

But above the gray land and the spasms of bleak dust which drift endlessly over it, you perceive, after a moment, the eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg. The eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg are blue and gigantic-their retinas are one yard high. They look out of no face, but, instead, from a pair of enormous yellow spectacles which pass over a non-existent nose. Evidently some wild wag of an oculist set them there to fatten his practice in the borough of Queens, and then sank down himself into eternal blindness, or forgot them and moved away. But his eyes, dimmed a little by many paintless days under sun and rain, brood on over the solemn dumping ground.
- F. Scott Fitzgerald

Ok. So the glasses aren't even close to that scale, and I wouldn't say that the area is wasteland (there's a pizza place just next door! - And we like that pizza!). But it's always a pleasant reminder to me, from one of my favorite books.

My co-worker recently came back from Japan and brought wasabi-flavored Kit Kats. He was telling me that unlike the States, Japan has a wide variety of Kit Kats, and I was reminded of the last time someone came back from Tokyo and brought green tea-flavored Kit Kats. Never one to turn down chocolate, I had to try it.

It wasn’t bad. That was it. You could definitely taste the wasabi, but it wasn’t overpowering. Almost like they put the essence of wasabi in the chocolate. Mostly, you tasted chocolate. I like spicy chocolate, but wasabi and chocolate wouldn’t be my first choice combination. There have only been a few times that I’ve been wowed by chocolate.

First, every time I eat a Terry’s dark chocolate orange. I housed a few of those over the holidays. Did I say a few? I meant at least ten. But the season is over, and now I have to wait until next December. Second, I used to get a white chocolate bar with lemon and lime at Target. That was four years ago, and I haven’t been able to find it since. It’s made by Frey, and yes, while you purists will say white chocolate isn’t chocolate, I dare you to try it and not find it delicious. Frey’s website says it’s only available in the summer months. What is it with me and seasonal chocolate? (I’m not even going to bring up that Cadbury Crème eggs are now in stores.)

When I lived in Minneapolis, I was part of a bread baking collective. One week, my friends made chocolate babkas using a spicy Mexican chocolate (that I never did find out what it was). Wow, that was good! The babka was the size of a large ramekin and I realized that if I kept it in the house, I’d have to share with my roommate. I’m generally a gracious person, but when it comes to food, I go into survival mode; I’m only looking out for me. If it tastes good, I’m eating it. All of it.

Finally, another co-worker will occasionally bring in Belgian truffles. Which are good until you’re on your fourth one and you realize it’s not even ten A.M.
I’m always on the hunt for better chocolate. Perhaps this summer’s trip to Europe will be fruitful.

Lunchtime!

Yes, that is two types of Annie's Organic Bunnies. I'm such a fat kid.
Today's sandwich is peanut butter on sourdough. This was the first loaf made with The White Rabbit; the starter that my girlfriend and I began a little more than a month ago. Possibly the best loaf I've made (we let it sit overnight).

It's Lunchtime!

Hold up! Is that two different types of Annie's Organic Bunnies? Zach, you gluttonous child, you.
Today's lunch consisted of a peanut butter sandwich on Wegmans brand 12 million grain bread. (I'm still picking seeds out of my teeth eight hours later). And two (count 'em!) different types of Annie's Organic Bunnies: sour cream and onion, and cinnamon. I think the trick is to gobble down the cinnamon ones first, since you can't taste anything but sour cream and onion for twenty minutes after eating those bunnies.
Notice something missing? I forgot to buy fruit this week. So there's no banana.
And I tried to keep today's meal a little bit lighter, since yesterday was what could generously be called a "feast day". Yesterday was the last day for one of the women who works for me. There was food in which I indulged: three doughnuts from Easton Baking Company (best doughnuts outside of Moody's Diner in Waldoboro, ME) and a piece of cake. I think I was making up for Fat Tuesday when I really didn't have anything.
And that was today's lunch!

It's Lunchtime

A running blog in which I detail what I had for lunch.
Today's lunch consisted of a peanut butter sandwich on sourdough bread, a banana, some trail mix that I made up myself (unsalted dry-roasted peanuts, unsalted almonds, salted cashews, and dark chocolate covered raisins), and Annie's sour cream and onion organic bunnies.
The sourdough bread was made lovingly with my girlfriend. I was teaching her how to make bread, so rather than start easy, the first loaf we made was sourdough.
The banana is at the perfect stage for me. Just starting to brown, when I think it tastes the sweetest. When they're "riper" than this, I think they have no taste, and the skin is tough to peel. I should probably throw out the other bananas I have. By now they're past their peak.
I can say a lot about Annie's bunnies, but the sour cream and onion ones are so addictive. I WILL eat a whole box in one sitting if I don't portion it out. I have absolutely no will power when it comes to that green box.
And that was today's lunch!
P.S. My collection of tiny boxes that I pack my lunch in is actually grey. I don't know why it looks so blue here.