When I initially designed my project a year ago, one thing I had looked forward to was sampling local flavors while on the road. But as August 1st drew near and the implications of my sabbatical salary cut became clearer, I decided that eating out would be a rare and special occasion for the next 9 months. So, each morning, I carefully pack a hearty lunch and several snacks.
I admire people who can go without food in an emergency, but I absolutely cannot. Part of it is that I work out pretty intensely at the gym. I routinely burn more than 1000 calories on the elliptical, bike, and/or treadmill each day. And it takes substantial energy to haul my 230-pound carcass around. Later in the day, I knew I would have an hour-long drive home and being lightheaded wouldn't be an asset.
So simply skipping lunch wasn't an option.
I didn't know of any good eats in Pottsville, so I decided to try a place I passed everyday on route 209. As I walked in, I saw signage for Keno and a smoking area in the "tavern" which reassured me it catered to down-luckers like me. Unfortunately, though, I don't read menus like a normal human being. I may not always eat healthily -- in fact, I slip up every damned day -- but for the past 7 years, I have been trying very hard to lose weight by choosing balanced meals. So where you might see "hamburger, cheeseburger, and BLT," I see "saturated fat, saturated fat with cheese, and hickory-smoked saturated fat with lettuce and tomato." I thought I could even smell the grease hanging in the air and spy it spattered on the walls. I turned tail before an empty stomach and dripping taste buds got the better of me.
I drove up and down Centre Street and thankfully passed a Subway. Gosh, that franchise has saved me so many times! I must have cut an odd figure, counting out quarters, dimes, and nickels (my parking meter fund) from a purple change purse made from a child's sock. Thankfully, my turkey, ham, (baked) potato chips, and diet coke cost $4.24, and I had exactly $4.27. Feeling magnanimous, I tossed three pennies into the tip jar. Nine days into my sabbatical leave, and I was broke.
Such is the life of a scholar who gives all for her studies!
I didn't know of any good eats in Pottsville, so I decided to try a place I passed everyday on route 209. As I walked in, I saw signage for Keno and a smoking area in the "tavern" which reassured me it catered to down-luckers like me. Unfortunately, though, I don't read menus like a normal human being. I may not always eat healthily -- in fact, I slip up every damned day -- but for the past 7 years, I have been trying very hard to lose weight by choosing balanced meals. So where you might see "hamburger, cheeseburger, and BLT," I see "saturated fat, saturated fat with cheese, and hickory-smoked saturated fat with lettuce and tomato." I thought I could even smell the grease hanging in the air and spy it spattered on the walls. I turned tail before an empty stomach and dripping taste buds got the better of me.
I drove up and down Centre Street and thankfully passed a Subway. Gosh, that franchise has saved me so many times! I must have cut an odd figure, counting out quarters, dimes, and nickels (my parking meter fund) from a purple change purse made from a child's sock. Thankfully, my turkey, ham, (baked) potato chips, and diet coke cost $4.24, and I had exactly $4.27. Feeling magnanimous, I tossed three pennies into the tip jar. Nine days into my sabbatical leave, and I was broke.
Such is the life of a scholar who gives all for her studies!
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