06 December 2006

Breakfast: McDonald's "Big Breakfast" (egg or egg substitute in the form of folded material, a nice biscuit with grape jelly, a form of potato, a sausage patty), coffee and a can of D.P.)

Snack: An ounce or two of dark chocolate.

Lunch: Chicken Fried Chicken with white gravy, mashed potatoes with white gravy, a roll with butter spread, corn and a couple of glasses of "Diet Pepsi"Â?

Dinner: Hormel Meatloaf® with Potatoes & Gravy and a can of D.P.

I was disappointed in this meal.

Years ago, I ate this several times a week and only quite when I could afford better. I bought a couple of these this afternoon because I was going into work after Lions and didn't dare take a frozen "real meal" (i.e. a "Healthy Choice"). I was captivated by the appearance of the "Meatloaf" on the box. It looked like textured hamburger, like something my Grandmother would have made. It didn't have all that "green crap" that NavMeatloafaf was so loaded with. The instructions said "to break the plastic seal before heating in the microwave". I used a spoon to puncture said "plastic seal" and licked the spoon off.

That was a mistake as I immediately began to wonder if I'd made a mistake in picking this meal…

One half was clearly mashed potatoes with some gravy, the other half a smooth brownish substance. It didn't have the granulated surface I associate with meat loaf!

There was something distrubingly familiar about it.

I cut into the "meatloaf" and it looked like the "wet dog food" we fed our dog ("Ozzie") about 20 years ago. It looked like a frigging piece of "doggie food"!

I'm fond of the expression "Hunger is the best appitizer." Well, I'd eatten lunch about 6 hours before and was getting hungry. Still, I wasn't quite hungry enough to tackle a second helping of this "meatloaf". I'll have left over "no sugar added" applesauce when I get home. (I just hope tonight won't be one I spend "steering the porciline bus" a couple of hours after racking out!)

After I got home from work, I read the latest email from one brother about another brother of ours. Being hungry, I toasted a thick slice of sour dough bread in the oven and had a double gin and tonic. I was thinking of my brother, his problems and the arguemnts to come on the subject "do we pay his rent again this month because he can't get/hold a job or do we accept the guilt of him being homeless? A stiff drink was probably not the best solution but it surely killed the emotions involved...