tacos and tea

Ah man, it’s Cinco De Mayo.  I meant to go to Taco Bell today.  Seriously, that was my master plan.  I used to hit Taco Bell all the time, but it’s decidedly outside the range of what I consider quality food these days, so I figured I’d call it a tradition and only go on May 5.  Sadly, I forgot until now, and it’s too late.  Maybe next year.  Actually, it’s not that big of a loss, since they stopped selling Dr. Pepper.  I don’t know why two crunchy taco supremes with a medium Dr. Pepper was such a taste sensation for me, but I have many happy memories of having that for lunch in my car over the years.  There was the time I worked for a dot com company out in Tysons, I’d sit in the office parking lot.  There was another office job where I’d sit in the nearby movie theatre parking lot.  There was the temp job where I’d sit in the local waterpark parking lot.  And then when I was cheffing, I’d sit under this one tree on this one street in Arlington.  Always in my car, always around 3pm, always two crunchy taco supremes and a medium Dr. Pepper.  Now I make a living insisting that people eat real food at a real table at noon, no less, mindfully with intention and focus.  And they look at me like I couldn’t possibly understand what they’re up against.  Please.  I was a car sittin’ late afternoon fast food eatin’ fool.  If I can make the shift, anyone can.

 I’m realizing I drink a lot of tea.  I think tea is a good thing, but get a load of this:  With breakfast, I have a cup of Chai.  At 10, a cup of Nettle tea to ward off seasonal allergies.  Later in the morning, a cup of Dong Quai to cope with cramps and irritability.  Afternoon, a cup of St. John’s Wort for mood stabilization.  Evening, a cup of Peppermint for relaxation and general niceness.  Now, none of these are a problem, really.  The problem comes in knowing I couldn’t possibly miss a single one.  No Nettle?  I’ll be sneezing and wheezing within the hour.  No Peppermint?  How else will I take the edge off a long day?  No Dong Quai?  That’s putting the general public at risk.  Alas, I guess if I’m going to live pharmaceutical free in today’s world, I’m gonna need a lot of herbal tea.  Could be worse.  I suppose if it gets really bad I’ll launch TeaAnon, a twelve step recovery program for people who love people who love tea. 

I’ve got a thyroid ultrasound scheduled for next week.  My doctor couldn’t identify any immediate cause of the ongoing pain in my neck, so on for a closer look.  I’m frankly quite surprised the pain lasted up until my appointment, usually I show up at the doctor’s with no sign of what brought me in the door.  I’d be happy if this went away though, it is annoying to be reminded every time I swallow.  I have been utterly unaware I of how often I swallow. 

Tags: cars, dr. pepper, lunch, tacos, tea