bringing (or is it "taking") your lunch to work

one word.

bento.

okay, two words.

bento box.

bento box "after"  (hello kitty chopsticks not included)

do you know about these amazing little inventions already? they will change your life. or at least your lunch life.

here's why: if you have even the tiniest bit of a hankering for a bit of daily creative expression, and you're growing tired of "jimmy john's #6, no mayo, add peppers"...this one item is all the help you need! 

google "bento box" images, or plug it in to a pinterest search, and you'll be amazed at the variety of goodness one of these can hold.
here's a blog devoted to all things bento.

there's even ideas for kids' lunches here.

today i packed mine with some jasmine rice, leftover tempeh and rapini from last night...and a small compartment of spicy peanut sauce that i made last weekend. come 12:30 when the smells of freshly nuked lean cuisines came wafting through the halls, i smiled knowing this little box was waiting for me in the frig downstairs. not terribly artistic in appearance, but i'm learning.

new york gluttony

just got back from a week in the city where i was taking a break from this frenzied north carolina pace of life. i'm not kidding. new york WAS relaxing...by comparison. because if you remove a woman from her husband, children, home, job and community for a week, with barely a days' notice, she will have a hard time figuring out how to fill the hours of her day. so i turned to food. it was the perfect companion.

each morning i'd visit the gastro-equivalent sites of match.com (yelp.com, seriouseats.com, nymag.com...) looking for my perfect afternoon 'date'. and boy did i find some winners.
here are a few:

the 'spicy redneck' from crif dogs, williamsburg

you're looking at a steamed dog, fluffy bun, chili and some creamy slaw that just wouldn't quit...requiring a minimum of four napkins at the ready before consuming.

falafel sandwich, spicy, with everything from oasis, williamsburg

there's no website for this little gem of a place, but that's no surprise as they don't need one. word of mouth seems to be enough. three bucks of mouth-popping flavor.

the classic #1, spicy at banh mi zon, lower east side

i don't care how 'last year' these crackery-crisp-bunned bits of vietnamese sandwich goodness are. i will never tire of them. never. 

my one venture with food-trucking at waffles and dinges, williamsburg

(follow their truck here)

the commodore's fried chicken, williamsburg

again, no website needed. but here's what the times had to say about this place: The Times.  i swear that chicken was fried in bacon fat.....

chicken feather found in one of our thighs. we called it 'macaroni'.

pastrami sandwhich

still hungry? then head on over with me to carnegie deli on 7th ave between 55th and 54th for a 4" pile of tender tasty hot pastrami on rye. and don't forget to slather on some of their famous mustard. served with two different kinds of pickles (not shown) and two of these napkins:

dirty napkin. but not as dirty as it was  2 minutes later...

and now for a little pallet cleansing:

giant pomegranate from the vorberts' in w'burg

and finally......

post-CSA pick-up, monday night supper @ the vorberts'

chef marcy can cook. she whipped up this belly-warming dish while maintaining dual conversations with  two very talkative onlookers. pasta, brussel sprout leaves, kale, red pepper, onion, garlic, oregano, cannellini, chicken broth, parm reg, toasted breadcrumbs and a whole lot of love. hope to share the recipe with you all soon!