A Cry for Help: My Lunch Order Has Become Too Embarrassing to Bear

Curry Tofu Wrap from HipCityVeg | Photo via Facebook

A few weeks ago, I walked into HipCityVeg and one of the lovely workers walked over to me and said “Adjua,” — because yes, we are on a first name basis — “I have some bad news to tell you.” I responded with, “If you tell me the curry tofu wrap is going somewhere, I will have a panic attack right here, right now.” And she said, “No, I’m going somewhere. I’m moving.” She looked sad, and I was sad. After all, she knew my order with all its annoying modifications by heart. And then I realized: I go to the same lunch spot and order the same thing so often that the people who work there feel like they need to tell me when they are moving.

#Embarrassing.

This interaction was a bit of a wake-up call, although, without a doubt, an overdue one. After all, just about everyone who works at HipCityVeg knows my name and makes a “gasp!” sound — or worse, claps — when I dare to stray from my curry-tofu-wrap-no-tomato-no-sprouts-please order. And whenever a coworker asks me where I’m going to lunch, before I even have a chance to respond, they say “HipCity? Again?”

Yeah, my lunch order has become too embarrassing to bear. But we’ve all been there, right? You find the perfect lunch dish: It’s packed with protein, not too high in calories, fills you up without giving you that “Oh my god, my stomach is going to explode” feeling and tastes good. It’s the whole package! You eat it once, and then again, and then soon enough, you’re walking out of your office in a zombie-like state, your legs pulling you to the spot where your now favorite lunch lives.

I have always had this problem — the routine-meal-rut problem. In fact, just this morning, the barista at Starbucks called my drink order (which of course, like my HipCityVeg order, is complete with plenty of annoying modifications), “The Adjua.” Again, so embarrassing. Or endearing? I don’t know. My point is: I need to get out of my routine-meal rut because if I’m not careful, I will soon HipCityVeg myself out and that would be even more unbearable than a room full of people cheering for me when I dare to order an Udon Noodle Salad. So, I guess you could say this is a cry for help: Please, pretty please, help me out of my lunchtime rut and tell me your favorite, must-try healthy lunch dishes around Philly. All signs say it’s time to switch it up.

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