I can walk out our front door, turn right on seventh for a half-block, and then turn left for less than half a block, turn right and walk 100 feet into a good Mexican food restaurant. The cook will have Tejano music playing. The girls working there speak with heavy accents. The juevos rancheros and tortilla and coffee are great. They open at 6:00 AM. I enjoy that early morning walk!
I can go to my left, later in the day, and walk two blocks to a shopping center and tank up on most anything from squid to shrimp. It is a Chinese buffet. I can go next door to that place and have a Pizza at Panjos, or walk a little further down that strip center to a sandwich shop next to the theatre.
I can walk across highway thirty-five and find a Subway, Popeye's, or a Pizza Hut. All of these places are less than three blocks from our front door. Why eat at home anymore? The truth is we don't very much. It is a new way of life: A life of quick service, good food, and convenience. None of these places make me stay and do the dishes. I can leave and not smell fried fish or chicken all afternoon. They take care of the garbage. I have several choices at each place. Not so bad, huh?
When Ann does decide to prepare a meal at home she seems to spend hours in the kitchen. I make more than one trip to a grocery store. We set the table and do the dishes. It is an event. The food is always better than any of the other places mentioned. No question about that. The cook, however, and her assistant are worn out. So, eating out is a vital part of our lives. We are learning how to cut back and split meals when possible. Order less chicken. Cut burgers in half. Bring a doggy bag home and re-eat an earlier meal. Hey, it is 6:20 AM and Ann is sound asleep. I am out of here! Let's see...turn right and go half a block...and then turn left.....I can hear the Tejano music already!
