A Whole New World

Today began as normal as ever- with a growling stomach. :/

I grabbed a chewy bar and a diet snapple for breakfast. For lunch, I enjoyed- for the 4th day in a row- a mixed-green salad with blue cheese dressing. A tasteless broccoli and cheese soup for garnish, and I was anything but satisfied. Sitting at the lunch table, I began to imagine the rest of the semester. Constantly having my mouth water over what my friends were eating. Tonight, I grabbed a handful of chips before rushing to work. I just recently began working at a fairly upscale restaurant in an adjoining town. The food is fantastic, at least from what I've tasted, and I've had wide eyes for their buffalo chicken wings- my all time favorite food- which look absolutely delicious at this restaurant. My stomach was again, as always, grumbling with discontent, and I fought it mentally throughout the night. Between the kitchen and the dining room I would walk, drifting through clouds of savory smells, between steak and chicken sandwiches, pulled pork paninis and beef stew. My mind has been wandering in and out of the images I saw last night while I watched the customers eat. Tonight I served a steak that was still bleeding, and the image of a baby veal cow tied to a post with a foot of rope flashed before my eyes.

I was still hungry while I was in the process of clocking out, when one of the waiters invited me to a few plates of food that had been misordered through the kitchen. They were up for grabs, and they usually cumulated in the waitstaff corner.
"What is it?" I asked, surveying the platters of mixed colors and textures.
"Well, this is a cheese souffle with honey drips, this is a platter of pot stickers, and this is veggie chili." He pointed each out to me.
"I can eat these?" - More of a personal question, as I was astounded to have options other than a salad or pasta".
"Yeah? They're here for us. Help yourself."
I was frenzied. I scarfed down two pot stickers, half of the cheese souffle, and munched on the veggie chili. Delicious. So many different tastes, textures, colors, OPTIONS! I was satisfied for the first time in a week as I ordered myself a plate of pot stickers for the ride home. Finally, I had dove into the whole new world of living Vegetarian.