There’s enough things to deal with at work, and lunch doesn’t need to be one of them. When lunch time hits, I just need something quick, simple, and easy to eat. Something I can eat while working or doing other things, and definitely not something that requires my full attention. Here’s my list of meals that just don’t make the cut at work:
6. Meals that require using the microwave more than once – If I need to heat up my food for a minute, take it out and stir it a bit, then put it back in, I’m not bringing that. The wait for the microwave is long enough already, I don’t need to be using the microwave twice.
5. Meals that require multiple containers – This is similar to using the microwave twice. If both containers need to be heating, that’s too much of a wait. Why not just put both in the same container if they both need to be heated? How can I carry multiple heated containers back to my desk? I don’t need a three course meal at work!
4. Soups and Porridge – Generally, drinking and eating soup and porridge is not a huge issue, but transporting it to the office and from your desk to the microwave requires some extra caution. One little trip will create a disaster (plus embarrassment) and it will take so much time to clean up. Also, would you walk with the lid on or do you use the lid to hold the hot container? Lid on and it’ll be too hot to hold. Lid under the container and the liquid will spill much easier. The solution? Bring something else for lunch.
3. Messy foods that are typically not eaten with utensils (and get your hands dirty) – Although foods like burgers and tacos are delicious, it’s so easy to make a mess! I like keeping my hands clean when I’m eating at work. I wouldn’t want to be running to the sink to wash my hands or have to worry about getting my desk dirty! A lot of times, it’s also food that you have to open your mouth big and wide to take a bite. One bite goes into your mouth, and the other end falls down to your plate. Unpeeled shrimp? Let’s save that for dinner.
2. Knife-required foods – When I’m packing large pieces of meat, I like to cut it up beforehand. It makes every bite so much easier, and I don’t have to look for a knife during lunch or struggle trying to bite it apart. If it’s a big piece, it might also get my face dirty as I’m trying to bite into it. The problem with knife-required foods can easily be solved with a knife, but that means I would need both hands to be free when I’m eating. That also means I can’t just hold my bowl to eat – I would need a flat surface to cut my food! Knife-required foods are just a bit too much effort for lunch at work.
1. Food with bones – This is my least favorite thing to bring to work. Chicken wings, pork chops, ribs are definitely not ideal, but at least the bone is bigger. Chopped chicken (with bones) and fish are the worst! The bones are so small and it can easily get lost in the rest of your meal too. Not only does eating food with bones take more time, but you also have to be extra careful and be prepared to spit out the bone in front of everyone. Pass.
The ideal meal? Something that I can eat one bite at a time with a spoon.