My routine when I wake up is to check the news for any shootings or terrorist attacks that happened overnight, and now more often than not there’s something new. I keep thinking it can’t continue at the same pace, but of course it can; we live in a very big world. And we shouldn’t flatter ourselves that this is anything more extreme than the violence that occurred in the 60s or in other periods, it’s simply in a different form. What to do when there’s nothing you can do about it? Live life as if nothing was wrong? Or maybe work so much that you don’t have the leisure to pay attention. To prepare for a conference I’ve been trying to finish everything at a frenzied pace, and last night I was looking for some kind of meal that would be easy to eat at work. Then a coworker reminded me there was a food court down the street where they have a Five Guys. This used to be, when we lived in Arlington, a regular place for us to get a quick meal. I discovered it long before it became a semi-famous national franchise, and I remember well the routine of going in and momentarily stumbling over the decision about which toppings to choose from their list, then unwrapping peanuts as you wait to get your order that comes with peanut-flavored French fries. By this point, I don’t think I had been there in years. I tried the cheeseburger with jalapeños, which gave me enough heat that I could forget I was an unhealthy American.
(Photo: Gravelly Point near National Airport, Arlington, Virginia.)
365 Days of Food 