On Green Tea and Cucumber Sandwiches

yesterday's lunch, green tea and cucumber sandwich, the glossy edit happens thanks to Instagram

I have started to carry lunch to my university, when I say lunch I do not mean an elaborate meal that many of my classmates cook for or feed themselves in canteen. Almost a year back I technically moved out of my hometown into university life and since then I have been practically suffering from a serious but worthless thought almost every day. What will I have for lunch?

My mind says I wish a cup of green tea for lunch as well.

I who once was a legendary foodie have given up my lust for food for almost seven years now. I eat to keep my energy intact. So every day when I am faced with ‘thee’ question of lunch my peace strings tune into cacophonic ballad. It’s not like the choice laid before me to eat are versatile and healthy! I have to choose between one big belly filling of Rice Meal (something I am incapable of finishing ever) Bread-Omelet (which is actually a conspiracy to make me cry, as its layered with chilies), Chowmin (that has nothing to do with Chinese Cuisine) and the infamous Luchi Ghungnee(which once was a Sunday delicacy at my humble home).

Fifteen days ago when I saw my classmates the one who inhabit this town bring lunch boxes from home I was angry, not because they got home cooked food. (Yes I love my mother’s cooking) I was angry because they were free of the stupid question “What’s for Lunch and where will we have it?” On that particular burning day I decide I am going to bring myself lunch too.

I am not a random radical thinker; I just know what I want for stomach. There are five things I absolutely love to eat corns, eggs, peas, cucumber and chicken. I am incapable of cooking chicken, peas and corns are rare thing, so I am left with eggs and cucumber. When I announced I will take lunch to university my landlord had a fit of hysteria and my landlady was cheering my brave move. My mom was waving green flag as the blood of great cooks ran in me. Few others asked what was I going to cook? How could I cook rice was their worry, they said it look lot of time to make all those fried things and biggest worry was taste which would change after four or five hours.

I hate rice, I am lazy and I can practically eat anything that tastes nothing like gourd. My sister before leaving this country with her evil-half had left me a sandwich maker and electric kettle. I exchanged her kettle for a better one. Now my new kettle allows me to boil eggs, boil noodles, make cup soups and I can make green tea all the time without the worry of leaking pot.

Hence the lazy cook was born a week back. My dear friend made me a list of absolute necessary things for any new cook. The list had- knife, peeler, chopping board, five essential spices, salt and containers for them, oil, proper utensils bla bla bla.

The lazy cook over took me and I decided to unheard most of her to-do’s. I had concretized that my lunch box will have one thing, something I know I will eat, feel good and be fine with. At end of half day I really don’t want to think of food, I just want it in my stomach and be healthy.

I have perfect answer for the long list my friend had. I did get a peeler, instead of knife I use my paper cutter it cuts my cucumbers fine. What is oil? I have no idea what that elite Latin word is; I got myself small tiny packed boxes of butter that last five days straight! And salt, I got myself a salt sprinkler, I don’t need spices or containers to keep them, but the most important is magic food called Mayonnaise, which to my great surprise is a diet mayo.

First thing in morning is I get myself a nice cup of green tea, I put my egg to boil next, then slice my cucumber, take my bread and butter it, salt my cucumber and go to bath. Forty five minutes later I have my egg and cucumber between slices of bread. I watch them criminate inside the sandwich maker. Five hours later they taste fine when I bring them out of my super cute pink lunch box! And that’s how a lazy, practically food hater feeds herself.

It’s almost a week and I have become an expert sandwich maker. Though half of the world hate my combination of sandwich feeling. No one in my home enjoys eggs with cucumber. One is a cool thing and other a warm cheesy stuff. Well I just love both together. When I bite my sandwich I can intake the cool smell of cucumber and taste the cheesy eggs at same time. It’s a blissful experience.

Still all this actions are trouble for a non-morning person like me. I do all this because I do not want to have that talk “What will we have for lunch and where?” Nope I can no longer enjoy those harmful sun burns just to feed my stomach. I see no point cycling in the scorching afternoon just to put bad oil, stale rice, and unwashed vegetables in my stomach.

If I had the power to do one thing, I for sure would have removed hunger from the world. I would sit on a porch to watch the whole ordeal of civilization crumble. If I look back this all began because of that one thing called hunger, which I feel now and then. Sadly it’s universal but has lost its true purpose in mankind’s belly.

Until that power comes, I shall enjoy the view from my window and devour my sandwiches and sip my green tea.

it says:- Sunday or Monday everyday is Bun-day (Bun is a form of bread)

P.S- But strangely I have dreams of being drowned in pond of breads

thanking you to bear with me
paulOaries