The smell in the lunchroom at work is ethnic spicy beans with rice, fish from the previous nights meal and even the the heavy scent of curry. I like all the smells. I work with a diverse group of people who prefer to bring food from home rather then buy from the employee cafeteria. Our breakroom is small but this mixed group all crowds around the table to talk and share food.

Probably 85% of us eat one meal out of the house per day, most of our early memories of eating away from home go back to the elementary school lunchroom.

In a recent conversation with my husband I asked him what his lunch was like when he was in elementary school.

During the early '60's he remembers eating the same thing everyday, one slice of bologna on two slices of white bread, no chips, no fruit, no vegetables, just the sandwich. His lunch was eaten in a Catholic school cafeteria that had no kitchen so he only ate what mom provided. Pretty stark food and the environment was really no better.
I had to admit to him that my mom gave me plenty of bologna with mustard sandwiches too but I also got fritos, a piece of fruit and a pint of milk in a cardboard carton. At the school I attended you could also buy a hot lunch from the hair netted lunch ladies in the pink dresses.

I remember not loving being in the lunch room at school. One of my friends went home for lunch on a regular basis. I was jealous that she lived close enough to walk home eat lunch and return to school. Her lunch was prepared fresh by her mom and eaten away from the school lunch room, now that was bliss to me.

My lunchroom in elementary school had a few unspoken rules about what you were allowed to eat, it couldn't smell, it had to be between two slices of bread and it certainly couldn't look different. If your lunch met any of these criteria you would suffer the consequesnces of having someone make a face about your food.

There were always a few kids that broke the rules, they came with something that smelled all day in their lockers and by the time they got to the lunchroom, after not being refrigerated, the smell of their food took over the senses of everyone. I recall the smell of the onion and cream cheese, the tunafish, and the ethnic black bread sandwiches. Eating food that was different was not a good thing, during those early years.

Now as an adult I don't mind eating lunch with my co-workers. I don't care if the breakroom smells of curry or fish and I look forward to the differences in how we eat. I have gotten to know them by sitting with them to eat in the breakroom. I know all there blood types and think I could Genotype them easily. They like-wise have learned things about me, that I can eat alot of food and still remain slim. That I am passionate in my belief in the Blood type Diet. That I care about food and I would love for them all to follow the Blood Type Diet. A few of them have taken the food lists glanced at the books and even eaten some of my food. One of my coworkers has actually started the O diet. I will not be working with these women that much in the coming months, but I do know that I have impacted their lives with my food choices.

What a great place the lunchroom can be.

Green beans are in season right now that makes them both delicious and inexpensive.

I simply trim the ends off the beans slice them in half and boil them a few minutes in water. I like mine still crisp and bright green. I then rinse them under cold water to stop the cooking process.

Green beans with mustard sauce are even better.

Warrior Style Mustard Sauce

1/2 tsp Salt

1 clove of Garlic grated

1 TBP of Mustard Powder (less if you don't like things so hot)

1 tsp of Agave

2 TBS of Lemon Juice

3 TBS Olive Oil

Put everything in a glass jar and shake well. I put this on everything. Salmon patties, swiss chard, salad, tempeh, eggs. It has become a quick staple in my house.

Enjoy!

I am not sure if you can picture this but my kitchen has a black textured countertop and backsplash, a black and white tile floor and brown formica cabinets. It is a combination of colors that is not very appealing.

The cabinets are the biggest eyesore. Faux wood grain brown fomica was once very fashionable, but that was before I was born. So my hope has been to replace the cabinets once we had the money. That was until I learned that my roof needed to be replaced, so for now the kitchen goes on the back burner. I figured for the time being I'd have to learn to live with the cabinets, but then in steps my sister.

She is BT O probably a Gatherer, she has been watching all those TV shows where they take ugly kitchens and redo them. She suggested we paint the cabinets as a quick fix and then even offered to help me paint. Now how can I resist. With her encouragement and help next week we will paint the cabinets. I am very excited about tackling this project and spending time with my sister. Some things are easier when we have someone to give us a push and help us along.

It's like when you first learned to ride a bike. You start out with your doubts but your dad has his hand on the seat running as fast as he can behind you. He would be out of breathe and panting when suddenly he'd be gone and you would be sailing off by yourself, unsure at first but gaining in confidence as you pedaled. I can still hear my dad hollering, "You did it!"

Coming along side each other is what the ER forums are all about. Nudging each other, encouraging each other, answering questions, and defending ourselves against an onslaught of critics. I take great comfort in knowing that you all are out there living what you believe, but I also know I can pedal on my own if I need to. I feel very fortunate to be a part of all your lives by our connection here on the internet.