19.3.08 What I like about London

Today's food adventure was all about what I like about London - a pub meal for lunch complete with bad service and chips and Indian at Brick Lane for dinner. With a visit to the Tate Modern stuck in the middle.

I was thinking today about paying attention to how much money I spend on food every day, in addition to what I eat. Eventually, I'd like to develop some simplicity on both fronts in order to live a bit more lightly. Well, maybe heavier in the pocketbook and lighter around the middle, as well as in my footprint on the planet.

At one time I used to parse out all the costs of food I ate per item per meal, even things I had bought at the grocery store and even down to the individual ingredients. Okay, TMI there.

Today's lunch was a work-related thing so the cost isn't direct to me. I won't count it, even though what I ordered didn't fit the simplicity principle entirely. There were three of us and we only ordered two mains, though, which is something. Right?

Breakfast:
muesli augmented with crunchy nut clusters (a recent shopping accident)
milk
coffee
lemon juice in hot water

Morning Tea:
a little fairy cake version of sticky date pudding which I had no problems bringing into the Tate Modern coffee shop in a silver plastic bag and eating with my
cappuccino
while looking out the plate glass window at a view of the Thames and St. Paul's that I could just about touch. Nice office, since that is where we had our work meeting. We made the obligatory pilgrimage to the Rothko room on the 3rd floor to let the coffee settle and clear the mind of all that scenic vista inspired brainstorming.

Lunch:
chips
part of a burger with stilton
part of a sausage and mash
part of a bruschetta
Young's bitters 1/2 a pint

Afternoon tea:
bad tea in a pub - no one to blame but myself - who orders tea in a pub?

Dinner:
after hearing Archbishop Rowan Williams speak inspiringly at Westminster Abbey
chicken korma
pappadums
lamb with pistachio sauce
rice
1/2 a garlic naan
Cobra 1/2 pint
after dinner mint

right now, 11:23 p.m.
detox tea

whew. my jaws are tired.
Cost?
12GBP for my half of the Indian food