“Remoted” Day 361 (Friday)

Red meat and I have a strange relationship. I rarely eat it, and never buy it to cook myself. There have been times when I felt sick in my stomach just walking past the meat counter in a grocery store. Other times, I crave it, and all I can think about is a medium rare burger or steak, which can be a sign of low iron. If the read meat craving hits, I have it in a restaurant, eliminating the stress of both buying and cooking the stuff. 

Today was one of the red meat craving days. By mid-afternoon, my brain was possessed by the idea of a steak and cheese sub. At 5:00, I was ordering a medium rare sirloin tips sub with grilled mushrooms, provolone cheese, and mayonnaise from my favorite local pizza delivery shop. Forty minutes later it was delivered and unwrapped on my kitchen counter. 

The dogs could smell it and twitched with excitement. They practically knocked me over as I carried half the sandwich on a plate to the living room. They know I'm a sucker for their cute little faces and always cave to their begging. 

Mis-steak tips grinder.

The bread was soft, the contents were nice and hot, the cheese was melty. It looked like everything I had imagined. The first bite delivered a steak tip a bit larger than bite-sized and a bit too tough to bite. The second noticeable aspect was a very strong teriyaki taste, as if the steak had steeped in it for a week. It tasted like a mistake and dominated the sandwich. Every bite was overpowered by teriyaki sauce flavor. It made me thirsty. It bummed me out. It made me wish I had ordered something else instead. Anything else not drowning in teriyaki flavor. Despite the overpowering and unexpected taste, it was eaten, partly because red meat felt needed, and there would be no starting over with a dinner plan. It cured the red meat craving and solved the personal hunger situation, but wasn’t satisfying. Lesson learned. May there be no next time for this particular menu item mis-steak.