“Remoted – Hybrid” – Day 677 (Wednesday)

This morning while letting Winston out, there was an older Beemer outside with chipped greenish-blue paint on the hood. It had “Fearless!” in large lettering on the top of the windshield, and was impossible to miss. It was parked in my driveway, outside the gate to the fortress of solitude. I have no idea to whom it belongs or from where it came. Maybe the driver was visiting the neighbor on the other side of the shared driveway. I figured if it was still there when I got home, it could be dealt with then, and headed downtown. 

While driving behind a school bus, the live entertainment featured a gaggle of rugrats in colorful parkas climbing over the seats, shoving each other, and running back and forth in the aisle. 

Work was a day of more of the same. Lunch was a mediocre offering of leftover pasta with green bean casserole. There were chocolates in the office.

Supper was the singular shining moment of the day. It was an egg roll. Tuesday after work, a stop was made at Family Dollar for the usual affordable and entertaining greeting cards, makeup remover wipes, and toilet paper. The freezer cases were checked en route to the registers, and several boxes of egg rolls caught my eye. There were vegetable, shrimp, and chicken flavors displayed. The calorie count was not bad at around 230 per roll. The cost was phenomenal at $1. It was worth a gamble, and all three flavors were bought.

Best frozen $1 egg roll.

Tuesday’s supper was the vegetable egg roll. I was worried about not having any sauce for it, but a packet is included with the egg roll. After 45 seconds in the microwave, it went into the toaster oven for crisping. After one toast cycle, the egg roll was rotated 180 degrees for another toast cycle. The once frozen sauce sat in a metal cup warming atop the toaster oven. And it was good. Best $1 meal in ages.

Wednesday, there was egg roll on the brain and supper was the one labeled “shrimp.” It didn’t taste any different than Tuesday's vegetable selection, but maybe 24 hours between tastings was too much time and a side-by-side flavor test is needed. Perhaps this can be scheduled in for the long holiday weekend.

It seems a bit unsophisticated and a lot immature and pathetic that some of my favorite meals are 50-cent ramen, $1 egg rolls, and $3.10 frozen pizza (which provides three meals). Once upon a lifetime ago, when I was 2/3 of my current age and had a social life and lots of disposable cash, my favorite meals were things like filet mignon and homemade pasta with pricey wines. Yes, I was fancy and sociable once upon a time. Now my palate (and lifestyle) is $1 egg roll basic which is perilously close to gas station hot dogs on the dining scale.

The beat up Beemer was gone from the driveway when I arrived home, but the curiosity is killing me. Not to be too judgey, but the shoddy look of it seems to suit my 50-cent ramen, $1 egg roll life. If it’s ever back in my driveway, maybe I can meet the driver and make a friend with whom to share my new proclivity for fine-dining.