And the struggle with Lent continues!

I texted my friend Lisa (the vegan) today, excited about today's lunch plans. We had been planning on going to Redmill (a burger joint that happens to serve delicious shakes and onion rings, and oh by the way, also happens to cook pounds of bacon at a time in a huge brick formation) for a week or two now, and today was the day we could finally make it work. Debating over which bacon creation I was going to get to go with my big flaky onion rings and mint chocolate milkshake, I came to a shocking realization, at the very same moment that Lisa texted me, Wait, can you even eat meat today?

I love being a Catholic (most of the time), don't get me wrong. But this whole no meat on Friday thing kills me every year. I don't know how Catholics followed this rule every Friday, pre-Vatican II. Every Friday becomes a challenge and meals have to be thought of way in advance, and strategically orchestrated from among the few option I can eat that don't contain meat.

I deliberated with Lisa, who does not eat meat any day of the year, and she suggested bahn mi. Bahn mi is a Vietnamese sandwich that is in french bread, with a meat option, and then carrots, cucumber, and a sweet sauce. There are other things that are usually in it that I generally pick out,

Walking down to the front desk where I used to work, Michael suggested we go to this place on Pine and Bellevue. Boy am I glad we did.

We decided to be adventurous and ordered a fresh spring roll appetizer, hers with tofu and mine with shrimp (thank the good Lord himself for considering seafood not meat). It was only $1.95, and was so handmade it was still lumpy. Regardless it was delicious and had just the perfect amount of noodles and lettuce, and the peanut sauce was some of the best I ever had.

We moved onto our bahn mi, both tofu (no meat), and I was surprisingly delighted. The bread was the best, crusty and warm. The sauce was sweet, and the tofu was cooked in a way that even I can tolerate. The carrots could have been a little fresher, but the cucumbers were nice and crunchy. All for $3.95!

With my drink that was less than a dollar and tax, I walked away with a lunch that was less than $7, and totally was worth my money. I am glad we made the decision to go there.

And don't you fret. Redmill is certainly going to be in the works for next week.