Tuesday, October 10, 2017

Fast and Hungry

Thankfully, situations like this are rare.

It's been a while, so my doctor and I agreed I should get some bloodwork.  Fear not.  It's just routine.

I'm sure most of you have been  though this before, but you fast ten to twelve hours before the lab draws the blood.  I usually go a few extra hours to be on the safe side.  My last food was at 1:00 PM.  I arrived at the lab at 7:00 the next morning.  No food in all that time.  Just water-- and a lot of it.  

Some gym time helped take my mind off my hunger.  The lack of food really wasn't the issue.  I really missed my morning diet colas.

I was in and out of the lab in about twenty minutes.

I then had a choice.  Where should I go to break the fast.  My lab is in the middle of fast food and chain restaurant heaven, but I really didn't feel like breakfast.  

I decided on that big hoagie sandwich chain.  It opens at 7:00 AM.  I'll repeat one of my fast food gripes.  McDonald's has made a big thing of "breakfast all day."  I'd rather have a burger in the morning than an egg sandwich in the evening.

I zipped down the North Scranton Expressway, and I arrived at the front door of the sandwich shop a few minutes after opening time.  Let me correct that.  It what was "supposed" to be opening time.  The door was locked.  As I was walking back to the car, a worker came out and apologized, saying there was a water leak in the dining room and she couldn't open on time.

No worries.

One plus of this chain is there is almost one on every corner.  I traveled down the road a few miles and found an open shop.  Turkey and swiss, piled high with every vegetable in the bins.  A quick shot of oil vinegar.  Bag of corn chips on the side, plus a nice sized diet cola.  All were inhaled in record time.

As the "sandwich artist" was preparing my breakfast, I told her the story of why I was so ravenously hungry, so early in the day.  As I was cleaning my table and getting ready to leave, she asked how everything was.  I told her that I was tempted to have another.  I didn't.

The fast was difficult, but the celebratory sandwich almost made it worthwhile.