Foodsday Tuesday: Where's the Beef?

At some point yesterday, I realized that it had been a couple of days since I'd had any protein to speak of. And what I was getting was from my endless supply of dairy products: mostly Wawa milk and string cheese from Trader Joe's. But my body needed real, hearty protein. And iron. (I've been dragging and figured that not having enough iron could be a contributing factor. Never mind that I've been averaging four and a half hours of sleep per night, because that's clearly not the problem, right?) I needed red meat, and soon.

Unfortunately, on the Unemployment Diet, I can't exactly afford steak. And with the way I've been eating the last ten days, I wouldn't have had time to eat one before my movie at the Prince, anyway. So what's a girl to do then, eh? I absolutely, positively, could not go to Wendy's again, and besides, I don't like their burgers. But then I realized: only a few doors past Wendy's was Five Guys Famous Burgers and Fries. I practically ran over there—and not because I didn't want to be late for the movie. The meat was calling my name.

The best thing about a Five Guys burger? Free toppings. Free, relatively inventive, toppings. An acquaintance of mine once described them as "epic." I ordered my "Little Hamburger" with lettuce, tomatoes, green peppers, jalapeños (fresh, not the yucky pickled kind!), and Bar-B-Q sauce, from the very friendly guy behind the counter. All that and a decently-sized fountain soda (no fries this time, although they are delicious there), and I got change from my five dollar bill. (Don't get me wrong, it wasn't a lot of change. But that's still a damned cheap meal.) And, because I was hours and hours past Five Guys' lunch rush, my burger was ready before I'd finished getting my soda.

I carried my burger and soda to the lobby of the Prince and ate it there. Five Guys' burger was exactly what I needed: not a quality restaurant burger, but still better than any fast food joint in the area, and enough dead cow-provided protein and iron to keep me going for the rest of the evening. This was a very good thing.