Photo of the Day: Lunch is served, with a little guilt & pepper

Here’s a recent lunch I had at the Senior Center.  A steakburger, diced potatoes, cantaloupe and “broccoli slaw”.   I’ve never eaten or heard of broccoli slaw before, and I can’t say I loved it, but it DID taste very healthy.  And the steakburger was delicious.

In fact, that burger was probably in my top ten list of all-time favorite burgers, it was that good.  And trust me, I’ve eaten a LOT of burgers in my lifetime! 

The Center has lunches Mon-Fri, I usually attend a couple of them.  Last week my first lunch was a spicy sausage sandwich with peppers, cooked spinach with sliced onions, a watermelon salad with feta cheese crumbles and butterscotch cake.  I announced it was the best lunch I’d ever eaten there, and they seemed to get a big kick out of that.  (I think they included my comment on a feedback form.)  I meant what I said! 

My second lunch (on Friday) was grilled salmon, roll & butter, a “rice & carrot” bake, tomato bisque soup and chopped melon for dessert.  I was taken aback, it was restaurant quality, all of it.  And no lie, the best soup I’ve ever eaten.  Many people said the same and asked for seconds & thirds.

Lunches are free, if you’re over 60 years old, a registered member of the center and you let them know a minimum of 2 days in advance.  We get a lunch menu on the first of every month.

A $3.00 contribution is suggested if you want to donate, but it’s not required.  No one has ever asked me to, but there’s only been 2-3 times I didn’t donate to the “lunch box”, a small wooden box with a lock outside the dining room.  (The lunches are funded by the Pa Dept of Aging & state lottery, our donations go towards the center.)

To be very honest, it was a real adjustment for me at the start, going there alone to attend these lunches.  I have more than enough money to eat at local restaurants, and these meals feel close to handouts.  What would my dad say?

But my reasons for going weren’t to save a buck; it was loneliness plain & simple.  And now that I’ve made some friends there, I can appreciate the lunches for their nutrition.

I just have to watch the sweets.  A couple weeks ago, I went to Courtney’s office after lunch to talk about an upcoming outing.  When I returned to my seat in the dining room, most of the people had left, but one of the ladies left these candies with my keys and papers. 

Why did she do that?  Well, I am the Casanova of California Avenue!