I recall a frantic December and me eating one of these sandwiches, moments after taking the pictures, sitting on the window sill of the room I shot it in.

“Indoor picnic,” I think, the irony eliciting a guffaw. Wet crumbs fly out of my mouth.

The faster I eat, the more I realise that I am actually hungry. Famished, in fact.

How many times do we eat out of physical hunger and not a predetermined meal time? A get-together, for company and to accompany, comfort, solace, anger and all the other reasons.

What a positively luxuriant dilemma to have. Eating too much, and having enough food to eat for fun and sociable reasons.

 This isn’t a post about mindfulness and food, just a thought about eating when not hungry.

Oh, and the future of coffee shops and lunch spots. Often we schedule meetings or catch ups with friends at restaurants and we aren’t really hungry (the 3 30pm second lunch – c’mon, you’ve done it too). Happiness and distraction often lead to picking at bread straws before the starter and every last piece of pie crust crumb when engaged in an intense catch-up session.

I’m not happy to sit in a restaurant and order a glass of water with lemon over a 2 hour chinwag. I don’t think it’s fair to the restaurateur with the overheads. And I’m far too greedy for that.

I wonder if there exists a ‘catch up’ venue. You pay to sit and read (drinks/snacks/meals are add-on’s) and to catch up with friends or have a meeting in the comfort of an air-conditioned, safe, well-designed and conveniently located space. No pressure to eat or give in and order a burger and fries like I did last week at a hip Cape Town eatery that only serves 3 dinner options – all comfort style food, heavy on the comfort. Perfect for January detox, ha. My friend and I shared the burger after a healthy oyster starter, thereby halving the dilemma as smartly as we could.

Also, no other distractions such as art (galleries), things for sale (shops) or beautiful scenery (the great outdoors). Just a space like a restaurant, but without the pressure to eat if not hungry.

Before you tell me to schedule meetings in the office and meet friends at home or at the promenade or park (and you’d be right to do that), here’s my Roast Beef Picnic Sarmie.

Maybe the new -age ‘pay to sit’ venue will want to order them from me, or another blogger? Perfect for picnics outdoors, or sitting on the windowsill, contemplating true hunger and business opportunities indoors.

How to

I’d be cheeky to tell you how to make a simple sarmie, don’t you think? So, depending on how many rolls you need to make and people to feed, I’d advise two nice slices of roast beef and as much of the other toppings as you like. I made a lovely silverside roast and used the leftovers for these sandwiches and a few salad meals.

  • Roast beef slices
  • Wholegrain or Dijon mustard
  • Salad Leaves

  • fandf_tipOnion relish     (make your own by frying sliced onions in olive oil until half way cooked, add brown sugar and stir as it caramelises. Season with salt)

 

 

  • Ciabatta or other rolls

Slice rolls, spread with mustard and pile on other ingredients.

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