A Good Lunch

I went out to lunch Monday.

Normally at work, I eat lunch at my desk. But I had business to attend to at my back during lunch so while I was out, I decided to eat somewhere that was not at work and at my desk.

I went to a place called Jay's Deli. 

Jay's is a pretty good place for some pretty good food that I don't get to eat at very often. I had never been there for lunch during a work day before.

They were very busy and I felt immediately guilty. 

My dining party consisted of me and....

Well, just me. 

I felt bad that I was there to take up precious table space during a busy time with just only me. As I was led to a small corner table, I kept apologizing, "Sorry it's just me." 

I felt so bad that a lifetime of poor social skills had left me bereft of friends to share lunch with me. It's one of the reasons I usually eat lunch at my desk.

Anyway....

My eyes scanned the menu and landed on a hot turkey and swiss on a croissant. 

Let me tell you what comes on a hot turkey and swiss on a croissant:
1) sliced smoked turkey
2) swiss cheese
3) on a croissant
4) served up hot. 

I'm a simple guy. I like simple food. I don't need a lot of things added to a sandwich. I don't need pickled beet relish. I don't need roasted Hungarian radish slices. I don't need grilled avacado and pineapple. 

What do I want from a hot turkey and swiss on a croissant?
Turkey.
Swiss cheese.
A croissant.
Served hot.

It's as simple as that. 

The soup that came with it was a tad more complicated: florentine tomato. 

I don't ask much from tomato soup. Be creamy, made from tomatos and with just a hint of pepper to give it a little bit of a kick. 

What was this florentine tomato soup?  It's tomato soup, sufficiently creamy with some form of flavoring (oregano, perhaps?) with pasta shells. 

Pasta shells? Someone back in the kitchen's just showing off now. 

But I have to admit, the florentine tomato soup was actually quite good, it's a relatively complex savoriness was a proper counterpoint to the more basic pleasures of the accompanying turkey and swiss sandwich. It was a very good meal, satisfying but not indulgent. 

As I stepped outside from Jay's Deli, the air was warm but not oppressive. It was a friendly warmth. 

It was a good lunch.