By Charlie

My Favorite Lunch Food

Written by Charlie O'Shields

When it comes to lunch, I love sandwiches. My favorite sandwiches are usually ones like this odd looking eggplant sandwich quickly doodlewashed here. I like layers and layers of vegetables with a little cheese instead of any sort of meat. As a kid in American suburbia, however, every meal was planned around the meat you were going to serve. Most people regeferred to vegetables as “veggies” as though they were a cute little afterthought. If asked what I would like to eat, I would always select the meat based on the type of vegetables I knew would go with it. Steak would come with delicious mashed potatoes and green beans, and if I wanted fried potatoes I would simply choose a hamburger. If the menu was coming out of a slow cooker, which happened a lot, I wanted beef stew. I knew my dad would go first and pick through to get all the meat out, thus leaving me with a yummy “veggie” stew.

Now that I’m an adult and can generally make my own choices, I choose vegetables first. My love of the “side dish” has become a standard way of eating. Lunch for me is usually fairly light as having anything more makes me want to curl up in a ball under my desk and unplug my phone for a few hours. Around 3 o’clock I’m usually finding it hard to concentrate and wanting a little coffee boost as it is. I didn’t get mine today, so I have absolutely no idea what I’m talking about right now. Lunch is such a brief encounter for me that it’s not inspiring much in the way of stories. The only time lunch was a thing of true importance was when I was a kid in school.

Back then, my lunch was packed into a metal lunchbox with graphics from some TV show emblazoned on the front, depending on what I was interested in at the time. Inside, there would usually just be an apple, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a bag of Fritos. The food wasn’t particularly notable, but to me it was always like having a little treasure box to open each day. I’ve often thought it would be cool to get one of those lunch boxes again and pack my own little lunch for work. But not having a mother to pack it for you sort of kills all of the magic. So, I usually just end going with some sort of random sandwich that has somehow mysteriously lost its meat filling.

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About the Doodlewash

M. Graham Watercolors: Pyrrol Red, Gamboge, Burnt Sienna, and Ultramarine Blue. Lamy Safari Al Star pen with Platinum Carbon sepia ink in a 5″ x 8″ 140 lb. (300 gsm) Pentalic Aqua Journal.

Charlie O'Shields

Creator of Doodlewash, founder of World Watercolor Month (July), World Watercolor Group, and host of the Sketching Stuff Podcast. Sharing watercolor illustrations and stories while proudly featuring talented artists from all over the world!

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43 thoughts on “My Favorite Lunch Food”

  4. So you’ve been a health nut all your life? Funny you. This sandwich looks very good, tasty as well as healthy. And I think you need a bite right about now so you can focus for the last few hours of the work day. Course it’s nearly 8 pm out here in California, so perhaps you’re already home, digesting your eggplant and cheese, and I must go make dinner. I have no idea what I’m talking about either at the moment – hungry.

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    1. Hehe!! Yay to stream of consciousness! The only way to live! Lol Thanks so much, Sharon! 😃💕 I wasn’t that healthy as a kid though. I’d eat pretty much anything in front of me. 😊 Even SPAM. Not that was a weird thing. Still not entirely sure what it’s made of.

      Reply

      1. It is frighteningly one of the mysteries of life, but no mystery why we call unwanted messages “spam.”
        I think the first deviled eggs I ever ate (my mom never made them, they were a treat at a neighbor’s) was made with spam – get it? Devil and spam? he he he

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  5. I’d love to eat more veggies if they prepared themselves…lol! 😉 Good for you to eat healthy! It is always a goal of mine. Some days are better than others. Your painting is marvelous, Charlie! 💕🎨

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  11. I guess there can’t be milk bars in your area where they’ll make sandwiches to order! 🍔 And I must say your delicious-looking sandburger seems to have what looks like bacon in it!!

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  12. I’d be curious what happens if your lunch sandwich was made with gluten free bread. I used to get those same feelings at the office. Used to go on Target runs for junk food lol! As though that would help, but it did at the time. Anyway, just in case we’re “twinsies” yet again, thought I’d share. You are a marvel of food painters, Charlie!

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    1. Awww thanks, Laura! 😃💕 I’ve never found any gluten free bread that tastes good enough to feel like a suitable replacement. Though I do prefer Gluten-Free Quinoa and Brown Rice pasta over regular pasta. Tastes soooo much better! There’s plenty of junk food around the office, but we stopped getting donuts on Fridays at least (which I miss terribly, but am at the same time happy about! 😊Lol)

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      1. Yes that pasta is good!! Food for Life makes a wonderful brown rice bread that comes in a pink bag in frozen section. It’s made with yeast and smells and taste like homemade glutened bread. I highly recommend it Charlie, if you feel like trying again. 💜💜💜

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  16. These look so yummy! I’m with everyone else on the bread – expertly done. Thanks for the late (moments before I have dinner) lunch!

    It’s even more fun when you ‘don’t know what you’re talking about anymore’! 😛 I used to love lunch at school too; I never knew what was going to be in those sandwiches! I even found my lunchbox from the time, speaking of treasure – http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3226/2691436259_58c28c43bf.jpg – er, yeah… does Ronald not need a snorkel or anything at all? Who knew? Fun memories.

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