Lunch Review Classroom Assignment

Sadaf Ayaz

MEDPL 294

The first time I tasted a spoonful of oatmeal, I was more confused than disgusted. How did Noah Centineo eat this every single day and rave about it in his interviews? Where was I supposed to find the wholesome goodness in served in “delicious” ways?

What I had made seemed far from a delicious healthy meal. In fact, my Quaker Oats and milk tasted like a concoction of baby food and milk blended into a thick paste my mom made for my baby sister when she didn’t have teeth. The type even her baby taste buds detested, contorting the tiny muscles of her face into the unbearably disgusted face honored in memes today. 

I promptly threw it away and toasted myself a bagel. As a reward for trying to be healthy, I lathered on a more than generous layer of cream cheese and munched away, promising to never return to the old Quaker. 

It took no time to break that promise when the dieting mania coupled with Instagram videos of healthy food prep that promised tasty low-calorie meals began their seduction. I had to give it one more try. 

Nowadays, I have oatmeal as a healthy heavy breakfast for days like today that often leave no room for lunch. 

This morning, I was running late so crunched for time to cook, the oatmeal and chia seeds had half their allotted time to simmer. While I waited I quickly mashed half a banana and spilled in my maple syrup. Preparing the base of sweet wholesome goodness, I sprinkle in all the healthy things to create a concoction that would satisfy my mom about my responsible healthy decisions. 

In the end, it feels like a meal prepared from a breakfast banquet. All the possible things you can have for breakfast in one. Nuts and seeds sprinkle over a layer of banana slices and a mixture of berries. A delicately lathered up roll of almond butter sits as a crown topped with the perfect looking baby kiss–the Queen kiss. The flawed peasant kisses surround its glorious throne. Reminiscent of the winter snow, finely minced coconut shreds sprinkle onto the heavenly kingdom. 

Sometimes I forget, two-thirds of my bowl is actually filled with oatmeal that hides beneath a strong layer of decor that makes it seem non-existent. Even when eating the heavy breakfast, oatmeal is the last thing that comes to mind. Its gooey texture is immediately overpowered by the nuts and melted kisses. The berries and bananas replace the stale taste of the oatmeal with their sweet and sour additions. 

Breakfast can be a mess for some people, but mornings like today last the whole day with breakfast. I ate my oatmeal at 7 AM, it’s now 7 PM and in between, I’ve only had 3 pieces of York Chocolate Peppermint Patties which we can delve deeper into another day. 

A bowl of home-made oatmeal really is healthy wholesome goodness that makes the stomach feel as if it has, in fact, eaten from a banquet.