...I was in a restaurant with DH the other day, and was reminded of a statement that I made months ago and wrote down for a blog draft: Deep Fried Lunch.

It was my birthday and I chose something really good to eat - some chicken salad - but I was staring at all the appetizers and thinking how fun it would be one day to just go into a restaurant and order a couple of appetizers and make that my lunch. Based on my choices it would definitely qualify as a deep fried lunch: Fries, mozzerella sticks, chicken fingers, beer batter onion rings. All bad stuff for you. All great tasting. Even if the onions will be the death of me later.

I've never actually brought myself to do it. Until recently. DH and I dropped our kids off at a birthday party where they were serving pizza and excused ourselves to go find lunch somewhere. The reason we didn't stay for pizza is that I gave it up for Lent, otherwise we would have chowed down with the rest of the party. Anyway, we ended up at TGIFriday's and had the chicken strips and fries - shared the plate, but still.

It was a deep fried lunch. I did have a slightly redeeming cup of french onion soup prior to diving in, but either way it didn't help. I am not made for deep fried lunch. I didn't have dinner later that night, and my stomach was not feeling great for a good part of the day. I don't know that the food was bad. It certainly didn't taste bad as we were eating it. I just think that I wasn't built anymore for having a deep fried lunch. It still doesn't stop my want to have a deep fried lunch though. Be it McDonald's or Max's or some other restaurant that serves things that have been breaded and soaking in oil. I still want to head once more into the breach and have that appetizer lunch/dinner. Of course, I don't feel right doing that until after Lent is over, since I gave up fast food and I'd consider a deep fried meal, no matter where I have it, as fast food. But I really miss my occasional comfort food of a burger and fries. And when they say that You can have it Your Way, then I want mine to look like the picture on the menu too...

...even if it means that much extra onions.