Week 4: Eating out
I'd like to talk about eating out. About five days a week we spend our time at work
or at school. Also we have a variety of things to do a week, so we’re forced to
eat something out. It looks usually like this: a quarter for a morning coffee
and a sandwich, in a moment we go to catch a bus. Sooner or later the hunger
will catch us. What do we do next?
Canteens
in colleges and workplaces are a good idea for lunch, mainly because they are
close. So you can take lunch without leaving the buiding. After meals, you
return to your duties. It’s perfect, isn’t it? But… what about the menu? One
time, during an internship I had an occasion to eat a really good dish. It was
just a typical dinner set (meat + potatoes + salad), but everything was fresh
and tasty, just like homemade. On the other hand, I have noticed lunchbars and
popular milkbars started using prepared products. The reduction of cost is
beneficial for a bar owner, but not for our health.
Asian bars are still very popular in big cities. Poor
design doesn’t deter a hungry student or a businessman. I have to admit that
I’m a fan of fried soy noodles with chicken and vegetables. The preparation of
this meal will take me an hour and thirty minutes including shopping. A Chinese
bar serves a dish in 15 minutes. So… I don’t waste my time!
But
there is a risk. We don’t know how many times oil was boiled, and what we
really have on our plate. Chinese bars arouse controversy (for sure you
remember a dispute about pigeons instead of chicken). By the way, a chef of
popular doner kebab bar in Warsaw broke taboos about the quality of meat: this
“supposed mutton” in doner kebabs consist of mutton, beef and improvers. It’s a pity.There
is a different, better way to fight hunger during the day. You can prepare food
on your own. Sometimes it is good to save some little time and spend it in the
kitchen. It’s a good solution, because you don’t waste much money and you know
what you eat.
Just
look at these recipes for lunchboxes. Looks delicious!
What do you eat at your lunch break? What do you think about food served
by the canteen in our school? Do you recommend something from the menu?
During lunch breaks – at school and at work - I eat sandwiches made by my wife. It is the cheapest way to beat hunger and also I know what I eat. Moreover, during the working day I usually can have no more than 15 minutes of break for eating, so in my case sandwiches are the most convenient. I am not fond of eating in canteens, mainly because I had some bad experiences with the quality of food served in such places (example: once I ordered a liver which, after cutting, turned out to be green inside). If I decide to eat outside I always choose a place recommended by my friends. I am a big fan of a Chinese bar located next to my work, which won the competition for the best Chinese bar in Warsaw some time ago – they serve really good food there (certainly not made of pigeons), after which I have never had any stomach problems. :-)
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeletePiotr, Can you give the name or address of the Chinese bar next to your work?
DeleteI will try to visit it sometime
I recommend "Hami", it's a popular bar, the best in Warsaw, I think :) Address: Kasprowicza 16
DeleteMichał: the name of this Chinese bar is Van Binh! It is located on Banacha Street, next to the Banacha hospital (There is also a restaurant Van Binh, located at Grójecka Street, but the food there is not as good as in the Chinese bar). I especially recommend spring rolls and “Kurczak po tajlandzku”. But I must warn you: sometimes you have to wait a little longer to your meal, because there's a lot of hungry doctors and students who order there and make big queues. But I have to warn you: sometimes it is needed to wait a little longer for the meal, because there is a lot of hungry doctors and students ordering there and making big queues.
DeleteIf there is a queue I think it shows good spot because it means that the food is good.
DeleteThank you for the information
I admire people who are brave enough to eat out in Chinese "restaurants" and then go do something else than sitting in the toilet. Maybe it’s just my experience. I think everyone should eat something warm during the day(at least 1 meal), especially during working days (energy needed). Sandwiches are okay for breakfast or pre-lunch meal but not for the main course. I also choose places recommended by my friends, mainly polish and Italian food.
ReplyDeleteDon't know where you have eaten the Chinese food, but there are places when you can eat something and don't feel so bad. Of curse it's not like after eating a tomato salad - all fast-foods are "heavy", but I think you exaggerate a bit..
DeleteTo be sure - those places are not "restaurants" but a quick-bars. I could not notice any Italian fast food places... nevertheless there is a lot of such failure within Italian restaurants within Warsaw I cannot imagine. Furthemore, we are still talking about eating during work - I am sure that most of people cannot go to the restaurant and wait over 30 minutes for a good meal (or even more...)
DeleteEating out is something that I really try to avoid. First of all because it’s costly and secondly for the reasons you mentioned – you never know what’s really on your plate... I try to eat healthy, keep my diet, exercise and save money for more important things then eating out...(e.g drinking out ;) When I have no time to cook and try to find something healthy (and not very expensive) near my job – there’s absolutely nothing there.. Yes, there are burgers, french fries, fast-foods, Chinese bars... But health food - NONE! Unless of course you’d like to eat a small salad for 16 PLN.
ReplyDeleteMe and my boyfriend eat out from time to time, but it’s rather rare. We simply like cooking together and for each other... Of course cooking takes time – you can either try to enjoy that time and treat it as a rest or try to cook meals for at least 2-3 days. Or you can always do both :)
“Are you gay?”, “Eating out” – catchy topics we have this term I must say…
ReplyDeleteI pay much attention to what I eat and I have daily routine:
- I eat breakfast around 9 am – one crispbread, one rice waffles sandwiches
- at noon I’m eating in our canteen I’ve at work (they’re only serving vegetarian food – soup, 3 main dishes to pick from plus potatoes, rice, vegatables etc.
- At 2 p.m. I’m eating a fruit apple/pear/banana – depend on the season
- At 4 p.m it’s time for 2 yoghurts
- And finally I’m ending my day with either supper at 7 pm (crispbread with ham, paprika, Almette, whatever I want) or we’re getting sandwiches at work, while we are doing extra time.
The same goes with school-weekend self-prepared sandwiches, fruits, yoghurts, white chesse whatever I prepare. From our canteen I can recommend pancakes with strawberries and mascarpone crème – those are delicious!
Jakub, your meals are worthy of emulation
DeleteI'm impressed:)
To be honest, I regularly eat out. Sometimes it's hard for me to find time to prepare a meal at home. However, I always try to choose sth healthy. There'a definitely a difference between ordering a set at Mc Donald's and ordering a typical dinner in a restaurant. I think eating out is okay as long as we know what to choose, e.g. mashed potatoes instead of french fries, kebab instead of a burger, youghurt sauce instead of a mayonnaise one etc.
ReplyDeleteI often eat in my workplace cafeteria due to lack of time. The food there is eatable, but of course leaves much to be desired. I try bringing my own food to work, but preparing it takes a lot of time, and after a long day of work one would prefer to relax…
ReplyDeleteEating out is great, especially when you go to a restaurant that offers food you would not be able to prepare yourself. The problem is, that cheap places often serve food of poor quality, and the expensive ones are, well, expensive. But those also often turn out to serve food made of suspicious ingredients. Luckily there are more and more places offering healthy food in a reasonable price, so there is more to choose from.
Great examples of these could be Złoty Osioł, a vegetarian restaurant in Katowice (http://www.wegebar.com/), Krowarzywa - a vegetarian burger bar in Warsaw (https://www.facebook.com/Krowarzywa) or Glonojad in Kraków (http://www.glonojad.com/).
I am not a vegetarian myself, but these places simply offer tasty food in a reasonable price.
I agree. Recently I am conviced to vegetarian food. The places like Krowarzywa are a great alternative for McDonalds etc. Sometimes is good to eat a dish without meat, one day a week i'm eating only vegetables and fruits.
DeleteMy primary dinner destination is our internal canteen which serves various meals which are usually quite differentiated every 2 weeks, so I cannot complain about lack of food variety in my workplace. These are usually "imported" ready-made meals, which needed a little cooking, but the food is VERY cheap for its quality But when the menu in canteen does not fit me, within a 5 minute walk, we have a kebab or a little Vietnamese bar which basically serves meals widely understood as Chinese food. It is cheap, tastes good and i never felt sick afterwards so I'm all right with these on this fact alone ;)
ReplyDeleteRecently I've observed a nie trend at my workplace. There are a few people who really like cooking and do that with pleasure. They started to cook two portions and offer one to a colleague. Other people quickly picked up the idea and starteddoing the same. In this way you don't have to spend much more time in the kitchen, but you have a fresh and healthy meal. Moreover, you can try new dishes and exchange recipes. I think it's not only a good way to take care of your diet, but also to socialize.
ReplyDeleteEating out? It’s my daily task. I have no time for cooking. Funny thing? I love cooking. But I have no time for that. It’s not a surprise when you live in Warsaw and work for a corporation. I’m still alive thanks to guy we call “Mister Sandwich”. He comes every day to our office with sandwiches, salads and dinners. I love cooking but I have no time for doing this. When I have a day off I try to prepare a lunch for next day. But usually I don’t have time so I use this opportunity to stay alive thanks to someone who will prepare a dish instead of me. Going outside? Same situation – I don’t have a time for it. When I’m going for a business trip – yes, I’m trying to eat outside. And this is a chance to meet different cultures and cuisines than our own. I love this time – this is a moment when I can try Asian cuisine not in a Chinese bar in a corner of a Warsaw street – I had a chance to try Asian cuisine prepared by Asian people on a corner of THEIR street – and believe me, there is no chance to meet Asian taste in Poland. If you can cook at home – do it. It’s always better than eating outside if we speak about Poland. But when you stay abroad – do it. Eat outside. You’ll never prepare it in the same way like locals do.
ReplyDeleteAga I must agree with what you've said about eating during trips - eat local food, specially if you like trying new tastes.
Delete... and I must disagree - I also work for a corporation but preparing a meal to be able to work at your 200% ;) is a must.. if you really want to do it.
DeleteI don't wanna be a impolite person but there is always a place for improvement in daily schedule... and finding half an hour to make your delicious food. Recommended book: "Anna Starmach Pyszne 25" ;)
I used to often use the menu that one can get in the canteen next to my office, sometimes bought ready-made sandwiches. The food in the canteen was quite tasty, good quality, and was prepared in front of the customer. What was really nice.
ReplyDeleteHowever, due to my sick thyroid I decided to adjust my diet. Doctor, with whom I I was figuring out what I should eat, ordered 5 meals a day – crazy I used to eat two up to three a day (!). So now I have to eat breakfast at home at 7 am, and the next 3 meals I have to prepare every morning, pack and take in the boxes to work. The dinner I prepare after returning home. I had to organize my life again. As far I cooked only on weekends.
Usually I eat at my work from "Pan kanapka" which comes every day to the office and sales lunches and sandwiches, they are quite cheap and fresh, but not allways good as home made food. I think that food served in our school canteen is quite good, it is not delicous and there is only about 3 types of sanchwithes, so you don't have any choice. I woild reccomend pancakes with apples especially for breakfast.
ReplyDeleteWell to be honest I do not spend 5 day a week in PJWSTK, and I cannot recommend anything from canteen. I used to eat much often in Subway and I think this is more natural than frozen or “from bag” food served in canteens. When I have to eat a lunch I try to do it at home in the evening previous day. I prefer home food. I like to know from where the food come from.
ReplyDeleteMy normal day goes like this:
ReplyDeleteI eat cereal with milk in the morning
During the day at work I eat a sandwich
Unfortunately, the sandwiches are pretty boring because in the morning I always have too little time to prepare them.
But in the evening, when I get home from work, I always have a warm home cooked dinner.
And this is very nice end of the day.
When it comes to fast food I usually eat it at McDonald's.
I know that it is unhealthy but it really tastes.
A lot of people eat in McDonald's so I guess this is not the worst food.
I also hope that the food I eat in McDonald's does not become from unknown resources.
I have already mentioned my recent favourite book where I look for inspirations... and I just wanted to show one of the meals:
ReplyDeleteclick
it really took me a bit more than half an hour to prepare (excluding shopping) - although I cook a bit ;) Try Anna Starmach's book!
On the other hand making food every day may be a problem, especially if it happens sometimes to get back after 12 hours... canteen is what I do not trust, especially when in our there were mices running all over the place ;)
I prefer to cook my food on my own, and when I can't do that... I go out to eat some Asian food. The worse place looks, the better is their cousine - that's luckily my experience, I have never had stomach problems after eating in ugly bars :) Of course it is really cheap so that is another prio. I cook quite well, so most of the time when I go to some better restaurants, I'm like, duh this costs so much and I could have prepared that myself with ease. When it comes to some messy plates at Asian bars I can't really imagine doing it by myself, and I really enjoy eating it.
ReplyDeleteI'm rarely eating out. If I do, in most cases, I do it after work with my boyfriend - most likly because I am too tired to cook :) If I do eat out I prefer to go to a good restaurant then to a Chinese bar.
ReplyDeleteOn a daily basis I must admit that I do not act reasonably as it comes to food - I do not eat breakfast, I have a bun with cheese and a yogurt for a lunch and then a dinner in the evening after I come back from work. I know that this is not healthy and I don't like it at all.
There was a time when I forced myself to eat at home before leaving to work. I also prepared a bento for myself for a lunch. Nowadays I don't do both mentioned things because I love to sleep long but have to be at work in the morning - I just don't have time.
Speaking of bento - I have to recommend to all of you this kind of home pre prepared lunch. It origins in Japan, it is mainly prepared a day after, and only assembled in the morning. There is a great website with bento recipes - Just Bento.
I really like cooking. Hence I almost everyday have homemade lunch. However my dishes are very simple, because I don't have so much time to cooking during week. I cook rice or groats, add meat (chicken/turkey/fish) and vegetables. When i have no time to prepare lunch to work, I eat soup in restaurant which is next to my workplace. I also always have something to eat in the meantime. It may be fruit or sandwich or salat.
ReplyDeleteI don't go to bars, because I realy want to know what I have on plat. I also have never eaten in our school cantine that I cannot recommend you any dish form there.
I want to add that on the weekends i usually eat in good restaurants. I have to try new dishes to improve my cooking skills :-)
DeleteOkey, now I have people who brings their food to the workplace, lol this looks silly, also sometimes people takes the WHOLE table space to prepare their meal in the workplace. It is a wasting of time. I tell you why. You have a simple choice. You ate very healthy food since kid and you continue doing this or not at all and doing this will not change your organism now. Why? Basically because your organism used to the food you ate as a kid, when your mama gave you potatoes, tomatoes, chicken and you ate that ever since, you will need this food to keep your organism healthy always and changing the diet to any other food will make you less healthy, why? because your organism needs tomatoes, chicken, potatoes. It's a simple rule. You should eat the same thing that you ate when you were kid. Now what ppl tries to do? They try to eat "healthy" feeding themselves with some stuff they never ate before, they disrupt the metabolism, then the organism reminds a not tuned guitar, it's still a guitar with the strings, but not tuned. You should keep your main diet the same almost over the whole life and eat whatever you want as a delicacy. And the last thing, as a guy who really knows the FMCG market I have to tell you. You do not eat a healthy food even if you make it on your own. It's the same quality as in canteen with the difference the canteen uses a soda. Sorry guys, I choose canteen lolz, because there is no difference at all. It is a very expensive thing to eat very healthy and ecologically nowadays and almost impossible to get products "clean". PS You should all remember that the most healthy part of your meal is EATING IT WITH OTHER PEOPLE. For example, Italians has a very strong eating culture, they gather around the table and eat, they talk, they sing, they drink. This is what keeps them healthy, not the food itself but the culture of eating. So the next time you eat alone your "healthy homemade meal" think about the guy who went to the canteen with his friends and will be healthier than you :-)))))))) You know what I mean? alot of people exchanges the joy of eating tasty food with friends to the totally not tasty but "healthy" salads etc. In the end, the salad is worse for your health.
ReplyDeleteI think there's some truth in that. Actually, I didn’t think about it, but surely the joy of eating and tasting new flavours with the others, is the thing that we don’t care about. We should take it from the Italians and practice every day, for good feeling and health.
DeleteIt was interesting to read comments and get know people's preferences.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to mention one aspect of eating out that we sometimes forget about: eat out is also about conversation, not just about eating.
Specially when we talk about work, I cannot even count how many valuable conversations I've had and how many problems I've solved by just going for a lunch with colleagues. In business world, to change a surrounding and switch atmosphere to less formal might be very valuable and productive.
Moreover, in some cultures (Chinese) most of business conversations, contact negotiations and so on happening over the dinning table.