Cravings

One evening last week I had a sudden and unstoppable craving for Lo Mein.  It’s a Chinese dish of noodles, veggies, shrimp, chicken and pork.

The next day’s weather forecast included heavy snowfall and the mere idea of having Lo Mein for dinner was certainly, in my mind, the best pre-snow day thing to do.  I walked a block to China Chef where at least ten customers had the same idea of having a Chinese meal for the evening. 

The fastfood staff were obviously trained to be quick, no-nonsense and efficient because in ten minutes, my order was in my hand.  I was out of there as more customers flocked in to fulfill their Chinese meal craving.

A dvd arrived in the mail that day and in addition to enjoying the Lo Mein, I was entertained by “The Color of Freedom,” a Joseph Fiennes movie.  It almost felt like enjoying a dinner theatre right in my own comfort zone!  You see, during my car-driving days I liked to treat myself to the dinner-while-watching-a-movie ambience.  There’s such a place blocks from home and every weekend I would go there to watch a film while savoring food from their menu.  Looking back, I realized that the entrees cost more than a regular eatery’s price, but in the comforting darkness of the theatre, the price didn’t matter.  After all, the movie ticket came cheap, half the price of a regular show.  I figured that the theatre management had to make some profit and made up the difference by over-pricing their food offerings.

The truth is, as luxurious as it seemed back then, I don’t really miss those dinner theatre days.  I love eating food in my own home.  Doing it while watching a movie or not.  The only thing I miss is being catered to by a waiter and not having to spend time cooking in my kitchen.  At home, like most Americans, I am my own slave!

Another advantage of home movies is that I can always replay a film scene if I need to.  Or repeat watching it for as many times as I want.  In the dinner theatre I have to give the movie my undivided attention.  Even a quick trip to the bathroom is never a welcome idea.

Come to think of it, anyone doesn’t need to spend a fortune to be entertained.  In these recessionary times, penny pinching can use a lot of creativity.  I know folks who love to be entertained by films on dvd and don’t even spend money.  The dvd’s are available at their public libraries… without charge. 

Sometimes I can’t help but wonder if our evident hard times are sent our way, not only to inspire downsizing ways, but to set our creativity in motion.  You know…

     sewing our own clothes instead of buying off the rack…
     cooking our own meals instead of eating out…
     brown-bagging our work lunches instead of spending on take-outs…
     taking public transportation instead of driving to places.

If we can only stop and think, there are many money-saving ways we can implement in our daily living.  The tough economy shouldn’t be regarded as a damper on our old frivolous spending ways.  Instead it should be regarded as a challenge to how we are able to make the best of the worst.

Remember the saying... “If you're stuck with lemons, make lemonade"?  It's never been truer than the Year of Now.