It is definitely a throwback to distance ancestors from the Paleolithic period that, sometime towards the middle of the working day, I take on the role of a Hunter Gatherer.
This is in the quest for a nourishing, satisfying and cost effective lunch.
Of course I am not having to battle with unruly elements, unruly elephantine mammoths, Sabre Tooth Tigers or a predisposition to a rather short and unhealthy lifestyle as those early humans will have faced on a daily basis but nevertheless in a modern world context the same anxieties, stresses and insecurities are very real.
There is ample choice which is thanks to the supply chain networks and point of sale logistics of a consumer economy. A complicating factor in my case is that my work takes me all over the place and although I use well trodden and familiar routes I cannot always be sure that these will coincide with a suitable sales outlet or establishment to cater for my needs.
I have been known to be organised with a packed lunch or sufficient snack items to get me to tea time but unless I stow away my provisions in the boot or the car or at least out of arms reach they will not even last until 10.30am before being eaten.
My geographical coverage does include some of the best food producing areas of the UK, either in raw materials from the vast Yorkshire agricultural hinterland or served as home made or made to order products or goods.
The latter includes fish and chips from my forays to the glorious coastal stretch which forms the eastern extremity of my territory, pies and pastries from market town traders across Gods Own Country, salad bowls and delicacies from independent delicatessens or even as a last resort as my energy and stamina fades in early afternoon, a burger or chicken take-out from a National Chain.
You will be thinking that the foregoing sounds mightily unhealthy but applying a bit of restraint, rotation of menus and the need to be very active in the pursuit of my livelihood does result in a reasonable calorific balance.
I cannot say from day to day what my lunching urges or choices will be. There are many influencing factors at play.
These include, primarily, pressures on my running schedule with no one diarised job being of the same unitary duration and also the imponderables around having to drive a lot between such jobs.
Complications or complexities involved in each job can easily disrupt a well intentioned schedule and add to that any unforeseen traffic hold ups and there is plenty of scope for either a wonderfully fluid day or a series of frustrating events out of my control which can cause the day to be a bit of a problem.
The Hunter Gatherer in me is therefore understandably present and ready to spring into action.
So what makes for that ideal lunching experience?
I have not really thought too much about. If I am hungry I must eat. It is that much of a natural and primitive thing.
However, I did hear a description of the components of an ideal meal from some Celebrity Chef or big cheese in the food industry which made a lot of sense, to such an extent that it is now a self imposed standard in my relentless search for that important part of my working day.
All of the following have to come together to meet my new exacting criteria and so much so that I have found myself chanting in my head or under my breath the mantra anytime from about 10am onwards of " hot, cold, sweet, sour, crunchy, soft".
For a bit of variation I may rearrange the order for a bit more of a lyrical flow as in "crunchy, soft, sour, sweet, cold, hot" or in the ultimate mash up "cold, soft, sour, hot, crunchy, sweet".
The combinations and rythmic possibilities are endless. Unfortunately I may have set such high expectations according to this sing-song list that nothing may meet all of the requirements.
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