| rev:text
| - After working in the area for more than a year, I finally decided to try Camros.
Full disclosure: I'm not a vegetarian, a vegan, or an environmentalist. I find Denis Leary hilarious, and think that Charlie Sheen is a misunderstood genius. My social conscience is stunted, and I rooted for McDonalds in "Super Size Me". I double-bag my groceries, and when the coffee-shop cashier gives me the baby-seal eyes when I ask for a second cup for my scalding cup of fair-trade-shade-grown-ecologically-sustainable-fairy-dusted joe, I ask for a third.
That said, Camros is awesome.
I'm currently in the middle of a week-long experiment in lunchtime veganism, after too many afternoons spent lolling at my desk like Jabba the Hut being choked to death.
Day 1: Random Vegetable soup, with big chunks of carrot, lentils, brown rice that's split from sitting in the broth, and a fistful of cabbage in a pleasing tomato broth. It comes with millet bread, which has a pleasant chew. The soup is great; full of contrasting flavours and textures. I don't even like lentils, and this is good. The bread could use a bit of a toasting, but I'm so pleasantly surprised that I'm cool with it. I'm full until day's end and surprisingly alert and productive, even with a McDonald's free coffee as a chaser. Also, the girl working the counter is really, really cute in a crunchy-granola way. You'd be surprised how often that affects lunchtime decisions.
Day 2: I'm really hungry, so I opt for a plate of brown Persian rice and daal. At about 9 bucks, it's a splurge, but sometimes you want something hot over rice. It doesn't disappoint. Can rice be a highlight? I still don't like lentils, but make an exception for the filling, subtly-spiced mash on my plate. As I get used to my new lunchtime home, I note that they have cayenne pepper (though no hot sauce). It adds welcome zip to the plate. Also, pink salt. I giggle with delight as I apply some to my dish. It's not really necessary, but I'm a sucker for anything pink, in a masculine, performative, heteronormative way. Washed down with a latte from nearby Crema Coffee (I'm still not up for soya milk), it's an expensive lunch, but satisfying, and I can actually stay vertical in my chair afterwards. I'm greeted by the same server. She's still pretty.
Day 3: More Persian rice, this time topped with creamy lima bean and zucchini stew. The stew starts off deliciously creamy, but gets stodgy as it cools. Zucchini is there, but texturally overwhelmed by the beans. It's a more aggressively salted dish. For the first time, I'm full with plenty of food left to go on my plate. They recognize me when I come in and ask what's good. The soup, a puree of cauliflower etc. looks really good. Hopefully they've got more for tomorrow.
Day 4: I'm welcomed warmly by the staff, and for some reason feel the urge to start a commune. They smile a lot here. They're soft-spoken. All of my fellow diners are in really good shape. I get back to the office and check out yoga classes on Yelp. Maybe I'll burn my suits, turn in my laminated ID card and raise goats...oh yeah: lunch. It's a puree of cauliflower on other veg, warmly spiced and slightly chunky. And a rice ball. A delicious, golden rice ball that smells of turmeric and comes stuffed with raisins and walnuts. I want for nothing until dinner, except a good cup of coffee. I am at peace until I return to work, and a meeting where it turns out I was right all along. Namaste, suckers.
Say 5: We return to the Lima bean and zucchini stew, this time unadorned except for a bite or two of the kelp and beet salads (which provide much-needed textural contrast and an acid hit). I see the error of my ways earlier this week, when I went a bit overboard with the pink salt and cayenne. Left on it's own, the dish provides wonderful, subtle flavors. The rice is different; a Persian pilaf that erupts with nuts and dried fruits. Heading into lunch, I entertained the thought of returning to my carnivorous ways. I'm glad that I stayed the course, as I return to the office in a great frame of mind of a Friday afternoon. Besides, I'm having Vietnamese for dinner with friends. With crack-worthy coffee and Vietnamese donuts for dessert (a rare treat that I allow myself, for being good all week long).
I think I'll keep the experiment going next week, at least until the reality of paying $10 a day for glorified beans and rice kicks in. Maybe the price is right for a tasty hot meal that keeps me at my quasi-functional best as daylight bleeds to 5 PM. I can certainly make do with the occasional bit of preachiness, if only because of the cute blonde who may slowly be turning me into a better person, one lunch at a time.
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