Saturday, March 1, 2008

What Would You Do?


Today, I judged a Forensics Tournament for Junior High Students. I had a great time. For the first round, I was the timer for Impromptu Speaking and for the power round, I judged Demonstration. It was round two that got me down. I was a standby judge and waited in the Judges' Room until I knew I was not needed. When the second round began and everyone was settled, I decided to eat lunch. Judges receive a FREE lunch ticket. How could I pass it up. The choices were this: Main course of either Nachos or a slice of Papa John's Pizza, Side dish of either assorted candy bars, assorted chips, assorted cookies.

What would you pick to eat with these limited options?

Several of the judges decided to go out for lunch at local restaurants after finding out the choices. The other judge from my daughters school decided to trade his lunch ticket in for a soda instead of the food.

I was amazed at how many judges actually passed on the lunch. After looking at them, it seemed to be all the judges that were at a healthy weight. One particular guy stuck out as he was a standby judge in the second round as well. He chose to sit and play on his cell phone the entire time only getting up to get lunch. He get his free lunch, but also bought an extra slice of pizza. That would have totally been me last year.

Well, I'll tell you that I picked a slice of pizza. Beggars can't be choosers. I was hungry. I also got a side of cookies. Grandma's Peanut Butter Cookies had been one of my snacks of choice from the vending machine. Even before eating them, I realized they were not the best choice anymore. I did enjoy my lunch and then decided to make a wise choice. Since I had an hour and a half to burn, I went for a walk. I decided that since today was March 1, I would put my Winter coat away and pull out my Spring coat. Call me crazy, but 30 degrees in March somehow feels warmer than 30 degrees in December. I was plenty warm and took an hour walk around the outside of the school. In an hour, I walked over 8,000 steps making my walk over 4 miles. So even though I made a poor choice eating my FREE lunch, I do feel that I made up for it with my exercise today.

5 comments:

noelle said...

It's so hard when a "free" lunch is a bad lunch.

I would have taken the pizza too, but passed on the others (I hope!) So great that you used the time to walk too. It would have been easy to sit and play with your phone or whatever too, but a walk was a much better choice!

Dinahsoar said...

I would have chosen the pizza...and likely the cookies...more filling than the candy....

This is real life...pizza is not bad food...it's bread and cheese and tomatoes...and sometimes meat a veg....I think pizza gets a bad rap...

Cookies are flour and sugar and fat---in and of themselves not "bad" as long as you don't use them as "filler"

It was just one meal, and...you went and walked 8000 steps...way to go...had you been offered a healthy meal you may have skipped the exercise....

Had you brought an apple and some carrot sticks along you could have rounded out your pizza making it more balanced as a meal...it's always a good idea to pack an apple and carrots just in case...and no refrigeration needed.

Anonymous said...

What a choice! Well, since I can't eat 99% of what's offered, I'd have my handy-dandy lunchbag with me -- BORING! But healthy.

Just checking how you're doing! Still snowy there? Is spring going to come??? We're expecting more snow tonight... Grrr. D

Anonymous said...

wow, what a terrible lunch to offer people!!! I think you made a fine choice though, pizza it not necessarily bad for you.

Anonymous said...

I went to lunch with a coworker today and the Wednesday special was a free cookie with the order of a whole sandwich. I would have normally ordered a small sandwich and no cookie, but because I am a Rebarchik and the word "free" initiates a "yes, please" reflex, I found myself eating two Grandma's cookies pictured here along with a "whole" sandwich. Damn those genes. There goes my hour of swimming last night!