Fast food fast

Last Sunday I had two things to do. I needed to train someone in the morning and attend writers' group in the afternoon. Plan A was to come home in-between and grab a bite of lunch. Plan B was to have lunch out somewhere good if I didn't have enough time to go home.

That was all: Plans A & B. There was no contingency for finishing the training with only forty minutes to spare before writers' group - the time it would take me to drive there. But, as you may have guessed, that's what happened.

I needed lunch and I needed it fast. As I was driving between the two places my mind was wandering to where I could buy lunch. I wasn't desperate enough to buy McDonalds, Hungry Jacks (Burger King) or KFC and decided on Nandos.

It was a stinking hot day and the temperature inside Nandos was even hotter than outside. I was so hungry I was no longer thinking straight so went for a carb hit, ordering a chicken wrap and fries. The chicken inside the wrap was really tasty; I really enjoyed it. The salad was insipid after eating from the garden, the bread flavourless being used to robust whole grains and the chips left a film of grease in my mouth and just made me even more thirsty on such a hot day. I didn't stoop to buying a soft drink, ordering spring water instead, thankfully.

It's really hard to foresee every situation and I really think I had very little choice. Nevertheless, I've been beating myself with such comments as, "You could have had some fruit or nuts in your bag to snack on so you wouldn't have gotten to the point where you needed to buy chips" and "Maybe you should just always carry a packed lunch if you're unsure of finishing time." I certainly could have had lunch with me even on such a hot day since there is a fridge where I spent the morning. It's not always feasible to carry a packed lunch, however.

Anyway, I went against my principles and my lifestyle and really don't want to do it again. Any ideas on how I can plan better and avoid fast food on those rare occasions? I've discovered that even occasional fast food is too often for me.

Cheers.