Take away Take Aways

I hadn't had a fish supper for over a year. I was mentally practicing the lip smacking movements of enjoyment that I would be making after visiting the UK's best Fish and Chip shop, 2006, but I was bitterly disappointed.

In order to check if my taste buds were faulty, I thought it best to try a different shop after a few days, and I can safely say that the second portion restored my faith in the old fashioned favourite dish. Although I'm pretty sure I can wait another year before succumbing to temptation again.

I hadn't had a Chinese takeaway since November last year. At least not until last weekend. It was nice, albeit a little sugary, but nothing I wouldn't miss for another 6 months either.

I hadn't had a Mars Bar for 18 months. At least not until the other day. It wasn't even nice. I felt pretty bad after eating it actually.

In fact, during my past week's holiday, there were half a dozen meals eaten out in restaurants, but each time some thought was put in to avoid the greasiest dishes and have the healthiest option, without sacrificing on flavour. Even this has its pitfalls as I discovered when ordering fresh prawns (legs, eyes, arms and all) ,which came smothered in a garlic butter sauce.

The best meal in the past 2 weeks? It was the vegetable mix that I "created" when I was forced to stir fry all the remaining veggies in the fridge before leaving to go on holiday. I would take that over any take away any day of the week, and probably will for the next long while. A tenth of the fat and calories, but 10 times more tasty. For those who fear I may have turned to the "other" side (vegetarian), there was also a couple of slices of left over bacon that were thrown in.

Despite all this gastronomic extravagance, my current weight is remarkably 13 stones 8 pounds (190 pounds / 86.2 kg).