"The Vegetarian," or What I Ate for Lunch

I finally stopped in and had lunch at a deli here in San Antonio that I've been wanting to try for ages. I went by myself, which was a feat in and of itself.

The deli is in what looks like an old, two-story house. It had a very Austin-y, hippie vibe (think Spiderhouse or Little City), which was encouraging. I quickly glanced over the menu and "The Vegetarian" sandwich jumped out at me because it was so self-explanatory. It consisted of red onion (which I picked off, because, although I LOVE cooked onion, I really can't handle the raw stuff), mashed avocado, tomato, lettuce, mushrooms, mustard, and a generous amount of cream cheese all smashed between whole-wheat bread. On a whim, I chose potato salad as my side, which was surprisingly good. I'm very picky about my potato salad and tend to pick at it for a few minutes and then give up on it; I don't like it sweet, or with too much mayonnaise, or too many crunchy bits in it. I do like it with a generous amount of mustard and with some chopped egg, both of which this stuff had. So, score on that. I did find myself adding a few shakes of pepper to it, because I put it on just about everything and can't really eat potatoes without it. I also immediately scarfed down the requisite pickle on the side.

I decided to sit in a bit of an awkward spot, on a banquette with three little tables in front of it. For some reason, I had to sit in the middle, so I had to move the other two tables around, which of course made a ton of noise and made me feel even more self-conscious, like I was screaming, "Hey, everyone, I'm sitting all by myself over here! Look at me!"

I tried to do the whole "look like I'm reading something extremely important" with a book I had just picked up from a friend, but soon realized I couldn't pick up the sandwich, which was overflowing avocado, while holding said book, so I quickly gave up on that and just focused on eating. I was pretty stuffed about halfway through the second half of the sandwich, but I just took some of the cheese and bread off, and made sure to scoop up all of the avocado (because I love it so).

I kept getting whiffs of a slight patchouli scent, followed by a delicious, flowery scent, both of which were comforting, though I have no idea where they were coming from.

Also, the deli was only open until 4 p.m. and it was 3 when I walked in. The staff was nice and helpful, but I could tell they were dreading having any more customers, or maybe I was projecting how I would feel if I worked in customer service. The woman who took my order and brought me my sandwich (I don't want to say "waitress," because it was more of a serve-yourself place) proceeded to sweep the floor pretty much the whole time I was there, and I think she still was when I left. Another guy was emptying the trash in an oddly noisy way. I know they're just doing their job, and I would do the same if I worked there, but I get really anxious when I go to an establishment and the workers are obviously trying to get ready to close. I can't really enjoy the experience to its fullest extent.

Overall, though, it was a pleasant experience, and I can't wait to go back with a friend!