Outback Steakhouse - you are so funny!

I was seriously craving a steak all week long. I mean, every day I thought how great it would be to gnaw on a huge chunk of beef. Gross, I know. After months of being a vegetarian I was shocked at myself. I felt like Phoebe when she was pregnant - the baby wants meat!!

So, I gave in and ordered Outback take-out. The sirloin with a salad and garlic mashed potatoes. I added plenty of notes for them to mix my salad in a clean bowl, no croutons, gluten allergy, etc. So, I get my bag and inside is this cute little packet...of BREAD! Ahem, really Outback? All my gluten free warnings and you shove a piece of bread in the bag? Get a clue.

I guess it wasn't terrible, silly though. And into the trash it went. Everything was in it's own little container so I wasn't too worried about contamination. Was a shame to throw away that bread though. I remember how warm and soft and slightly sweet it was *drool*.

11 ounce steak in a giant styrofoam box (I hate those leaky monsters)

2 cups of mashed potatoes in a styrofoam bowl

1 cup of salad in a styrofoam container and about 1 Tbs of dressing.

Gotta tell you, I felt really off kilter with this. I'm used to a plate filled with salad and veggies and maybe a single serving of potato - which means 1, about 1/2-1 cup at the most. Here I was with this pathetic little salad and I craved more. I was stuffed full of potatoes before I even got to the steak.

I admit it, I ate the whole thing. It was delicious. Smelled terrible, but tasted so good...and I was hungry again in 2 hours. What's up with that? Feed me a zucchini and I can go for hours. Stuff me with potatoes and meat and I'm starving again in 2. Weird. I thought protein was supposed to keep you full longer.

My only explanation is that my body was so desperate for protein that it immediately incorporated it with my tissues and I could go for more.

I'm a little sad today. I was loving being vegetarian but after eating that steak I feel so good today. None of the usual fatigue, no dark circles under my eyes that I thought were normal. I guess I need meat for my health. I'm sure there are some arguments that I don't. That I can take supplements to replace what I'm not getting from being vegan (where do they get the stuff in those supplements?) and maybe I just wasn't getting the right mix of nutrients.

I'm tired of the fight. It shouldn't be so hard to figure out how to live. I shouldn't be constantly questioning my diet. Is it making me sick? Am I getting proper nutrition? Am I killing innocent animals? Am I killing myself slowly? Am I going to get glutened? How about food poisoning? It's exhausting.

So, dear Outback, thank you for not glutening me, despite your best efforts. Thank you for the vibrancy I feel today. I'll be back. Keep a steak on the barbie for me cuz Lord knows I still can't stomach the thought of raw meat in my house.

P.S. thank you for the gluten free menu: http://www.outback.com/menu/pdf/glutenfree.pdf