Subes for life!

I was at a Subway the other day, and the gent in front of me was ordering a meatwich which was just that: meat and bread and some sort of sauce. (Teriyaki? BBQ? Baja chipotle? It really doesn’t matter: there was a sauce.) His friend ordered something similar, but piled it high with green peppers and avocado and spinach and tomatoes and onions and all the same mouth-watering goodness I was there for. She knew how to do it:

Every color of the rainbow.

When the kids were young, we would joke about doing “every color of the rainbow” meals. Mostly on special occasions, I recollect, but we almost always had colorful plates even on regular occasions. So instead of having the usual tan and brown assortment — turkey, gravy, stuffing — which most people get on their Thanksgiving table, my boys got beets and green beans and Brussels sprouts and carrots and corn and sweet potatoes and regular potatoes and broccoli and fruit and salad and garlic bread and some random protein thrown in so they could grow big and strong. It was a colorful assortment of foods, and it was fun to prepare and fun to eat.*

It’s a national trend** now, to “eat a rainbow every day.” You mayhap don’t believe me, so I’ll give you a few moments to go look it up and check out all the colorful PSA poster designs. Kids gonna be so healthy, if this ever catches on. But, alas, that guy in front of me in Subway hadn’t heard the news. He was going for bread and meat and my prediction is that he’ll have a quadruple bypass in a few years when that lifestyle catches up with him.

On another visit to Subway, the dude in front of me ordered a Veggie Delite with all the veggies and oil and vinegar sprinkled on top just like I do it. When he heard my order, we got a laugh and then he said this lunch was way more healthy and fresh than anything he had at home so then I felt sorry for him. This is ‘Merica, man … there’s no excuse for not having a fridge full of fruit and veg on hand.***

Interestingly, Subway was recently voted one of the country’s “least Instagrammable” restaurants, so I’m using a stock photo for this post. But, I wonder if it’s because people are doing it all wrong and just having bread and meat.

There is a better way!

Remember how to do it: every color of the rainbow.

*Well, more fun as they got older and became more adventurous eaters.

**National meaning a few test markets where people still aren’t getting the message.

***Unless you live out of your car and only have a tiny fridge and Subway really is the best option for a salad-like meal.