lost my lunch

as I was heating up my lunch today in the kitchen at the office, I noticed that the container looked a bit different from the ones I typically bring from home. I opened it up expecting to find leftovers that I knew my mom had cooked the other day, but instead found a meal that looked unfamiliar, albeit appetizing.

since the food and the container and the saran wrap were all relatively similar to what I would have expected, and after all, I knew I had taken it from the fridge in my house, I figured:

• my mom packed me lunch from some secret stash of tasty food she didn't tell me about
  
• this different-looking container was probably at home the whole time; I just never noticed it before
• I've already opened it, it'll look weird if I suddenly pack it up and put it back, and it's lunch time and I'm hungry
  

so I ate it. and it was really good... but altogether nothing I'd ever eaten at home or brought to work from home before (aside from rice). there was pork that had been pan-fried with some batter on the outside... like tonkatsu. and a smattering of Chinese vegetables, but they didn't douse the rice with watered-down oyster sauce like the home-cooked variety often does.

after thoroughly enjoying lunch, I called my mom, who had taken the day off, to ask 1) when did she make this food without me noticing and 2) why she'd been holding out on me. she picked up, but instead of "hello," she greeted me with "that wasn't my lunch."

she brought lunch to work yesterday but ended up not eating it, so she brought it home and put it in the fridge.... or so she thought. turns out she brought home her boss's lunch and left hers (I guess her boss didn't eat his lunch either yesterday). her boss had called her to ask about this just before I called to express my appreciation. he ate her lunch and called it even, though. but his lunch was bangin' so I think I win.

in other news, I think the bathroom clean-up crew at work is on vacation. for the last two days, that place has smelled disgusting. not like a bad case of leftovers for lunch... just like people been aiming badly.