​There are not many foods I like more than noodles, salads, and sesame dressing. It’s like the 7-11 Hawaii angels wanted to bestow upon me the perfect salad: The Ramen Salad with Sesame Dressing. Omg.

​This cold noodle salad is refreshing and delicious. The noodles are nice and chewy and the sesame dressing is flavorful and delicious. There’s also corn, which is a nice bonus. There could be more lettuce but hey, I’m here for the noodles. There’s also cold seasoned chicken and a half boiled egg. Both are fine, I could take them or leave them. Actually, I’m very thankful that the chicken is not dry. I find dry chicken personally offensive and inedible. But this chicken is not bad, maybe it was boiled and seasoned. Overall, I’m so thankful that this salad exists. It’s not too big and hits the spot.

I don't have sophisticated taste. I just like things that taste good, ya know? When it comes to dipping sauces, I've always enjoyed sweet and slightly spicy aioli that comes in burgers or with fries. 

A few days ago, I was in Sam's Club looking at Mae Ploy Sweet Chili Sauce. I've bought it before to use as a dip for various foods including frozen gyoza and dumplings, but it always seemed like something was missing. Then, a petite local man who looked like he was in his 50s came up to me and said, "You know wat dat needs to be ono? Mayo!" I nodded. Had this friendly stranger revealed the secret to a yummy dipping sauce?

"Ah," I said. "Good idea."

"When you mix 'um wit mayo, you get. . .aioli." He made a slightly creepy smacking sound with his lips. I thanked him, grabbed the sauce, and backed away.

When I got home later that night, I found that he was right! I mixed the Mae Ploy sauce with some Kewpie mayo. And the result? Delicious! Sweet, tangy, and creamy. Now you can make it, too. 

I'll never know who that mysterious stranger was at Sam's Club. Was he a May Ploy employee sent to hype the sauce? Or just a helpful guy who wanted to spread the word about DIY aioli? Whoever he was, I hope he knows in his aioli heart that my burgers and fries will never be the same.

One of my favorite lunches is warmed up frozen vegetables with a dash of butter, a sprinkle of salt, and a dash of pepper. I know this is more like a side dish (where's the protein? where are the whole grains?) but when I'm busy working, sometimes I just need something to get me through the day. 

At my previous job, people thought I was crazy for loving frozen vegetables and eating them regularly. As a person who grew up a picky eater, I've learned not to judge people by what they eat. What business is it of mine if someone doesn't like something? Who cares? Unfortunately, not everyone is like this and more often than not, they'll judge my food choices. 

Now that I work at a health organization, my coworkers don't judge my passion for a steamable bag of broccoli. In fact, many of them will go to Walmart with me and buy five bags of frozen veggies to store in the freezer for lunches for the week. How about that! 

Anyway, here's a blog post I wrote for Island Scene Online about celebrating Healthy Lunch Day. It's nice to work in a place where my healthy habits are appreciated instead of mocked.