Changing Course

Right around the corner from WaterCourse, there's a Quizno's franchise. So the next day I got myself a Ziploc plastic bag, ordered a sub (the chicken carbonara, in case you're curious, with no sauce, hold the vegetables), pulled the chicken off, put it in the baggie, and then -- like a coke mule walking through customs -- tried to act cool as I returned to WaterCourse, waited for a seat, then ordered the Sid again. I was a little worried that the smell of the chicken would drive the protein-starved crowds into a frenzy of George Romero-esque zombie madness, but that didn't happen. For a vegetarian kitchen, WaterCourse puts out some pretty good smells all by itself, so no one noticed when I opened the bag.

No one noticed when I started laying down the chicken. And no one noticed when I took a big bite and started laughing. The chicken had done the trick, wedding all the combative flavors of the sandwich. Adding to my enjoyment, I felt like I'd gotten away with something -- like bringing porn to church or sneaking a pork chop into a seder.

There aren't a lot of dishes at WaterCourse in need of such sneaky, underhanded improvement, but it did prove to me that there are just some things that demand a carnivore's touch.