Melissa, a new teacher who’s still learning about herself, is suddenly trapped by the grips of desire, thanks to her co-worker’s Goodfood lunches. Desperate to uncover the secret of his gastronomical ways, she finds herself on a journey of evolution and self-discovery. Find out which path she takes in, The Food She Desired.
Melissa slid her mediocre turkey-ham sandwich and sliced carrots in the fridge. She’d haphazardly put something together because she’d been thinking about her course content. She’d wanted to be a mentor her whole life, help other people be their best self, never mind that she probably wasn’t her best self yet. Maybe things would start to change as she settled into a new role.
She took a deep breath, almost ready to start her day. She’d just begun a new job as a teacher, her first ‘grown up’ job. It was time to act like a grown up.
But that thought came crashing down as a certain someone entered the break room. His name was Pete, and he had thick, luscious curls, the perfect dad bod, a wide selection of flannel and glasses. She couldn’t resist a good pair of glasses. She’d been watching him for days from afar. Well, not actually watching him exactly. She’d been watching the food he was eating.
So many delectable meals, and delicious aromas, she couldn’t take her eyes away. He always sat in the corner of the room and ate by himself. Very mysterious. ‘I wonder what his story is. He seems social enough. Why would he sit all alone, only when it’s time to eat?’, she wondered.
And then, another thought occurred to her. ‘Am I attracted to him, or am I attracted to the food? Or is it the way he pays attention to everything he brings? Am I drawn to someone who takes care of himself, because I don’t always take care of myself?’
She was surprised at her sudden burst of desire. Here she was, trying to get it together and seem like a seasoned mentor. How was she going to set a good example if she could hardly contain her emotions? It was that one meal that really sent her over the edge. One that is still to this day burned in her memory like a brand that had just been heated by a volcano fire.
It was a Wednesday. She entered the break room just like any other, fully prepared to ogle Pete’s lunch yet again, but she wasn’t prepared for this. He sat in his spot, took out his lunch bag, zipped it open and then presented his goods. He flung out this immaculate, tremendous looking Wild-Caught Tuna with a Sicilian-Style Tomato Salsa on top of Lemony Fresh Tagliolini, paired excellently with Roasted Broccoli. Oh, it looked like a sensation of taste. Pure art form on a plate.
He pushed his fork into the middle and brought the food to his mouth, knowing all too well she was watching from afar, he was showing off now, really strutting his goods. How dare he! This was an act of violence on her very being, and her stomach. Where would he get such a meal? How did he find the ingredients and groceries to make something so immaculate?
This was no ordinary grocery store, slap together the day before kind of lunch. He was experienced, he knew where to get food and she had to find out how, and where.
Sure, she could just ask him. That would make complete sense, it’s the normal human reaction, really. But she wanted so badly to seem mature and put together. Confronting him would make her seem unprofessional. But she could no longer deny that these lunches had sparked a flame that could not be tamed.
The last time she’d felt that way was with her ex of five years, Mutua. They’d ended things mutually, which is what you say when that’s not the case. But this—this would be a love that was mutual, a love that never ended. Something that fueled her with an abundance of joy and pleasure. She couldn’t deny herself that, could she?
So, at the end of that Wednesday, when she first saw that amazing Wild-Caught Tuna meal, she waited in the parking lot for Pete to get to his car. She then proceeded to follow him home. Swerving through the roads, making sure to stay close all the while, but not too close to arise suspicion. She needed to know exactly where he got this food. Where did it come from? Her questions were soon answered in full when he pulled into his driveway and at the front of his door laid a bag of groceries with that recognizable, undeniable Goodfood logo on it. It was just sitting there waiting for him. ‘But of course!’ she silently screamed to herself from the driver’s seat of her sedan. It had to be the succulent, interesting foods that you can’t get anywhere else but a place like makegoodfood.ca.
How could she have been so naïve to think these groceries and enticing meals could come from some other place? It was so obvious now. She cackled to herself. She knew ol’ Petey’s secrets and now things would change in the break room. She was the one who would have the last laugh.
The next day she strutted into the break room of the school with a newfound sense of confidence. She saw Pete sitting in his usual spot, a delicious looking Peanut & Barbecue glazed chicken sandwich sat in front of him. Her eye twitched with desire for the sandwich, but she played it off as something that was in her eye and marched over to Pete to finally confront him for his wicked, food dangling ways.
“I know your secrets, little man” she said to Pete. He barely reacted to this and didn’t even stop eating, not once. He did not even look up at her as he replied, “Just because you know I got this food from makegoodfood.ca means nothing. You’ll never order from them. You’re too afraid, and you don’t even have a promo code.”
Dammit, he was right, she thought. She had always been afraid her entire life. Afraid to take risks, afraid to stand up to Mutua, afraid to experiment with cooking. And while her palate was clearly advanced and able to taste a breadth of flavours and spice combinations, she wasn’t yet confident in her cooking abilities. He was also right that she did not have a promo code for Goodfood, and that extra savings on her first order would really come in handy.
If only she could find the courage in herself to make her Goodfood dreams a reality. She curled her fists into a ball and held them at her side. She walked away slowly as he ate his all too tempting sandwich. The lust for delicious food grew so strong in her stomach and in her heart. He held such power over her. How would she defeat him at his own game? He couldn’t keep getting away with this.
But away with this he did, for quite some time. Day after day, she sat in the break room and watched him eat his interesting and inspired meals brought to him by Goodfood. Poutine bites, Franks in a Blanket, Belgian Sugar Waffles, Raisin Bread with Cinnamon, Barbecued Atlantic Salmon in Cranberry-Orange Marinade on Cedar plank. Tuna Tartare, Coconut shrimp. The list of groceries was endless. SO MANY INTERESTING FOODS. HOW IS IT POSSIBLE?
Day after day, month after month. Her hidden desire grew and grew inside her until she started having heart palpitations. The need for interesting food was too strong, and it surpassed her need to remain stoic and professional. She thought of taking her poor, uninspired lunch to eat somewhere else, but the act of not seeing his delicious Goodfood meals every day was a fate worse than death. No matter how much pain it caused her, no matter how much she cried out with hunger, she had to see those foods.
It was the food she desired, and there could be nothing else. Nothing else would satisfy her quite like it. Mutua, who?
After one lunch where Pete devoured Seasoned Wild Sockeye Salmon Burger Patties with a Three Colour blend Vegetable medley on the side, Melissa was feeling out of sorts. She had brain fog from the churning of her stomach and the overwhelming yearning of delicious foods.
She walked into her 1pm classroom where the children waited patiently, waiting for her to enrich their young minds. But she just couldn’t do it. She stood in the middle of the classroom with her head hanging low, her mind swirling with all the meals she missed out on. One particularly brave student put up his hand and asked ‘Miss Robertson, are you alright?’. And just like that, she let out a blood curdling roar from the bellows of her empty, unsatisfied stomach. The children screamed and ran out of the room. Melissa grabbed a chalk and began writing repeatedly on the chalkboard ‘His Goodfood will be mine. His Goodfood will be mine. His Goodfood will be mine’.
It was a therapeutic release of the deep hunger she had been feeling for all this time. A positive affirmation, if you will. She had decided; tomorrow she will confront him again. And this time, it’s personal.
She stormed into the break room that day, he was eating a magnificent Spaghetti Marinara with crispy capers and slow cooked cherry tomatoes. She sat right beside him, and he didn’t even flinch. He just sat there and slurped the spaghetti noodles into his mouth and then let out a shattering moan from the flavour that was music to her ears. His fork was quite the instrument he played, so finely tuned, so delicate as he touched the noodles just right. He made the most glorious sounds — raw, intense, absolutely delicious noises of food pleasure as he devoured that spaghetti with those explosive cherry tomatoes and crispy capers.
She grabbed his hair, yanked, and pulled him closer and whispered in his ear ‘your spaghetti must be mine.’ He thrust his hand into the noodles, and then brought them into his mouth, and moaned, ‘No, it’s mine. All mine’.
She let out a high-pitched scream of desire, and then she realized it. A promo code for 30 dollars off Goodfood lay nuzzled next to his lunch bag. She grabbed the promo code from under him and basked in its greatness. All these ingredients could be found on makegoodfood.ca and she didn’t have to have his spaghetti anymore, she could have her own, in under 30 minutes.
She let go of his hair, and slowly moved from him. It was time to finally make her order, his delicious meals would be forbidden no more. He yelled out after her, but it was too late, she was gone.
She sped home with anticipation. Sweat poured down her brow, she couldn’t believe she was doing it. She’d never talked to a man like that before. She hadn’t talked to anyone like that before. She was finally going to take charge of her life and order from Goodfood. Best part was, she wouldn’t even have to wait long, because with 30 minute delivery and thousands of interesting foods at the click of a button—She felt like a god. Was it too much delicious food power? She could handle it.
She drove powerfully into her driveway and ran into her home. She grabbed her laptop from the living room and locked herself in the bathroom. Makegoodfood.ca she typed in furiously, and the grocery list of her dreams became clear.
Breaded Cheddar Cheese Curds, Sliced Smoked Atlantic Salmon, Country Style Duck Pie, tasty Tater Bites, Greek Style Spinach & Feta cheese Spanakopita. She was putting it all on the line and in her grocery basket. She typed in her promo code and hit order now, nothing was holding her back any longer. No inhibition, only delicious food ambition. This was an order for the ages.
Pete was about to find out what a real Goodfood lunch looks like. He was going to find out what it looks like to tame one’s hunger. He had no idea the full food force he let onto the world. Lunch was about to be served.
Melissa waited outside for her Goodfood delivery, it came quickly just like they promised, only 30 minutes. It was still unbelievable to her that this was possible, but there they were, the food truck of her dreams. The delivery driver got out of his car and handed her the meal. She yanked it from his hands and ran back into her house. The driver stopped for a moment and thought of a particular woman he delivered to on an evening last winter, this woman too had a similar burning passion of hunger in her eyes. Just another day’s work, he thought to himself and got back into his vehicle, content with the work he does for the community.
She was back in her home now, she looked at her huge box of delectable Goodfood groceries that she perfectly curated for herself. She sat in awe of it, the food was finally here. What could she possibly cook that would show up that damned Pete and all his lunch glory. She wanted a meal for the history books, or a slightly long Romantic novel book made for a Mother’s Day promotion. Something, someone, or somewhere, would write about with passion and desire.
Would she cook up Maple–Mustard Glazed Beef Mini Meatloaves with a side of creamy Mashed Potatoes and Roasted Broccoli? Or why not some Southern-Style Shrimp? Yes, maybe with Sweet Peppers and some Zucchini Spiced rice? And then it hit her, she knew exactly what to cook. What would make them all froth at the mouth with food envy. She knew what she had to do. So, she got to work.
She went into the kitchen and cooked like she had never cooked before. It was like a legendary artist laying paint to canvas, the strokes of her spatula, the movements of her frying pan. This was food art in motion. She was surprising herself; she didn’t realize she had this much passion and talent in her. It was made easy with the amazing grocery ingredients from Goodfood and their clear recipe suggestions. She felt like a maverick in the kitchen for the first time in her life. A real food wizard, cooking up magical delicious treats that she would enjoy oh so much tomorrow around twelve pm in the break room. She was done cooking now and she looked at her creation. Tomorrow would be the day she gets her revenge, and she could already taste it. It was sweet.
She arrived in the break room the next day for some lunch action. There was a certain uncharacteristically calm silence to the room, as if her fellow teachers knew something about today was different, something was about to happen.
She moved slowly past her regular eating spot as all eyes were on her. She sat deliberately and commandingly, directly in front of Pete, her food nemesis. His lunch bag sat in front of him, and with a confident smirk, he pulled out today’s Goodfood lunch: BBQ Ground Beef Tacos with Creamy carrot-sweet Pepper Slaw.
The room gasped. All attention was on them now. Melissa tried not to react to the food, but it smelled so delicious, so desirable. But she knew she could do better. It was now her turn, she reached into her backpack and pulled out her lunch bag. The anticipation in the room grew larger and larger. Crowds were forming, people were even looking through the windows from the outside. She unzipped her bag, and it was as if a golden light shined from it. Inside the bag she pulled out an incredible plate of Barbecue Tandoori Gigantic Shrimp over a perfectly Zested Basmati Rice. It sat nestled in a medley of wonderfully grilled vegetables and Raita sauce for dipping.
For a moment, everything went completely quiet. You could only hear the slight growls of the watchers’ stomachs. Until, just then, a single clap was heard. Then another, then another, and then a thunderous storm of applause began to erupt in the building. The cheers and hollers were deafening.
She had done it; she had created a lunch made from Goodfood that would make even the fullest stomach break down in desire. The look on Pete’s face was one of shock, awe, and admiration. She threw away her fork and teared into her lunchtime meal. Using her hands, she ripped the shrimp apart and devoured it, shoving it all into her mouth. Sauces and crumbs flew everywhere as she ate and ate and ate. It was a messy affair. And once she was finished with her lunchtime meal, she wasn’t done yet. Oh no, she had more to do now.
She grabbed Pete’s Tortellini and took it as her own. She shoved the lunch into her mouth and grunted and screamed with the pure food satisfaction she felt. All her desires were coming true, an explosion of flavour she hadn’t known was possible until now. As people looked on, took photos, and gasped, it was almost as if time stood still. This moment wouldn’t last forever, but it would indeed be talked about forever. It was legendary.
After all that, once the meal was over, the plates had been licked clean, and people started filing out of the break room for their next class, Melissa and Pete sat there, the only ones left from that legendary lunch. Melissa felt real contentment for the first time in her life, she felt accomplished, but most of all, satisfied.
Pete still looked on at her in awe and managed to squeak out a few words in her direction, “Why Melissa?” he whispered, “What is left for me now to do?”
She moved close to him, looked at his meek and perplexed face, and let out a single burp from the bellows of her full, content stomach.
She whispered in his ear “Goodfood; we’ll always have Goodfood, and delivery in 30 minutes.”
She got up and walked out the door, never to see him again.
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