Feed the Hungry

So last night after my hour and a half work out at the gym, I came to the sudden but not so startling realization that I was starving.

The kind of dull ache in the pit of your stomach that you can ignore for a little while but that steadily becomes more insistent until you think you might chew on your own arm just to quiet the noise.

It reminded me of a day about three years ago when I was similarly hungry and came across a flier at my place of employment for a then-unknown eatery called Chipotle. Well, unknown in this area, at least. They were giving away free burritos, one per flier, to promote their new location. So I gave it a try.

Not bad. Perhaps a little pricey, but spooging and delicious. So I thought it might be worth paying for next time.

Several weeks later I decided to give it a second try. I remembered the burrito as being the kind that was so big you needed a map and surveying equipment to get across, and very flavorful. That was nearly the kind of hunger I had on my second trip.

When I arrived, there was a huge fire truck in the parking lot. And I swear nearly the whole fire house was inside. Not a bad way to wait. I mean, if you have to wait at the end of a 20 person line, it might as well be a uniformed and pretty hot looking line. Am I right? wink, wink.

Hungry Fireman #1 reached the register with his bursting-at-the-seams burrito, chips & guac, and large coke and reached for his wallet.

"Oh no," said the girl-behind-the register, so sweetly. "You eat for free."

Blank look, said the fireman.

"It's the least we can do for all you do for us and the community," said the girl-behind-the-register.

When I got to the register, hoping to ride on the proverbial coat-tails of the firemen and finding I had no such luck, the girl-behind-the-register informed me that all firemen, police officers and paramedics eat for free at every Chipotle location.

I thought that was worthy of note.

And definitely worth my paying a few bucks extra for a burrito.