Subtle Glow

I am writing to you regarding your Spa meal collection.  The addition of whole grains like brown rice instead of white to a frozen box of lunch is most appealing.  The lemongrass chicken I found to be perfectly delightful.  As is the lemon chicken meal.  Apparently, I like lemon on my chicken.  However, I do feel I must share my displeasure at today’s selection:  chicken in peanut sauce. 

I followed the package directions exactly, as I have with other meals in the past.  Not to mention they are rather easy to follow, even for a beginner who has never made one before.  Vent. Heat. Let Stand. Eat.  That’s about all there is to it.

Now, the package indicates I should expect “the goodness of whole grain pasta with roasted chicken tenderloins in a flavorful peanut sauce accented with garlic and crisp water chestnuts, shoestring carrots, & snap peas.”

When I peeled back the film of plastic to reveal my lunch I was met with a glob of stringy, noodle-like items that were crusted together with no hope of separating and mixing in the gooey, watered-down peanut butter (as near as I can tell from the taste).  What’s worse, I had exactly two snap peas, which I was ok with, as I don’t find them very much able to stand the cooking/freezing/reheating and tend to pick them out.  There were three strings of carrots, and alas - NO water chestnuts, crisp or otherwise.  The chicken pieces were tender.  At least the larger of the five, anyway.  I still ate the other two smaller pieces, but only because I wouldn’t want anyone to accuse me of trying to starve, you know.