Long live the Tendies

There’s a very specific moment that happens every time we go out to eat.

We sit down. Menus get opened. There’s a brief pause where it looks like a decision is about to be made.

And then, without fail…chicken tenders.

Now to be fair—she tries. She really does.

There’s always a moment where she scans the menu like this might be the time. Maybe something different. Maybe something a little more adventurous. Something with a sauce you can’t pronounce or ingredients that sound like they belong on a cooking show instead of a Tuesday night dinner.

You can see the consideration happening in real time.

But then reality settles in.

And somehow, we end up right back where we started.... Chicken tenders.

And honestly? I respect it.

Because yeah, part of me thinks it’s funny. You’ve got a full menu in front of you—burgers, pasta, seafood, things that require descriptions—and we’re locking in the same order like it’s a contract.

But the other part of me gets it completely.

There’s something underrated about knowing exactly what you like and not feeling the need to overcomplicate it.

No pressure to branch out just for the sake of it. No pretending to be adventurous to prove something. No ordering something new and then quietly wishing you had just stuck with what you actually wanted.

Just… consistency.

Confidence, even.

Because let’s be honest, we’ve all done the opposite. Ordered something different to “switch it up,” took two bites, and immediately started regretting the decision while trying to convince ourselves it’s “actually pretty good.”

It’s not. And now you’re stuck finishing a meal you didn’t even want.

Meanwhile, she’s sitting there, completely unbothered, eating exactly what she knew she’d enjoy from the start.

No disappointment. No second guessing. No mental negotiation.

Just a solid decision that paid off exactly the way it was supposed to.

And I think there’s something in that.

We spend a lot of time feeling like we’re supposed to evolve everything. Try more. Do more. Be more interesting. Make the “better” choice.

But sometimes the better choice is just the one you already know works. Not everything needs to be optimized. Not everything needs to be an experience. Sometimes it’s just about getting what you like and enjoying it without overthinking it. So yeah, she orders chicken tenders almost every time we go out.

And yeah, I’ll probably keep giving her a hard time about it.

But at the same time… I kind of admire it.

Because while the rest of us are out here overanalyzing menus and making questionable decisions in the name of variety... she already figured it out.