我知道這聽上去很可笑：每到午餐時間，我就不再是一個精明強干的人，而變成一個不知道該吃什么、猶豫不決的傻瓜。

    I know this will sound laughable, but every lunchtime I stop being a highly capable person and turn into a dithering fool over what to eat.

    首先，我無法決定上哪家三明治吧吃。

    First, I cannot decide which sandwich bar to go to.

    其次，站在冷藏食品柜前，我會拿起一條布里干酪法棍面包，放回去，接著拿起一塊金槍魚三明治，絕望地走出店門--我根本不喜歡金槍魚。

    Then, I stand at the chilled-food cabinet and find myself picking up a brie baguette, putting that back down and in despair heading out of the shop with a tuna melt, when I don't even like tuna.

    別人也有同樣的問題嗎？他們會怎么做？

    Does anyone else have this problem? And what do they do about it?

    私人助理，女，45歲

    PA, female, 45

    露西的回答

    Lucy's answer

    我也曾長期患有"急性午餐時間猶豫不決綜合癥",所以我知道那有多可怕。

    I, too, have been a long-time sufferer from Acute Lunchtime Indecision Syndrome, and so I know how horrible it is.

    不止你我是這個樣子：在每間三明治吧，每到午餐時間，都排滿了精神緊張的上班族，他們拿不定主意是吃當季火雞填料三明治，還是吃西班牙口利左香腸加火箭生菜法棍面包。

    We are not alone: in every sandwich bar at lunchtime there are lines of stressed workers unable to decide between the seasonal turkey-and- stuffing sandwich or chorizo and rocket baguette.

    我為選擇三明治而焦慮的時間，遠長于為選擇職業或伴侶而焦慮的時間--乍看之下，這二者似乎應該反過來。

    I have spent infinitely more time flapping over my choice of sandwich than over my choice of career, or of spouse - which at first sight seems rather upside down.

    不過，關于選擇三明治為何如此之難，可以從三個方面解釋。

    However, there are three things that explain why it is so hard to choose.

    第一，在工作中進行決策時，通常存在一個正確的答案，人們可以運用邏輯、經驗和判斷來找到正確答案。

    The first is that when making a decision at work, there usually is a right answer and one can deploy logic, experience and judgment to find it.

    而選擇哪種三明治則不存在正確答案，也幾乎無從參考。

    But with a sandwich there are no right answers and precious few reference points.

    第二，選擇三明治是個極其復雜的問題。工作中的決策往往非此即彼，或者在屈指可數的方案中進行選擇。

    The second is that the sandwich choice is devilishly complicated. Decisions at work tend to be binary, or between a manageable number of options.

    至于午餐，在從我辦公室信步可至的范圍內，大約有20家店，每家店大約有50種食物可吃。這樣就有1000種三明治。

    With lunch, there are about 20 places within easy walk of my office, and at each there are about 50 different things to eat. That means 1,000 sandwiches.

    要從中選一種三明治，難怪會讓人覺得頭疼。

    No wonder we feel sick at the thought of choosing just one.

    叫人絕望的第三個原因是，在我們終于選了一種三明治后，我們很可能對它感到失望，因為快餐大多口感不佳。

    The third reason for our despair is that when we make the final choice we are very likely to be disappointed - as most fast food is beastly.

    假如你昨天猶豫半天才選了金槍魚三明治，然后發現吃起來很可怕，你今天就會有更大的決心選一種更好吃的食物，這就進一步加重了你的焦慮感。

    If you dithered for ages yesterday and found the tuna melt horrid, it increases your determination to choose something today that is better. And that ratchets up the anxiety even further.

    這事沒什么可羞愧的。據說，愛因斯坦總是穿著同樣的衣服，這樣就用不著為穿什么衣服這種瑣事而傷腦筋。

    There is nothing to feel ashamed of in all this. Einstein was said always to wear the same clothes so as to avoid having to trouble his brain with such piffling matters as deciding between suits.

    去年我一直在效仿愛因斯坦的方法，來決定我的午餐食譜。現在我每天吃同樣的三明治，只隨著季節而改變花樣。

    And in the past year I have been adapting the Einstein approach to my lunchtime menu. Now I eat the same sandwich every day, varying it only with the seasons.

    冬天我吃烤火腿和奶酪。由于我知道它的味道會是怎樣的，所以我從不會感到失望。

    In the winter I have toasted ham and cheese and, as I know what it will taste like, I'm never disappointed.

    我要想"康復"還得一步一步來，但到目前為止，我的癥狀可以說有所緩解。我上次在三文魚和布里干酪之間猶豫不決已經是幾個月前的事了。我清楚那種瘋狂。

    I still take it one day at a time, but so far it's safe to say I'm in remission. It is months since I looked questioningly at the salmon or brie. I know that way madness lies.

    讀者的建議

    Your advice

    搬到小鎮

    Move town

    搬到古耳（Goole）來吧。這里沒有什么金槍魚三明治，也沒有7英鎊的超級食品沙拉。這里"可選的"是餡餅或派。

    Move to Goole. There are no tuna melts, no ?7 superfood salads. Here, the "choice" is pies, pasties or pies.

    如果你愿意的話，他們甚至會給你的三明治澆上肉汁。有利的一點是，每樣東西都只賣1.8英鎊左右。如此一來，即使你一開始就選錯了午餐，代價也相對低廉。

    They will even pour gravy on your sandwiches if you let them. The good news is everything costs about ?1.80, so your lunch is destroyed at source with relatively little expense.

    推遲用餐

    Postpone food

    晚點吃，你的胃就會壓倒你的頭腦，來為你作出選擇。或者，到那時，你會因為太過饑餓而不在乎吃什么。

    Eat later: your stomach will override your brain and choose for you. Or, by then, you will be too hungry to care.

    打電話問朋友

    Phone a friend

    我的問題正相反：多數時候，我完全知道自己想吃什么；但我的同事們，與你一樣，似乎無法決定自己要吃什么。

    I have the opposite problem: I know exactly what I want on most days, but my colleagues, like you, seem incapable of making a decision.

    他們會問我，然后經常與我一起吃，無論我選擇到哪里吃。

    Their solution is to ask me, and then quite often to join me wherever I am going.

    為別人決定基本生活問題讓我厭煩，因此我會設法甩掉他們，這時他們就索性在公司食堂吃。

    It pains me to be making fundamental life decisions for other people, so I try to give them the slip and they simply default to the company canteen.

    別吃三明治

    Avoid sandwiches

    濕乎乎的三明治會讓你午后昏昏欲睡。

    Soggy sandwiches create lethargic afternoons.

    我們找了本地一位包辦伙食的人，他專門供應"營養午餐"--我們的工作效率因此得到提高，現在公司為我們出午餐的錢。

    We found a local caterer who specialises in providing a "nutritious lunch" - and such are the productivity improvements that the firm now contributes to the cost of our lunch.

    自帶午餐

    Pack your lunch

    從家里帶吃的。然后捐出5英鎊，給一家為那些沒條件選擇午餐的人提供食物的慈善組織。

    Bring something from home. Then donate a fiver to a charity that provides food for those who do not have the luxury of choice.

    試著不吃

    Try not eating

    要么自帶三明治，要么別吃。假設你家里櫥柜里沒有很多種做三明治的餡料，那么決定做什么三明治就應該不會花太多時間。

    Either bring in your own sandwiches or fast. On the assumption that you do not have a vast array of sandwich fillings in your cupboard at home, it should not take too long to decide what to make.

    偶爾禁食有利于身體的休整，還能幫助你減肥。

    Fasting from time to time is good for the body's repair and helps you lose weight.