Kinds of protein

Yesterday after leaving the house at 7:30 am and skiing for so many hours at nearly 12,000 feet above sea level and clomping back to the car with skis and poles in my hands, a snowboard in his, and no food in our stomachs, we stopped at the Qdoba by the exit to eat a late lunch on the car ride home. I requested the taco salad, at which point the Qdoba employee gritted his teeth, shook his head balefully, and asked me if I had seen the notices posted on the doors and on the glass case between us, which stated that Qdoba was not currently serving romaine lettuce because the CDC had cautioned against it. I informed him that I had seen the signs, but that I would like a taco salad anyway, albeit without the lettuce. I intended to create a lunch from the ingredients still on offer that day. After wiping down the silver-sheened counter the Qdoba employee asked me which kind of rice I would like, to which I replied brown. Then he asked if I would like black or pinto beans, and I requested black. Next he asked me what kind of protein I wanted, meaning did I want chicken or steak or perhaps the other meat that I was unable to identify from behind the glass, to which I replied, trying to sound cheerful and not judgmental at all, lest the Qdoba employee think I was being in any way judgmental, Actually, I'll just have the beans.