In the last entry I talked about the food I ate on the road. Now I’ll talk about my other food experiences while in the States. Why all this talk about food, you ask?
Have you ever noticed, when watching a movie or reading a book, that often, the characters sit down to a good meal, and they may even serve themselves, but they never actually eat? With rare exceptions, such as Mel Gibson shoving an entire slice of pie in his face during the first fifteen minutes of Forever Young, or wolfing a strange meal consisting of mashed potatoes, hamburgers, meat loaf, pancakes and bacon just before the denouement of Signs. And then you have a gorgeous blond girl cramming in two brownies at a time while shouting at Adam Sandler in Anger Management, and who could forget the dinner scene in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation?
But usually, the characters don’t eat. They sit down to a nice meal, a needed meal, a home cooked meal… but don’t eat. The story indicates they’re hungry but still, it seems they survive on coffee.
My friends, I eat. I’m a human being, not a character in a story. I need real food in order to live. I cannot sit down to a meal and not eat it for the sake of a plot twist. And I’m certainly not going to walk away from delectable food when it is put in front of me.
I need to write another entry dedicated to food. While still in China I mapped out my Epicurean quest in America by location: what restaurant, indigenous to that area, would I partake of and what will I eat? Part of my joy of planning my stateside visit was this gastronomical adventure. The last entry was food I snagged while on the road; this entry will describe food prepared for me by loved ones, or food I planned to eat that is only available in certain locations, like:
California Pizza Kitchen: Their pizza Margherita is one of the best frozen food pizzas I’ve ever had. The crust is wafer thin and the mozzarella is sumptuous in its texture. It is made with real basil and tomatoes that you can actually distinguish by taste. I planned to eat such a pizza while in California. Darrell and Samantha enjoyed it with me.
Noodles and Co.: I did not know it, years ago when my sister took me to this restaurant, that it is akin to the noodle restaurants in China. Although I’m certain that the noodles are mass-produced instead of made from scratch at that franchise, like they are in China at the hole in the wall restaurants, they do have similar taste and they are served up in the same manner. Unfortunately I did not make it to this restaurant while in Denver.
Braums: For those of you that don’t know, Braum’s is a dairy store/bakery. It is most famous for its ice cream, but their burgers are among the best I’ve ever eaten. They have great texture and incomparable taste. You can only find Braum’s in Texas and now, they’ve started reaching out into Oklahoma. The farthest north they’ve gotten is just south of Oklahoma City, on I-35. My plan was to have a Braum’s Junior Burger with cheese while in Texas. I did not get the chance to enjoy this particular treat, either.
I wanted to treat George and Chris to a meal at Vito’s in Dallas. Lisa introduced me to Vito’s when she came to DFW for a business trip. I had only been there one time with her, but their chicken parmesan and her praising this establishment’s food was enough to convince me that everything on their menu must be delicious. Unfortunately we did not make it to Vito’s, but they did take me to Italian Express where I enjoyed a slice of pizza. At least I was enjoying it until George gave me a bite of his stromboli. And then I wished I could turn back time and order a stromboli instead. Unfortunately we did not get the chance to go back to this restaurant, so no stromboli for me.
Jason’s Deli: This trendy restaurant originated in Beaumont, Texas and is rapidly opening franchises all over the States, even as far away as Florida. Their menu offers so many choices, but my heart was set on a muffleta. This sandwich originated in New Orleans. Its distinguishing taste comes from the olive relish that Jason’s Deli has mastered the preparation of. Their ‘quarter muff’ deal consists of a quarter sandwich, chips, a dill pickle spear and fruit with yogurt or soup. I chose fruit and yogurt and enjoyed every bite of this meal.
I did not have any particular plans for Memphis, Florida or Pennsylvania but Lisa’s and Marjorie’s cooking more than made up for my lack of planning.
Lisa prepared a turkey meatball dish served with noodles and rice pilaf, with a side salad. Simple in its preparation but complex in taste, this meal was savory and satisfying. I could eat it again… and I did. Fortunately Lisa had made enough for us to have it again the next day. No complaints here!
Marjorie wanted to prepare a Japanese eggplant dish in honor of my Oriental dining preferences. Her husband is not fond of eggplant, and neither am I, strangely enough. Together, Chuck and I managed to dissuade our beloved/friend from preparing this labor-intensive dish.
Instead, Marjorie and I ate at Cracker Barrel. I had forgotten that I love their sourdough french toast, but thanks to my dear friend, I did get to partake of it. Served up hot and buttery with a warm bottle of syrup, with eggs and turkey sausage on the side, this foray most likely packed a pound or two on my waist but was completely worth it.
We also ate at Chipotle, which was part of my plan. Their chicken fajita bowl was among the foods I missed the most while in China. Living in the States I would eat this meal at least once a week. One bowl, consisting of rice, beans, chicken and a selection of toppings such as corn salsa and pico de gallo is enough food for two meals. Marjorie sent me off to New York with such a bowl but I actually enjoyed this meal in Texas, in Kevin’s company first. Sorry, Marjorie!
While still in China, Gabriel confided that he wanted to eat rice and bacon with me when I got there. That and an egg had been my standard breakfast before moving to China and Gabriel longed to enjoy it again. Naturally I obliged. My Gabe-Gabe is now 10 years old, old enough to cook for himself. So I taught him how to cook Jasmine rice and fry up turkey bacon. He left the eggs up to me. We ate rice and bacon for breakfast every day I was there. We loved it as much as the act of preparing it together.
Lisa’s turkey meatball dish with noodles tied for first place with Ann’s cole slaw and Southwest Salad. Marjorie was going to cook but we kept opting to eat out; cooking just seemed such a chore when all we wanted to do was have fun! She did cook for the wine tasting party that we went to and all of that food was delicious. I made my famous deviled eggs and Yvonne made German style meatballs. Janelle made a sort of bean salad that I would have been happy to slather myself in and lick off, it was so good.
George and Chris treated me to a fine meal at Corky’s barbeque. The portions were generous and the food tasty. I’d have to say that the portions were more than generous even, because we ended up taking some home with us. There is such a thing as too much, at least in my book. Truly the best part of that meal was the company and the ambiance.
Jennifer had in mind to take me to her husband’s favorite eatery, Sonny’s Barbeque. As it turns out it was all you can eat’ night there, and I enjoyed fine pulled pork and potato salad. I immediately understood why it was Garrett’s favorite place to eat in Tampa.
Do you want to know the best food, bar none? The best thing I put between my teeth while in America?
Miriam’s brownies. They were gooey and chocolaty, with just the right degree of crunchy. But mostly they were shock-full of love and care. And that is what made them so good. Thank you, Little Miriam!
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