#NO BREAD THAT TASTES GOOD OR PIZZA OR A GREASY CHEAP BURGER

[whistlingpig]

Apparently I live under a rock. Never realised how many fast food places I haven’t tried yet

Chick-Fil-A gets top spot because their food is consistently hot and fresh. There will always be exceptions, but in general you can visit any Chick-Fil-A in the country and receive food that’s not only edible, but tastes good

In Good, we have Panda and Firehouse Subs. I haven’t had Panda Express since 2018, but that’s because the one in Gadsden was staffed by a bunch of druggies. They didn’t keep the store clean, served us rice with bugs in it, didn’t cook the food properly, etc. When Panda Express is good, it’s good. I mean.. good for fast food Chinese

Firehouse Subs was my go-to when we lived in Birmingham. I’ll take a well-made sub over a burger any day... Key words: well-made. Firehouse Subs has let me down more than once, so I no longer eat there. I don’t think they they have Firehouse Subs here anyway

“Okay”. Just okay. If the restaurant has a decent score, I’ll eat it.

Subway comes in first because, again, I’d rather have a sub than a burger... But man, I’ve been burned by them more times than I can count. Haven’t had Subway since 2018. Panera would be in the “Good” tier if their bread didn’t cut the roof of my mouth. And if their meat didn’t smell liked chemicals. Too expensive.

 Dairy Queen and A&W are basically the same to me. The fact that you can order hot dogs is cool though. I like mystery meat as long as it’s piled with mustard, onions, and relish

We eat Domino’s weekly, but not because we enjoy it. It’s easy and (relatively) cheap. Tastes like shit. Lava cakes are good, though. Waffle House made this tier by the skin of their teeth. If they weren’t open 24/7, I would’ve bumped ‘em down to “No”. Hashbrowns all the way at 3 AM hits different. Especially when it’s followed by severe vomiting and/or diarrhea :)

Denny’s is a diner. I only ate at Waffle House because it was cheap & convenient. Diner food doesn’t appeal to me otherwise. No thank you.

In Alabama we ate Pizza Hut twice a week. I still haven’t recovered. Too greasy. Bring back the Hershey’s dunkers and we’ll talk

I hate fried chicken. I still can’t figure out why people were killing each other over that chicken sandwich from Popeye’s

[quillyfied]

doctors: something was up with your celiac disease bloodwork panel, we’re sending you to a gut doctor for a follow up

me, shoving every gluten product i’ve ever loved in my face in preparation for a positive diagnosis and a subsequent loss of every single one of my favorite foods: okay

[happybird16]

AOT Favorite Restaurant Headcannons:

(I live in America so feel free to add on any options from elsewhere :))

It’s a bit long so hcs below the cut:

Levi: The man loves cafe’s, but definitely not anything mainstream or too busy. I feel like he’d prefer to support a small mom&pop business over a big bustling corporation. Just a cute little classic diner aesthetic with very little foot traffic where he can enjoy his morning paper or book alongside his tea and fresh baked goods. (He 100% checks the health code ratings of every food place he sets foot in)

Erwin: For some reason I think this man would love old fashioned 50’s style diners. The ones with old license plates and photos decorating every square inch of the walls. I’m unsure if he likes the historical element or if he’s just an old man at heart.

Hange: Breakfast places. The ones with those little puzzle sheets and crayons that you can doodle with. I see them working a lot of crazy long hours regardless of what their modern career is, so they usually frequent a breakfast place in super early in the morning for their dinner. It’s full of old people and usually quiet enough that they can occasionally drag Levi along.

Moblit: I know in cannon he apparently drinks heavily, so I think a modern AU version would also enjoy some booze. I can see him as one of those people that likes to try every new craft beer he can get his hands on. Even has that app where you can rate them all. So he eats a lot of typical pub food; decent quality burgers and fries, pizza. Pub foods actually pretty good ngl.

Eren: I cannot see this boy eating anywhere that isn’t cheap and greasy. He’s a sucker for fast food places, though he prefers higher quality places than just McDonald’s. Like Five guys or In-N-Out.

Mikasa: This one is the hardest one for me tbh. I think she’d most just follow Eren around and eat what he eats, even if it’s pretty much garbage. He probably wouldn’t even ask what she wanted :(( If she’s for some reason on her own I think she’d love a good sit down pasta place. She’d not the type to really care if she’d solo in a family restaurant. It’s sad, but I think she’d go to reasonably nice places like Olive Garden and sort of imagine Eren was there with her :((

Armin: I know your thinking a seafood restaurant. I know. But for some reason I think this boy would have ALLERGIES. As someone who has to eat a very specific diet, he just has that energy to him. I think he’d love a good salad or soup at Panera Bread. Would absolutely love to try seafood though :/

Sasha: Anything. All you can eat buffets. Girl is just happy to be eating. I think she probably eats a lot of gross garbage food until she meets Niccolo and he shows her better options. Before they met she just kind of inhaled food and didn’t really taste any of it. Then she develops a bit more of a refined pallet and prefers his cooking over everything else. So Niccolos cooking or a well rated fancy restaurant.

Connie: I picture this dude absolutely loving Denny’s. It’s greasy as hell and terrible for his stomach but it’s a guilty pleasure for him. White Castle is also up there. Taco Bell. I can see him as sort of a stoner who wanders into these places at like 2am.

Jean: The one person in this group who I think would purposely eat healthy. I feel like he would love fruit smoothies for some reason. Loves going to The Juice Bar, makes him feel very official and adult to eat good. I think he’d also love sushi, it’s light and generally very healthy for you.

Annie: Small hometown donuts shops. She’s a bit quiet and shy, so she prefers somewhere less traveled like Levi. Plus, the mom&pop shops always have better donuts.

Reiner: Steak places. Literally anywhere he can get a gigantic well cooked steak. LongHorn Steak House or Texas Roadhouse, those kind of places.

Historia: Handmade pastries! I think she’d be a sucker for anything sweet so she’d like bakeries and ice cream shops.

Ymir: I dunno why but I think this girl would love spicy food. Absolutely kills hot wings at a terrifying rate without even breaking a sweat. She has that intensity about her.

[daughterofisle]

Cheap, Healthy Veggie-People Eats

It's hard to maintain a healthy vegan or vegetarian lifestyle when the price of food is rising and minimum wage is not. As a recent uni grad, here are some helpful tips that I have gathered from being an absolutely broke college student.

1.) Budget, budget, budget! If your budget is $30 a week then make it $30 a week. Think ahead of what bigger items you may need to buy later down the road and save parts of your weekly budget to buy a staple item in bulk.

2.) Stay away from prepackaged meals and meat replacements. Vegan doggies and beyond burgers taste divine but they aren't so good for your wallet. Instead of of buying a hamburger replacement find a way to use what you have already.

3.) In keeping with number 2, an easy recipe for vegan nuggets is to buy a block of firm tofu and create your own breaded coating. These are significantly cheaper than buying nuggets from Yves or anything vegan company. My favourite is dipping the nuggets in ketchup and soya sauce (a lot of recipes call for bbq sauce but I usually don't have bbq sauce lying around) and then dipping them in either quinoa or panko.

4.) Another easy and cheap meal replacement hack is using red lentils in the place of ground hamburger. I do this to make a sloppy joe (usually by adding leftover jarred pasta sauce because food waste sucks and I'm not buying a tiny can of tomato paste for the same price as a can of pasta sauce.) This lentil hack can also be used to make shepard's pie, bolognese sauce, and even lentil burgers.

5.) In keeping with the magic of lentils. Another great cheap meal hack is a can of soup plus a cup of cooked lentils! My favourites are tomato based soups like vegetable and tomato. Cook the lentils first, then once you've drained them cook the soup by following the directions and adding the lentils. It takes a thin, measly Campbell's tomato soup to a cafe worthy lentil soup!

6.) Make your own bread. I asked for a bread machine for Christmas three years ago and very rarely have bought sliced bread since. I also use my bread machine to make pizza dough when I'm craving greasy pizza. AND homemade bread makes great gifts to people because who doesn't love bread!

7.) Spice it up! Add spices and herbs to all of your dishes. Only have rice in the cupboard? Well, add some dill or curry to that shit and it will taste a thousand times better than plain old rice.

Let me know in the comments if you have any other helpful tips!

[2000daysprekindergarten]

Order Up! – Calgary Daycares & Their Food

Order Up! – Calgary Daycares & Their Food

  Written by Marlene Alcon Kepka

@AlconKepka

| 10 MIN READ |

      Kids and food. The eternal struggle. Most Calgary daycares struggle with this… the ones that offer food anyway. We sure do.

How important is nutritious food to your child?

Are all Calgary daycares the same when it comes to quality?

Is catering the same as having a chef on-site?

What can you do as a parent, so your child eats and eats healthy?

All important questions to ask any daycare. Food is a very important part of your child’s development. It’s as important as the academics and level of care.

But there’s a huge difference in feeding your little one a hotdog and ketchup or a whole wheat bun with sliced, fresh ham. All food isn’t equal in nutrition, taste, and cost.

Your children probably love the junk food and not the healthy food. That’s typical for children…heck… even us adults. Who doesn’t love a greasy pizza or burger?

A treat here and there is fun and great for the kids. We just must be careful not to overdo it. There’s an obesity epidemic right now. Nutrition is important.

via GIPHY

We Love Food!! A Bit Too Much

Canada, like the rest of the world has an obesity problem. If you add over weight to that its even worse. Obesity rates have tripled in the last 30 years. Our children are larger than they have ever been.

Parents and Calgary daycares need to take this very seriously. Obese children can get a lot of health issues.

Bone and joint issues

Diabetes

Heart disease

High blood pressure

Breathing and sleep issues

Those are some of the physical side affects of being obese. This is for kids and adults alike. Children have it a bit worse. They start young so changing the behavior is harder and the negative affects compound over time.

I know through my years working at and owning a daycare there’s another side that is just as bad and, in my opinion, even worse. The emotional side of being obese or overweight.

We’ve all seen a funny move or commercial with a “fat” kid that does something silly and usually falls over. We laugh and the move or even cartoon is great.

What we don’t see in the movies or cartoons is the emotional toll that takes on children. Being picked on for being overweight is hard on children. They can get bullied and treat very differently than their thinner friends.

A few emotional affects to being overweight are:

Low self-esteem

Bullying or teasing

Depression

Feeling left out

The good thing is that some Calgary daycares understand this. But many don’t. Knowing which take your child’s nutritional health into account is huge.

Michelin Star Daycare?

Your child is having an amazing day! Playing, learning, and getting to know his peers even more. The sun is shining and it’s a beautiful day. Your child is running and learning. They’re hungry.

Now the questions is; does your child get a Greek yogurt and homemade granola parfait with fruit on top. Or a pre-packaged sugary “breakfast cookie”?

What about lunch? Is it a whole wheat vegetarian lasagna made from scratch that’s filled with veggies or a hotdog?

Which would you rather they eat? Which would you rather feed your little one?

Our daycare chooses the first one. Is it as popular as the sugary or nutrition devoid options? No. Kids love hot dogs and sugar of course. But over time they start to enjoy the healthier options more.

I’ve seen this myself. Children that maybe don’t have the best diet in the world. Really pushing back on the home made, nutritious daycare food. But over time they eat a lot.

Why don’t all Calgary daycares just make amazing food so the children have a lot of brain food? Running my daycare, I know it’s time and money.

Let’s take a veggie butter chicken recipe we use at our child care centre. Feel free to try it out on the weekend. Our kids love this. Add some Naan bread and it’s a winner.

Anyways. Back to the time and money thing. If you clicked on the recipe you can see it’s a lot of ingredients.

This is from scratch (most of it is but you can cheat a bit with cans). Now make that for 80 kids like at our daycare. That’s a lot of work.

Our chef must prep everything. Cut up all the vegetables. Get the chicken prepped and cut up. Spice things just right for children. As you might now kids are fussy with how much spice is in things.

Once you add up the amount of healthy ingredients, which cost more. Plus the extra time the chef is putting in the food. It can get pricey. But I strongly believe its worth it.

If you make the food tasty AND nutritious it’ll help kids get out of the rut that good food tastes bad. Many kids default to the SAD diet (Standard American Diet) that Canadians and Americans eat.

The faster we can get them away from the SAD diet and into something more balanced the better.

via GIPHY

Catering Vs A Daycare Chef

My daycare uses a chef. On site all the time and cooking home made meals daily. You might be asking if catering is just as good or even better. Let’s take a look.

This section will by my opinion. Like and op ed piece in a newspaper. Because it’s so hard to prove any of this and find legitimate information. But I am sure you will see, like I do that its just common sense.

Making things in bulk isn’t always the best. Stay with me. Here is my logic. Catering is a business that needs to make profits. They must make food in bulk.

It’s not profitable to make individual food items like we do at many Calgary daycares.

We know how hard it is to make food for 80 children at our Calgary daycares so it must be 10x harder to do it for 800. A lot of pre-made, canned, pre-packaged items are used. You’ve probably heard of Sysco of GFS.

Those are large corporations that many caterers, restaurants, etc. use for buying their food. These are pre-made, bulk food stuffs that probably aren’t the best when it comes to nutrition or being natural.

It saves cost to purchase from them and it saves a lot of time. They always deliver in bulk and you can quickly use there pre-made pastes, powders and other fillers. Quick, easy and cheap.

I know for sure some caterers add some fruit and some other healthy, natural items to their menus. But that doesn’t make there entire menu nutritious or healthy.

You can make protein packaged spaghetti super lunch in two ways. Which would you prefer that your child eats?

1) White noodle spaghetti, canned pasta sauce, hotdogs cut in (maybe some bulk ground beef), apple

2) Whole wheat spaghetti, home made spaghetti sauce with vegetables cut into it, beef shank cut into cubes in the sauce, whole wheat bun, fruit of choice

Both are spaghetti and both sound amazing but I know which one I would want to feed the children.

I know from experience that you can make anything sound good but you have to know what to look for to see if it truly is.

Between catering and an on site chef. I would go with a chef anytime. I haven’t even touched on customizing dishes and being creative with new foods. Our chef at our daycare does this all the time.

We also share recipes with our families so they can make this delicious food at home.

The Making of A Foodie Kid

Parents ask me all the time about food and their child. With over 20 years of experience with children I got to know a thing or two. Here are my top tips.

First and foremost, you need to have nutritious food. No point in starting this journey if the food you give is just plain bad.

I recommend 5-6 days a week of nutritious, vegetable laden foods. Then 1-2 days a week you can have fun.

Maybe the weekend is pizza and hotdogs. Some ice cream to wash it all down. Fun and enjoy. Teach your child that food can be fun and make some fun memories. I wish our daycare had this option.

Then the other 5-6 days a week you want to feed your child vegetables, fruits, whole wheats and water. This gives them the best of both worlds.

Some fun and junk food while watching a movie or at a birthday party on the weekend. While still keeping things healthy and teaching them about nutrition during the week.

Here are some great tips for keeping a healthy and fed child.

In the tips guide link above there is something I want to touch on again. Its not being a short order cook and standing your ground. Those are the biggest take aways from the guide.

It’s very similar to what we do at my daycare. Everyone eats the same. There is no ordering or saying that the children don’t want that. They eat what is given.

This is crucial. Once you start catering to them you’ll be making 10 dinners and lunches a day.

The last one is harder at my daycare but you as a parent can do this. That’s being very firm. Telling your child dinner is now.

Its here for and hour and after that its breakfast. Not sneaking an apple or finding something else to eat.

I know its harder with younger children but stick to it. This will really help set a standard and they will love you for it later in life.

What Calgary Daycares Has Taught Me About Food

Running our daycare in Calgary and being a daycare worker at other centers have given me insights others might not have. Healthy eating is crucial for little children.

Their brains are developing and they badly need the vitamins and minerals great food gives them.

  Something like the picture above is exactly what I see work with kids. Don’t deprive them of fun and junky foods. Don’t use food as a punishment. Make it

If your child is going to a daycare in Calgary or any daycare. Ask them who makes the food. What company? Is it a chef on site? Which I strongly encourage you to look for.

As long as they serve fresh, wholesome and no pre-packaged food then you’re good. Check out this article on daycares and nutritious foods. Its an eye opener.

It’s bad food and bad food choices that start a slippery slope decline into being over weight and then obese.

Obesity is very unhealthy for your child’s body AND mind. Doing whatever you can to have a healthy little child is very important to their wellbeing.

And to leave off here are a few awesome recipes for you to try tonight. The children at my daycare LOVE them!

  The post Order Up! – Calgary Daycares & Their Food appeared first on Calgary Daycare & Child Care School.

[miamibeerscene]

Three Restaurants to Try This Weekend in Miami: Memorial Day Edition

Ideas in eating

Need dining inspiration the weekend? Don’t fret — Eater Miami is here to help.

Each week, the site’s editors and contributors select a new group of restaurants and suggest them for various meals throughout the weekend. These picks range from brand new restaurants to old, reliable favorites.

Some pair well with fun weekend activities; others reflect the recent news of the day or features on the site this week. Diners probably won’t get to all five in one weekend, but that’s what next weekend is for, right?

May 26, 2017

The305.com

Frita from El Rey

Saturday Lunch: Dr. Limon

Worthy of a visit with or without a sweet incentive, this weekend this Peruvian favorite Dr. Limon (13766 SW 84th Street) is collaborating with Oh Chocolat to create a special brownie bites that are made with French dark chocolate plus piece of white chocolate and milk chocolate and serve with homemade lucuma ice cream, making for a perfect pairing. — SM

Saturday Dinner: Ghee Indian Kitchen

Keep the Kendall love going and feast on Miami’s most inventive Indian restaurants, Ghee Indian Kitchen (8965 SW 72nd Place). The much-talked about spot serves up fresh takes on Indian classic plus dishes you just won’t find on any menu in town like fried squash with taro leaf, steamed semolina cakes, cheese-filled naan and a sticky date pudding that may make you fight your date at the table for the last bite. Plus it has a $55 tasting menu that lets you try just about every great dish on it. — OF

Sunday Lunch: El Rey de las Fritas

Soak up the night’s transgressions with a tasty, albeit greasy, frita from El Rey (1821 SW 8th Street). The classic Miami burger — made with a spiced patty topped with crispy potatoes and a spicy sauce nestled in a Cuban bread bun — will be just what you need to get you through your long weekend. Bikini bod be damned. — OF

May 19, 2017

French toast at OTL Miami

Friday Happy Hour: River Seafood Oyster Bar

A classic haunt in Miami for years, River Seafood Oyster Bar’s (650 South Miami Avenue) happy hour is packed on Fridays for good reason. Cheap drinks, good oysters and plenty of good looking people. Get there early to snag yourself a seat at the bar and munch on some cheese and chorizo drenched grilled oysters.

Saturday Brunch: OTL Miami

The Design District’s brightly colored newcomer, OTL (160 NE 40th Street), now features an all-day brunch on Saturdays and Sundays. A good pit stop mid-shopping, dine on items like breakfast burrito, French toast or the always available superseed toast.

Saturday Happy Hour: KYU

Yes, you read right. Saturday happy hour at KYU (251 NW 25th Street) is as equally packed as its weekday counterparts. Dine on its perfectly cooked fried chicken and enjoy discounted drinks at the bar before strolling the always buzzing neighborhood of Wynwood.

Saturday Dinner: Ms. Cheezious

Grab your favorite grilled cheese — the prosciutto and goat cheese combo is favorite — and take a seat in Ms. Cheezious’ (7418 Biscayne Blvd.) expansive back yard where an impromptu party is almost always happening on a Saturday night.

Sunday Brunch: Bazaar Mar

Feast like a king at Bazaar Mar’s (1300 South Miami Avenue) newly launched Sunday brunch. While it may veer on the pricey side for some, starting at $95 a person, but you can certainly get your money’s worth dining on several tables filled with fresh seafood, ceviches, crudos, oysters and caviar. Plus, all the champagne you can drink.

May 12, 2017

Girl on a Limb

Pizza from Lucali

Friday Happy Hour: Estefan Kitchen

Nothing says happy hour here in South Florida quite like mojitos and salsa dancing. Such is the case at Estefan Kitchen (140 NE 39th Street), which launched a weekly Friday happy hour featuring live music, plenty of dancing plus discounted cocktails to sip on from 3 to 7 p.m.

Friday Dinner: Lucali

Grab a late night pie at NYC import, Lucali (1930 Bay Road Drive). A spot that continually proves that Miami pizza can be just as New York’s and can be enjoyed on the outdoors all year long, because it’s Miami — and we can.

Saturday Brunch: Mignonette Uptown

You’ve heard of fried chicken and waffles, but have you heard of fried chicken and French toast? This glorious creation, featuring French toast made with the restaurant’s famous buttery lobster roll bread, can be found at Mignonette’s (13951 Biscayne Blvd) north Miami location and makes for the perfect sweet and savory combo.

Saturday Dinner: Lung Yai Thai Tapas

Tucked away in Little Havana is one of Miami’s best Thai eateries, Lung Yai Thai Tapas (1731 SW 8th Street). Expect lines, but the restaurant is open later (2 a.m. on the weekend) so don’t worry, you’ll get seated. Plus the crispy duck salad, shrimp pad thai, chicken wings, and any of the curries are winners, and worthy of the wait.

Sunday Lunch: Top Hat Deli

South Florida sure has its fair share of diners, but Top Hat Deli’s (415 NE 3rd Street, Fort Lauderdale) unique updated deli fare hits the spot. Opt for one of its lavish breakfast plates filled with cooked-just-right corned beef and plenty of eggs or the breakfast ramen made with homemade noodles and pork belly. Just make sure to save room for a slice of one of its mile-high cakes or massive black & white cookies.

May 5, 2017

Tiki Cocktail from Mai Kai

Friday Happy Hour: Mai Kai

Step back in time at the historic Polynesian-inspired Mai Kai bar (3599 North Federal Highway) from opening to 7 p.m. for half-priced retro tiki cocktails and appetizers. Enjoy classics like a Mai Tai or Planters Punch from a list categorized by alcohol strength in a place where you don’t have to feel embarrassed to ask for an extra umbrella in your glass. — CO

Friday Dinner: One Door East

Keep the Fort Lauderdale theme going and head to One Door East (620 S. Federal Highway) for a unique, tapas-filled dinner unlike anything anyone is doing in Broward. Oh, and the people watching at the bar is worth the visit alone. — OF

Saturday Brunch: Glass & Vine

Soak up the last few days of Miami “spring” before the mercury sky rockets for the next six months at Glass & Vine’s (2820 Mcfarlane Road) Saturday brunch. Housed in Coconut Grove’s Peacock Park, order a plate of sweet potato tater tots, coquito-spiked French toast, and wood-oven baked eggs with truffle sauce, and enjoy the meal al fresco while it’s still tolerable outdoors. — OF

Saturday Dinner: Antico Pizza

This Atlanta favorite has made a name for itself on South Beach. For those who like a little heat, grab Antico Pizza’s (1058 Collins Avenue) Diavola pizza topped with spicy sopressata, pepperoni, and bufala mozzarella made to order right before your eyes in a wood-fired oven. — OF

Sunday Brunch: Joe’s Take Away

Skip the Easter brunch madness and pick up a ubiquitous Miami meal at Joe’s Stone Crab’s take out counter, Joe’s Take Away (11 Washington Avenue). It features all the same elements of the famous stone crab meal at the restaurant — including hash browns, creamed spinach, and even the Key Lime pie — without the long wait and crowded dining room. Then grab a seat on the beach and enjoy the meal. — OF

April 28, 2017

Calentando at Paradigm Kitchen

Friday Happy Hour: The Anderson

The Anderson (709 NE 79th Street) might have some of the best happy hour food options in town. From 5 to 8 p.m. every day, you can score a massive fried chicken sandwich and French fries for just $9, or try the Tex-Mex queso dip that will feed a crowd for $6. Both dishes will help you rally through all those (surprisingly) strong boozy slushies you’ll inevitably drink while you’re there. -OF

Saturday Lunch: Paradigm Kitchen

Start the weekend on a healthy note at Paradigm Kitchen (1834 Bay Road). The sit-down eatery from the guys behind JugoFresh makes good-for-you takes on Miami favorites like a veggie filled calentado, vegan pancakes and the decadent “stoner’s delight” brownie, which is vegan and gluten-free, of course. -OF

Saturday Dinner: Kuro

Sure, Asian fusion cuisine is on just about every corner of Miami but some of the best is actually being served up in Fort Lauderdale. Kuro, tucked inside the always busy Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino (1 Seminole Way), offers up creative takes on traditional Japanese fare. Don’t miss the green goddess salad, the salmon sashimi, and the waygu hot stone, where you get to cook the tender steak right at the table.

Sunday Bruch: Brunch Barley

Hip hop music and Graham cracker pancakes? Yes and yes, which is exactly what you’ll find a Barley’s (8945 SW 72 Place) popular Sunday brunch. Wash it back with unlimited mimosas and you’ve got a Sunday Funday done right. -OF

Sunday Dinner: Desi Pizza at Tandoor Pizza & Cuisine

When traditional pizza gets a little tired, give it a rest with a South Asian take on the classic pie at Broward’s Tandoor Pizza & Cuisine (8450 W Oakland Park Blvd). If you love Indian and Pakistani food, you’ll become addicted to desi pizza with its aromatic and spicy sauce, kebab toppings, and crust glistening with ghee. -CO

April 21, 2017

NaiYaRa

Sushi donut

Friday Happy Hour: Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink

After 10 years of being in Miami, perpetual hotspot Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink (130 NE 40th Street) has finally launched a proper happy hour. Offered every weekday from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. munch on discounted onion dip and falafels, half-priced oysters and wash it back with plenty of (new) libations. -OF

Saturday Brunch: Eating House

After being one of Miami’s most popular Sunday brunches for years, Eating House (804 Ponce de Leon) is now offering the best meal of the week on Saturday as well. Captain crunch pancakes and tang mimosas without a side of the Sunday scaries? Sign us up. -OF

Saturday Dinner: Sushi Donut at NaiYaRa

After you get over the kitsch factor of what you’re about to dine on, order up an off menu sushi doughnut at Thai go-to, NaiYaRa (1854 Bay Road). Yes, it’s essentially a sushi roll formed into a doughnut shape — complete with unlimited fish toppings — but hey, it’ll look damn good on your Instagram feed. -OF

Saturday Late Night: Burger at Sweet Liberty

One of the best burgers on South Beach happens to be available until 5 a.m. every night at Sweet Liberty (237 20th Street). Big enough to split with a group and served with a sea of rosemary fries, it’ll soak up any of the night’s transgressions. -OF

Sunday Lunch: Tacos at Taquiza

The perfect pre- or post-beach dining stop, order one of Taquiza’s (1506 Collins Ave) creative tacos like the lengua or chapulines variety with a side of the can’t miss totopos and guac. -OF

The post Three Restaurants to Try This Weekend in Miami: Memorial Day Edition appeared first on Miami Beer Scene.

from Three Restaurants to Try This Weekend in Miami: Memorial Day Edition

[kenyonexeter-blog]

Cheeseburger in Paradise: An Emotional Journey Through Ground Beef Offerings In The City Of Exeter

by Fletcher Hartman

Many people say that there’s no point eating burgers in England, that the English can’t cook ground beef and put it between bread the way we Americans can. Obviously, those people are right. And yet – we persevere. I have had no less than three hamburgers in and around the city of Exeter, and knowing that future Kenyon students will arrive here and sample the British “hamburgers” as I did, hungry for their one most national foodstuff, I feel called upon to catalogue them. Your first Exeter hamburger is going to be terrible. I’m sorry, that’s just the way it stacks up – you’re going to go to the Ram as a group on your very first week and order a hamburger, and you’re going to hate it. The Ram is a comfortable, dim space on the second floor of the Forum, a space trying to be a real live British pub that happens to be in an academic building. If you take a wrong turn headed into class you might walk into it by mistake. It has a good location, good atmosphere, but something about the Ram is like going to a funeral inside an airport. “How did we end up here?” you’ll ask, as people around you sob and eat cheap French fries. “I wasn’t expecting things to turn out like this.” That frisson of the uncanny will be present when you eat your burger, too. The patty will look normal, but taste more like sausage than hamburger, and the fries will be served in a classy metal dish to mask the fact that there are six of them. Before you got your hamburger, you and the rest of the Kenyon program will have been crowded around a table, sipping local cider and excited about having already found a cool student pub. “This is the life,” you’ll say, reveling in this country’s pub culture, its communality, its lowered drinking age. “I bet we’ll come here all the time.” Then your burger will arrive and something in that happy moment will shatter. The Ram burger is a masterpiece in non-Euclidean food science; a cry for help from a country that has never made hamburgers but knows it is expected to generate them anyway. This hamburger will turn to ash in your mouth. This hamburger will make you feel that you have wasted your money, and your dream of returning to the Ram weekly, surrounded by friends, will wither and die with the patty in your hands. There will also be no cheese on it. Two stars. Your second Exeter hamburger will be an import. You’ll have been adrift in the city for some months now – trying to chisel your way into British people’s established friend groups and laughing a little too loudly when they say things like “well dry” – and you’ll be walking down Queen Street one evening (maybe a little bit drunk) when you see it. It’s a red and white sign, spectre-like in the English fog, the manifestation of a long-ago life lived in America, and it says, “FIVE GUYS: BURGERS AND FRIES”. You’ll walk in almost before you make the decision to eat there, and while you’re ordering, you’ll feel like you’re home again. They have hamburgers and fries and milkshakes like they are supposed to, and like in every Five Guys, the walls are covered in newspaper testimonials from American cities – Louisville, Hartford, Santa Fe. The Yankee in you will experience a deep connection with the place for its similarity to the affectionate, shabby burger joints of your home country, places with blue-plate specials where the waitress calls you “sugar” and carries a coffeepot around for refills. Any similarity to that greasy-spoon Elysium, though, will disappear when you bite into your burger. The lettuce is obviously wilted, the famous Five Guys secret sauce appears to be unmodified mayonnaise, and the patty – of course – is tasteless and emotionally taxing. The Exeter Five Guys burger experience is an uncanny valley – a bit like one of those dystopian movies set in an alternate America, where flags and eagles and other such iconography become hallmarks of some evil government that legalizes crime one day a year or turns people into Soylent Green. It reminds you of the comfortable reality you live in, but with the unsettling truth that something is wrong lurking beneath. That wrongness is bound up in many things about this quasi-American establishment – the fact that you pay in pounds, for example, or that the French fries are still being called “chips” – but most of what is so terribly incorrect is the burger itself. Two and a half stars. The third and last burger you eat will be at the Firehouse. You’ll have been in Exeter for a tiny bit too long now, going to “modules” and playing cricket against people who have been playing cricket their whole lives. In Exeter you will have learned, as you did in Ohio, the way that new places soften as they become familiar. Exeter may not be home, but you have hobbies there, routines, some small semblance of a community – you know your way to the Waterstones down the road, where books live, and how to get to the pub in town that feels the homiest. (This is the Old Firehouse, tucked in around the corner you turn if you’re walking to the High Street from home, and if you haven’t yet been I implore you to go. The Firehouse, with enormous square pizzas and candlelight and ciders that are a bit too strong for their own good, is probably the new place that becomes the softest of all.) And it’s at the Firehouse, if you choose to go, that you will finally have a hamburger that is at least worth buying. You’ll have a visitor in town – somebody really special, maybe somebody who’s only visiting for a couple of days – and you’ll drag them there to see it, and you’ll discover that it’s too early for them to be serving their signature pizza. “What the hell,” you’ll say. “Let’s get some burgers.” By now you’ve been here long enough to know not to expect much. The English, you have finally realized, simply cannot make a good burger, and what you are ordering is actually some kind of ground beef toastie in disguise. Even the Firehouse, which (because you are only now turning twenty-one) is your favorite bar you’ve ever been to, “Wow,” you’ll say, grinning across the table at somebody you haven’t seen in a while, somebody from home that you’ve been missing a whole lot. “This burger doesn’t even suck that much.” And it doesn’t. The bun is one of those fluffy brioche ones, and there are pickles on it, and the meat isn’t even a complete disaster – but even that barely matters. Here in the Firehouse, with somebody you care about, any burger would make you happy. For the first time in Exeter you will bite into a hamburger and feel satisfied with this alien country – like in the right pub, with the right person, on the right night, you could be happy here. You’ll finish your burger, and you’ll stay there drinking and talking and laughing long into the night – because the best burger in England is the burger you share with friends. Five stars. That said – compared to your first hamburger back in America, though, the Firehouse offering is basically garbage. I’m sorry to be blunt – your first hamburger post-Exeter will be way, way better. Scrap what I was saying about the burger you share with friends. You could get a hamburger at Arby’s. You could get a hamburger at Radio Shack. It’ll be delicious. It’ll be mouthwatering and bursting with flavor and taste like home. American burgers, it turns out, are cooked with fattier meat than English ones, and for some reason this is the critical difference that takes a burger from good to great. It may be radically unhealthy, but it’s that unhealthiness that makes it inimically American. You’ll be reminded of all the good stuff you left behind when you went to the great nation of England, and though you might be missing your temporary home country (with all the charms of value-added tax and whatever the hell Yorkshire puddings are), when you take that first bite it’s finally going to sink in that you’re home again. Some Exeter locals may disagree with me on this one. There are good burgers in my city, they may tell you, and it may well be that there are. But to that I say: if you’re ever in Boston, Massachusetts, call me up and I’ll take you to Saltie Girl. It’s a seafood bar on Newbury Street and they have a hamburger there that has gruyere and guacamole and lobster meat on top of the beef patty. I’m buddies with one of the bartenders, and if we’re extra nice, maybe he’ll comp us some lobster burgers and we can box ‘em up and walk a little ways and eat ‘em by the river. Because the best burger is one you eat in your home city. Preferably down by the water, and preferably gifted by a good friend. And – with nothing but love to the Old Firehouse, New North Road, Exeter, Devon, UK – preferably it’ll be friggin’ cooked right.

[lenaglittleus]

I Want to Stop Eating Fast Food

Do you have a soft spot for fingerlickin’ fried chicken or double (bacon) cheeseburgers?

You know habitually eating fast food can put you on the fast track to poor health and weight gain. Over a decade ago, two teenage girls sued McDonald’s for making them fat. Morgan Spurlock suffered “Mc-twitches” on a month-long fast food diet to prove a point in Super Size Me. Michelle Obama made it her fight to stop the obesity epidemic by trying to steer America away from fast food and frozen dinners.

Fast forward to present day: We’re still fixated on fast food. It’s normal to get that itch now and then, but if you scratch it too often, you can kiss your weight-loss plans goodbye (not to mention overall good health). But, never fear; if you don’t want to quit eating fast food cold turkey, you should first understand what makes these foods so craveable so you can make an informed choice if you decide to indulge.

What Makes Fast Food So Addictive?

Ask someone what their favorite cheat food is, and I’ll bet they won’t say a grilled chicken salad (unless, they’re making these salad mistakes). Highly processed junk food and fast food likely top the list. Me? I like a hot plate of crisp French fries, and I’m a dietitian. What can I say? Few people are above the influence of hyperpalatable foods, defined by researchers as foods rich in fats, sugars and/or salts and often comprised of synthetic combinations of many ingredients.

If the deck feels like it’s stacked against you, that’s because it is. Here’s why:

Fast food is tasty by design. Experts recognize that we crave sugary, salty and fatty foods by evolutionary design. The double-whammy is that food scientists build upon this by optimizing the smell, taste, and feel of your favorite burger down to the crinkle in its packaging.

Fast food is cheap and ready to eat. This is music to anyone’s ears, especially a working parent’s. Fast food clearly wins out over other dine-in restaurants as a convenient, low-cost option. Not to mention most fast food joints will reward you with better value for sizing up on a meal!

Fast food uses slick marketing. Children are key targets for fast food marketing. About $4.6 billion is spent annually to convince kids to nag their parents for the latest happy meal toy. The positive emotions we have sipping cola and munching on chicken nuggets with our families build memories that can influence our future decisions to eat these types of foods again when we are stressed and want to feel comforted.

It’s still controversial to that say fast food is absolutely addictive. But, there are scientists out there arguing that highly processed foods can trigger artificially high levels of reward similar to other addictive drugs. Obviously, we all react differently to food. But, if you crave fast food beyond the occasional indulgence, it may benefit your health — not to mention waistline — if you cut back on your consumption.

8 Signs That Your Love of Fast Food May Be Unhealthy

Fast food is tasty — we get it. But, at what point do you roll from sporadic enjoyment into indulging at a rate that’s not healthy? Here are a few signs that fast food is more of a routine than a once-in-a-while cheat/treat:

You crave specific fast food items often.

You go out of your way to buy fast food.

One bite of this type of food can launch you into a full-on binge.

Being full doesn’t stop you from eating more.

Your fixation on fast food is a source of guilt, depression, anxiety, or self-loathing.

You want to eat less fast food, but have been unsuccessful.

You eat fast food often even if you know it can harm your health.

Withdrawal symptoms (such as headaches, anxiety, and sadness) may happen if you don’t get your fast food fix.

4 Strategies for Kicking Your Love of Fast Food to the Curb

If your consumption of fast food is standing in the way of a healthier, fitter, trimmer you, it may be time to make some changes. These strategies can help.

Set boundaries between you and the trigger food. Write down the specific fast food item(s) that can trigger you to overeat or binge. Consider these foods blacklisted for a while. Don’t allow yourself to purchase them again until you’ve established a better relationship with them.

Find non-food ways to deal with emotions. Food can be an emotional band aid for anger, depression, and stress. You can trade in your greasy pizza for journaling, meditation, or exercise to deal with negative feelings.

Be prepared when you get late-night cravings. It’s 2 a.m. but you have a hankering for some popcorn chicken. A fast food craving can hit with poor timing, so make sure your fridge has a few healthy snacks like any of these 55 snacks under 150 calories. Better yet: Make it a rule not to eat in the middle of the night. If you have trouble sleeping, meditate, read a book, take a warm bath, or relax with low-key yoga instead of eating.

Fill up on faux fast food. To kick your fast food habit, you may mentally slap a B-A-D label across all fast foods (not just the trigger foods mentioned above). This black-and-white way of thinking is restrictive, and can make it hard for you to rewire your relationship with fast food. Instead of going cold turkey entirely, try cooking healthier versions of your favorite fast food.

7 Healthier Fast Food Alternatives, Remade by Beachbody

Lucky for you, we have plenty of fast food and comfort food makeover recipes that can not only satisfy your craving, but can also move you toward your weight-loss goal. Beachbody recipes are designed to compliment the workout plans, such as 21 Day Fix, Body Beast, and P90X, that are available on Beachbody on Demand.

A small word of wisdom: If you’re someone who regularly eats fast food, the following remakes may not be to your liking right away. You’ll need to give your tastebuds time to adjust to lower levels of fat, sugar, and salt. Don’t worry, you will get there. Now get cookin’:

Roasted Garlic & Rosemary Burger – Temper your burger craving with homemade beef patties. These are made with 95-percent lean ground sirloin that’s spiked with grated zucchini for extra moisture and fiber.

Cookies & Cream Smoothie – Sip on this lighter version of a vanilla and chocolate cookie milkshake. You can settle your sweet tooth without overdoing the calories, fat, and sugar.

Buffalo Chicken Tenders with Blue Cheese Dip – Enjoy spicy chicken tenders without the grease-soaked breading of traditional chicken wings. Cool your mouth down with a blue cheese dip made from yogurt.

Almond-Crusted Chicken Fingers with Honey Mustard – And… if you’re really into crispy breading, we’ve got you covered, too. This chicken nugget alternative is a treat your kids will also love.

Broccoli Tater Tots – Just like tater tots except they’re baked and filled with nutritious broccoli instead of starchy potatoes.

BBQ Chicken Flatbread Pizza – Instead of stringy cheese, this pizza oozes with lean protein from chicken breast and black beans.

Spicy Sweet Potato Fries – Baked sweet potato fries are a tasty take on traditional fries, plus they deliver a good dose of vitamin A.

But… Is Fast Food Cheaper Than Healthier Food?

In addition to cravings, another barrier some people need to overcome in order to eat healthier is the perception of value that fast food can have.

Contrary to popular belief, fast food isn’t cheaper than a simple homecooked meal. Obviously, energy-dense foods (think: chips, cookies, fast food) will appear cheaper than low-calorie and nutritious fruits, veggies, and whole grains. But, this method assumes it’s quantity of calories that makes us full, when, in reality, satiety also depends on the quality of calories consumed.

A great example of this concept: fiber versus sugar. Which fills your stomach more: One ounce of jellybeans (105 calories and 20 grams of sugar) or a medium-sized apple with the skin (95 calories, 19 grams of sugar, and 4.4 grams of fiber)? Even with roughly the same amount of sugar and similar calorie counts, the apple is more satiating because of its fiber and water content (not to mention it contains beneficial vitamins and minerals).

If you’re a savvy shopper, you can make cheaper fast food alternatives at home. It doesn’t take hard science to prove this — just a pinch of common sense. Mark Bittman argues that you can feed a family of four with $28 at McDonald’s (2 Big Macs, 1 cheeseburger, 6 chicken nuggets, 2 medium fries and 2 small fries, 2 medium sodas and 2 small sodas), or a family of six for $14 (1 roasted chicken plus cooked veggies, a side salad, and milk) at home. And 21 Day Fix creator Autumn Calabrese destroys the argument that fast food provides greater value than cooking at home in this video, where she makes dinner plus leftovers for the next day for herself and her son for just $15.

It’s a challenge worth trying!

from News About Health https://www.beachbody.com/beachbodyblog/weight-loss/i-want-to-stop-eating-fast-food

[briarofthebush]

I’m in my favourite place for a casual coffee and snack in my local area. I live in a pretty commercial corner of the town, which boasts about 5 Starbucks and one cosy café, one old-school diner, several other franchised café/eateries such as ‘Chipotle’, ‘Panda Express’, ‘Red Robin’ and ‘Subway’ just to name a few. When I can, I love an excuse to take me out of this highly commercial area so I can enjoy a good coffee, and a good vibe in an independent business. My local café is often too dark, the food is pretty ordinary, and the noise unworkable. There is no nice vibe, in fact it feels hostile at times.

Here, where I am this morning, up the road a bit, away from the shopping district, there is the smell of coffee and good, smoky bacon. There are always a lot of relaxed people around, many in my own demographic, as well as younger and older. Lots of dog owners (though they keep dogs outside). People play with their kids (or ignore them) on a big rug at the back. Many people have become familiar faces to me. There is light. The coffee is excellent. The food is usually delicious. They make coconut bread and a maple and bacon muffin which is awesome. I meet here to ‘write’ every Friday morning, though sometimes it’s purely a social gathering. Oh, and they know my name now, when I order stuff!

This place sits up on Roosevelt Rd, along with a few pubs and another couple of restaurants, amongst other small businesses in Mapleleaf. I love this part of town. It is a very steep 15 minute walk up through the suburb from my place, or it’s a short bus ride.

I can get a really good fresh croissant here, or a breakfast sandwich on an English muffin or a Bagel. There are lots of cakes and quiches to choose from. There is a range of great looking sandwiches that they will make fresh, including the BBQ pork, the Cuban, Turkey, cream cheese and cranberry, Tuna salad, Mediterranean roasted veges, (though I’ve yet to try one).  I often get a croissant with ham and cheddar, which is chockers with good ham, unlike in Australia, where the meat portion on a sandwich is distinctly light-on. (I really think there is no excuse for skimping on the meat in a sandwich, because they are incredibly expensive, for that tiny sliver of turkey or beef or pork they give you at home.) Let the Americans take credit for knowing how to put together a good sandwich.

Although don’t get me started on the bread. AS we speak, I am stocking up on par-baked and bakery reads in my freezer, because there is no such thing as a corner bakery for miles or a milk bar where can grab a loaf on my way home from places, and I live a good walk from the supermarket. I have tried several of the packaged brands of bread, the white, the whole-wheat, the grainy, and they all stick to the roof of our mouths. They have so much sugar in them. They feel wrong, they taste wrong. Only the Italian style or Sour dough breads are less sugary. The good bakery breads are excellent, but as I said, I have to get to a supermarket that is out of my way when I’m in transit, so I make special ‘bread shopping’ trips to stock up. If I had a bigger kitchen, I would make my own.

I love to buy a sandwich at QFC, an upmarket grocery where I can also get a hot sandwich from the deli counter on my way out, and savour it’s deliciousness on the way home as a reward for walking up to the supermarket along the noisy, smelly road. They give them names like ‘The Rainier’ or ‘The Snohomish’, and pack them full of really nice cheese, pestos, relishes, mustards and Boars Head Cured meats. I always feel like a bit of criminal for ordering one, but it is so worth it to get one. And always get it cut in half so it can be stretched to 2 meals, or shared.  One day Johnny and I greedily thought we could eat more than a ½ roll each, and ordered a grilled cheese sandwich as well to share on our way home. We were really hungry and it was a very cold and grey day. We walked past the old homeless guy on his wheelie-walker on our way in, and the minute we saw him again on our way out we knew we had to give the grilled cheese to him.  I will one day be greedy enough to order one for myself.

These are but a few memorable foody experiences I have had here in Seattle, in USA generally. I wish I could say I’ve had many more, but I really did know what I was in for, moving here. I knew it could be a challenge, to be able to eat what I was used to here. I knew the food would, at the very least, look different, and possibly taste differently. I have been really fortunate to fall in with foody types, who have travelled, and have shaken loose their need to have every little thing BBQed, covered in buffalo sauce and bleu cheese and other indiscriminate flavourings, or in a burger… people who ‘get’ food, and care where it comes from, and that it is different the world over.  We’ve been taken to a place that does oysters and raw food, which is possibly the best place in town, we’ve had amazingly cooked Central American food at a gaudy old garage painted up to be a festive cantina- served Mojitos with plantain chips and moles to die for. We’ve had beautifully cooked Bistec et frites in a French restaurant, crab dips, lobster rolls, Aussie style pies, authentic Mexican food, Indian food, Korean banquet, Yum Cha and Southern style food truck delights. We had Caribbean style jerk cooked food in beautiful sandwiches, in another converted garage. (This up-cycling of mechanic workshops into restaurants is to be commended).  We were fed a delicious crab and lobster filled ravioli- lasagne at Christmas. We have had fresh filled dumplings cooked for us, pork ribs and roasted chickens and lamb chops cooked for us by our friends in their homes. Beautiful, fresh and nutritious food.

We’ve have tried Southern fried chicken in a few places, and I can’t fault it anywhere. It is always delicious. All I know is, I should never really have it.

All the same, as much as Seattle is fast becoming a foody destination, (according to word on the ‘street’), the idea where a café is a more casual place where there is restaurant style great food available has not quite caught on. Not in the suburbs, at least. People still expect and receive the over-sized sandwiches, huge plates of diced potato and bacon with everything, hot or BBQ sauce with everything, and there seems to be an expectation for people’s plates to be loaded up with no space left. Loaded up to the roof in some cases. Lunch is often a 3 courses on an order affair, with soup, salad, chips to go with your sandwich, panini, burger or bagel. You feel weird just ordering a sandwich. But I quite like the ½ sandwich +soup options in some places. (You don’t have to be a pig). You are often expected to order at the counter and bus your own dishes. As nice as the staff are at the counter, they don’t often clean up after you. Everyone knows where to put their dirty dishes. Salads are often very much a chopped up bowl of everything in a bowl. I have seen maybe two carefully arranged salads on a plate in 20 months.

Breakfast, on the other hand, is a FULL plate of stuff, and often a pancake to go with it. The American breakfast is seemingly a tradition that will never budge, especially since people in the west will now eat biscuits and gravy, fried chicken and waffles, and even pulled meat on their eggs Bene, (which often is smothered in béchamel and not hollandaise). The Avocado Smash phenomenon and the Shakshuka are happening, but only in those very trendy cafes where people line up out the door, such as you see on Portlandia. The best option if you don’t want to walk out feeling like you’ve done something really dirty and need to go and take a long shower and hit the gym all afternoon, is to have a breakfast bagel or croissant. Which is what I do here quite often. They don’t actually do big plates of food here, just sandwiches, quiches and cakes. Beautiful cakes, wholesome and generously full of fruit or nuts. Their coconut bread is to die for.

Today I am going to do something different for me, and order pie (fruit, probably berry), only I didn’t see any pies in the display case at the counter. But I do know that, unlike at home where you feel very strange and humiliated to ask for things you cannot see, I know I can ask here and they will probably want to give me along and well explained story about the display case being broken or the pie oven being broken or the berry supplier being on strike. And then we’ll probably get talking about my accent and about someone’s sister who went to Adelaide or somewhere. It will be pleasant and not humiliating. And then I’ll order something else.

When I leave here I will probably hit QFC and grab some good bread and maybe even a sandwich for Johnny and I to share for lunch. If we go to the pub later it will mean a fairly naughty food option. Happy Hour Food is often quite calorie heavy. Cheese balls, Fried curds with a delicious raspberry sauce, Fries, pulled pork potato skins, pizettes, nachos, burgers, sliders, buffalo wings are some of the things you might find on the menu. One of our 2 locals has much more fresh fare, (woodfired pizzas and salads for example) and the other has much more traditionally prepared, aka fried food. Unfortunately the one with the cheap Mug Club beer is the one with all the greasy options. My favourite item on their menu is a raw tuna Poke ‘nachos’ on fried wonton skins, with mashed avocado, jalapeno slices, spring onion and a teriyaki dressing. It is really delicious, but doesn’t seem to line my stomach for the ensuing pints of beer well enough, unfortunately. It has taken months of experimentation to figure out the best ‘drink friendly’ foods to begin a night on, and to work out that a starter snack of something small but stodgy then another later on after a couple of drinks, then maybe a THIRD night cap (small) supper is possibly the best way for me to cope with 3-4 (or more) pints. It can get pretty washing machine-like in my tum at times.

(I’d better poke in a disclaimer here: while I am not on a strict calorie controlled diet, I am actively trying to NOT put on MORE weight before I return home to the land of salad days). A heavy meal when drinking is just stupid. Dessert is ridiculous. No-one needs that much food! Well I don’t. I don’t move enough.  And then, if brunch is on for the next day, well that is just really asking for more lard to deposit itself on my rear…

I’ve actually decided against the pie. The shared monster sandwich Johnny and I will have will be quite enough food for the rest of the day.

Until ‘happy hour’.

Take Me Home, Country Loaf I’m in my favourite place for a casual coffee and snack in my local area. I live in a pretty commercial corner of the town, which boasts about 5 Starbucks and one cosy café, one old-school diner, several other franchised café/eateries such as ‘Chipotle’, ‘Panda Express’, ‘Red Robin’ and ‘Subway’ just to name a few.