Kosher dutch oven Shepherd’s Pie for Troop 234’s adult leaders (basically, me and Dan E.)
Morro Bay State Park. Six years ago today.
Passover in the Air
Pre-COVID onboard Kosher meal, Passover:
- Steak and salmon: excellent.
- Couscous and matzah: good.
- Veggies: doable.
Needless to say, the cake went undisturbed.
While I feel bad about wasting food, I’d feel worse about “waisting” it.
Supplement Kitchen
I stocked up on macronutrients, fiber, and electrolytes during the pandemic. The pile is considerably smaller now, but believe it or not this was only about a six-week supply.
Mugology: The Cherry of Seattle
Not far from Pioneer Square in Seattle is the Cherry Street Coffee House, a hidden oasis of superb coffee and healthy eats.
Sure, there are plenty of little joints scattered around Seattle, but I keep finding myself going back to this one. Cherry Street also boasts one of those bohemian dining areas that beg you to sit down, pull out your laptop or your Moleskine, and start creating.
That it’s a block from my company’s Seattle office, a block from my preferred hotel, and a block from the LINK light rail line to Sea-Tac make it one of the best-located writer’s nooks on my list anywhere.
I think it’s time to cook up a reason for a deductible junket…
Train Dinner
The first time I had dinner on Amtrak, I asked Dan, the car attendant, to bring dinner to my room. I am not normally so precious, but I was traveling alone, feeling a bit like Shreck, and was not yet comfortable with the idea of dining with three strangers (note: I was over it by breakfast.)
I wolfed it, no pun intended. Train travel is hungry work, especially when you go REAL SLOW through the picturesque beach and farm towns filled with tempting diners and taquerias. But, as I have said here before, the food on long-distance Amtrak trains compares favorably to the best airline business- and first-class fare, and even when I wasn’t terribly hungry, I could not resist the temptation at mealtimes.
Note to self: always bring plenty of (healthy, protein-laden) foods on the train to supplement the meals. I did okay this time, but it never hurts to have a little extra boost, even on a trip as short as four hours.
Cali-Twisted B-on-T
I don’t eat beans-on-toast anymore, but I thought I would try this California version: low-sodium black beans on a whole grain bagel flat. Still around 500 calories, but more filling, no sugar, and a bunch more fiber. It’s a cheat, but a small and satisfying one.
Pay no attention to the party wings on the left…
Bonding, Zhejiang Style
Dinner with the folks from Longjing winery, Winter 2019. It’s the infamous and dreaded ganbei with full pitchers of the local pour.
Yes, my face is red. I am told I managed to quaff about a liter of huangjiu between dinner and the unofficial meetings afterward. The next morning I was about as hungover as I have been in decades, but it was not as bad as it would have been if I had been drinking different or lower-quality spirits.
It is a bummer that really good huangjiu is hard to find in the US. It is very easy to develop a taste for the stuff, and at about 15% ABV it fills a niche between wine or strong IPA beers on one end and spirits on the other. This is much more like a richer version of sake than grain-based paint-thinners like Maotai or Wuliangye and is a superb substitute for brandy or port.
If you get a chance, give it a try. It will surprise you.
Hydration regimen starting with a half-gallon of ice water mixed with 2-3 scoops of XTEND BCAA powder. It’s like Kool-Aid for adults.
Post Meeting Snack
Finishing up a Thursday night meeting around 8:30, we were both starving and I was way short on calories.
The sidewalks roll up early in our little beach town, so we found ourselves at IHOP. Unperturbed, Aaron ordered two full entrees: T-bone steak and eggs, and tri-tip ends and eggs. And yes, he ate it all.
He probably ate five times the calories I did, but I’m 58 and on maintenance, and Aaron is 21 and bulking up for intramural basketball. He can get away with it: I can’t.
As an aside: there is nothing like father-son bonding over late-nite diner food.
Box Dinner
Was it a box dinner? Yes – we didn’t have a dining car on the Empire Builder out of Portland until we hooked up with the #8 in Spokane at midnight.
Was it awful? NO! It was phenomenal!
Another score for Amtrak: consistently better food onboard than in any business class menu on any airline I have ever flown.
A Bucket and a Pen 