Random Gripes: On Friendship, Lost and Found

I have a small circle of friends. I like to take time to build my friendships and I like to think that most will last forever. Of course, I am aware that there are different levels of friendship and that some were only meant to last a season but it really warms my heart when one of those forever kinds— the kind of friendship that lasts through space and time— is rekindled after a long separation. Over the past month, I have been reveling in the joy of one such phenomenon when my childhood friend S., contacted me through a social networking site.

S. and I met as children and were best friends all the way from kindergarten through sixth grade (that's the way I remember it at least). Along with V. we made a venerable trio and as the three girls who consistently scored the highest marks in our classes, we were bound to be friends (or enemies). But as we left primary school behind us and as our circles expanded to include new friends, I could sense that our trio-friendship was changing. Still, as V. ventured off and formed new friendships S. and I remained as close as ever. I took it for granted that our friendship would remain the same… until my family moved away and we promptly lost touch. For over fifteen years!

The recent advances in technology have made staying in touch fairly easy. From smart phones to emails to webcams and social networking sites, there are many ways for us to stay in touch with those closest to us. But back then, staying in touch meant making long distance calls or writing letters. For the obvious reason, calls were out— I was not paying any bills and my mother would not have me running up a huge phone bill to call S. or any of my other friends. And as much as I like to write, letters were never my favorite form of communication. Besides, my life changed completely with that move and for a long time, I could not form the words to express how I felt in that new life. To anyone. So we lost touch and I adapted to my new life and made new friends. But I never forgot the friends who I left behind.

I am not a fan of social networking sites like Facebook and while I have thought of deactivating my account on many occasions, I have resisted for one reason. Through Facebook, I am constantly reconnecting with family and childhood and high school friends. In many instances, the friendships I remember are not the same, far from it, but with S. and two of my high school friends, K1 and K2, the years seem to have fallen away. It is going on two and three years since I reconnected with both Ks and I occasionally meet either of them for brunch, happy hours, dinners and other social events. S. is a bit further away which makes these types of meetings impossible but for now it’s enough to be able to maintain regular contact and to know that I have one of my oldest friendships back. I will take care not to lose it again.

Travel Gripes: Homegrown Travel, Las Vegas Edition (Pt. 3 of 3)

I've heard the expression ‘everything's bigger in Texas’ but after my most recent trip to celebrate a friend's birthday, I think it should rightfully be changed to 'everything’s bigger in Las Vegas.' Truly! I used to marvel at the fact that Macy's at Herald Square stretched all the way from 6th to 7th avenue and across two city blocks. But after witnessing the magnificence of the resorts in Vegas— miles and miles of hotel and casino real estate big enough to house roller coasters, theaters, nightclubs, restaurants, and more— I haven’t looked at Macy’s the same way again. While planning this first visit to Las Vegas, N. and I were not wise to the layout. We foolishly thought that one block in our respective cities was equivalent to one city block in Las Vegas and that our hotel, Mandalay Bay, would be well within walking distance of at least mid-strip, although it was located at the south end of the strip. After all, everything looked to be so close together on the maps. How wrong we were! Most resorts stretched upwards and spanned well over a mile. On the plus side, we got plenty of exercise on our daily jaunts. On the other hand, unless one of us had a burning desire to visit another casino, say Treasure Island, we often limited out late-night excursions to casinos that were easily traversed to and from Mandalay Bay on foot.










Our first night in Vegas was…a snooze, but a well-needed one. The plan was to drop off our luggage, freshen up and go down to the casino and/or one of the lounges. Of course, we neglected to take into account that we’d both be working a full day before boarding our flights and that when we arrived, we would have lost three hours with the time change. So what actually happened is that my flight landed just after 10 pm and we arrived exhausted at our hotel just before midnight. Instead of freshening up, we rested up…and woke early the next morning. Sadly, we weren’t quite over our jetlag from that first night because the next night, we again laid down for a rest just after 10 pm and woke up much later than the hour we had planned for that would have had us out the door and flashing our VIP wristbands before the midnight deadline. But while we were catching up on sleep and adjusting to the current time zone those first two nights, we managed to pack a lot into our days.











For breakfast we didn’t stray too far from Mandalay Bay. Our hotel was home to three cafes/buffets and we were content to start our mornings off in a leisurely manner before heading out to explore each day. By chance, we spent a good portion of our time at the MGM Grand (ironically, this was my first choice for accommodations). Since we were situated at one end, MGM Grand seemed to be our connecting point to the rest of strip and each day found us there either gambling (low-risk) and indulging in the free drinks, taking in the Cirque Du Soleil show, Ka, eating what would be our best meal for the entire weekend at Fiamma Trattoria, and patronizing the ultra lounge, Tabu where a group of bachelors tried to convince us to dance on their table. Of course, we also popped into New York New York, Cesar’s Palace and a few other casinos, made time for shopping at the Miracle Mile Shops, took in a low-budget but entertaining variety show, V, and based on the recommendation of a local, ate a truly horribly dinner at Planet Dailies in Planet Hollywood. The Eiffel Tower observation deck was a must-do because it offered amazing views of the entire strip and parts of downtown. We also had a bird’s eye view of the water show in front of the Bellagio and as good as it was up high, it was even more spectacular when we stopped by the posh resort to get a more close-up view. Finally, at N.’ s request, we spent our last day learning about one of the man-made wonders close by, the Hoover Dam. We lucked out with a knowledgeable tour guide who also tacked on stops to the welcome sign, through parts of the downtown area, and across the entire strip, all accompanied with factual tidbits. Quite a bargain! Although we would have loved to have seen it, making it to the Grand Canyon required more time than we had to spare but it really would have been a shame to get so close and not see at least one of the United States’ great accomplishments.











Unfortunately, while we managed to do and see a lot, there were a couple things on our must-do list that we missed out on. After our all-day trip to the Hoover Dam, we had little time in which to eat a quick, overpriced dinner at Border Grill before taking the tram to Excalibur and trekking over to MGM Grand, where we would catch the monorail across the strip near Casino Royale, the closest stop for our ultimate destination, Treasure Island. We burned a fair amount of calories in our attempt to get there before the Sirens of the Cove show started. Only, when we got there, rather than performing the pirates and sirens were posing for pictures! Apparently, because of high winds and inclement weather, the 8:30 pm show had been cancelled. Yes, Vegas was cold and windy! We had the option to check back around 10 pm on the off chance that the next show would go on. Or not! Since we’d already planned to stop by the Flamingo to catch the George Wallace comedy special, we decided against staying and headed southward, bypassing the volcano show at the Mirage. Other than temporarily sheltering us from the cold, the outdated bright pink confection that is the Flamingo was a bust. The comedy show was close to being sold out except for two tables in the back of the room. For N. and I, that just wouldn’t do. We’d luxuriated in the orchestra section when we saw Ka and just couldn’t bring ourselves to pay good money for bad seats. So, we took the only option left to us: headed back to our hotel to get club-ready. Although we had early flights the next morning, we made the most of our last night, flashing our VIP passes at the Foundation Room, the Cathouse, and grooving at a couple of the open area lounges. None could be considered the best clubs I’ve ever been to but I dare say that they made for a fitting end to a trip to fabulous Las Vegas.

Travel Gripes: Homegrown Travel, New Orleans Edition (Pt. 2 of 3)

Independence Day found me smack dab in the middle of a weeklong trip to New Orleans. While G., C. and I had briefly discussed heading down for the Essence Festival in separate conversations last year, no plans were ever formed. This year, planning was quickly underway and everything came together beautifully to the point that months in advance, four of us had both flights and concert tickets in hand. G.’s family hosted and were the epitome of southern hospitality. We ate great local food (jambalaya, gumbo, po’boys), slept in comfortable beds, and basked in good company. While our main purpose for being in town was to attend the concerts and related events, we took full advantage of the opportunity to soak up the culture of a truly unique city.

Insisting that we wake up before 5am so that we could go watch the Steve Harvey Show as it broadcast live at the Convention Center was not one of my brighter ideas. On the occasion when my eyes try to open at such an hour, I usually force them close in my attempt to get another hour or two of sleep in before I have to get up and start my day. But since we were on vacation...We might have survived the morning if we hadn’t spent the previous night barhopping in the French Quarter but since we did, most of us were in crash mode for the better part of the morning. But it’s all about the experience right? Other than that first day, G., C., V., and I enjoyed leisurely mornings followed by days spent shopping, dropping in on the conferences at the Convention Center, people watching, taking the ferry, daiquiri runs, family barbeques, and checking out the changes around town since Hurricane Katrina.

By far, some of our best concert moments include second line dancing with some wanna-be pimps, getting up close and personal with Chrissette Michelle and Estelle in the super lounges, and watching the Mary J. Blige and Alicia Keys performances from the floor of the Superdome. How we got to the floor is a story in and of itself, one that includes a complete loss of dignity, crawling across entire rows of people so that we could get to the security entrance that would give us the best chance of gaining access to the floor where our hook-up was saving premium seats for us. Under normal circumstances I don’t like to beg. I abhor it. So having to beg and being rejected multiple times before the guards took pity on us and finally allowed us entrance left me feeling a bit like groupie that first night. It was more than I was willing to take so being questioned by security and asked to produce a floor ticket while my friends looked on was enough to send me over the edge. I was ready to bite someone's head off and would have surely been kicked out of the arena but thankfully our hook-up came by in the nick of time and helped salvage what could have been an embarrassing end to an interesting evening. Yet, it only took Mary J. walking out on stage to bring us all to our feet and help us forget just how precarious our position really was. Behold, the beauty of great music!

Coming up, highlights of my recent trip to fabulous Las Vegas!

Travel Gripes: Homegrown Travel, Chicago Edition (Pt. 1 of 3)

I love to travel! There’s nothing quite like the excitement I feel when I am getting ready to go off on another adventure. I am not so much a fan of the process of getting there (who wants to be bothered with long flights and airport security?) but once I am there, it’s all about hitting the ground running. I like to intersperse moments of relaxation into my travel but it is by no means my main goal. Rather, I like to fill my days seeing as much as possible and participating in as many local activities as I can before falling into bed from exhaustion each night. I get pretty good sleep at home so when I vacation, my focus is on being an active participant. Of course, if some of the activities are of a restful nature that’s fine too.

I've been fortunate to have taken a few great trips this year and as the time when I will start planning my next adventure abroad nears and as I feel the claws of wanderlust slowly sinking in, I’ve taken some time to reflect on some of the trips that contributed to making this year such a great one. I wrote extensively about my trip to Spain this past Spring and since that visit marked my first time in Europe, it's understandable that I would bask in remembrance. But I've been remiss in sharing some of the fun that I had right here on the home front. Hence, this series of posts with highlight my visits to Chicago, New Orleans, and Las Vegas.

Chicago

I kicked off New Years with an extended weekend in Chicago (by way of Milwaukee) and from the moment I arrived, sleep became a valuable commodity that I could ill afford. Just the way I like it! After my delayed flight finally touched down on a snow-covered runway, I had just enough time to drop my luggage off and eat a quick dinner before G. was shuffling us out the door to meet up with V. and hit the town. This set the tone for the long weekend in Chicago. Our days started late in the mornings at which point we'd eat a leisurely breakfast, head out for sightseeing and shopping, and return home early in the evening for a home-cooked meal, courtesy of G. We'd then relax for a bit before preparing ourselves for nights that ended in the wee hours of the morning, where we’d go from club to club and party to party. We didn’t waste time thinking about too much beyond the moment. So, it's only fitting that our last night in Chicago would have us returning home from a reggae club after 3am and waking up an hour or so later so that I could make my 6am flight home. I was very much awake and on the edge of my seat, watching the minutes fly by but I don’t think I would have changed much (the misadventures contribute to the fun but the cold was another thing altogether). That last night in Chicago was arguably our best one and when I finally made it home a few hours later, I had plenty of time to defrost and catch up on the sleep I'd missed over the past few days.

A fun time was had in Chicago but if I didn’t mention just how cold it was there, I’d be painting too rosy a picture. It was freezing cold! There were moments when I questioned why I was standing outside in the cold, waiting in line to get into a club. G. and I would huddle up to the other club-goers, trying to share our collective body warmth. Granted, unlike a lot of the other people, we at least were wearing our coats and scarves. But in bone-penetrating cold like that, nothing short of staying indoors is ever quite enough. I have never been a fan of extreme temps and although hard to avoid given where I live, I try to stay out of it as much as possible. So Chicago for New Years would seem like an odd choice. I can only chalk it up to invitation offer and acceptance, available vacation time, and impulse. I’ve found that my best trips were the ones that I either planned at the last minute or booked almost immediately. No chance for over-thinking to ruin well-laid plans!

Check back over the next few days for highlights (with pics) of my visits to New Orleans and Las Vegas.

Event Gripes: The Wedding & The Dress

Have you ever been to a party where you hadn't planned on staying until the very end and then you looked up as they were turning on the lights and realized that that’s exactly what happened? Well, that was my experience when my friend K. got married. I’d known about the wedding for quite a while but in the last two weeks leading up to it, I discussed it with friends and family with annoying frequency. Actually, I didn’t talk about the wedding so much as I discussed what I would wear to it. You see, I don’t wear dresses too often and the wedding would be a formal affair. I refused to show up in pants or basic black. Care needed to be taken and I needed to go shopping!

Unfortunately for my friends, I mentioned every shopping foray every chance I got. Since I went shopping a few times each week in search of a dress, this was more often than I like to admit. And when I finally found two dresses two days before the wedding, I needed to try them on and get my sister’s opinion, send pictures to G. to get her take, show pictures to my co-worker and a few others to get their feedback and generally annoy everyone with talks about what I would wear to the wedding. Even the bride was not immune from my dress talks but since it was her day, I tried to keep it at a minimum and leave the focus where it needed to be, on her. In any case, when it came down to choosing between my two options we were all in agreement and if the compliments I received at the wedding are anything to go by, I made the right choice. Of course, I also needed accessories which in turn led to even more annoying chats. I was a monster, but one who was well put-together come wedding day.

The wedding itself was a wonderful affair. The venue was elegant and featured a beautiful view. The bride was stunning in her original dress and unique updo and she and her new husband made for an adorable couple. Their wedding was a perfect blend of traditional and unconventional touches which seemed perfectly suited to the pair. Of course, during the receptions there were the incidents you expect to find at a wedding what with people getting stumbling drunk but nothing could have detracted from the happiness that radiated around the room.

As much fun as I had, I was initially worried about not knowing too many people at the wedding. Even after I was allowed to bring a friend along for company. I wanted the evening to be about sharing in K.’s enjoyment, not trying to generate conversation with strangers out of thin air. My worry was for naught. When I arrived, I immediately saw some recognizable faces and as the evening wore on, I caught up with some about what’s been going on with them and I met some new faces who were as happy to be there as I was. But more importantly I simply enjoyed being in that moment! Between sampling the Southern-style food, taking pictures in the photo booth, laughing at some of the hilarious antics and toasts, dancing to songs I didn’t know or hadn’t heard in a long time, and sharing in my friend’s joy I had a blast! I only hope that all of my yet-to-be-married friends also know how to throw parties that elicit this much fun.

Random Gripes: Meetup = Fertile Ground

I generally do well at large social events but I’m not the greatest at networking. I can activate my social skills at will and make it through any situation but I don’t always feel the need to. For this reason, as much as I like to find opportunities to get out and do things, I generally shy away from joining Meetup groups. If I were to form my own group, membership would cap at 10 or 12 people. I have nothing against larger groups but I prefer to create conditions where I can actually get to know the people who are in my social circle. When that circle is upwards of 100, that’s not really a realistic objective. Besides, I view many of these groups as ideal opportunities for lonely men on the prowl to scope out women and therefore, not my idea of a good time. But when K. sent me the invitation to join a large Meetup group, I accepted. Despite the prowling men, the objectives of the group were of great interest to me and I actually like going to events and doing things with my friends. Go figure.

Since joining the group a few months ago, I’ve only managed to make it to two events spread months apart. The most recent event consisted of live music, free appetizers and chocolate. How could I pass that up? This time around, I sent out my own invitations and T. accepted and came along. Now, my friend T. is a flirt. It’s a fact as I know it. She calls it being nice and friendly but I know better. Even though I don’t usually have opportunities to see her in action, I’ve read some of the exchanges that she’s had with members of the opposite sex. Maybe I should be taking lessons from her…but in any case, the girl got skills! At the event, I don’t think it was so much her skills as it was her radiant personality (:-) that had the weirdest guy in the building beeming in on her and latching on as if for dear life!

Mr. Weirdo approached our group with a cheesy “Hey, hey. How you doing?” and proceeded to place his hand on T.’s shoulder and shift her so that he could eyeball the area where her nametag was attached. Above her chest. Not cool! If that were me, the evening might have taken a different turn but T. and I operate differently when faced with situations like this one. So while I tuned him out and returned to my pleasant conversation, she smiled and engaged in polite conversation with Mr. Weirdo. Big mistake! When T. threw out a Hail Mary and tried to engage others in their conversation, Mr. Weirdo wasn’t having it. He kept talking to T. Only. And when she excused herself to use the restroom, he hung around the area looking around, not engaging with others and presumably waiting for her return. And when she tried to keep a low profile and hide behind others, he ferreted her out and asked her where she’d been. When she dared to engage in other conversations, he continually stuck his head in and tried to draw away her attention. But by this point, T. had her blinders on and he was on permanent ignore. Finally, as we were wrapping up our conversations on the sidewalk before heading home, we noted Mr. Weirdo’s exit and saw that he hovered where we stood for a minute before continuing on his way. Whew! As annoying as he might have been, I gained immense pleasure from watching all this. But T. probably was not as amused. Hopefully, she won’t run into him at any future events. Happy Friday!

Spain: A Love Affair

I recently returned from what can only be described as the most awesome vacation ever! Two glorious weeks in Spain! You know a vacation is great when you hate to leave when it’s time to return home. I usually like nothing more than returning to my apartment following a vacation and locking myself in until it’s time for me to return to work. That was definitely not the case this time around and I was happy that I chose to stay until the absolute last day. Simply put, I love Spain!

It’s a pretty well known fact that Spain is a country that is rich in culture and I definitely got a dose of that while I was there. But I think what really makes Spain great are the wonderful people who I met, some of whom have become good friends in a very short time. I have to give kudos to a program called Pueblo Ingles, through which I was able to make connections with forty plus wonderful people who I might not otherwise have met. The age range ran from 21 up into the 70s (our group ended up with a somewhat younger crowd because of the volcanic eruption) but we all seem to find a common bond through which we could communicate (in English) and by the end of our week together, we felt like we were leaving old friends behind. I can not effectively put into words how the program affected me. Let’s just say that I am still sad that it ended. Scenic photos and details about the places I visited to follow…

Condolences

We all know that death is a certainty. People are born, they live their lives and they die. Some live full lives before peacefully slipping away. We are no less sad but these deaths are somewhat easier to handle. Not so the death of children or adults in their 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, or even 60s; people who still have so much life left to live. This is the case with M’s friend, Cory, who recently passed away from cancer. At age 31. For those of us who haven’t ever been in that position, we can’t begin to imagine what anyone close to Cory is going through at this time. But I am certain that Cory is gone too soon and is surely missed by his friends and family. R.I.P.

Mini-Road Trip: California

I recently returned from a week-long vacation to California. It was my first visit to California and surprising, it was not as warm as I thought that it would be. Temperatures hovered around the mid-60s and when we did make it to the beach, the water there was very cold. Still, the trip was a nice and mellow one and rather than give you an extensive list of all the things that we did, I’ll provide a few details in 10 bullet points of what I remember most clearly. Of course, the ultimate highlight was spending a week catching up with friends but as we all know, its all about the experience:

1. I have a rule about street/subway performances: if it’s entertaining, I will give a dollar; more if I love it. But a smart aleck-y, annoying street performer at the Walk of Stars almost made me want to take my dollar back. After his ragtag group did a little dancing, the self-proclaimed “little Mexican” proceeded to whine and curse his audience, probably hoping to shame us out of more of our money. Well, that didn’t work in the least (the audience dispersed fairly quickly) but he was funny and it was entertaining watching him try to run game on us.
2. Again at the Walk of Stars, a man came up to me and asked me to buy him a beer. Shouldn’t he be offering to buy me a drink?
3. Realizing how truly tiny the feet of some of Hollywood’s leading men really are was a snickering moment. Unfortunately, I can’t think of any names at this time.
4. Being locked out of the place where we were staying in Redondo Beach and sitting in our car waiting for our host because we selected the wrong house keys was not very fun. Admittedly, there were three of us so we probably should have gotten it right but in our collective defense, the directions were misleading.
5. Being advised not to order the fish cakes by our waitress at a Thai restaurant was a first for me. Of course, Thai Elvis is the premiere form of entertainment so the fish cakes are not the only things that are fishy about the Palms Restaurant.
6. My friends and I were referred to as “light, brown, and dark” by an overweight, middle-aged white man at the beach. No comment on that one.
7. We spent a lot of time eating at various restaurants but Broadway Grill, which featured Motown Mondays, was one of the better ones. The food was so-so but the entertainment was what made this place great. Of course, we kept the party going in our little corner after the band wrapped up their set.
8. Being splashed, several times, during our whale watching tour (where we didn’t see any whales and few other sea creatures during our 2 hours plus boat ride). We were too lazy to move from our perch and we ended up serving as entertainment for our fellow passengers.
9. Being pulled over by the cops after we made an illegal left turn was mildly exciting. It wasn’t completely our fault and we got off without a ticket but that cop in California is the nicest one I’ve ever encountered.
10. Pebbly sand and cold water are what I now think about when I think about California beaches

Things we learned from our experience:
A road trip throughout California is not easily achieved in a week; expect lots of driving.
A free breakfast is the best breakfast i.e. stay at Embassy Suites

*pictures featuring the beautiful scenery and places we visited will follow shortly*

Blogs Need Love Too

This post is dedicated to the “friends” (and I use this term loosely) who have yet to show my blog some love, consistent love. It’s been around for two months now and I’m still hearing excuses about computer problems, losing the link, not having access to the site at work, too much work. All BS! I’m not writing a book here! It only takes a quick few minutes to see what the heck is on my mind on any given day. I’d pay your blog the same courtesy, if you had one. And yes, there are some days when I have nothing I really want to talk about and I throw something up anyway. I’ll excuse you on those occasions but can you at least meet me halfway and at least skim a few posts so that when I ask if you’ve checked out my blog yet I won’t have to think along these lines? I’m really thinking about cutting you all off completely but I don’t think you’d notice even that. I know my blog is not for everyone and yes you might even find it boring but when I told you that I was going to do this and then sent you the link didn’t you think I would want your support? I mean, I read it but do I have to be the only one? I thought we were better than that. All these years you’ve known me, I’ve kept in touch with you through time and space and still you disappoint me this way. I really have to start shifting my priorities because obviously, my blog isn’t anywhere on your list. I realize that I am coming off as whiny but you have driven me to this point. And yes, I do realize that my plan to shame you into showing the blog some love is pointless since you don’t read it and won’t know I posted this but I will make sure you get this note. Happy Friday!

Me, Controlling? I Think Not!

A male friend told me that I was controlling, that I want to be the one in control especially as it relates to my relationships with the opposite sex. I usually dismiss him when he makes stupid comments like that but since he’s known me for many years and is my go-to for a male perspective, I humored him, heard him out, and asked for clarification. In a nutshell, he said that I always like things to be on my terms, to go where I want to go when I want to go and do what I want to do. When I asked for a basis for his assessment, he informed me that it was due to a combination of information that I shared with him and his experience in the role of my friend. His problem is that he thinks he knows me better than I know myself and I also know that his reasons are purely selfish ones. I’m more than happy to go with the flow from time to time, to let someone else take control. I want to be able to sit back and have someone else exert some energy to get things going- as long as I don’t have to wait too long for that to happen. If I like your idea better than mine I will acknowledge that and act accordingly. If I think my idea is better then it will take a lot to get me to budge but ultimately, I’m not one to cut off my nose to spite my face. I’m nothing if not agreeable! Do I like having my way sometimes? Yes, but things don’t have to go my way for me to be okay with them. And really, who doesn’t like having their way once in a while? Maybe he just used the wrong term because that doesn’t necessarily make me controlling but in any case, “S”, you can just take your stupid opinion and shove it!

If Bourdain or Zimmern Will Eat It, I Probably Won’t

I spent a fun evening relaxing with friends the other day. The conversation was good, the ambiance amenable and the food…questionable. The fact that I couldn’t read the name over the door of the restaurant (it’s written with Japanese character) should have been a hint that the menu would be beyond anything that I’m used to. I admit to being a bit of a coward when it comes to trying food that can be described as “interesting”. In my opinion, bull testicles, frogs, and eel are not compatible with the human digestive system (the finished, cooked products doesn’t look so bad-- see link below-- but still not buying it). Quail is borderline safe but still iffy. Anyway, there they all were on the menu. They weren’t an option for my dinner choice but squid seemed safe enough and I gave in gracefully to K. I mean, I grew up eating curried (and sometimes raw) octopus (which I like) and that’s practically the same as a squid. So you’d think barbecue squid would be to my liking. Not so much. A little too much bite and I can just imagine that the squid still had a little kick left it in when it was plated. My gag reflex didn’t kick in and I can’t say that it was the worst thing that I have ever eaten but it’s almost guaranteed that I won’t be trying it again.

So what did I get? I went way beyond safe by ordering vegetable dumplings and fried chicken. I’ll make more of an effort to venture beyond my comfort zone next time because I’m finding that everything goes down smoother with a glass of wine.


Takeaways/To Do:
Learn to eat with chopsticks
Give sushi a second try
Find recipe for sangria

Just for fun: Testicles cooking preparation video