munchymom

I don't drink any caffeine - I do like the taste of coffee so I sometimes have decaf. My usual morning (and throughout the day) drink is plain seltzer - something about the bite of the carbonation wakes me up and settles my stomach. I vary between being a snacker and a 3 meals per day person - if the meals are substantial enough I don't feel like snacking. I do like to munch on something salty with alcoholic drinks in the evening. Either rice crackers or nuts, depending on how crazy I'm going with the calories. Oh yes, another thing I usually do that I took a welcome respite from this week - count calories. I am a person of somewhat substantial size, and so usually I'm trying to "watch" what I eat, even on vacation. I decided to take a break from all that this week, but after tomorrow, it's going to be back to the grind. I really do enjoy food that isn't quite as hyper-indulgent as I've been eating this week, so it's not terrible deprivation or anything. But just taking the freedom to not think about it... I've enjoyed it so much.

Andie, that's so cool that you know what the symbols mean! I wonder if the person who designed the plate knew, or if they just picked some at random. Maybe the message is "Help, I'm being held captive in a Mikasa factory!"

Dinner was at another one of my neighborhood favorites, City Tavern. It's a small local chain that serves very reliable food. They have one of my favorite sandwiches in town: Steak in the Grass. Shaved prime rib, onions, spinach and provolone. With some good fries on the side.

Leftover 'cue and cole slaw for lunch: The meal so nice I ate it twice.

Breakfast time! A freshly baked (frozen, Trader Joe's) chocolate croissant, strawberries, and a mimosa.

Dessert: Homemade strawberry ice cream with Trader Joe's Triple Ginger Thins and Petite Cocoa Batons.

I should say that those ribs are not traditional NC or SC barbecue, as far as I know, but they are seriously one of the best things ever. They smoke the ribs until they're done, and then when you order them they put them on the grill and baste them with a sweet sauce, so they get all caramelized. The inside is tender and smoky, and the outside is sweet and a little burnt and chewy, like pork candy.

Dinnertime: This right here's the real deal, y'all: Ribs, pulled pork, hush puppies, french fries, and there are baked beans hiding behind the ribs. The white tub is cole slaw, the red ones are spicy vinegar sauce. The traditional drink with barbecue is sweet iced tea, however since I got my meal to go, I can break with tradition: Dry apple cider is a great companion to smoked pork.

As the old saying goes, life is uncertain, so today we'll start dessert first. To everything... (churn, churn, churn) There is a season... (churn, churn, churn) And a time for every ice cream that tastes like heaven.

Yes, thanks to those who stepped in to answer, that sandwich is a Reuben. Corned beef, Thousand Island dressing (a sweet sauce that is basically ketchup and mayonnaise with a little sweet pickle mixed in), Sauerkraut, and Swiss cheese (this is actually not imported, but a domestically produced mild cheese that is sort of reminiscent of Emmenthal), grilled on rye bread. Re: the cat: yes, she is a tortoiseshell. I don't know if she'd eat fruit, but she's always very taken with it. I have a strict policy of never letting her have human food, because my parents had a cat and dog when I was growing up who were given snacks from the table, and both pets were disgustingly impossible to live with. I will not have a pet who begs for my food.

On the way home from lunch I stopped at a farm stand for these: The strawberries, not the cat of course. The cat is my constant companion Purrl, who is inexplicably attracted to any vegetable matter I bring in the house. I put those berries in the fridge right away before she could get a bite.

I slept late and skipped breakfast. For lunch, I was in the mood for Mexican food, so I went to... a shopping mall? Was I perhaps in search of Taco Bell? Nope. Plaza Fiesta is a mall just over the NC/SC border which caters to the large and growing Latino population in the area. I had lunch here: Two tacos (the front one is carnitas, the back al pastor), rice and beans. The tacos were both delicious, well flavored meat and slightly toasted soft corn tortillas. Those beans were not the flavorless pile of goo that one often finds at Mexican restaurants, but had a rich smoky flavor. There's some pork fat in there for sure.

An aptly named late-night snack: See you in the morning.

Kim: I always thought the pictures on the plates were supposed to represent Native American petroglyphs, but I really haven't a clue. Re: Yquem: I've only had it once before, about twelve years ago (that time it was a 1990), and it was amazing, but you can get really stunning Sauternes for a fraction of the price. I've had very high-scoring ones from $30 - $50 for a (375 ml) bottle. It's worth a look if you like dessert wine.

Dinner! Before... ...and after.

Yes. I meant (fried(eggplant and zucchini chips)) not (fried eggplant) and (zucchini chips). It's all chips. Not as crunchy as potato chips, more sort of like very thinly sliced tempura.

I'm back home, safe and sound. I ended up driving straight through again. So after ascertaining that my house was still standing, I headed over to one of my favorite neighborhood restaurants, Ilios Noche, for an afternoon snack: Fried eggplant and zucchini chips, with tzatziki dipping sauce, and a glass of Chardonnay.

Tonight's dinner was pretty much the same as last night's dinner, so I'm not putting in another picture. I'm going to get an early start toward home tomorrow. I'll make a few stops for food along the way. So you should expect to see me sometime in the mid-afternoon. Off to enjoy my last evening on the beach.

Lunch: Chicken and tomato with mayo and mustard on a wheat roll. Taco flavored Doritos on the side. The "complimentary deluxe contintental breakfast" offered by the hotel was unexceptional from a culinary standpoint, but it did allow me to appropriate a few paper plates, napkins, and a plastic fork and knife so I don't have to eat off of wrappers anymore.

Breakfast time: Brie on crackers, strawberries, and Champagne.

I'm on my own. It is extremely indulgent and relaxing. I've never done anything like this before - I pretty much went from living with my parents to living with my husband (with a few college roommates in between) and I've never traveled by myself. I was actually a little anxious before heading out this morning - I realize a drive to the beach isn't exactly backpacking through China, but I do feel quite successfully independent.

Dinner: Salami, cold roast chicken, Manchego cheese, 9-grain bread, and a little mayo and mustard. I remembered to bring almost everything I need but forgot to pack paper plates, which is why I'm eating off of a bread bag.

I'm back! Now coming to you from Ocean Isle Beach, NC. The wi-fi here is quite slow, so you won't be seeing so many pictures while I'm here. I'm hanging out on an oceanfront balcony, sipping a glass of rum and ginger ale. It was a long drive - about 200 miles, and not a fast 200 miles at that. I drove straight through, because on Easter morning pretty much everything's closed, but I spotted some likely-looking produce stands and restaurants for the trip home.

Hsppy Easter and Happy Passover to those who are celebrating this week! I don't celebrate either holiday, but I am a wholehearted believer in Spring Break. And you know what that means... Road Trip! I've got a few hours' drive ahead of me, so I'll see you all sometime this afternoon.

Good morning all! It's breakfast time: Leftover mashed potatoes, browned in butter, with a little shredded cheese and a fried egg on top.