week 7: Dressing up

Hi everyone (or just me, whatever)

This week I wanted to share my dress up session with you guys. It was so much fun! I never really like Halloween having grown up during a time where getting your candy bag snatched and having eggs thrown at you or balloons with Neet in them was popular in New York City, but I did love the dress up part. I always wanted to have one of those big masquerade parties just to dress up and party. One day I fully intend to be in Vegas attending their Halloween party. I hear its awesome!

Anyway, I want to tell you about when John and I played dress up. We took a trip to one of those small towns in Indiana where the city for them is Main Street with all the little shops on them, everyone knows everyone by first name or “you’re Johnny’s boy, aren’t you?” and there’s hardly no crime. On this little street was a shop where you could dress up and take vintage pictures.

When went in and the woman behind the counter gave us a book to look at different people in their photo shoots to see what we’d like to wear for ours. Another woman came from the back and said, “Oh, no. I have the perfect outfit for you.”

John and I look at her, then to each and back to her. She smiled and pointed right him! “You,” she confirmed and offered her hand to him.

He looked a nervous wreck at first, but he went off with her anyway. He returned 5 minutes later with the largest grin I had ever seen on him. The woman had dressed him in a black God Father hat and a black pinstriped suit. I burst into laughter.

“He looks great doesn’t he? I saw his inner godfather,” she said to me.

I couldn’t help but agree. The woman then held her finger up, turned and dug in a large toy chest near the counter. She handed John a big plastic tommy gun. He looked at it and miraculously his smile widened.

“Yes, it’s very you,” the woman added then turned to me. “Well, if he’s a gangster, you must be his maul.”

 Maul?

She had showcased John’s inner gangster so I followed the lady without question. I was about to see my inner maul and so are you.

                                             
                                                                 

Ta Da!

It was so much fun! We played dress up and took several more pics but ended up buying this one because it was our favorite. It was the first time we went but it won’t be the last. I will be doing this again when we return to Brown County to try the zipline. And, yes, I will show you guys that little adventure, too. *wink*

Dana
http://www.danalittlejohn.net/

week 7: My first musical!

Hi Everyone,

Carson back at you again. This week I expanded myself culturally. I went to my first musical. I took the mother figure in my life to see The Music Man.

                                                                  

I had no idea what it was about, but she’s into stuff like that so I said what the hey! It was at one of those dinner and a show type places. The place was set up with stadium seating and wide walk ways. We were at a table for 4, but the other seats were not taken.

The hostess came for us and we went to eat from the buffet. I was not impressed. There was lots of meats to choose from—ya’ll know where am with that—and not enough alternatives. Thus I settled for a loaded salad with way too tangy honey mustard dressing, dry sour cream baked potato wedges and drown my sorrows in 2 of the Margaritas they had on special for Mother’s Day.

                                                           


AND..
                                             
Raspberry White Chocolate cheese cake. O-O best ever! (okay I chomped it before I took the picture)

The Music Man was about this traveling conman from Gary, Indiana. He had been going from one small town to the next swindling people out of their money with the idea of making their town better but never coming through with what he promised. For the purpose of the story he ends up in a tiny town in Iowa pretending to be a music teacher. His con is to get the people to invest in a band for the kids. He would order instruments and uniforms and teach the kids to play, but of course never do it. The librarian was also the music teacher. The idea was to smooze her so she doesn’t call him out to everyone that he doesn’t know anything about music. Of course that never happens. The conman falls in love, the librarian comes out her shell and everyone lives happily ever after.  

Will I do it again?
Well, the food was nasty, the Margaritas and awesome dessert made up for that. I was surprisingly pleased with the show. I had no clue I'd like live shows! They are doing Chicago at the same theater in September. I will definitely be at that show...but now I know to eat before I go.

Carson

http://www.guyslikeromancetoo.blogspot.com/

week 6: Symphony magic

Hello everyone!
Here we are at week 6! My something new this week was a no brainer. I saw a commercial that said, "The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra is celebrating 50 years of James Bond! You won't want to miss this!" and I said, nope! I sure don't!" What better way to enjoy my first symphony.

I love James Bond! My first James Bond flick was The Spy who Loved Me with Roger Moore. That was it for me. I was going to marry James Bond and grow up to be a Bond Girl! LOL Years later, after seeing For Your Eyes Only I declared Roger Moore the best spy ever, my mother promptly informed me that Roger Moore wasn't the first James Bond. She said--with a huff!--that the first James Bond movie was Dr. No back in 1962. So Sean Connery was the real James Bond.

Now how was I supposed to know that? I wasn't even born yet!

Anyway, since then I have seen every single James Bond movie. It broke my heart when Roger stepped down. I was all for Pierce Bronson coming on board to fill his shoes, but the powers that be didn't choose him despite the outcry of the public. They chose Timothy Dalton. He wasn't a bad Bond I guess.. He did two movies: The Living Day Light and License to Kill and they were okay. When "they" finally got it together and picked up Pierce, he did the next 4 Bond installments. They messed all the way up when they chose Daniel Craig as Bond. He doesn't even fit the physical profile of James Bond! I mean, seriously, who the hell thoug— I'm sorry. I'm ranting. Let me get back to the symphony.
So anyway...
                                        

My friend Myles accompanied me to this event. My husband informed me early on in this adventure that he would not be coming to all of my planned or spontaneous events, but he didn’t mind doing drop off and pick ups, so I was cool with that.

We walked passed one of the bars inside the Hilbert Circle Theatre on the way to the doors we would enter to the theater and the bartender greeted us politely. She waved us over and asked if we’d like to try a Symphony Happy Meal. My friend and I looked at each other and smiled. We sure do! was our quick reply. No, we had no idea what it was, but the woman said it was a symphony tradition. So, who are we to break tradition?
                                      
                                                                
                          Champagne and trufflesà a Symphony Happy Meal

So we took our drinks and truffles into the theater. We had balcony seats near the orchestra. The theater is really set up very nice. There really aren’t any bad seats.
The music was awesome! They played the James Bond theme, the music from Dr. No, From Russia with Love, Casino Royale, The World is Never Enough and had a vocalist to sing the themes to Goldfinger, Diamonds are Forever, For Your Eyes Only and Live and Let Die.

After a brief intermission the orchestra played other music from James Bond inspired songs like Secret Agent Man and movies like The Pink Panther and Austin Powers. Soul Bossa Nova is the theme song to Austin Powers. Did you know that Quincy Jones did that? I knew Q had done a CD witht he same title, but i never made the connection until then. The CD version sounds way cooler with Naturally 7 singing it with Ludacris.

Check it out. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1dx7C0OHj4  

The show was great! I wish I could have taped some of the music for you, but they frown on that you know. They wrapped it up with the James Bond theme and took their bow.

Would I do it again? Absolutely!

Dana
www.danalittlejohn.net

week 5: Pottery day

Taking a page from Carson's book I decided to try pottery too. This was an event I could get my husband to go to. We showed up at the class and were 2 of 7. Michael, our instructor, was very easy to understand and he walked us through each step. We found the class very easy.
This is how our project started. A blank canvas.

           

Then we panted the inside and outside brown.









Next we had to trace the flower pattern we wanted on our project so we can paint each section. Now I know it all looks brown, but he swore to me that once it was fired the real colors would come out. I was skeptical too, but I did what he said.


See? No color, right?
Well, after a long, nail biting week went by I picked up my creation and voila! This is what I have.



He was right! I was stunned out how good it came out! I'm thinking of taking Micheal's glass works class next! If he can teach me to do this, anything is possible! LOL I will definitely do this again!

Dana
http://www.danalittlejohn.net/

week 5: welcome to the Renaissance Age!

I traveled recently to a nearby city to go to a Renaissance Faire with a few friends. It was so much fun! It was set up like a town and everyone dressed up and played the part...

even the kids!

We caught the ail end of a magic show given by Merlin himself! LOL He was a really good magician. I couldn't get any good pictures of him doing anything because hey didn't allow that, so I took a picture of his poster outside. :)

I think I took her picture because she looked weird.

this dude cracked me up!

I don't have a clue what he was about, but I laughed my ass off when I saw him.

I did realize that if I would have lived back in this day and time I may have staved to death or been as skinny as a rail and thus useless in the eyes of these hardy folk.

There was a lot of this in the way of meals --->        

                                     

   

and if you've been following this blog you  already know that I don't part take in any of that! I didn't even bother to ask what it was. It looked like road kill to me so it didn't matter! For the record, if I did eat meat, I don't think I could eat it after seeing like this.  

How did I enjoy my experience?

Well....I liked it! It was fun and different. Kind of a cross between Halloween and a summer barbeque. I would do it again, but I would eat before I got there so I wouldn't have to eat so many desserts to curb my appetite. LOL

Carson

http://www.guyslikeromancetoo.blogspot.com/

week 4: Sushi anyone?

Tried the New Hibachi Grill here in Raleigh,

We had one already, but this one was new so lets try it! We all know how that is right? Ha ha ha nah, lol it looks great as you can see ";0}... The food looked good too, yet a lil diff from the other place. Had me wondering if it was the same owners.

I think not, the Sushi looked amazing but no "Wasabi Sauce" Ugh that was enough to have me in a funk LMBO.

I hated the atmosphere in this place it read like, eat your lunch and flee. It was very warm and the waitress said so but the AC wasn't working.

So we ate fast and I won't be returning just tells you that "LOOKS" are very deceiving.

Tonya~

 

week 4: I took a step back in time!

Dana Littlejohn back to share how I took a step back in time with my visit to Medieval Times. It is a dinner (or lunch) and show that takes you back into the days of the kings, knights of the realm and chivalry. They have castle in many cities. And when I say castles, I mean castle.

                                           

Since I live in Indianapolis, the closest castle to me was in Schaumberg, Ill., a suburb of Chicago. The place was beautiful. Lots of tapestries on the walls, suits of armor in every corner and the workers were dressed in time period clothing. They encouraged us to call them serfs and wenches.

We were escorted into the arena where the show would take place. John, our serf, brought our dish wear. When he returned with our drinks I mentioned we didn't have forks. He simply smiled and said to my husband,

“I see that your maiden is new to this realm. She is unaware that we do not use such things here.” Then he turned to me and said, “Today we are serving a tradition meal for the kingdom, dragon blood soup with flat bread, roasted baby dragon, dragon fingers and potatoes.”

Soon as he left I was like, huh? So my husband laughed then translated. “We have to eat with our fingers, honey.”

Oh. Then I stared at the dishes wondering how that would happen. LOL

                                             

Luckily it wasn’t as bad as I thought. John returned with the meal It looked and tasted surprisingly like tomato bisque soup, ½ a roasted chicken and barbeque ribs. LOL All very good, by the way.  

 

John also told us that we were sitting in the Blue Knight's section. So he was our hero and we would be cheering for him.

The show started as we ate with the Black Knight coming into town basically telling the King he was going to run over everyone, marry the Princess and rule the kingdom out from under him. The king wasn’t having it so he gathered his knights and told them one of them was going to have to handle the Black Knight.

So the tournament was on. Our Blue Knight fought well.  

                                                             
It was so cool. Anyway, the Black and White Knight went on to kick everyone’s butt and the King sent him to defeat the evil Black Knight. Which he did and all was well in the kingdom once more.

It was a 3 hour event show and meal. It was great! When we exited the arena the picture wench (snicker) asked if we wanted to dress up and take a photo to remember the day. We looked at each other and smiled. YES!

                                                             

What did I think of my experience?
I must admit, of all the new things I have tried so far this was the best. We are only at week 4 and I have so many fun things planned, but a day at Medieval Times is going to be hard to top.

I will definitely do this again. We are already making plans to bring our son when he comes home for the summer. The show will have changed by then but even if it doesn’t we will do it again!


Dana
http://www.danalittlejohn.net/

week 4: teaching an old dog new tricks!

My best friend and I took a training course or how to fetch and do other great tricks! Not Marc, my other friend, Rico.
I had always wanted me and Rico to visit the local dog park, throw the ball around and all that fun dog suff. I figured he was old enough to hang out with other dogs and run free. Got a brand new ball and everything for us to play with. It didn't quite go as well as I expected.

I guess I expected Rico to just know how to fetch...I mean he is a dog. Cats just know how to use the litter box. You don't really have to teach them, just show them where it is. I thought it was the same way with dogs and fetching.

Yeah, I was wrong about that. He had no problem catching the ball...

 That was the fun part for him. It was bringing it back to me that he didn't down with. So we took a training class at the Pet Co in my neighborhood. The instructor not only a dog whisperer, but he apparently spoke cat and horse fluently, too! There were certificates all over his walls from all kinds of shows and proving he could do everything from raise, breed, show and give first aid to anything but human-kind! He was a modern day Dr. Dolittle!

After the 2 day indoor class and 2 days with the instructor implementing what we learned. I was amazed at how Rico picked up on the tricks Cedric gave me.

Anyway, a little about Rico.

                                                

We hit it off the moment I saw him. He had the cutest little face.

Now at the ripe old age of 2, he is truly a great dog and a good friend.

According to Cedric, his human students were the problem not the canines. Our canines can’t speak verbally so we have to learn to understand their body language and the cues they give us so we’re both happy with the results. Rico and I went home to practice the skills I learned in school.

Today when Rico and I go to the park, he catches and brings the stuff back to me, too!

                                                      
Hmm, it would seem that you CAN teach an dog new tricks! J

Carson

www.guyslikeromancetoo.blogspot.com

week 4: Do you know your manners?

HI everyone!

Dana Littlejohn back with you to ask if you know your manners? I found out that if I took an a communication class I could add a whole .15 to my pay at work. Since there is soooo much I can do with .15 I decided what the hey! I might learn something I didn't know. LOL

The 3hr class I found promised to teach poise, communication skills, consideration and table manners. I figured it had the communication skills in there so I was good! The rest was just a gimme. LOL

Anyway, The woman giving the class went on about the history of etiquette and how it wasn't just for upper-class families or preparing for a debutant ball. It was intended to prepare young folk how to treat others with with respect, value integrity and teach the expectations of society. Now correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that stuff your Mama and Daddy are supposed to teach you? It would seem rich folk paid someone else to do that!

Since there were a few guys in the class, we were separated for the next two sections so they could be specific to male and female. My next section was poise. 

We learned how to carry ourselves with poise. We also learned the benefits of good posture, how to sit and stand correctly and walk with grace. Next we tackled table manners. At this time she went kind of fast because we would go into more detail when we practiced at the dining table. ( I was like, huh? but okay, whatever)

We met back up with the men to go over communication skills. They went over tips to feel more confident when meeting new people, during job interviews and public speaking as well as how to introduce yourself, shake hands properly, the importance of eye contact and how to respond to invitations. They even went over phone etiquette since everyone has a cell phone and whoever is calling will get you directly.

Now, I don't know about you,but Mom and Dad didn't sit me down for this one. LOL There was some stuff in there that I simply didn't know.

The next section was showing consideration, the art of putting others first. You should have seen the stunned looks on the men's faces when they were learning to pull chairs out and open doors for the ladies. They even looked a little stunned when the instructor reminded them it was courteous to let others pass when going through a door in a public place and someone was coming at the same time. O-O

Again, it might just be me, these are things that should have been taught at the table or just idle chit-chatting around the house. But, okay, whatever. 

Once all the sit down and learn something stuff as done, we went into the dining etiquette. First she asked us to set the table like we know how. I was like, okay I can do that. So this is my table.

Not bad right? Okay so then she taught us what a proper table should look like and why. And this is what my table looked like when I did it again.

Better huh? All that stuff was there the first time, I just didn't know to use them. LOL

At the end of the three hours I felt enriched. I will accept the little .15 they give me, but I think what I learned will be worth so much more down the road. )

Dana 

www.danalittlejohn.net 

week 3- Health First!

This week I had the opportunity to try a full body deep tissue massage "SMILE"
If you have never had one, I urge you to get one ladies and gents alike.

This was my very first time ever doing this! I'd been dying to go to Massage Envy for quite sometime but on this particular day they told a group of friends and I that they didn't have any walk ins today. Disappointed we thought we'd try the 10 minute in the chair massages at the mall. The place here is called HEALTH FIRST Raleigh Massage Center 

www.healthfirstraleigh.com

But when we got there we found out they had full body massages upstairs and we jumped at the opportunity to give it a try. 

 

So off we went to get 4 full body massages "My daughter Sintaja, my Sista Pump'kin, my Niece Shaniqua & I"  Pump'kin and I got the same room and Sintaja & Shaniqua got the same room as they had double massage tables. We were told to undress and lie down on the massage tables. 

Lol we acted like a bunch of giggling school girls stripping down to our undies before the Masseuse could leave the room and get the time clocks and oils. Giggling and laughing calling from one room to the other to check on each other.I thought it would go very fast but I must say they massaged the whole body, your face & scalp uhm, mmmmmmmmm and it took forever to be over lol.When we left we were giggling laughing leaping and swearing we'd be back again soon, lol.I would definitely do it again & we also tried to out tip each other LMBO, so much fun.

So on that note Massage Envy eat your ♥ out I won't ever be using you, you blew it.

Next time I want to treat myself, a family member or friend you can guess where I'll be. 

"Health First"

 Tonya~

Week 3: I can paint? who knew!

So here we are at week 3!

I gotta say finding new stuff to try is hard work! LOL I really is, but I have incorporated a few friends to help. I haven't figured out if that's good or not yet, but I will keep you posted. They have lots of good ideas, but some of that stuff I'm like...hmmm.

This time I dragged my husband out to a place called Wine and Canvas. Their website says it has locations in a few cities around the country. They even have a kid friendly version called Cookies and Canvas. 

A calendar is posted monthly on the 20th of the month. It shows you what picture you will be panting, where you will be (Indy has 2 locations) and what times they start. It even shows if the class is already filled so you can plan ahead.

You choose the date, time and picture by scanning the calendar. Once you have the one you want you schedule online, pay online and your ready to go when you get there.The cost per person was under $40! Cheap by today's standards.

Basically you're paying for a painting class and and all your supplies, however, they do offer--how did the hostess put it? Oh yeah!-- liquid motivation, in case you need some. :) Of course for the non-drinkers and DD's in the crowd they had waters and sodas to buy as well.

The class was so much fun. The teacher was very knowledgeable at her craft and extremely patient even when the 'motivation' started to really flow. We took a Friday night class that ran from 7-10pm.  The instructor used simple, easy language with a step by step method.

 

I was amazed at how the picture came together as we added to each section.

And viola! The finished product is hanging in my living room :)

 

What did I think of the new thing I tried?

I loved it! And for the record, so did my husband. Under the right circumstances I had painting skill I knew nothing about! The wine was really good too. I mean...I was highly motivated to keep painting. :) (pssst! they carry a really good Moscoto) 

I will definitely be adding this into my rotation of things to do.

Until next week! TA!

Dana 

http://www.danalittlejohn.net/  

week 3: Playing in clay.

Hi everyone!

Carson back at you with another new notch added to my belt. This time I heard about a sculpting class they were holding at the community center for only cost $25. Since that amount was right in my price range I decided what the hey. LOL This was a project class lasting 2 hours. Mrs. Norton, the main teacher and her helpers were very patient as they walked us step by step through the process. It turned out to be easier than I thought, too.

We had to cut our own hunks of clay from a block so we could work with it.

When we had it, we had to mash and pinch it softer so we could work with.

 

Once we had our lumps, we were ready to choose what to make and head to the wheels. There were pictures hanging on the walls near tables. After you chose, Mrs. Norton sent her helpers out to the wheels to give you personal direction. They were the ones guiding us during the creative process.

 

I decided to do a tall coffee mug. It started out great! My cup was forming nicely, but unfortunately I couldn't keep the sides from collapsing. Looking back, I realize now what I was doing wrong, but, of course, hindsight is 20/20.

As I looked around seeing how cool everyone else's cups and bowls were coming out, I squeezed mine into a ball and tried again. Time was going by. With my cup not coming out the way I planned, frustration forced me to change my mind. I flagged down a helper and pointed to the picture I wanted and she helped me make it happen.

At th end of the class, we had to leave the stuff we made with Mrs. Norton. Now that our part forming the clay into bowls, trays, cups or whatever was done, Mrs. Norton would take them be fired so it would be all shiny and we could use it in real life. So, instead of showing you the clay I molded into something I will show you the finished product. My first sculpted creation!

A week later, as I was in line I saw a few of the people that were in my class that day.

This was the cup I was trying for when I started out. The lady at the next table did a great job. She mentioned she had done this thing several times before.

The guy on the other side of me did this bowl. Not a bad job don't think he'll be able to eat out of it, but if he smokes it'll be a cool ashtray. It was his first time also.

Do you see now why I was getting frustrated? Mine was not coming out like either of those. 

Anyway, without further adieu here is what I ended up with :)

 

Sure, I may have got him from a picture on the wall held over from the kids class earlier in the day, but hey, I made something with my own two hands. He was much easier to make than the cup or bowl. I call him Howard the Duck, Jr. I gave him to my niece Nicki and she loved it, too.

What did I think of my experience?

I liked it. It was fun once I decided to make Howard. I think I will do it again now that it's not a totally foreign concept. LOL

See ya next week...

Carson

http://www.guyslikeromancetoo.blogspot.com/  

Week 2: Fondue? Huh?

Hey everyone!
 Dana Littlejohn here to continue week 2 with a question for you: Do you fondue?

Had someone asked me that a month ago I would have said: what's fondue? A few times a year restaurants in our city get together and lower the prices of meals. The proceeds from those meals go to specific charities. Usually the restaurants in question are very expensive and my husband and I don't usually get the chance to go, so when these things come up we try to take advantage.

We went to the Melting Pot. It is a fondue based restaurant just outside Indianapolis in Carmel Indiana. I had never had fondue, but I had heard it was like a melted cheese thing. My brain went straight to queso. I like queso I kept an open mind, although I had no idea how you could build a whole menu around melted cheese. Our server Bonnie walked us through the whole experience. She was very patient and extremely knowledgeable with all of my never ending questions.

The appetizer was absolutely fantastic. The server made the cheese fondue at the table. When it was done she brought the bowl of veggies, the chips and apples for us to dip in.

The main meal was delicious! Bonnie took away the cheese fondue and brought back a pot of already heated broth. Our food came raw. I had surf and turf; lobster, sirloin pieces and shrimp. John had carnivore delights; filet Mignon chunks, pork slices, seasoned lamb and chicken pieces. We were to add the sides first, pieces of potatoes, broccoli, mushrooms and asparagus and let them boil for at least ten minutes before adding our entrees.

 I ordered the specialty drink, a Romance martini. Those are strawberry slices floating on top. I had a few of these so I don't really remember what was in it. I just know it was delicious. :)

Our dessert came moments after dinner was complete. In the fondue pot this time was white chocolate and bananas flambé. Bonnie added a few shakes of cinnamon and sparkles jumped off the blue fire. It was amazing. To dip in the melted chocolate we had a variety of delights! Strawberries, rice krispy treats, bananas, brownie and red velvet cake chunks.


What did I think of my new experience?
Well...there were two minor things that poked at me. I thought it was a lot of work and a little expensive for me to be cooking my own meal, and then there was the snafoo with the carrots. As we ordered our meals, I asked our sever not to garnish any of the main dishes with carrots because I am allergic. We wanted to taste each others food and having an epi-pen situation would kill the mood. Alas, my husband's meal still arrived sitting on top of a very pretty julienne carrot garnish. Thus I could not taste anything he had.

Now, having said that, my visit to The Melting Pot was a unique and pleasurable experience. The music, the ambiance and design of this place was wonderful. Perfect for date nights. No wonder they had so many awards for best romantic restaurant on the wall as you entered!

The meal was a crescendo of deliciousness! Each part was better than the next. I absolutely loved everything that was served...well except the asparagus. Having never had it I didn't know if I liked it. Now I know: HATED IT! :) but everything else was absolutely amazing.

I will definitely repeat this experience and if you have a Melting Pot (http://www.themeltingpot.com/) in your city you should check it out too! Hey! I liked it so much I'm thinking of putting it into one of my books! :)

TA!
Dana
http://www.danalittlejohn.net/

week-2 ocean delights? NO!

Hi everyone!

It’s Monday again and time for me to share what new thing I have done. This past week my friends and I took a trip to Savannah. Weather was great and because they are close to the shore finding seafood places to eat are easy for me. I guess I’d be considered a semi-vegetarian. I don’t eat land animals at all, no pork, beef, fowl, lamb, goat, none of it. Visiting my uncle’s farm as a kid traumatized this city boy so bad. I saw stuff I had no busy seeing at the tender age of 8. I never ate meat again! But, that’s another story.

Anyway, my friend took me to this Italian restaurant known for its octopus entrée. Now okay, just because I don’t eat land creatures doesn’t mean I eat everything from ocean. But you know what he said, don’t you? Of course you do. He hit me with the ‘how do you know you don’t like it if you haven’t tried it?’

                                             

So, we’re at the restaurant and the server is telling us all the wonderful things about the rich history about the food. Although octopus isn’t served in a lot restaurants all over the US, it is apparently very famous in Italy. They offered a dish in all 3 courses, soup, chopped on a salad and an entrée with a sauce made of parsley, lemon, olive oil and red hot pepper. My friend ordered the soup and I ordered the one with the special sauce.

                                                       

Now when the server slid the bowl in front of him I almost couldn’t take the picture. My mind immediately went back to that scene from Indiana Jones’s Temple of Doom. You know the one I’m talking about? When the kid and the singer were with Indy at the palace and the food they were offered freaked them out because it was all bugs and animal parts? Yeah. I was freaked just like that….but not as much as when my plate came.

                                              



See what I mean! I couldn’t even take the picture you’re looking at. My friend did! How do you eat something that looks like this??? I couldn’t even look at it without wanting to hurl!

Well, since I had too, I put on my big boy pants, closed my eyes and cut a piece off. It was rubbery...and chewy and my stomach was pissed that I swallowed it. It’s only saving grace was the sauce and there wasn't enough of it to trick me into thinking I was eating something else.

It wasn’t the best tasting meal I ever had, let me tell you, but it didn’t kill me. My friend and I did end up switching meals because I just couldn’t do it. The octopus soup, wasn’t too bad. If you can get pass the big glob of tentacles in the center of the bowl to eat the soup you would find lit tolerable. It kind of reminded me of a spicy Manhattan chowder.

What did I think of my experience?

Well…you know, I paused here for a long time looking for some politically correct way to explain it, but I can’t. The bottom line is I was freaked out so much that I can’t tell you what my dish even tasted like. As for the soup I mostly closed my eyes and slid my soup down the sides of the bowl as I ate!

Trying to eat octopus gave me the willies. There is no way I’m eating that again. There’s lots of other stuff for me to eat.

Man, I hope the next 50 weeks are better for me because this journey ain’t starting off the good foot for me. LOL Maybe I'll try bungee jumping next!

Until next week!

Carson

http://www.guyslikeromancetoo.blogspot.com/