I have traveled a little bit in my short life time here on this blue green marble we all call home but not to too many different continents and definitely not south of the equator. (* I already know that the toilets do not flush in the opposite direction even though I wish they did!) Do I speak Portuguese, you ask? (Fair question)....absolutely not. Does anyone there speak English?? NOPE..... And let's see what's behind door number two...drum roll please..... Hablas Espanol?! Nada Mucho! So what's left....my power of charades and acting skills!!!What a trip it's going to be!!
I think we all feel the same way about this... vacations and time off go by waaaaaaaaaay too fast. No matter how much you try focusing on the present or being in the moment you just blink and it feels like you are heading back home to the shit show that is your daily life. I think one of my favorite parts of a vacation is anticipation leading up to it. There is NO better feeling than putting on your out of office and walking out the door. Those moments are almost a vacation in itself.
I have no idea what the internet situation will be down there. I don't believe we are living under a rock so I have faith that there will be some good WiFi but you never know. Either way I hope to get some writing done.
So last night I took myself on a little culinary adventure to a place called Stir, http://stirboston.com/category/class/. My mom gave me a gift card about 1 1/2 years ago and I finally cashed it in. It took FOREVER to pick the "class" because a. it's hard to decide what you want to eat and learn about and b. they ALWAYS sell out in a matter of hours after they are released which is only two or three times a year.
The "classes" are basically a chef who cooks for you and 9 other people around a table, explains the dishes, ingredients and ties in stories of their experiences. You interact with everyone like a fancy supper club/dinner party type atmosphere. It's usually about 5 - 6 courses all paired with BEAUTIFUL wines. It was a REALLY special experience but holy shit am I full!
The other thing is I went alone, not a big deal at all but out of the 10 of us 6 people were regulars. Which means that these people go more than once a week to this place for dinner which is $165 - $210 per person without blinking an eye. They knew each other, they knew the chef's, they knew everyone's story which was fine but added some pretentiousness to the whole experience if you know what I mean.
At the end of the night (it was a 4 hour long meal...again HOLY SHIT!) we got to go around the table and vote on our favorite entree, our favorite wine and our favorite pairing. We also got to take home a cookbook (which was the theme of the night). It's an asian fusion cookbook from a couple based out of San Francisco. The food was amazing and the wine was perfectly paired so overall a totally special experience but listening to these people go on and on about where they go to eat and trying to out do one another with it made my head spin. One couple said how they went out to dinner on Saturday night at this place in Boston called O Ya (it's a VERY high end sushi place, voted one of the top 10 places to eat in the country)...did the tasting menu with Sake pairings there....she said it was $1,000.00 FOR DINNER!!!! These were the kinds of people I was having dinner with last night. Even if I made six figures a year there is NO WAY IN HELL I would spend that kind of money on a dinner for 2 people. I would rather fly to Japan and eat some where there than a place in Boston.
Before the dinner I had a little time to kill so I decided to wander around the South End in Boston and pop in an out of some of the little artisan shops. It's such a cute neighborhood with TONS of little restaurants, bars, shops, gay men and little dogs. I think it's a prerequisite that in order to move into the hood you MUST have a dog...size does not matter but you MUST have a dog.
Towards the end of my window shopping adventure I stumbled upon this hidden little gem called, Olives and Grace, www.olivesandgrace.com, and got a chance to meet and chat with the owner, Sophi. She was thoughtful, funny, kind, refreshing and had this magnetic energy about her. I felt like I was talking to an old friend. When I left her shop (which is just down right adorable and sells all these fabulous local items. It's the kind of shop you could walk in and create the most thoughtful hostess gift for anyone) I left with a huge smile on my face and felt so relaxed. (No I had not had a glass of wine yet, valid question though) It was her. She was just such a fabulous person. I hope our paths cross again soon. I love meeting people like that.
Anyway....I digress. Hope you all had/have a FABULOUS week and weekend...I need to do a salad detox for the next few days and spend some time working out to work off the meal I had last night for sure. :) Wish me luck! I will leave you with this...I saw this today and thought to myself, "So true....so so true"
No comments:
Post a Comment