In general, today was quite a lovely day. I decided to wear one of my Indian outfits; I hadn't worn a salwar kameeze in a year, and I really miss them. They're so comfortable - it's like I can get away with wearing pajamas to work, even if here I attract far more attention while wearing them than I did in Hyderabad. The consequence, though, is that my desk is situated right under and air conditioning vent and right next to a poorly-insulated window. This made my right arm and hand so cold that I was having difficulty typing, and I couldn't hold a pen properly to write a good note. But, pain i s the price of fashion - and getting to wear a pastel purple tunic, loose lavender gingham pants, and shiny bangles was well worth the sacrifice to my core temperature.
After work, I came home and straightened up the apartment. Then, I went up to the evil city with Jenni, Nick, Arod, and Regina. Arod had set up an expat reunion for us at Heather and Salim's apartment. I had been thinking about the group ever since I had talked to the director of the India office on Wednesday and he had said that the scavenger hunt for my birthday was the 'pinnacle of expat culture' in the Hyderabad office. So, the evening was really nice - we ordered pizza, drank some delicious drinks, and played several rounds of asshole (for those of you who haven't played, it's a drinking game). We played with Salim's naked-lady cards, which was entertaining, particularly since the naked ladies were juxtaposed with the rather tame Indian music in the background. In addition to Nick, Arod, Regina, Heather, and Salim, we also had Rohit, Saamra and Katina in attendance. Everyone was in top form, and seemed to really enjoy hanging out, so hopefully we do it again a bit sooner.
However, I need to start making more time for 'real friends' - they can still be work friends (I can think of a couple of examples), but I need to make it more of a priority to hang out with my closest/oldest friends too. It really goes along with the difficulty I have in setting boundaries at work - I tend to work too much because I don't make firm commitments to myself to get out of the office at a certain time, so I don't manage my time completely effectively because I anticipate that I will have to work at night. Anyway, speaking of making more time for friends, I should really go to bed so that I can go to Roopa's concert tomorrow. Goodnight!
2 comments:
I was reading your blogs from the past few days... You think being 26 is scary??? (LOL) Try being 40 and having an 11 yr old, almost 16 yr old and 13 yr old. That is even more scary then 26. Oh to be 26 again those were the days, but wait if I were 26 again you would be in jr. high!!! LOL
Thanks for the b-day call sorry I missed talking to you next time call my cell instead can always reach me on it.
There was an article in the DM Register re: David Hasselhoff and a new KITT being built. While looking for that tidbit of info (I know how you like David H.), I ran into this instead. I think I only score 17. I better get busy.
100 things to eat in Iowa before you die
Note: This list was originally published July 9, 2006.
Even if death doesn't seem imminent, it's best to get started on this list quickly.
After all, we found 100 things you need to eat (or drink) in Iowa before it's too late.
This list isn't just about great food. It's about house specialties and unique dishes no other place serves (or does quite as well).
These 100 items may be the-best-part-of-the-meal or the-best-thing-to-eat-in-town or the-best-thing-I-ever-ate.
Scores of people gave us tips, and we checked them out to the best of our ability.
We kept the list to 100 dishes, even though Iowa has thousands of restaurants in its 99 counties and more great meals than we can count.
These dishes illustrate the brilliant spectrum of flavors Iowa has to offer - 100 menu items that keep patrons coming back and 100 dishes worth seeking out, with space next to each item to check off as you go.
We've given them to you in alphabetical order by location.
So, what are you waiting for? Dig in.
_x__ 1. Taco Pizza, Happy Joe's, locations across Iowa
___ 2. Sweet corn, Sweet Corn Festival, Adel
___ 3. BBQ Ribs, Claxon's Smokehouse & Grill, Altoona
___ 4. Sauerkraut Salad, Colony Inn Restaurant, Amana
_x__ 5. Rhubarb wine, Ackerman Winery, Amana
___ 6. Schild Brau Amber, Millstream Brewery, Amana Colonies
__x_ 7. Sauerbraten (beef marinated in a sweet and sour sauce, made with spices and Amana wines) with potato dumplings, Ronneburg Restaurant, Amana
__x_ 8. Saucy Southerner Sandwich, Hickory Park, Ames
___ 9. Chicken Tequila Fettuccine (Chicken, onions, peppers and tequila-soy cream sauce on spinach fettuccine), Aunt Maude's, Ames
__x_ 10. Denver-Style Crust Pizza, The Great Plains Sauce and Dough Co., Ames
___ 11. Gyro, The Gyro Guy outdoor cart, Campustown, Ames
__x_ 12. Margarita, O'Malley & McGees, Ames
___ 13. Fresh Beer-Battered Onion Rings, The Redwood Steakhouse, Anita
___ 14. Angel Cream Coconut Cake, Peppercorn Pantry Tea Room, Aplington
___ 15. Nutty Bar, Arnolds Park Amusement Park, Arnolds Park
___ 16. Prime Rib, The Feedlot Steakhouse, Atlantic
___ 17. Homemade fudge, The Main Street Grill, Atlantic
___ 18. Spaghetti Soup and Red Raspberry Pie, Breitbach's Country Dining, Balltown
___ 19. Sink Cookies, Granny Annie's Bakery & Cafe, Cedar Falls
___ 20. Raspberry Coffee Cake, Barn Happy, Cedar Falls
___ 21. Kolaches, Sykora Bakery, Cedar Rapids
___ 22. Cabbage Rolls (ground beef with rice wrapped in a cabbage leaf with a tangy tomato sauce) with potato or bread dumplings, Zindricks Czech Restaurant, Cedar Rapids
___ 23. Pork Ribs, Al & Irene's, Cedar Rapids
___ 24. Onion Rings, J Bruners steak restaurant, Clarinda
___ 25. Black Dirt Cake (cream-cheese frosting layered between ground Oreo cookies), That Place Restaurant, Conrad
___ 26. Garst Farm sides: Corn Casserole, Four-Way Bean Dish and Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage, Garst Farm Resorts, Coon Rapids
___ 27. Hot Fudge Sundae, served with a pitcher of fudge on the side, Lagomarcino's, Davenport
___ 28. Pond-Raised Catfish with Western Baked Potato, The Enchanted Inn, Davenport
__x_ 29. Regular (pepperoni and sausage) or Around-The-Garden Pizza, Mabe's Pizza & Restaurant, Decorah
___ 30. Breakfast buffet with made-to-order omelets, homemade waffles, biscuits and gravy, and pastries, Cronk's Restaurant & Lounge, Denison
___ 31. Burritos Jimador (cheese-sauce topped burritos stuffed with steak, cheese and lettuce), El Jimador, Denison
___ 32. Bone-in Delmonico, 801 Steak & Chop House, Des Moines
__x_ 33. Margherita or Sausage Pizza, Chuck's Italian-American Restaurant, Des Moines
__x_ 34. Peach Ice Cream, Bauder's, Des Moines
__x_ 35. Chicken Spiedini, Tursi's Latin King Restaurant, Des Moines
__x_ 36. Corn dog, Campbell's Concessions, Iowa State Fair, Des Moines
__x_ 37. Chocolate Bonbon, Chocolaterie Stam, Des Moines/Windsor Heights/West Des Moines
___ 38. Tom Ka Kai, Thai Flavors, Des Moines
___ 39. Steak taco, Tasty Tacos, Des Moines
___ 40. Hot Sausage Sandwich (made with Graziano's sausage), Norwood Inn, Des Moines
__x_ 41. Trappistine Creamy Caramels, Trappistine Nuns of Our Lady of the Mississippi Abbey Monastery, Dubuque
___ 42. Bison Tenderloin, Pepper Sprout Midwest Cuisine, Dubuque
___ 43. Caramel Apple, Betty Jane Candies, Dubuque
___ 44. Gunderburger, The Irish Shanti, Elgin
___ 45. Stuffed Pork Loin, The Danish Inn, Elk Horn
___ 46. Crepes, La Petit Paris, Fairfield
___ 47. Vegetarian Salad Bar, Maharishi University of Management cafeteria, Fairfield
___ 48. Sunday Vegetarian Breakfast Buffet, Everybody's, Fairfield
___ 49. Wood-Fired Pizza, Revelations Cafe & Bookstore, Fairfield
___ 50. Semmel (a dense German roll, baked fresh daily), The Bistro at the Gortz Haus, Grimes
___ 51. Chicken Walnut Salad, served on Wednesdays at Kelcy's, Grinnell
___ 52. Cream-Filled Coney, (doughnut with cream filling, shaped like a hot dog), Danish Maid Bakery, Grinnell
___ 53. Homemade Triple Berry Pie, Picket Fence CafĂ, Guttenberg
___ 54. Cherry Pie, Crouse Cafe, Indianola
___ 55. Spicy Yam Pate, Red Avocado, Iowa City
___ 56. Green Papaya Salad, Thai Spice Restaurant, Iowa City
___ 57. Brie Beast Sandwich (Niman Ranch roast beef, brie cheese, roasted sweet peppers, lettuce and tomato on farm bread), New Pioneer Co-Op, Iowa City and Coralville
___ 58. Tuscan Tomato Soup, Bread Garden Bakery & Cafe, Iowa City
___ 59. Vegetarian Falafel Sandwich, Oasis Falafel, Iowa City
___ 60. Smoke Trout Pate (served with stone-ground wheat crackers), Linn Street Cafe, Iowa City
___ 61. BBQ Chicken, Camp David, Iowa Falls
___ 62. Fried Chicken with homemade bread, mashed potatoes and gravy, The Red Barn Bistro, Keosauqua
___ 63. Bob Dog (natural-casing wiener topped with loose meat), Bob's Drive-In, Le Mars
___ 64. Tenderloin Tips (cubes of tenderloin beef sauteed with mushroom, white wine and oregano in a white wine and garlic-butter sauce) Somebody's Grille & Bar, Manilla
___ 65. Tortellini Carbonara (tortellini with homemade Alfredo sauce, bacon and green onions), Phat Daddy's, Marengo
___ 66. Half-pound burger, Marquette Bar & Cafe, Marquette
___ 67. Maid-Rite, Taylor's Maid-Rite, Marshalltown
___ 68. Mile-High Lemon Meringue Pie, Stone's Restaurant, Marshalltown
___ 69. Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie, Twisted Chicken, McGregor
___ 70. 16-ounce Ribeye (heart-cut, bacon-wrapped), Rube's Steaks, Montour and Waukee
___ 71. Homegrown Muscatine Melons, late July until first frost, The Good Earth Restaurant, Muscatine
___ 72. Seven Seas Seafood Soup, Guadalajara, Muscatine
___ 73. Grilled Sirloin Meatloaf (Wood-fire grilled meatloaf served on Texas toast with BBQ sauce, topped with mashed potatoes and onion straws), The Button Factory Woodfire Grille, Muscatine
__x_ 74. Blue Cheese, Maytag Dairy Farm, Newton
___ 75. Bratwurst, Woudstra Meat Market, Orange City
___ 76. Loaded Hash Browns, Otho Pub, Otho
___ 77. Loose meat sandwich, Canteen Lunch in the Alley, Ottumwa
__x_ 78. Dutch letters, Jaarsma Bakery, Pella
___ 79. Cast-Iron Seared Filet with a Blue Cheese Crostini, Carmelized Mushrooms and a Maple-Bourbon Demi-glaze, David's Milwaukee Diner, Perry
___ 80. Fajitas, Sabor Latino, Postville
___ 81. Hamburger Buns, Postville Bakery, Postville
___ 82. Broasted Chicken, Red Rooster, Postville
___ 83. Pita and Falafel, Kosher Community Restaurant, Postville
___ 84. Country Fried Chicken with Mashed Potatoes and Creamed Vegetables, first Sunday of the month, Elks Club, Shenandoah
___ 85. Tuna Sushi, Fuji Bay Japanese Restaurant, Sioux City
___ 86. Onion Peels, Tastee In and Out, Sioux City
___ 87. Pork Tenderloin, St. Olaf Tavern, St. Olaf
___ 88. Fruit-of-the-Forest Pie (fruits in season), Susie's Kitchen, Stanton
___ 89. Swedish Meatball Soup, Boz Wellz Pub & Eaterie, Storm Lake
___ 90. Caramel Truffles, Kristi's Kandies & Heirlooms, Storm Lake
___ 91. New York Strip Steak, The Embers, Storm Lake
___ 92. Raspberry Pork Tenderloin (Grilled pork tenderloin with a raspberry sauce), The Cottage on Broad, Story City
___ 93. Dutch Salad, Coffee Cup Cafe, Sully
___ 94. Steak DeBurgo, Sam & Gabe's Italian Bistro, Urbandale
__x_ 95. Cinnamon Roll, Iowa Machine Shed, Urbandale
___ 96. Prime Rib Twister (Grilled prime rib with Cajun seasoning topped with grilled mushrooms, onions and grilled shrimp), AK Corral Steakhouse & Lounge, Ute
___ 97. Muskie Burger, Muskie Lounge, Ventura
___ 98. Black Forest Cake, Martin's Brandenburg, Waverly
__x_ 99. Chocolate malt, Wilton Candy Kitchen, Wilton
___ 100. Apple Dumpling, Iowa 80 truck stop, Walcott
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