Of Food and Flights

Let's face it. I basically worked, traveled and snacked my way through the entire year. I have no complaints about 2019. It was tasty, entertaining, enlightening, humbling and busy.... just the way I like it. I ended 2018 with a flight to California and ended this year with a flight to Arizona. I flew on big planes, baby planes and delayed planes. I flew in good weather, bouncy weather, bad weather, frigid weather. I flew from the two busiest airports in the U.S. (Atlanta and Chicago O'Hare) and from a tiny airport with a sinkhole in the runway. Milwaukee General Mitchell, Boston Logan (ask the wife how much she liked driving in Boston), Bradley/Hartford, Baltimore/Washington DC, Lexington KY, Monroe LA, Dallas/Fort Worth, Key West and Phoenix Sky Harbor... they all morph together in my travel-weary brain; in fact, I'm pretty sure I've forgotten one of my trips.... but, I never lost my luggage.

You can't lose what you don't check. Give me a tiny under-the-seat bag for underwear, toiletries and medication. Good to go, nothing lost or harmed.

What really mattered was all the food I managed to consume during my adventures. I love food. I love to eat. I love to go new places and try out the cuisine. That's not to say I'm above eating at a chain restaurant or dragging around a bag of Dove Dark Chocolate or sucking down a vat of Dunkin' coffee. I do that, too. But, to find a new ice cream shop... to eat actual/authentic food... to delight in non-chain coffee... to celebrate with friends in a local-to-the-locals-but-new-to-us joint in a faraway city.  Oh, so delightful, so fulfilling, so tasty! Breakfast tacos in Arizona. Cuban coffee and Key Lime shakes in Key West. Organic, Gluten-free-peanut-free-dairy-free-soy-free lasagna in Connecticut (you really should try it). Trycyle ice cream in Providence. Grits in "the holler." You get the idea.

What really REALLY mattered was sharing these food adventures with others. I have no problem dining alone, but food is so much better when shared in the company of others. Whether it's a gluten-tainted veggie dog at a Brewer's Game with the wife or sandwiches at the cottage with family or a dinner at a sports bar with beloved friends, all food consumption was enjoyed and no less important than any food consumed on the road.

I thought about ranking my meals (for my own entertainment for no redeeming value of the poor reader), but that seemed impossible. After all, you can't compare an apple to an orange. A five-star restaurant is different than sitting in a lawn chair by the fire. Going out with co-workers is different than going out to eat with a dear friend. GF, vegan s'mores are just as worthy as a $300 cake. My beloved BK ice cream cone is of a different genre than home-made, fresh ice cream.... both equally delightful in their own way, in their own context.

I might say that the best ice cream product consumed was the Key Lime Shake in Key West, but I'd be hard-pressed to say it was better than home-made ice cream sundae at a local food market. I might say the best venue was Lambeau Field (Green Bay, WI) but I can't say it was really any "better" than our friends' patio in town. The place I ate at the most in 2019 was Beef-a-Roo (NO fast food restaurant will ever replace my beloved 'Roo), but that doesn't mean it ranks higher or lower than the salad bar at Whole Foods. Eating lunch with our warrior friend at the local vegan restaurant, after a chemo treatment... dining at Jimmy Buffet's fancy island restaurant with the infamous $300 cake (LOL)... sharing a meal with friends after medical school graduation... a dinner date at the local grocery store... all memorable, all important in their own way.

For the record, I only had one memorable meal at an airport in 2019, consisting of a desperate, stale, gluten-laden bagel in Dallas/Fort Worth, as everything else was closed and my connecting flight was late and I thought I was going to die if I didn't eat something.

In case you're wondering: yes, it was worth every gross bite.

There are a few more weeks left in the year, so I have time to enjoy a few more fabulous meals. (I also have time for one more blog. Lucky you!) I don't have any trips planned until after the new year, so I'll have to find those delicious tidbits closer to home. I have no doubt there will be one or two more meals that blow my socks off. My menopausal pooch be damned; I'm eating food til the cows come home and I'm enjoying every bite.

Life is short.
Eat the damn cake.
Drink the eggnog, even if it's only one slug.
Say yes to home-made pie.
Never make the mistake of thinking they are going to feed you on the airplane.
And, for god's sake, never say no to ice cream, especially if there is hot fudge involved.

You can always say you'll work out in the New Year. 
I may say that but I won't be doing it.
I'll be the one weeping with joy when having a most amazing meal with friends while you're working out.

Until your next delicious meal or your next flight...Merry Christmas!