Day 205
Tonight, after consuming a perfectly baked potato (loaded with sour cream and butter, thank you very much) and 2 skewers of succulent, delectable, wood-fire grilled, teriyaki glazed shrimp … I realized that I, again, was eating things that I shouldn’t be eating.
I’m allergic (or at least have sensitivities) to potatoes, dairy (sour cream/butter) and … sadly, I remembered a bit too late … shellfish.
I have NOT had any reaction (no headache, swelling, nor tongue the size of Iowa) and I have not exploded – yet. I am alive and well and, as of right now, full enough not to want to eat until sometime next month.
Tonight we were piggies at Red Lobster. And this little piggy thought it was delicious. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again … I’m a chain girl. I don’t mind, one bit, eating at chain establishments. I like the continuity. I like knowing what to expect. I like the comfort of familiarity. I like getting what I like. Reliable is a good thing.
Tonight was Shrimpfest – or some festival of shrimp … an all-you-can-eat orgy of plump pink crustaceans that found themselves, not on my shoulder, but on my plate and then in me. And they were delightful! We all did our best to consume as many as we possibly could. However, as hard as we tried, our waitress … who will remain nameless (lest she lose her job for her overzealous, giving nature) … won out.
Halfway through our meals our stomachs decided that we had had enough … that the shrimp gorge-fest had to come to an end. However, our waitress had other ideas. Platters of 2 or 3 skewers (with 12 shrimp per skewer – I counted!) of oh-so-tasty, wood-fire grilled, teriyaki glazed shrimp arrived at our table. Those were accompanied by bubbling ramekins of Parmesan and garlic shrimp oozing enough butter to float an armada along with voluminous portions of rich and creamy shrimp linguine fettucine (aka: heart attack on a plate) and those superb, herbed cheddar biscuits that just seemed to melt in our mouths – one after another. It was fabulous. And embarrassing. There were only 4 of us at the table … not 12!
We were wondering if the servers were having a contest as to which of them could serve the most food … or wondered, even, if our waitress was mad at her boss and was giving out as much free food as possible?
We ate until we could eat no more. And then with each of us just one shrimp away from our belly buttons unraveling, we left … with 4 boxes, 2 bowls and 3 shopping bags of take-home goods. Enough to feed ourselves and the neighbors tomorrow night and the night after that. Red-faced we waddled as quickly as our too-full tummies would allow out the door and with a sigh of gluttonous relief – got in the car with our bounty. No one stopped us! Actually no one even noticed!
In any case, dinner was fabulous and our waitress was attentive and sweet and full of down-home warmth that was wrapped in the message that food equals love. And I am perfectly fine with that.
Cuz nothin’ says lovin’ like somethin’ from the oven.
Unless, of course, it’s 4000 shrimp at Red Lobster.