Rating: 💋 💋 💋 💋
Here I have some big news: I had a Friday night off!! I do not know if you know this, but if you work at a restaurant, getting weekend days off is like...really hard. It does not happen. So, having this Friday night off was the biggest deal to me. At the same time, I had an Uber Eats coupon for $30 off. Oh baby! I was ready to do the most with my little luxuries. After working in the morning (different job), I went on my roof and tanned for a bit. I was reading The Unbearable Lightness of Being, which was a phenomenal book. I cannot recommend it enough.
My big lesson of the moment was learning how to not do things simply because I don't feel like doing them. Not wanting to is a good enough reason to say no, turns out.
What I did feel like doing was ordering free delivery.
After perusing the UberEats site for a bit and finding where the coupon applied, I discovered that the Hippie concept at Flowers Cafe suited me perfectly. Also, I was able to order two sandwiches, a drink and a croissant for that thirty dollars. Major score! I would be eating like a queen for days. So much food!! It all looked so cute and delicious and I hit that order button with so much anticipation.
While they prepared my food, I put on Planet Her and built a dining table chair. I was in the building stages of my apartment and, I have to say, it was nerve-wracking. What if I am a terrible builder? I definitely do not have the appearance of someone who wields a hammer well. There was so much pressure too - you spend all this money on furniture and then if you put one nail in wrong and destroy the set, then what? Then you are stuck with bad furniture. Terrible!
Plot Twist: I think I take after my mother (who is great at fixing things) because, I have to say, I did a really great job. Doja Cat's album really helped too. It was the perfect music for the situation somehow and I was so happy while I was constructing. The building process went super smoothly and now everything looks good. Nothing has collapsed. MK for the win!
Just as I was finishing up the chair and deciding whether or not I should move onto the next piece or hold off, my buzzer rang. Dinner time!
1. The Experience - I ate this sandwich that Friday night and I was so looking forward to it. This lovely spinach wrap came filled with with grilled chicken, vinegary red peppers, and gooey cheese. They recommended putting it on semolina but I did not feel like having all that bread distract from the inner goodness, and I loved how it turned out wrap-style. The pesto they spread on the wrap was clearly not your generic store bought - we are talking thick, quality pesto. It tasted soo fresh and had just the right amount of garlic to liven it up. Honestly, I was a shoo-in for loving this sandwich. I Love Jimi Hendrix. I have had a crush on him since...I guess since I found out he existed, when I was just a kid. As a fellow leftie, his talent amazes me and come on! Have you heard him play? Just, mind-blowing. Then he sings and he is cute and it is just like, that's it. That's MK gone. This sandwich was not quite as electric as 'Voodoo Child,' but I still had a lot of love for it.
I felt on top of the world that night. I finished The Unbearable Lightness of Being and went right into reading Lorde's essay Going South. I really appreciated her insight on Antartica and this whole climate crisis we are fighting (or should be). I am very concerned about the environment and try to make eco-friendly choices any way I can. It bums me out a lot that no matter what I do, I cannot help all the waste created by corporations. I hope that if enough people wake up to the issue, corporations will go green and maybe we still have a shot at fighting this. I refuse to give up hope. Lorde's essay was fantastic because it had the appropriate amount of caution and care, but it did not max out my anxiety. It had the right approach - reaching the audience with facts without using scare tactics to send readers into a total meltdown. Highly recommend.
While I read, I had the lights all pretty in my room, my white pepper candle burning and the city lights glinting outside my window. I was oh so happy.
2. Butter Croissant - The next morning, I had a fresh pastry to wake me up! First, I brewed a mug of my favorite Boston Mint Tea with "local" honey - according to Whole Foods. Unfortunately, I couldn't ask the café to toast the pastry because I knew I wouldn't eat it til morning and, at that point, it would be a lost cause. If I could have, I totally would have. Instead, I did the best with what I had. I heated the croissant up myself, microwave-style, before I arranged it all pretty on a plate. Before I could eat, I had to have a little photo shoot because my meal looked just so perfect. Finally, I dug in. I relished ripping the croissant apart, getting my fingers all buttery, tasting its sweet flaky dough melt on my tongue, and washing it down with the tea. Look, it was not the best croissant I have eaten in my life, but I had the honor of getting to explore Europe once. It is not really a fair contest. (Low key, I have had some cornetti - the Italian version of these divine pastries -that tied with the French. In some instances, they may have even surpassed those I tasted in France. You know I am loyal to the country of the Fleur de Lis, but I cannot deny those Florentine cornetti. It would be a lie, and I simply do not mess around with those.)
Energized by the butter and honey, I dove back into building chair number two. By the end of the weekend, table and chairs were standing gorgeously upright, ready to serve. I am so proud of the little dining set I built. Ugh. It looks so cute in my studio. I feel we bonded during the construction process, so it is nice getting to hang out three times a day.
3. ACDC Caprese - Again, AC/DC was a huge part of my childhood and I loved that this panini paid them homage. I got this all-veggie sandwich because I had really wanted a salad. Sadly, none of the salad options at Flowers Cafe grabbed me. Now, maybe on another day they would have, they were not terrible-sounding, but none were hitting my mood on that particular evening. A veggie sandwich seemed like the next best thing, and it turned out to be delicious. I did not get it toasted because I knew I was ordering it ahead for the next night, but I have a microwave. This sandwich followed the croissant into the air waves and the cheese melted down the sides in such a delightful way. I got it on the olive bread as they recommended. When ordering, I was suspicious that the suggestion served merely to bump up the price, because the olive bread costed a few cents extra. I did a scan through the menu though and they recommended bread for every sandwich, but most of them did not cost more. This really seemed to be the chef's choice, and I found that I agree! The Mediterranean flavors of the fresh tomato, piles of gooey mozzarella, and bright peppers packed into the sandwich went perfectly with the mouthwatering olive bread. The red onion, however, was a different choice. It was good but I did not necessarily need it getting tangled in the mozzarella. Still, I was really happy. This sandwich was filling, fresh and delicious.
I did my best to enjoy it before racing into work for the Saturday dinner shift. 🙃
4. Fuel Your Freaky Cold Brew - What a name. I ordered this only so as to get my price as close as possible to their deal - I got $28.20 worth of free food. I mean, if they are offering, I want to take the lot, you know? Lol
I knew I had a double shift coming up the next weekend and this caffeine jolt in a can would come in handy. Let's see...I am not a coffee drinker. It tasted terrible in the moment. I am just being real with you. Gross. The aftertaste though? It was like, eau de chocolate cupcake. I kept going back for more because of the aftertaste. So the cold brew experience is, for lack of a better descriptor, strange. Freaky, one might even say. I will take it though. My hands were actually shaking after drinking this because I have the tolerance of a newborn, but I survived my double shift relatively unscathed. Gotta love it.
I have to go back for another round at Flowers Cafe. Thy have a sandwich called the 'Light My Fire' that looks too delicious. It cannot be the one that got away. Also, I Loveee The Doors and marketing really is that simple 🤷🏼♀️ UberEats hit my inbox with another deal earlier this week, so it may be coming very soon. Don't worry. I'll send pics.
How is everybody doing these days? I am just vibing, making plans for the fall as best I can and seeing what shape I can sculpt my life into. It is a slow process, but life is really about the process, isn't it? I think there will probably always be more questions than answers, but that helps us keep learning and searching and having something to look forward to, something to do, every morning we wake up. If you choose to have a cold brew upon arrival into each day, I salute you. Me and my shaking hands will stick with tea, brewed hot even in ninety-degree August, because that is more my style of risk.
Wishing you a great week ahead!
XX,
MK
Comentários