December 14th, 2008

Yep Onions.

You won't find many bloggeries about onions, buy yet you have found one. My wife fixed a lovely dinner that consisted of a product made by Old El Paso called Gordita Dinner Kit. It's great, I love it and we have this probably 2 times a month. You supply the lettuce, onion, cheese, meat and other goodies and they provide the spices and some other goodies as well.

You may have noticed the word Onion, small diced up chunks of a usually semi tame vegetable that can bite you severely if you pick the right one. This one onion, bit back strongly, yes indeed. Bit back, made my eyes water, made my nose run. Was one strong Mother.

My wife on the other hand sat there wandering what My problem was. She and I have a great difference in such matters. She can handle high intense heat from Chili's and such where I am totally unable to be anywhere near such matters.

I'll never for get this night when we went out for Mexican food. I had a great mild fish dinner and she had some burrito looking thing with sauce and meat and cheese. I had finished my dinner and watched as she stopped eating, with a nice chunk of her Burrito looking thing left on her plate. She wanted to know if I wanted a bite.

Now, all during the Dinner there was no clue as to how hot (Chili heat) her meal was. It should have melted the burrito, the plate, Most of my wife and half of the table should have been dissolved.

I took a small, tiny minute piece of meat and started chewing. Instantly, bells, whistles, and all other manner of alarms went off in my poor mouth. My eyes bugged out, followed shortly by a great flood of tears. My nose started running like a faucet. I started using my napkin like crazy, dabbing at different orifices in my face, wiping tears and other fluids.

My wife laughed.

"What's the matter, dear?"

Now came the drinking of what ever liquid was on the table. My glass emptied quickly followed by my wife's and I started wondering when the waitress would be back to refill our containers of Fluid. She finally showed up as I desperately ordered more Ice water and a huge Ice tea. 90% of that was downed and I ordered a refill again for both large glasses.

I finally was able to answer my wife.

"What's the Matter? Gee, I don't know." Swallow glug glug swallow glug

She asks ever so lovingly - "Was it Hot?"

"What ever was your first clue, dear?" Glug glug swallow glug

She laughed again and said ever so tenderly "I love you, you know that?"

I was wondering what in Gods name I was in for if she ever started to hate me.

October 16th, 2008

I'm not even sure I could come close to describing what it was she put on my table for me to eat. It was by far the strangest sight I had ever seen for food.



That is a clue.

First off, I was facing the kitchen door. Having little to do but listen to the quiet Mexican Music being played, I was concentrating on the One waitress in the Place. She was a very diligent worker, busy as a bee. They really could have used another 2 or 3 people in there to help her out though. So she walked into the door, and walked out carrying this large almost platter sized plate. Bone white, with something hanging over both ends. I was trying to figure out what it was and who was getting it. She walked right to my table with this dish. It seemed as though all eyes in the place were watching her as she brought this large white dish out. It was easily 1/3 bigger that the other plates and could have been 1/2 again bigger. She had to carry it with two hands, where the other plates she could have carried two at a time, which many she did, easily.

So you see that face in the picture, that is what was hanging off of one end. The other end, that tail was draped on the table. It was sliced repeatedly down the sides and deep fried to a golden brown. Head still attached. There was no rice or beans with it, it was just the fish. I looked around, still with the Twilight zone playing softly in the back of my head.

I took a fork and took a bite. Not bad. I tried not to look at the head end, concentrating more on the end with the tail. I worked on it quite a bit and probably consumed a third of it. I briefly considered a doggy bag, then decided not to. It was a long drive back home and no telling what my car was going to smell like when I got home.

Just be very careful in ordering your mild heat selection in Lindsay or Exeter California. You might get a up close and personal visit from a bottom feeding Fish that is golden Brown.

What is the weirdest dish you ever got going out to eat?

October 15th, 2008

I am doing something I really really hope I am not successful at - Trying to find an image of the Catfish Dinner I had in a little out of the way Mexican Restaurant in Lindsay or Exeter, California. It was late, about 7 pm, and I was hungry. So I found this little strip mall with about 3 stores and this Restaurant. I walked in the door, and found a table about half way into the eatery. The waitress showed up and I soon discovered we had a major communication problem. She didn't speak English, and I didn't speak nearly enough Spanish.

There were probably 5 or 6 other tables with customers and I was the only single party in there. I was also the only whit person. All the others were Hispanic. So I am thinking it probably has good Spanish food. I looked at the Menu and soon discovered another problem. English wasn't to be found on the Menu either. Now this is in Central California, USA about 6 years ago. Great. The nearest table was about 20 feet away with a fellow patron, so I couldn't very well just lean over and ask for a little help.

Besides, all I was hearing was Spanish being spoke. Suddenly the Twilight Zone Theme was playing through my head. I couldn't make heads or tails out of the Menu. I did mange to get one dish where I recognized Mild. Because Caliente seemed to be used a lot in this place and Me and Caliente (Hot In Spanish) don't really mix well. Then of course there was the Mucho Caliente (Much Heat). I really wanted to avoid that. So I asked if this was any good, pointing at the one of very few listing mild in the description.

Waitress: "Oh, si." (Yes)

Me : "What is it?"

Waitress: "Que?" (What)

So I'm not getting any where and my stomach is growling from all the great smells in the place. Ok, uno, (one) and I ordered an Ice Tea. Or at least I hoped it was an Ice Tea. She very soon brought me a huge cold glass Of Iced Tea. It was great. And then waited for my dinner.

And waited. Pepole came in sat down and were served great looking food.

And I waited. Still, she brought me more Iced tea. Finally shew brought out my food.

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