So, here they are in no particular order.

1. Sonia’s Salsa ~ Made with tomatillos and  lemon (no vinegar) this tasty green stuff is not just for dunking tortilla chips; it’s great on sandwiches or mixed with black beans at breakfast. Mmmm.
2. Red Hen Olive Ciabatta ~ My all time favorite for dunking in premium extra virgin olive oil and freshly minced garlic. To die for. Equally good for toast and sandwiches.
3. Doe’s Leap Feta ~ So creamy and flavorful you can eat it plain. The best I’ve ever tasted. Period.
4. Cabot’s Clothbound Cheddar aged at Jasper Hill Farm ~  If you think you know your cheddar, taste this!
5. Switchback ~ What else? My number one thirst quencher. There’s a reason it’s the most popular beer on tap in the state of VT.
6. Lake Champlain Chocolates Dark Spicy Aztec ~  Organic, 55% Cocoa. Cayenne pepper with pumpkin seeds for a little crunch. My absolute favorite chocolate bar. One square a day keeps the bitching at bay!
7. Green Mountain Sunshine Vodka ~ Quadruple distilled with organic grain. Store it in the freezer and pour over ice with a fat wedge of lemon. Or mix with fresh squeezed grapefruit juice. Oh my………

And that, my friends, completes the list of VT foodstuff I would not like to be without. On a desert island or anywhere else. In fact, when my guy sees me getting a little edgy, he will produce one of the above he has stashed somewhere for just these moments and then all is right with the world. I’m pretty easy to please!

If you’ve indulged your tastebuds with any of the VT treats I’ve mentioned, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Or, please, introduce me to something new!

If you haven’t experienced some of the above, which one tempts you most?

I suggested he make a nice dinner for her (it’s Saturday and she was at work). He explained that at their house, all they eat is “welfare food”. Processed, pre-packaged, chemical ridden junk. If you can call that food. His initial reaction to my idea of a really nice meal was that it would cost too much.  I figured that given their usual diet, a nice dinner could score him even more points.

“It doesn’t have to be expensive. Macaroni costs pennies”, I said. “Make a nice plate of pasta. You can get a bag of raw, frozen shrimp for $7.99 and cook them yourself in a little olive oil and garlic, add a green veggie like asparagus or baby spinach for color. It will be beautiful and delicious and really nice.”

Damon was still a bit dubious and not sure this was worth the effort. “You’re not thinking about this right”, I told him. “You may actually get laid tonight, but do it my way and you’ll be having sex all week!” Or for as long as she is still remembering what you did for her. He looks at Jim and says, “She really gets the big picture here, doesn’t she?”

He was starting to get excited about the idea.  Jim suggested Penne but I nixed that. Penne is what kids order in a restaurant and it looks liked baked ziti. “Go for something more elegant like angel hair”, I said. “Ooooh, I like angel hair”, he said, “I’ll do that.” He questioned whether he had to buy a head of garlic, “YES”, I said.

I gave him a few quick cooking tips like mince the garlic fine, add it at the end so it doesn’t burn, cook the shrimp in a little bit of olive oil just til it turns pink and firm and don’t let it sit and get mushy. Add some tiny spinach greens ’cause they won’t add much flavor but will make for a more colorful meal. Drizzle some olive oil on the pasta, and splurge on a tiny hunk of parmesan or romano cheese to grate on top. “Don’t you DARE put cheese from a green can on this dinner!”

NOW he was getting really psyched! “Mmmmmmmmm, he said, “I’m getting hungry just thinking about it”. People do get jazzed when they hear me talk about food! Okay, add some candles, use a table cloth, even if you have to substitute a bed sheet, and a single flower in a little glass would be a nice touch. And don’t forget some good music; stuff she likes. It will be beautiful and she’ll really appreciate the effort and feel cared for and hopefully amorous.

Damon was on a mission. He said, “This is great, I’m goin’ to the store right now.”

I don’t know how the evening turned out (yet) but I do know that Damon was focusing on what he couldn’t do and not seeing what was possible. It was very touching to see him brighten at the prospect of doing something special for his wife in honor of their anniversary. As Mother Teresa said, “We cannot do great things on this earth, we can only do small things with great love.” Sometimes, while we are waiting for great things, we miss the opportunity to do the little ones.

If you weren’t feeling bad about great things that are not possible, what could you come up with?

The server was definitely not miss personality but given the fact that it was almost 9:00, I let it go. I explained our delay in ordering by telling her I had food allergies and had to make a careful choice. I was looking at some kind of broiled fish like shrimp, scallops and salmon which the menu said was broiled in herb butter. I asked her if it was really just herbs and butter and she said yes so I ordered that with a plain baked potato.

When I tasted my food it was obvious there was wine in the herb butter. Although I was disappointed, I didn’t complain or send it back. You may be thinking, “but the alcohol burns off in cooking”  but the alcohol is not the problem. It’s the fermentation process and sugar. I was annoyed but I hoped it was also pretty minor in the scheme of things so I sucked it up and ate the dinner which was pretty good.

We paid the bill and on the way out I asked to see the manager. My intent was simply to inform him of what happened and hopefully get him to educate his servers a bit more, improving things for the next patron with dietary concerns. Which, at that point, still may have been me.

Not a chance now.

I explained very nicely that I have food allergies. I told him the menu said and the server confirmed that “herb butter” was nothing but herbs and butter but in fact, I could taste the wine. Before I could say anymore, he cut me off and told me it was my responsibility to tell the server exactly what my allergies were. I was pretty surprised at his defensive posture and tried to explain the situation further to get him to understand, to no avail. 

I was not asking him to adjust the bill, I had already paid. I certainly had no intention of suing the restaurant. I wasn’t even upset, I was simply trying to provide some feedback that may help him run a better establishment that caters to all kinds of customers. But he wasn’t interested in listening. He just kept saying it was my fault for not being specific with the server about what I could not eat. Obviously I should have been and I will know better next time. 

But this guy could not have cared less about me or my point.  I wasn’t being unreasonable or making a scene and still I was not treated with respect or caring. This guy took no responsibility whatsoever. He did not apologize or say he would remind servers about the importance of food allergies and of disclosing ingredients. He showed no empathy whatsoever toward me or my situation. And he’s a manager?? Wow, nice people skills dude! Who trained you in customer service?

Seeing me raise my hands in defeat, the friend who was with me tried his hand at getting the guy to understand but I stopped him, saying, “forget it, we’re wasting our time, he doesn’t care.” and I pulled him out of there.  

It is a huge pain in the ass to eat this way, especially when I go out. Then people like this bonehead make me feel I should just stay home rather than inconvenience restaurants and their employees.

No one is more deserving of my Bonehead of the Week award!

What do you think?