On the Road Food

So I'm traveling for business. I don't travel but maybe a couple times a year (for work). So here I am in Springfield, MO. Not a bad city, traffic kinda sucks, at least where I am. That isn't what this post is about though. It's about FOOD!

Here are my impressions:

Texas Roadhouse
The atmosphere was friendly and fun. The staff smiled and showed interest. They were also quick to help and had no problems with special requests. I needed my beer separated from my food since I wouldn't be able to expense the beer. My waiter, Derek, did so without complaint or attitude.

The food was really good but way too much. The main dish was enough for two people alone and you get two sides plus rolls with it. Some may say that's silly to complain about but I would have been happier if the portions were halved. It would have made me feel as if I got my moneys worth. Though I only paid about $11 plus tip, which isn't bad.

I would recommend Texas Roadhouse to others visiting or living in Springfield.

Mexican Villa South
In a word, disappointing. The hostess showed me to my table but that was it. She didn't tell me who my waitress was nor gave me any more attention than was absolutely necessary. I don't recall seeing a smile from her. My waitress, Sara, was trying hard but was clearly over worked and it showed. She just could not get beyond the average. Not that average is bad but quality wait staff can make or break a dining experience, especially when the food is mediocre.

The beef was greasy and the salsa was more of a spicy ketchup. My burrito was smothered with cheese and sauce. The sauce and cheese were both tasty but they simply covered the weak burrito. The lettuce was bagged shredded. That is disappointing. It's not like buying whole heads of lettuce and cutting it fresh is really that hard. The tomato looked more like a tomato barfed on the lettuce. Not appetizing at all.

The bottom line is go to Taco Bell before this place. You can get better quality, better taste and save $5. My meal was over $11 plus tip.

Goodguys 3rd Nashville Nationals Car Show

CarShow 029, originally uploaded by TNVWBOY.

This pas weekend the Goodguys Rod & Custom Association had a car show at the LP Field in Nashville, TN. Well it wasn't actually on the field, but in the parking lots and grounds around the field.

I have no earthly clue how many cars were there but it was a lot. A decent variety too. Nothing much older than 1972 though, maybe a couple of newer cars but I suspect they would have been frowned on.

There were some very beautiful cars there. Let me break it down as I saw it.
Oldies Restored: There were a number of these great old cars. They were well cared for/restored. They looked original. I personally liked that. Sure they weren't hot rodding around or anything but they were classy.

Hot Rods: This group doesn't need me to describe it for them. They ranged from super expensive custom rods to old classic rods to WTF is that? I'm not a big hot rod fan but they were fun to see.

New Restored: I say new within the context of the cars there. Like 60s and early 70s vs. the oldies. These were really fun for me. There was one particular Mustang that literally looked like it had just rolled off the factory floor it was so clean. My buddy Dave who owned cars in this time frame kept telling me about how these cost only a few thousand dollars. Wow, if they did today the dealers wouldn't be able to keep them on the lots, even if they didn't have the greatest fuel efficiency.

Customs: These were very pretty cars too. Clearly lots of love and money were put into these cars and it showed. The best ones, in my opinion were the cars that looked like they could have maybe come off the factory but were in fact customs. Like the stuff that Chip Foose does. Respect for the original car.

Restored...NOT: These cars I didn't like at all. They'd look great from the outside, like really nice restorations, and then you'd see the engine and think, what? Why?! I don't know how many new Corvette engines I saw in classic muscle cars. Why? Even a crate engine would have at least looked more original. I didn't care for these cars over all. There were a few exceptions, but those were typically dragsters or some other kind of car that wasn't trying to look original.

I had fun with Dave and his son, along with Antonin and Nicolas from France, that day. I got a bit sunburned, but it was fun seeing all those cool cars. Maybe some day when I have a garage I can consider restoring an old car, but it'll likely be a VW.

See all the pictures I took from the show here.

What does it mean to be loyal to ones country?

In recent years there has been a lot of anger, on both sides of the argument, regarding the current political administration. To the side that says to not support the administration is disloyal and un-American, I invite you to read this excerpt from A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, by the very American Mark Twain;

You see my kind of loyalty was loyalty to one's country, not to its institutions or its office-holders. The country is the real thing, the substantial thing, the eternal thing; it is the thing to watch over, and care for, and be loyal to; institutions are extraneous, they are its mere clothing, and clothing can wear out, become ragged, cease to be comfortable, cease to protect the body from winter, disease, and death. To be loyal to rags, to shout for rags, to worship rags, to die for rags--that is a loyalty of unreason, it is pure animal; it belongs to monarchy, was invented by monarchy; let monarchy keep it. I was from Connecticut, whose Constitution declares "that all political power is inherent in the people, and all free governments are founded on their authority and instituted for their benefit; and that they have at all times an undeniable and indefeasible right to alter their form of government in such a manner as they may think expedient."

Written in 1889 and the sentiments are true today as they were then and should not be forgotten.

Our current clothes don't fit right and we need to change them.

Being more healthy

No I'm not working out, though I probably could use that too. Baby steps!

I've recently cut or reduced some bad things from my life.

1. Caffeine. I must admit that this is something I yo-yo on a bit. I love the punch, but I don't like getting headaches when I don't get my fix. Of course there is a Mountain Dew in front of me now, but I'm still cutting way back. One caffeinated beverage per day. I know some geeks wear their caffeine addiction like a merit badge but I'd rather be healthier.
2. Corn Syrup. Nasty stuff. I hate how it ruins a perfectly good soda and pretty much makes anything sweetened by it into a sticky mess that upsets my stomach. I cannot even eat pancakes with artificial maple syrup, because it's mostly just corn syrup. After about one pancake I'm ready to barf.
   
   This one will be difficult, not because I'm an addict but because it's everywhere! On the positive side it'll just encourage me to eat even less prepackaged foods and thus be healthier!
3. TV. This is the big baddie for me. The TV screen is like a big magnet that pulls all thought from my head and leaves me a glassy eyed zombie. Bottom-line, I am totally an addict. A TV show now and again for entertainment is perfectly OK. The problem is that I'd watch even when there was nothing worth watching. Watching when I should be doing many other things, like and especially spending time with my wife.
   
   I'm not cold-turkey with TV but it's only been one show in four days. My wife and I enjoy watching Dr Who and it was recorded and it was her idea and I turned the TV off as soon as it was over. Good start, but too early to start claiming victory. Though I have to admit that it feels good.
   
   I've gotten a bunch more work done around the house and learned how to play Rummy.

I'm not going all hippy or anything but there is definitely something to be said for living a bit more 'old-fashioned'. We pretty much cook every meal, we have a vegetable garden, we are reading and playing board games more, going for walks and spending time playing with the cats. Nothing techy or nerdy (well maybe the reading, currently William Gibson and Mark Twain) but it feels satisfying. And really that is very important to your health.

If you think you are saving money using Ethanol...

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This story says it all. I don't have a problem with Ethanol, though I think corn-based ethanol is NOT the way to go and we need to spend money on switch grass and algae based ethanol production. This could be pretty damming for Ethanol though. Everyone is trying to squeeze as many pennies from their dollar as possible and the 'green' aspect isn't going to change things.

Bottom line is that if you are buying Ethanol to save money, you're not saving. If you are buying it to save the planet, well you really are not helping any but go ahead if it makes you feel better. Don't believe me? Check this chart of ethanol production and efficiency.

Vacation in the Black Hills - Day 6 - Dinner

Just had to write about dinner. Wow! We've had some decent and fun food on this trip but tonight we ate at Oma's Cafe & Bakery for dinner.

I had Kasespaetzle (Spaetzle in Swiss cheese sauce, mushrooms and onions). Mellie had an Apple Glazed Chicken breast. For our sides we had German Potato Salad, Corn Fritters, Onion Rings and Steamed Veggies. Everything was great. No complaints at all.

So if you are in the Black Hills area we highly recommend this German food restaurant/cafe. The only complaint I have is that they are fairly new (just opened) so they are still dealing with some inefficiencies, but the food makes it well worth it.
Thier address: 434 Highway 16A, Keystone, SD

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Vacation to the Black Hills - Day 6

Today was a bit slower than other days. We had some specific goals, see Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse, then the rest of the day was open.

The morning was still a bit foggy and old so we drove to Rapid City. Sorry residents of Rapid City, I was not impressed with your town. We needed some basic goods and while we don't like shopping at Walmart we would have settled for one. However, one could not be found. We finally found a Walgreens and were able to get most of what we needed. Mellie asked the cashier if he knew where we could get a pet carrier and he gave us directions to PetsMart. Figures it, and many other stores, was right next to the Interstate. We got everything we needed for our soon to be new kitties and headed back to Mt. Rushmore.

By this time the fog had lifted a bit and Rushmore looked great, even if there wasn't a blue sky. There were a surprising number of people from all over the country and even the world there. The monument is still as impressive as an adult as it was when I was a kid. We enjoyed some of the history exhibits and then headed to Crazy Horse.

When we tried to see Crazy Horse yesterday the fog/cloud cover was too dense to see anything. So we were hoping today would be better. Well the fog wasn't as bad but we still couldn't see a lot. So we went into the visitor center. We also had lunch there. We both had some 'Native American' dishes. Mellie had a Buffalo stew and I had the 'Native American Taco', which was a taco on a native flat bread. Was kinda like a Chalupa from TacoBell, but better. Not sure how Native American it was but yummy never the less.

We then came back and did some tourism shopping in Keystone. Now it's time to relax. Tonight will be a lazy night. Probably get some food and bring it back to the hotel.