I Miss Sebastian's

I eat lunch pretty much every day in the cafeteria. It's easy and I often can either hang out with the faculty or listen in on their conversations. But, really, the food is bad. I think it is much worse than when I was a student here, ten years ago. Of course, it could just be that I have become a food snob. But I really think the food is pretty bad even if it is attractive to teens (burgers and fries every day! Dude!)

Take today, for example. I had to go to lunch later than normal and I got there and, after seeing the menu, I almost left. Except I was hungry and an overpriced sandwich at the little cafe was unattractive to me. Available to me - burgers and fries (dude!), a bacon cheesburger wrap, pork satay stirfry (overcooked pork in a gloppy sweet sauce on ramen noodles), meat paella (don't ask), some mushy cooked frozen veggies, and an overcooked chicken breast in a creamy bacon sauce. I selected the breast with the least amount of sauce on it and then made myself a salad at the extremely small and hard to access salad bar.

And that is when it hits me. I really miss Sebastian's.

Sebastian's is a mostly lunch place in downtown Boston with the world's greatest salad bar. First, you pick any one of three lettuce blends. Then you can add as many of about a gazillion add-ons that you want. Ok. maybe not a gazillion, but at least 30, including beans, nuts, tuna, roasted veggies, fruit, cheeses... I mean, just about anything and everything. Then, they mix it with your choice of dressing throw it in what seems to be a half gallon bowl and hand it to you with a slice of pita. Price? As long as you didn't get something totally weird as an add-on - about $7. This is a salad that took me almost an hour to eat. An hour of steady eating. An incredible salad that when you were done with it, you thought, "Dude! I just ate a SALAD!"

Dudes. I just really want to eat a SALAD!

Day of Turkey Destruction

Thanksgiving is a great day but really only because it is all about food. At least for me. And even when I am by myself, I go all out and make a whole turkey.

This year, I actually had two Thanksgivings. I went to the early seating at the school's catered Thanksgiving for everyone stuck on campus. It was bad, but it was mostly cafeteria food. The stuffing was ok, the green beans were in a really soupy casserole sauce, and everything with yams and 'taters and squash was just too damn sweet for me. But they had fabulous whipped cream for the pumpking pie and a great food salad.

Luckily, I can really only eat a little bit at a time and so I went home and I made a second Turkey Day dinner to eat after 6 pm. I made a broth with giblets, onions, and celery and then made stuffing (the old family favorite - with a can of mushroom soup added as well as giblets from the broth). Then I stuffed that in my turkey and shoved it in an oven bag and roasted for about 3 hours. For the last 30 mins, I opened up the bag so the turkey could get golden. I also made homemade gravy and cranberry sauce and a salad, and really that's all I need.

For the turkey though I do try to get a small one, which casues the meat department guy a lot of amusement. There's me, half in the freezer with my legs flapping in the breeze. It worked, though. I managed to find a 9 pounder.

And don't tell me to just get a breast. yuckola... I am a wing and thigh woman all the way.