Comfort Food

Do you have a “comfort food”?

It might be something from your youth. For example, ThatManILove loves him some New York style hotdog. If you don’t know what this is (for they rarely serve them in West Texas!), it’s a hot dog with mustard, lettuce, tomato, and pickles. No chili. And the only place locally he can get them is (1) at home, when he makes them, and (2) at Der Wienerschnitzel, which is located 20 miles away in Odessa.

For me? It’s Starbucks Venti Chai, no water.

Foodwise? Cornbread, with a little bit of sweet to it. Lordy, I do love me some cornbread. And blackeyed peas, please.

My comfort food used to be Cool Ranch Doritos and a Dr. Pepper. I really thought that was great food for breakfast (oh, yeah...I’m an oilfield gal!). I rarely drink Dr. Pepper now, but I will sneak a Cool Ranch Dorito chip or two!

When Outback came to town (I celebrated that day!), we would always start out a meal with Aussie Cheese Fries. Until I read the calorie count in those puppies a couple of years ago. I couldn’t believe it.

And now, the Aussie Cheese Fries have made the #1 listing in the Men’s Health.com article “The 20 Worst Foods In America” - with a rocking 2900 calories per order.

A Little Bit of Heaven...That Goes Straight To My Butt

My Chai didn’t make it, but it should have, at 300+ calories, and that’s with low-fat milk.

I quit. If you see me going thru the Starbucks drive-thru, feel free to stop me and check me for drinks. And pour them out.

So, what's your comfort food?

Outback Networks Their Answering Machines? What D'ya Say, Mate?

The other night, I called Outback to place a “takeaway” order.

The recording, after going through so much sales spiel, said the restaurant was closed.

It’s Tuesday night.  I know that’s not right.  Outback is our takeaway place of choice.  You can eat pretty healthy there.
Salad, veggies, split a steak and we're good.  And I dang sure know their schedules.

So, I drive up there.

I park in the “takeaway” parking spaces.  There are no cars in the spaces.  Zero.  Weirdness.  You usually have to wait for a takeaway ordering car to move so you can park. It's a great restaurant, with great take-out food.

I wait a minute, and decide to write down my order, and take it in.

I walk in to the order station.  There's a customer standing there, one that's a polo player.  Or polo horse owner, anyway. I can't remember his name, but I've met him.  I say hello.

I tell the young lady working, “I tried to call in, but your machine says you’re closed.”

She says, “Yes, I know.”

Me:  “You know?”
Her:  “Well, our manager knows.  He doesn’t know how to fix it.”
Me:  “Really?”
Her:  “Yes.  It’s going on at Outbacks all over the country.”
Me:  “Really?”
Her:  “Yes.  Our answering machines are all networked, so when one Outback is closed, they’re all messed up - the machines all say they're closed.”
Me:  “Really?”

This customer, I'll call him Mr. Polo, standing beside me, is shaking his head “Yes.”  Like he knows, too. Or, maybe, he’s heard the drill, already.

Me:  “You know, I don’t think that’s the case.”
Her:  “Why not?”
Me:  “Because your answering machine notes that this is the Loop 250 location.”

Her:  “What?”
Me:  “Your answering machine says this is the Loop 250 location of Outback, in Midland, Texas.”

Her:  speechless
Mr. Polo:  Looks at me, nodding “Yes.”  Again.
Me:  “You might want to let your manager know that.  Okay?”  

I sweetly give her my hand-written order, smile, and go to the car to wait.  

I’ve still not figured out what the heck Mr. Polo knew that I didn’t.

And I don't think anyone spit in our food.

Or that's my story anyway - and I'm sticking to it, Mate.