Thursdays are our service days: Dwight in a university greenhouse, me in ELL classrooms. This leaves us with little energy for cooking, so we typically have dinner out. Tonight: our local Izakaya (Japanese bar/restaurant).
Category: Eat
Indulging Without Regret
Sandwiched a few moments of zen sitting at the counter of Al’s Diner in Dinkytown between full body scans at the university. Surprisingly, clogged arteries aren’t on my healthcare problem list.
A Vehicle for Heavy Cream
Today, I tentatively reintroduced lactose to my diet. Tomorrow morning, I’ll pour heavy cream over my oatmeal, along with the usual maple syrup. Note the ready time: I’ve become a morning person in my senior years.
Lunch
Lightly sea-salted crisps for Dwight, sweet chili and red pepper crisps for me, washed down with 20-fluid-ounce beers. Earlier we had full English breakfasts. The rose is real.
Zen Box Izakaya
Walked over to our local izakaya, a Japanese bar that also serves food. They had emailed me a $5 discount for my birthday, but I didn’t need an incentive.
Shortcut to Donuts
Knowing great donuts awaited us on the other side was a strong incentive to seek out this “secret” passageway in the Minneapolis North Loop.
A Favorite Spot for Breakfast
Paused for cooked-to-order breakfast sandwiches beside Lake Harriet. Nearby, mothers relaxed with their young kids, and a four-person book club sometimes discussed the book.
A Fruit So Smelly, It’s Not Returnable
On a walk with a friend, cooled off in a large Asian supermarket. Noted the nonreturnable durian. “Its odor is best described as pig-excrement, turpentine and onions, garnished with a gym sock.” (Wikipedia.) Left with a bag of matcha Japanese Kit Kats.
Breaking a Fast
After a fasting blood draw, made up for lost time with corned beef hash and a fried egg at diminutive Al’s Breakfast in Dinkytown. The transfer from the griddle to a plate in front of me was performed with a minimum of movement.
Surprise BOGO
It has been an inflation-beating week. Tuesday: 20% senior discount at Coastal Seafoods. Later I learned about Wedge Co-op’s 5% off for seniors on Wednesdays. Today: a surprise BOGO (Buy One, Get One) on ice cream at Lunds & Byerlys. (Grand Ole [Creamery] is a local ice cream maker.) Life’s good.