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Emotions, Who Needs Them?

In many ways, my trip to Chicago was revealing in terms of my emotions. Because of the time frame that we had, I did not really HAVE TIME to dwell on my fears and sadness like I seem to do most of the time. I have mentioned that previously in earlier posts, but I seem to forget that message over time. Yet, how realistic is it to try to stay so hectic and busy that you do not have time to ponder? It is hard to figure out, for I liked feeling happy, carefree, and excited in Chicago, but at the same time, I do not know if that kind of racing around is realistic at home. And, honestly, I am not sure if ignoring the emotions makes them go away, other than temporarily. But, readers, what should I do?

Two restaurant we went to during our stay in Chicago deserve special mention. The first, Athena, was a very classic and classy Greek restaurant that had an absolutely amazing array of side dishes. I was so pleased at the choices, I ended up ordering a salad and three side dishes instead of a traditional entree. One side was GIGANDES, which are baked lima beans in a rich tomato sauce, the second was BRIAMI which is a heaping plate of sauteed vegetables that are then baked with Greek spices, and the third was SPANAKORIZO which is a delightful baked spinach and rice dish flavored similarly to classic Greek stuffed grape leaves. Although not planned, the second resturant of note we visited also ended up being Greek as well. It is called Venus, and it was also a blissful delight of flavors. At this restaurant I ate a traditional Greek salad (with wonderful, fresh feta cheese) and one of their specialty dishes called GEMISTA. This dinner consisted of stuffed tomatoes and peppers filled with pourgouri, rice, raisins and a beautiful range of spices. It was also served with braised, spiced potatoes. The stuffing material, POURGOURI, is a cracked wheat in light tomato and chicken broth.

The food was wonderful. And very nearby our hotel, there was a grocery store called Dominick's. It was a great place for healthy (and not so healthy) snacks, etc.

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