Texas Roadhouse

 

On Sunday, we went to a restaurant called "Texas Roadhouse".  We went there in celebration of four October birthdays in our family, and one of the birthday folks suggested this place as their preferred location.  

I had never been to this restaurant before, as it is not of the typical food fare I gravitate towards when I do wrench money out of my wallet and "splurge".  It is basically what is called a "steak house".  I perusing the menu, I saw basically seven choices:

1. Some sort of Steak (multiple varieties, forms, and styles... including one called "Road Kill" which was a chopped steak (aka Salsbury Steak)).

2. Some sort of Shrimp thing.

3. Some sort of BBQ Chicken thing.

4. Some sort of BONELESS Pork Chop thing.

5. Some sort of Salmon thing.

6.  Some sort of RIBS thing.

7.  A "Vegetarian" Option of four side-dishes.

I really am not fond of steak.  The "Vegetarian" sides were things like french fries, mashed potatoes, buttered corn, baked potatoes etc.... so not particularly exciting fare to me. I tend to find salmon interesting, but often restaurants that do not focus on fish have salmon that can be akin to shoe leather.  I ABHOR shrimp (I do not eat "bugs" I tell my wife.).  BBQ chicken sounded uninteresting, especially because "BBQ" flavors sounded dull to me that day.  So.... even though I have not had a pork chop in probably at least 20 years or more.... I ordered the boneless pork chop dinner.

The "BONELESS" aspect of the dish was perhaps the clincher for me, as a biologist, I do not like eating meat with bones within the food.  In meat with the bone "in" style, I tend to focus on (even if I try to NOT focus on) the types of bones I can see/identify within the morphology of the beast, I notice (and identify) the various sinews (tissues like tendons), blood vessels, and with the bone "in" I also end up identifying specifically which muscle group I have for consumption as well.  These (seemingly for me impossible to squelch) thoughts towards identifying and examining anatomical structures, recalling their names, and their known physiologies tend to detract from my enjoying the items as FOOD.  

So, I was overjoyed when the BONELESS pork chops WERE boneless, and had no visible sinews or other structural elements present and simply appeared as FOOD.  They tasted pretty good, and came with a heavy peppercorn sauce as well, which was VERY tasty.  The meal came with two side dishes.  I simply picked the two sides with the lowest calorie (fat gram) counts.  

* * * * *

Other items:

• Ran today, and I ran HARD.  I only ran 6.2 miles (10 km) but it is good in terms of my building back up my mileage.  
• My heel does not hurt (knock on wood).  I am still wearing the salicyclic patches to try to get the last little cornified remnant to pop off soon.  With a lack of pain, I should be able to build back up to my normal distance relatively easily... I hope.  
• I am not sure if I can go to the Retiree's Cigar Group this Thursday, but I am hoping I can go.  I realize the camaraderie is very valuable to me and I do seem to be accepted.  The cigar "ticket price" for admission is also "ok" too.  It is not a pipe, but it is nice.
• I spent a lot of the weekend working on things for my research students.  My wife was spending time with her sister (my SIL was one of the birthday folks).  I missed my wife, but with my SIL's health so ambiguous (the dialysis, the Diabetes, the foot issues, the circulatory issues) that I knew it was REALLY important for my wife to get to spend as much quality time as possible with my SIL.  
• On this past Friday, we did go to my SIL's house and played euchre with her and her husband.  We always end up having a fun time.  My SIL made a really good, tart lemon, no-bake cheesecake.  I also indulged in two"Two-Hearted River IPAs" which were very pleasant.
• I had an incredibly full and robust dream about my pipes Saturday evening.  But it was interesting in that it was not a remembrance of a real event per se, but instead an amalgam of some real and many unreal (but pleasing) items....

1. I was perhaps in my late 30s-early 40s (so quite a spell ago), and I had only just a very small patch of grey on one side of my beard a little bit smaller than the size of a dime by my chin.
2. I was actively smoking a number of bowls of Sir Walter Raleigh cube-cut pipe tobacco, rather serially in one of my full-bent Petersons while I was writing something or other in a yellow legal pad.  The Sir Walter Raleigh was so nourishing to my mind as I was working and writing.  I could feel it massage and coax and guide each neuron in my mind.  I was wearing a rather traditional, solid, light-blue button-down, long-sleeved shirt and button down collar.  I had the sleeves rolled up. A rare instance of me not wearing a hat too. 
3. I most assuredly DID NOT need a separate pair of glasses for reading like I do now, and simply wore my regular strongly myopic pair while working.  It was nice NOT having the two pair.

So, the above three were pretty realistic aspects of my dream.  Now I outline the obviously unreal aspects of the dream.

1.  But, the desk I was at was huge, and ROUND in shape, even though it had drawers on either side of me.  It was perhaps 10 feet wide.
2.  I did not have ANY sort of beverage (nada.... no water, tea, soda, beer, etc).  This is perhaps the least realistic aspect of the dream, as for at least 40 years, I have been diligent about having some sort of fluid with me at all times. 
3. And, so I am sitting there working (writing), smoking my pipe.  The room itself is bright, but hazy white, with little to no definition other than the desk and the items on my desk.  
4. Then I hear a knock on some door I cannot actually see, and then in walks ERNEST HEMINGWAY !  He shakes my hand and starts to sit down to talk. I was flabbergasted, but very excited for the opportunity.

Unfortunately, I then woke up from the dream.  I think this is perhaps why it seemed so vivid, as it was not at any sort of conclusion.  It would have been nice to continue in that dream for longer.

 

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