Wednesday, May 31, 2006

The End of a Mad Month

May is called "Birthday Month" at my house, because — well, because I say so. My birthday is on the 2nd, and I usually manage to squeeze out every good wish and trinket and restaurant meal until the bitter end.
This month ended up being "Car Month," though, because Cranky needed a new car (read all about it on his blog) — and he drove me nuts for four solid weeks, test driving, comparing, gabbing with salesmen, surfing the auto sites on the Web.
We ended up with a good selection, one that satisfies both our needs. I'm happy with it, and he is too. We didn't actually acquire it until just a few days ago, though, so "Birthday Month" was a bit eclipsed.
Oh, then it was also "Eat Local Month." Remind me never to take on a strict regimen during "Birthday Month" again. Not that I minded bowls of cherries, artichokes with homemade mayonnaise, salmon with Japanese-style pressed pickles and rice... But it was a little difficult to go out for meals (I never did get a little dessert with a candle in it).
Well. Except for today. We decided to make the most of the last day of the (Birthday-Car-Eat Local) month by having lunch on the deck of a restaurant that does make an effort to use locally sourced foods.
Best I can report to you: Creamy soup made from Full Belly Farms carrots. Delicious.
Let's not talk about the rest of the meal.
(And still no candle.)
I'm not mad.
I'm just glad the month is over.

7 comments:

Laughingrat said...

That soup looks great. The eat local thing is a really good idea, and it's been interesting to see how folks managed.

Dagny said...

The soup looks wonderful but I feel the you have been cheated. Just go somewhere today and fib. That way you can still have a candle in a dessert. Also in my family, 2-4 weeks is a minimum period for celebrating your birthday. For the "big" birthdays you are allowed a few months.

Anonymous said...

Ah, Cookie -- All those beneficient local foods must have tamed the snark level. You would be doing all of us a good turn if you named names. I've been trying to figure out the place: "deck", organics, etc. Do tell!

And Dagny is right: party on.

Anonymous said...

PS Oops -- didn't proofread. Of course it's beneficent. If we're going to show off with big words we should spell them correctly.

cookiecrumb said...

LR: It has been fun, tiresome, interesting, delicious... You can try it on any level. I'm sure in Columbus you've got great farm food. I mean, I would hope... :)

Kudzu: Lark Creek Inn. Which I love mainly for their soups, it's turning out. Cranky liked his hanger steak OK, but he got tired of mouthful after mouthful of "same." Meat, meat, meat. My main was a so-so pasta. I think they will be doing a tomato festival in August (at least they did last year).

Dagny: Hellyeah!

Tea said...

You crack me up, I've never heard of anyone going to LCI for the soup!

Happy, happy B-day! Shall I bake you a cake from Full-Belly whole wheat:-)

cookiecrumb said...

Well, Tea, I'm not a huge fan of slabs of meat, which has been LCI's main forte in my experience. My pasta was very so-so. I think the kitchen is in um, transition. Our server couldn't tell us if the New Orleans chef they took on after Katrina was still working there.
Whole-wheat cake? Nah, I'm back on the hard stuff today!