05.05 - Eat with Your Head, Not with Your Eyes

"I" and I had a huge sushi craving the other day, so we decided to eat at an all-you-can-eat place we had heard good things about. They had a nice, wide selection, so we were hyped up when we got there.

For our first round, we chose five different rolls and four pieces of sushi-- altogether over 30 pieces. All of it was quite good (except for one bad decision on my part) and we stuffed our faces. With only five pieces left on the platter, we went ahead and placed our round two order. We chose two rolls and 12 pieces of sushi, and only at the last minute took off one of the rolls.

You know . . . we should've just stopped at round one. I have no idea what we were thinking. :\ When the second platter finally came out, both of us were already full beyond limit. The problem we faced, though, was that this place charges for uneaten food. Any normal person (with any lick of common sense and no qualms about spending money) would've just paid extra for the food on the plate-- but we don't have that luxury, and since we got ourselves into that predicament, we were gonna get ourselves out of it.

So "I" was my lookout and I was his, and with as much strength (and stealth) as possible . . . we ate every single piece of fish (and threw all the rice into a napkin conveniently placed in my jacket pocket). Despite letting out a few hysterical giggles here and there, I am pleased to say we did not raise any suspicion. By the end of it, we were both so close to being sick that it was scary . . . but we cheered each other on and made it through. Ha. After we left, I was hit by a food coma so hard I didn't wake up for two hours. Never again . . .

04.27 - Funny People

I went on a business trip this past weekend and, since I had to work through my Sunday evening, I decided to treat myself to room service around 9:30 p.m. I wanted some comfort food, so I decided on the crab mac and five cheese along with some chamomile tea. The in-room dining service lady on the phone was quite amusing, almost like an overly involved aunt. Our convo went something like this:

Me: Hi, I'd like to order the crab mac and five cheese.
Lady: Ooh. Have you had that before?
Me: No, but I'm craving something comforting.
Lady: Oh, it's good, you'll enjoy that.
Me: Great, can I also have chamomile tea, please?
Lady: Wait a minute, are you trying to get to sleep?
Me: Well, eventually, yeah.
Lady: Well, the tea will definitely help with that. But the mac and cheese is too heavy.
Me: Well, I think I'll be okay.
Lady: Are you sure about that? If you're the only one eating, that'll be too much. You're not going to be able to sleep.
Me: Actually, I tend to sleep after eating heavy food.
Lady: Oh, you do!? Well then, okay. That's interesting that you can sleep after eating something so heavy. If I had that at 9:30 in the evening, I'd be up all night.

Ha. What a struggle it was to order room service with that lady. I eventually did get my food, and while it was good, it wasn't as cheesy as I would have wanted. Oh well.

In other news, I was out to dinner last night with "I," and I stopped dead in my tracks and started laughing when I saw the sign below. He couldn't quite understand it at first, but when I busted out with a thick Spanish accent and said it aloud, he was amused. Haha.

04.05 - Dinner Unexpected

This past Friday night, I found myself wandering around near Clark and Fullerton. I was just enjoying the nice weather and walking leisurely to my next destination when I spotted an eatery with its doors wide open, exposing a very clean, stark interior. It was a salad place and I hadn't had dinner yet and, alas, I have been trying to incorporate fruits and vegetables into my diet. So I purposefully walked in and asked the guy behind the counter for recommendations. He gave me a few and then very apologetically admitted that it's hard to say what his favorite is because he's more of a steak guy.

Steak?! Did someone say steak? Though I thoroughly enjoyed my big mama of a farmer's salad, my stomach felt empty and airy after consuming it all . . . and I simply craved a cheeseburger. I planned on swinging by Five Guys on the way and told my newfound friend just that, but he suggested I try the meat bakery next door. Yes, a meat bakery. An eatery that looks exactly like a bakery and serves food that looks exactly like cupcakes and other pastries but all of which is actually made of meat. Oh man . . . I ran over there with a quickness and bought myself a spaghetti and meatball cupcake.

So there you have it. A big healthy salad followed by a meat cupcake. Who would've thunk it?

Eatery Info: Lettuce Mix, 2468 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60614
                     Meatloaf Bakery, 2464 North Clark St, Chicago, IL 60614

03.26 - The Health Assessment

My company is all about health and wellness these days, so we get to take part in this wellness program that involves a health screening, health seminars and activities, etc. etc.

My BMI, blood pressure, cholesterol, and glucose levels were all pretty good-- but when they assessed my exercise regimen and nutrition intake, they were quite concerned. On the scale from "at risk" to "excellent," I was near "at risk" in both areas. I couldn't help but giggle.

But on a serious note (*sigh*), I need to incorporate four more servings of fruits and vegetables a day, and I have to partake in 30 minutes of physical activity three days a week. Argh. Here goes . . .

03.25 - My Reputation Precedes Me

My friend Q and I went to visit our buddy N in Minneapolis last weekend. Usually, when we three girls get together, it becomes an all-out eating fest.

Upon my arrival, N greeted me with a frozen family-size package of bean and cheese burritos (a past love of mine), of which I helped myself to two. After that, the weekend was a barrage of ketchup chips and fancy Asian/Latin American fusion dishes and brownie tres leches and Squirt cans and frozen custard and cheesy broccoli omelettes and Italian puff pastries and mushroom/chicken lasagna . . . *pausing for a breath*

It was all wonderful, of course. The only downside was that N must have told her fiance that I tend to eat in large quantities (a.k.a. till there is no morsel left). He literally kept insisting I finish whatever food was left over. *sigh* What? There's 3/4 of a plate of marinated pork with plaintains left? Oh, Ji will eat it. What? No one wants to finish off the 13" x 19" dish of lasagna? Let's leave that for Ji.

Haha. Please make it stop! I understand that I used to be a human garbage disposal. But...maybe not so much anymore. *weak smile* My stomach is no longer what it used to be. It's shrinking...shrinking...

03.05 - Bread Smuggler

Have you ever been to a restaurant where they placed a basket full of surprisingly fresh, delicious, toasty bread on the table but you either didn't want to get full on bread or didn't want to OD on unnecessary carbs? Well, I faced that same predicament at lunchtime. So instead of completely forfeiting on the bread, I threw it into my purse for a later time.

Fast forward two and a half hours, and I am at my desk at work chomping away on a significantly sized loaf of bread. Best afternoon snack ever.

02.24 - Mac and Dessert

The brother and I decided to go out for some late-night dessert yesterday evening. We ordered so much chocolate that I knew I wouldn't be able to take it (I have a sweet limit), so I requested an accompaniment of macaroni and cheese. I thought nothing of it until one of the waitresses actually stopped dead in her tracks as she passed by our table. She gave me a funny look and said,"Macaroni and cheese with dessert, huh?" My guess is that she thought the combination was either disgustingly indulgent or unbelievably brilliant. I smiled sweetly and proceeded to shove a forkful of chocolate souffle followed by a spoonful of mac and cheese into my mouth. Haha, mmm.

Eatery Info: Hot Chocolate, 1747 N Damen Ave, Chicago, IL 60647