Adventures in Dixie (Part Three)

There are actually a multiple types of picky eaters that exist in this world.  Some picky eaters avoid certain colors.  Conversely, some (usually only for a very short time) eat only certain colors.  Some picky eaters avoid certain textures.  Some have very sensitive taste buds.  Some turn out to be allergic to those foods they were avoiding, thus achieving what picky eaters rarely ever achieve: vindication.  Sometimes these different pickiness manifestations play out in a need to keep all food separate.

I do not like for my food to touch each other.  When we order Chinese food in, I get multiple small plates to avoid the sauce from the Bali Maki Steak from mixing with the Sweet and Sour Sauce for my Egg Rolls, which the eleventh commandment states shall not touch the Beef Fried Rice and Soy Sauce.  It's quite a spread.

Even though I like all these dishes and food is touching each other within the dishes, I freak out if the main dishes touch.  I do not like it, Sam I am.  Boundaries are important.

When Joey's dad said he was Spaghetti Carbonara, I (obviously) asked him what went into the dish.  "Bacon, eggs, and spaghetti.  You like all those things, right?"

What a loaded question!  Of course I like all those things!  But I wouldn't put them all together!  Not on one plate!  Certainly not in one pot!

But once you've committed to adventuring, there's no turning back.

Eggs, bacon, and spaghetti all in one pot.  Anarchy.  Pure anarchy.

Spaghetti Carbonara was not my favorite Dixieland adventure (which is not a ride in Disneyland surprisingly).  Luckily, the fresh black pepper was big enough that I could pick it out.  The bacon was delicious.  I still like eggs, and I still like pasta.

I just prefer for some of my foods not to touch.  While Spaghetti Carbonara was not the trauma that I thought it would be, I definitely enjoyed the outing to the Indian restaurant more.  In fact, the Indian restaurant might have been the best adventure of my vacation.

A side note about how far I've come: I ate a small bowl of baked beans!

OTC allergy medicine for scale?

Eight months ago, I was bragging about eating a tablespoon.  Now I can eat at least half a cup!  Truly a sign of progress!

Adventures in Dixie (Part Two)

Thursday, we went out for Indian food.  Yup, Indian food.  Talk about trial by fire, huh?  My only consolation was that it was a buffet, so I could pick and choose exactly what I wanted (or felt I could handle).

Joey's dad is a spicy food junkie.  It can never be too hot.  He loves Indian food.  The restaurant Joey's parents were taking us to (Bombay Palace) is one of their favorites.

And Joey's parents knew I was trying to adventure.  They also knew that I love naan.  And there was the sense of safety that only a buffet can provide.  So Indian didn't seem like a bad idea.

Since it was a buffet, I got a bunch of different things.  Some were awesome, some were fine, some were unbearably spicy.

Plate #1: (Starting at the bottom and moving clock-wise) White Rice, Egg Rice, Cabbage, Saag Spinach, Mutter Paneer.  To the side, in bowls, are Yogurt and Kheer.

White Rice is White Rice.  No judgement needed to be passed.

The Egg Rice had not only egg but also tomato and onion in it.  But I ate it anyway!  Major grown-up points awarded!

The Cabbage was pretty innocuous, and I already like Cabbage.  It tasted mildly vinegary.  Very yummy.

Ah, the Saag Spinach.  Much spicier than I thought it would be.  I had to mix it with a lot of rice to eat it.  Even after diluting it, I left more than half of it on my plate.  But two out of three ain't bad, am I right?

I thought the Mutter Paneer would be the spiciest, but it was much milder than the Saag Spinach.  Still not a huge fan of peas, but I ate most of the sauce mixed with the Egg Rice.

Off to the side, I had dishes of yogurt (to put out any fires) and something called Kheer.  Easily the best thing offered at the buffet.  I loved it.  It was like almond milk rice pudding with hints of cardamom and sugar.

Then I went back for Round Two.

Plate #2: More Egg Rice and a small helping of Chicken Tikka Masala

Chicken Tikka Masala.  Doesn't that sound terrifying? Well, it actually wasn't.  Aside from the fact that I'm still not a fan of chicken, the sauce was mild enough that I could eat it.  And it was creamy enough that I didn't taste much tomato.

All in all, highly successful outing.  I'm almost ready to head up to Devon and test my new-found ability to consume Indian food!

Almost.

(One more adventure in Dixie!  Check back tomorrow!)

Adventures in Dixie (Part One)

Joey and I went down to Nashville to visit his family last week.  His family has always been very kind and welcoming to me, especially in regards to my strange (or childish) eating habits.  His father does most of the cooking and always asks if I am willing to eat a certain meal.

But now they know that I'm trying to eat different foods.  So when we pulled in Wednesday night, Joey's dad said, "Do you like Barbecue Pork, Kayla?"

"Uh...," was my eloquent response.

"I'm going to make macaroni and cheese, too."

"Sounds good!"

So Joey and I took off our shoes and settled into the couch.  I had just lost my sense of smell to allergies, but Joey told me dinner smelled great.  When his mom got home from work, we were all ready to sit down and eat.

You will notice the generous portion of macaroni and cheese.  That's just how I roll.

Despite my not-very-supportive olfactory senses, I think I can safely say that I liked the Pork.  It was less Barbecue and more Teriyaki, which definitely worked in its favor.  I actually wish there had been more sauce!

And I managed to limit myself to three helpings of mac and cheese.  It was a successful start to the trip.