The life of a vegetarian is still being lived.  I still feel great except a common cold.  My head has been exploding for the past week and I have had a good bit of congestion.  It’s nothing I haven’t had to deal with for the majority of my life.

As you can gather from the picture, I am sitting in a restaurant.  That restaurant would be Genghis Grill in Buford, GA.  Can I say….FABULOUS!  I know…fab?  It fits the occasion.  This place is truly remarkable.  The locations are pretty scattered around. There are more in the South than I had previously thought.  There are four locations in Georgia, one in Alabama, and 3 in Florida with others being in Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas, Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, Oklahoma, Kansas, New Mexico, Colorado, Nevada, and Arizona.

The great thing about this chain is that you create your own dish.  I didn’t say plate, as you would at a buffet.  I said dish as in the picture above.  You are give a menu when you are seated (by one awesomely cute waiter here at the one in Buford) and given a somewhat small…depending on your size preference…bowl.  The menu lists different, pre-created dishes you can choose from and drinks you can order from the bar.  When you approach the dish making area, you can choose from one of the recipe cards that coordinate with the menu choices or you can go out on a limb and create your own mixture.

The mixing station is pretty simple.  You have your meats and seafood first.  Next to those, there is a “spice rack” where you can add many different tastes.  Next you have your fresh vegetables and tofu if you chose to go the vegetarian route and still have your protein.  You then come to a wide range of mixing sauces.  The tags above the containers tell you what sauces are good with combinations based on meats, seafood, or tofu and most actually go with everything.  Lastly, you reach the drop-off location where you set your tray down and the grill chefs ask you which starch you would like, picking from steamed rice, fried rice, brown rice, udon noodles, spiral pasta, or tortillas. You are give a number to take to your table. The cooks place your mixture on a large Mongolian grill.  If you’ve never seen one, it is a large, round, flat grill where food is stirred and separated by wooden sticks that are about 2-3 feet each.  Think of it as kind of a hibachi without the audience.  When the food is fully cooked, the mixture is placed into a larger red bowl (top) and brought to your table.  It’s as easy as that!

The prices aren’t bad at all to me, $10.99.  You can get vegetarian and it is a little less.  You can also pay $2.00 more and get another bowl if the first didn’t fill you up.

I like my mixture to include tofu, cayenne, black pepper, salt, garlic, bean sprouts, baby corn, broccoli, onions, carrots, pineapple, celery, potatoes, and green beans.  It makes for a very fulfilling meal.  I’ve been here a few times and should be getting close to a free bowl with my Khan’s Klub card.  Check it out when you get a free moment and you have time to eat!

You may wonder why I have a picture of Boca© veggie patties on here.  That, my friends, will be explained as this carries on.  I’ll try not to chase too many rabbits as I get to the point.  And so, I get into the point of the post.

I HAVE GONE VEGAN…ISH!

Holy shit, Batman!  How can someone who refers to himself as a country boy stop eating beef, pork, chicken, seafood, eggs, butter, and all other things that come from an animal?  That’s insane and unheard of.  Snap out of it and start rummaging through the farmyard for some living being to devour!

I’ll tell you the affect, then I’ll go back to the cause.

My abdominal pains have ceased.  My digestion has become ten times better than before.  My skin feels better.  Where it previously took me more time to clean…I know, GROSS!…I am done and out of there in no time!  I have, of course, lost some poundage…down to 150 lbs. (68 kg or 10.7 stone).  I can now get into clothes that I couldn’t before.  And, men, you know what happens when you flatten out your stomach…right?  More of your penis is exposed outside the body!  That isn’t from the Book of Wesley.  That is scientifically proven.  Go check it out.

Now for the cause.  I just wanted to make a change in my life.  Some have asked me if I gave up meat for Lent.  No, because if you do that for Lent, doesn’t that mean that nothing meaty can go into your mouth?  Ugh, no way baby!  I’m still ME!  LMAO!  And I’m not Catholic.

After watching Ms. Winfrey one afternoon a week or so ago, I began to wonder if I could do it myself.  She challenged her staff at Harpo to live a vegan life for one week.  Three hundred people took the challenge and some were totally hooked.  Others, not so much!  One chick told the vegan lady that she could just punch her!  LOL.  I know how she feels in a way.  It does take some getting used to.

The same lady told the audience that she was having some private, newspaper reading time about once or twice a day, compared to a somewhat recent spell of eight days without.  OMG, that means she was literally full of it for more than a week.

How long will this last in my life of ever changing fads?  I had thought about doing it till the end of the month.  Well, that ended at midnight.  It’s now March 1.  If I make it till the second week of the month, I will have not partaken of anything coming from an animal.  No burgers, steak, chicken breasts, chops, or BBQ.  What was the hardest thing to give up?  Eggs.  I could eat as many eggs as you place on the table; scrambled, boiled, deviled, or fried.  They are all equally as tasty and healthy.

Tonight, I made Marrakesh Stew.  I found the recipe at Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food©.  It contains potatoes, red onion, carrots, butternut squash, eggplant, chic peas along with cumin, coriander, cinnamon, cayenne, and allspice.  If you don’t like the taste of cumin (many do not), don’t use as much as they suggest in the recipe…that is, if you chose to try it at all.

From time to time, I will write about my adventures in being eating vegan.  I’m not going to turn into one of those people who throw it down other’s throats.  You eat what you want.  I would prefer it be something healthy so that you don’t add to the US’s level of obesity.  We can all do better when it comes to that.  What would you do to help that issue?

Whether it be from eating beans and peas and collards or rather from drinking your favorite beverage, burps are a sound of pressure releasing from the stomach.  This audible sound is looked at differently in various cultures.  I have always been told that in some cultures, the sound of a burp is kinda like a redneck shouting to the cook…”Weeehooo! Damn, those were some good fixin’s, Mama!”  In my neck of the woods, we would just scream the previously mentioned phrase through the house.  That is, because you well know, Mama cooks the best food around.  I would have to say that is very true of my Mama.  She learned to cook at an early age since her Mama obviously didn’t care too much about cooking for her own family.  In her case, to be able to eat meant to cook.

I will never forget a story my Grandmo used to tell us growing up.  The first time my Mama cooked turnip greens fresh from the garden was quite an adventure for the partakers.  It was shortly after my parents were married that my Dad wanted a mess of turnips….like his Mama used to make them.  My Grandmo got my Mama and they went out into the field to gather some of the great looking vegetables.  She gathered a heap of greens and off to the well they went.  With a large metal foot tub available, they raised enough water from the well to cover the greens.  They sloshed those greens around and placed them into a bucket.  After emptying the water from the tub, the greens were once again washed in the tub in some fresh water.  You would think this would have stuck in my Mama’s mind.  No sir!  When my Mama washed the greens for my Daddy’s supper, she washed them ONCE.  Any true southern woman will advise you to wash those things off at least THREE times for thorough cleaning.  My Mama was so happy to have her greens ready for cooking.  She put those things into her pot and started the wilting process.  Good turnips take a while to cook, especially those with bacon thrown in for some extra flavor.

Those turnips were taken out of the pot when done and placed into a serving bowl, because as you may also know, a true southern woman NEVER places her meals onto the table in her cookware.  It is placed into a serving bowl so that if all is not eaten, the bowl can be covered and placed into the fridge.  I digress.  Mama placed those turnips onto the table for them to enjoy.  In Daddy’s words, “I got a spoon full of them turnips and put ‘em in my mouth.  I think I sanded all my teeth down.  Those turnips were as full of dirt as they were when they came out of the garden.”  I’m sure he at least thought the gesture was a good one, but those turnips were later chunked into the woods.  Daddy proceeded to go across the road and eat supper at my Grandmo’s house.  After that night, it was a custom to wash the greens the normal three times before placing them into the pot for cooking.

If you wonder what the burping picture and the beginning of this article has to do with turnip greens, well…it has nothing to do with turnips! LMAO! I am the worlds worst about going off onto tangents.  I was listening to the Big Fatty podcast and Terminally Single Tim has placed in a request for Big Fatty to stop announcing what he ate that day to make him burp.  I, for one, am thankful for Big Fatty doing his burp announcements!  Since I have problems with my own digestion, I learn what could give me gas.  OH, BIG FATTY!  You just keep telling everyone what you eat so that I know what not to eat!

Now, you go get you some turnip greens and enjoy burping!

Within a few months, live started to arise in the parking lot. The lights were cut back on and we saw the creation of The Diner at Sugar Hill. We drive by this place anytime we go toward the mall or head to the interstate heading north. We never stopped to check out the new place because we always had something else to do. Today, Friday, we decided to stop by for lunch.

The atmosphere sure as hell beats Folks. The lighting creates a cozy feel to the place. If it had been nighttime, it would be dim and perfect for dining. The seating is arranged comfortably with adequate spacing. Mirrors on the wall help to make the restaurant not seem so small.

My choice for lunch was fish and chips. The other half chose chicken parmigiana. The food came out in great timing. The waitress was very southern and nice. I loved it. Of course, many of you who may read this live nowhere near this place. But, the occasional person in the area will take a look. If you do, definitely try this place. I would recommend it over many other local restaurants.

1 cake mix, preferably white
1 can of blueberry pie filling
1 pint of Strawberries, probably better frozen
1 box of Jello vanilla instant pudding
1 8 oz. container of Cool-Whip
1 jar of maraschino cherries

Go ahead and make the instant pudding and place into the fridge.  Also, make sure that your frozen strawberries are thawed out completely.  Bake the cake per the instructions on the box.  Make sure to grease and flower the pans so that the cakes do not stick.  Once they are finished and have been taken out of the pans, let them cool for a while.  Use a trifle bowl for this cake.  Some people I know have used punch bowls.  That would have to take more cake mix.

Take one piece of the cake, cut a circle piece out of the middle by using a lid or saucer that is the same or very close in diameter to the bottom of the bowl.  Place the top of the cake facing the bottom so that there will not be space under the cake.  Open the can of blueberry pie filling and empty it into the bowl, covering the cake.  Make sure when you are spreading out the blueberries that you keep the sides of the bowl clean.  Not only should the cake be good, it should also look good.  Once you have that layer spread evenly, place the vanilla pudding into the bowl and even that layer out.

Use another lid or just cut a little larger than the previous one for the next layer of cake.  (Only do this if the trifle bowl is shaped differently at the top then the bottom)  Place the second layer into the bowl, the direction of this one not being of major importance.  Pour the container of strawberries onto the cake and even them out.  Once done, place the amount of Cool Whip onto the cake that will bring the level almost to the brim of the bowl.  Once there, place the cherries on the top in any shape or pattern that you want.

You can serve this whenever you want, but personally, I think this tastes so much better after it has been left in the fridge overnight.  This gives everything time to settle and allows the juices from the berries to soak into the cake.

Eat up and let me know how it turns out!

On the way, we stopped to eat at a new place to us called The Brick Store Pub in Decatur, GA.  It was rather different from what we are used to…that being Italian McDonalds (Olive Garden), Outback, Applebees, or the other few restaurants in the general area of the Mall of Georgia.  This new place was in a small row of shops in an older building.  The wall of the restaurant was made of red bricks and since Atlanta is really cold right now, those bricks were freezing.  The door to the place was made of wood with an odd large wood door handle.  The bottom of the door allowed light to come underneath it and freezing air.  The atmosphere of the pub was cool.  There was a large bar in the back with a great muscle bear bartending.  There was an upstairs area over the bar where, I guess, you could go if you wanted to get away from everyone and be closer to the heat vents.  The food tasted great.  Travis had the chicken fingers (original) and I had the Pirogi Primavera. You can check out the place at http://www.brickstorepub.com/home/.

We then visited Don and caught up on things.  We talked about people we went to UWA with and how we were getting reunited on Facebook.  Don was a photographer years ago before his eye sight began to go bad.  He has a ton of equipment and wants to get back into taking pictures.  The only problem is that his eye sight requires him to have a magnifying glass to see the digital screen on the camera.  We think we can get him a tool for it.  We will have to see what we can do.

After leaving Don’s house, we met our longtime friend George at Roxx in Atlanta on Cheshire Bridge Road.  Look them up online for directions because they do not have a website.  We had never been to that restaurant either.  It somewhat reminds me of another place in Atlanta called Joe’s on Juniper.  They have a good variety of wines and beers and the entrees are good too.  I settled for a large salad since it had not been that long since eating.  We talked to George for a while over good food.  We had not seen him in person in a few years but had somehow kept up online.  While at the table, a friend we had made while playing Texas Hold’em at a local bar walked by and we got a great hug and Hello!  We finished eating and talking to George for a while longer.  As much as we didn’t want to, we put on our jackets and hats and went outside into the freezing night air.  We hugged George good-bye and hopped in the car, starting on our journey back to our home north of the city.

It’s great to get out sometimes and go visit those that mean a lot in your life.  Even though you may not see them often, true friends hold a part in everyone’s life and an important one at that.  I plan on making these more important than they already were, even if it means letting some other things go to do it.

Tuna Casserole

1 box Kraft Macaroni & Cheese
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
1 6 oz. can of tuna
1 can of Pringles potato chips (Mesquite tastes better, in my opinion)

Some people also put in the following:
1 small jar of sliced mushrooms
1 small can of sweet peas
1 small can of chopped carrots

Boil the macaroni until done.  Strain water off macaroni (do not rinse).  Replace noodles in boiler.  Add cheese packet from box, can of mushroom soup, tuna, and if you choose, any or all of the choices from above.  After mixing contents in boiler, place the mixture into a casserole dish and smooth the top.  Crush the potato chips in a bag and pour out onto the top of the mixture evenly and not too thick.  Place the dish into a 350° oven until chips are just turning brown and contents is bubbling.

It’s terrific stuff!  I’ve made this stuff for years.