Adventures in gastronomy (is that a word?)

After braving the post-accident traffic yesterday, I spent the afternoon with my brother, sister-in-law, and 10-year-old nephew at Bite of Seattle. It was excruciatingly entertaining to watch my brother and nephew try to fill their tummies with all sorts of goodies. Our first stop was the Louisiana BBQ pit for alligator on a stick. Perfectly disgusting. Unfortunately, taking photos was an after thought so I can't show you just how vile it looked. Trust me, it was putrid.

I, of course, passed on the alligator and held out for a more veggie-ful meal, which I did find at Inchin's Bamboo Garden. They're in Redmond, WA, for anyone who wants to know and I definitely recommend them to anyone who loves fresh, home-made Indochinese cuisine. I chatted briefly with one of the owners on-site and learned that the vast majority of their dishes with a vegetarian designation are actually vegan. They don't even use egg in their fried rice. Purrrrrfect.

We (the SIL and I) spent most of the rest of the afternoon following the boys around while they alternated lunch items with dessert items and back again. We did take them up on their offer to share some chocolate dipped strawberries and pineapple though. Messy, but yummy. A little extra sugar on a humid summer day in a crowd full of smelly strangers goes a long way toward making the day more tolerable.

Also of note, I think I caught a glimpse of an old friend of mine in the crowd. I could be mistaken, though. It all happened so fast. If you think it was you, let me know.

I also had a lovely time being licked to death by my brother's overbearing Irish Setter, Lucy. She's a sweet dog and very sharp, but is too prone to flailing about with her spindly limbs for my taste. Pictures of the dog may follow in a later post.