Post-trip musings on icy I-295
Ah, Baltimore. I must have gathered a lot of bad karma by gloating about sunny weather, highs in the 80s, for four days to return to this. But going five miles an hour bumper to bumper driving home from the airport last night did give me a lot of time to think: ...
* How embarrassing is it to be told by TSA they have to search your carryon because it looks from the X-ray like you have a revolver in it, and then when they do it's half full of La Brea sourdough bread. No revolver.
* I must tell Eric that I call the Miss Irene's proprietor periodically and learn that city permits are holding up the opening of the Fells Point restaurant. Also thank him for the Pho Cafe info.
* Why didn't I plan something for dinner before I left for LA?
* I must post a rack of lamb recipe for Kim Moore before Valentine's Day.
* Do other people ever use the paper wrapper from their disposable chopsticks to make accordion-pleated chopstick holders in Asian restaurants? Is doing that considered declasse?
* I hope readers saw the explanation from Lebanese Taverna about the $10 Valentine's Day special.
* I hope readers noticed Linda's recommendation of Restaurant.com.
* Find out what's happening with Hops in Owings Mills. (A reader e-mailed me asking if it was closed for good.)
* Remember to ask for no lemon with my water next time I eat out. Thanks to Dahlink for this link. I think.
* What shall I take for breakfast on my flight to LA at the end of March, which leaves at 6:41 a.m.? I'm leaning towards a croissant, butter and jam.
* I must not be an aggressive driver just so I can make it home in time to vote even if I have never missed an election. Is making a U-turn over the median strip and going back to Airport Road and then over to I-95 considered aggressive driving?
* How weird is it that after Greenspring Racquet Club's major renovations, it now sells bottles of wine to be drunk only on the premises. It doesn't have a bar but sells them from a rack near the tennis skirts.
* It's good to be home. Just not good to be home with freezing rain.
(Photo of chopstick holder, needless to say, by me)
Comments
Hops is closed? I was just there last week!
Let's not assume that till I talk to someone later today. So far the chain's customer service has forwarded my request for info to management. I notice the Maryland Hops is no longer on its Web site.
Posted by: Joyce W. | February 13, 2008 8:08 AM
Everyone join in ... Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday Robert the Single One; Happy Birthday to you! And many more!
Posted by: Rob | February 13, 2008 8:26 AM
It's good to know you're home safely!!
Define safely. Please send antidepressants and chocolate :-) But thank you.
Posted by: Janet | February 13, 2008 8:59 AM
Like a meal this blog is balanced: Here's a Dahlink Lemon counterlink: http://healthlink.mcw.edu/article/1031002421.html
And another for the bacon cheeseburger-o-phobes just because I love them best:
http://healthlink.mcw.edu/article/1031002421.html
Suck the lemon. Eat the burger. Die happy.
Posted by: jl | February 13, 2008 9:17 AM
Revolver? Preposterous. Everybody knows your street name is "Slingblade".
I thought it was preposterous they would tell me that's why they were searching my bag. Elizabeth "Slingblade" Large.
Posted by: Owl Meat Gravy | February 13, 2008 9:40 AM
That video clip was startling. I have seen dirty lemon rinds and was impressed when I saw the Samos kitchen washing theirs before cutting them. They said all restaurant workers everywhere know it should be done and it's a common corner to cut. Too bad that powdered instant lemon in small packs that was a Bmore-based new product coupla years ago didn't taste better. Further on the cleanliness front, I have built a wrapper-fold stick-rest when needed to keep them off the table (I have seen gross table-wiping rags, phew) like between courses when there's no plate to put them on...have I been doing something that's insulting in another land?
Posted by: chowsearch | February 13, 2008 10:22 AM
Two things:
1) All the Hops in Orlando closed about 3 years ago. They no longer list a Maryland location on their website.
2) My aunt got stopped and searched by security after my wedding 3 years ago. She had a vase wrapped up in tissue paper and they thought it was a bomb.
Sorry you got searched and had to come back to this awful weather.
Thanks!
Posted by: Alyssa K | February 13, 2008 11:23 AM
Erizabetu-san, what you have made from your chopstick wrapper is most pleasingly within the aethetic realm of the Japanese. They use a chopstick rest (箸置き hashioki) to keep chopsticks away from the table and to prevent them from contaminating or rolling off tables. And it's origami, which is also good and Japanese.
For something more elaborate check this out.
My food is getting cold.
Posted by: Owl Meat Gravy | February 13, 2008 11:59 AM
Yes, jl, I did read about the good bug hypothesis as well.
Nice origami hashioki, Owl guy, but how clean was that paper to start with, not to mention the hands?
Posted by: Dahlink | February 13, 2008 1:07 PM
OMG: I haven't thought of that in years. I remember as a kid we used to make those hats/boats all the time. Back when we were more innocent and actually played outside all day; played sandlot baseball/football instead of organized sports; built treeforts; made prank calls on the telephone; and other fun things. Kids today would probably throw up if we suggested those.
Posted by: Susan | February 13, 2008 2:08 PM
OMG - I just got back from your blog site and I was ROFLMAO. I, too, pondered the irony of the Risen Christ Smiting when I first saw that picture on the Towleroad blog. Thanks for enlivening my day!
Posted by: Rob | February 13, 2008 3:36 PM
I think I jinxed Hops. I drive past Hops on my way to work and about 3 months ago it looked to me that it was closed (missing signs). I asked someone I work with and they said it was still open. I looked carefully the next day and realized I was mistaken. Now it really is closed. I guess I should have gone while I had the chance.
Is it closed? No one has called me back yet.
Posted by: C Double | February 13, 2008 4:36 PM
Hops' closings might be a business trend -- the outlet in West Palm Beach closed about 6 weeks ago. Maybe the Business Section editor can shed light on the mystery.
Posted by: David | February 13, 2008 5:58 PM
A few things:
- My wife, no fail, folds a "rest" for the chopstick wrapper every single time we go to an Asian restaurant.
- If true, I'll miss Hops hot butter bread :(
- Someone told me that those hand sanitizers caused the rise of peanut allergic children - I never bothered confirming it, I just stopped using it all together. It's a stretch but hey, I have other causes to fight for....
Posted by: Eric | February 13, 2008 9:33 PM
Peanut allergies? Well that's inventive. Or is its truthiness so abundant that it overflows the meniscus of truthy into falsyhood? I just blew my mind.
Since Smitey McVegan gouted me, I've had my ears tuned for more wisdom from PETA and it turns out that milk made Britney Spears go crazy. I know!? I was so shocked by so much truthitude in one day that I spilled by Ovalitine all over my crack pipe.
If you read the ingredients of that hand sanitizer goop, it's basically a 124 proof vodka jello shot with a dash of Chanel number 666. Party in my cube at 2!
Posted by: Owl Meat Gravy | February 14, 2008 7:25 AM