Tuesday, August 16, 2022

Restaurants and Eating Out

Welcome back to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4 in memory of Toni Taddeo and hosted by Annie at the blog, Cottage by the Sea.


Today's theme is restaurants and eating out.

1 Do you like eating out with friends or would you rather have them over for a meal?  
 
I would love to host friends for a meal but I no longer have the energy to do all the cleaning, shopping, food preparation and cooking, hosting guests then cleaning up. So whenever possible I meet up with a friend for one on one casual dining or coffee dates. I save the hosting for the odd holiday meal but the past few years of course I haven't had anyone over for any meal.  When I finally complete downsizing, organizing and refreshing my small home I may enjoy hosting again.  But then again, maybe not.


Vietnamese Pho Soup


2. Let's go out to eat. You pick.  Where are we going ?
 
If it's possible I like going to a lunch buffet where each of us can choose the things we like, take our time and savour all the goodies. But the hotel I liked to go to for buffet lunches hasn't reopened the service since Covid and I doubt they will again. It means I'll likely choose an ethnic restaurant (Greek, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Indian, African, primarily Ethiopian or Kenyan). I also like western food but these days it's hard to find such a restaurant. Sometimes I get to Denny's for their salads and sandwiches and there is the odd restaurant that serves the mom and pop style food I like.  Yesterday I had a Clubhouse sandwich for the first time in years. I don't eat out so frequently anymore unless I'm travelling. Then I eat almost all my meals out unless I stay in an Air BnB and it is properly equipped for cooking. I occasionally eat lunch or dinner out when I stay in an Air BnB and cook the odd meal. It's nice to have a place to make simple soups and meals and to have a place to put fruits and drinks.  It's a lot easier on the budget and eating out several times a day also gets boring.

3. What are you going to order tonight?
 
Normally we order chicken wings, pizza or Chinese food. All of these tend to be more economical than other foods. If we dine out we often go for steak, ribs, Greek food or Vietnamese food or other ethnic foods. My DH likes beef, chicken and fish in that order, pork less so. He isn't adventurous enough yet to try the type of fish we serve on the west coast of Canada.  I  prefer chicken when eating out and I also cook a lot of chicken.

4.  Are you going to have dessert?  
 
It depends what we eat. I likely won't add dessert unless I'm going for lunch and taking hours to eat because eating the meal is filling enough.  The one place I used to go quite frequently to meet friends is no longer open for buffet but they used to have many different desserts on offer and they were all good. You could take a sliver of each item you liked if you didn't want to over do things or you could simply have one item of your choice. I'm always amazed at how much some people can eat and they always seem to be the skinny ones!


 

Friday, August 12, 2022

Early Morning Light

Hi friends and fellow bloggers,

Happy Friday to everyone. I hope you are all doing fine and have your plans made for the weekend. 

 
I intend to continue with the small house tasks such as painting in the bathroom and a small area in the living room. I'm not sure if I'll actually get to the bathroom part since I need to go to the store and get the paint first. I already have the paint to use in the front room. I also need to go out to shop for a few plants and things.  Nothing major since I'm only buying 'essentials' but it all takes time nonetheless. I spent a few hours this week comparison shopping on line for the best deals for my needs. I let things sit in the 'cart' for a few days before purchasing. This helps me pause to consider the cost and whether it is something I really want or need otherwise it only adds to future clutter. Next up I'll be going through the CDs and DVDs a few odds and ends from the kitchen cabinets to see what else I can give away. I also have to go through more papers and journals which will go in the garbage after shredding.

The best news is today a lot of my giveaways will be picked up. I've got 4 bags of stuff ready to go and one lady is picking up 3 bags of kitchen stuff for a refugee family. A gent will be picking up the 5th bag which contains a juicer which hadn't been used very much an dis just collecting dust.

 

I haven't been getting out at the right time to get a photo to share.  So I took these 2 photos this morning around 5:40 a.m. I'm noticing the morning light is not as bright so early these days. I'm sure you've probably noticed it too if you are in summer season right now. I'm hoping to enjoy a few days here and there outdoors before summer ends.  But DH has to work the late shift this month so that puts a damper on what we can do and when.



Thanks for stopping by. Enjoy your weekend!

Linking up with Skywatch Friday.

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