An Expensive Meal

I don't eat at many expensive restaurants but when I do I always try to order the least expensive foods off the menu. I think the restaurant I dined at last night in Little Rock was by far the most expensive meal of my life.

As I looked through the menu, I found the prices were ridiculously high. Eventually I asked the waitress what the least expensive meal was and she told me an item that was on special for $30. I accepted. All was well through the meal with my friends. All seemed to be well after the meal. I handed my credit card to the waitress and signed the bill for $30 when she brought it back.

The next afternoon I received a call from the restaurant saying there was an error with my payment and asking me to stop by the restaurant. When I got there the waitress went over my order again and told me I owed $7,000. I was outraged and began arguing with the waitress who told me it was because I paid with a credit card instead of cash. The menu said the price was $7,000 but the meal was on special for customers paying cash. Her comments didn't make me feel any better. I continued arguing and refusing to pay. Then the manager came and told me to calm down. But he told me the same thing she did.

I told them I was going to call some people and that I knew a lawyer. Then I walked outside into the hot summer air and thought about what I was going to do. Seven-on-your side maybe? Legal fees would cost just as much as the bill itself. I didn't know what to do. I wasn't in much better shape when I woke up at 5 a.m. this morning to realize it had been a bad dream -- a bad dream it took a while to recover from and fall back asleep for another hour before I had to get up for work.

What strange and annoying dream will I have tonight?

Goals

Some days of the diet are better than others. Yesterday I went over my recommended calorie intake, but today I was actually under my limit and walked for an hour and 15 minutes. After watching my calories so closely today and then putting in that time for exercise, it got me to thinking about Paul.

Paul often used sports analogies when he wrote. One verse I remember in that regard is about running a race, keeping your eyes on the finish and not being disqualified. Today as I walked, I kept pushing myself to go further and to keep up a steady pace. I would set goals and when I reached those goals I would set another one ahead of me. All of those small goals still had the ultimate goal of making it all the way to the highway before turning around. And after I got there I made goals to keep my pace up and average at least 4 miles per hour overall; I also wanted to see how far I could get before my mom picked me up in the car on her way back from town. I ended up making it all the way back home, a little over 4.5 miles and hour and fifteen minutes later.

Then, since I was still below my calorie limit for the day and had exercised, I allowed myself to have some of my favorite type of ice cream. It wasn't very good. After all that hard work, my favorite kind of ice cream didn't matter much. I knew that I couldn't have much of it and just knowing that I think made it not nearly as enjoyable.

So back to the bible. A spiritual diet is probably a good idea too. Pursuing the relationship with God, through Christ -- reading my bible, praying, spending time in fellowship with other believers -- while avoiding the things that aren't good for me, that is. Sometimes things aren't inherently bad in moderation but there is a point we have to stop. Similar to not eating too much and exercising. So in addition to my health diet, I want to go on a spiritual one. Two diets at once. It will be well worth it.

And here are my goals to look forward to:

1) I will physically look better.
2) If our bodies are the temple for the Holy Spirit, I need to take better care of it.
3) If I start now, maybe the doctor won't make me go on a strict diet
4) I want to do a lot of outdoor adventures that I physically can't do right now. I want to get in shape and build endurance.

Feria de Sevilla

Learn some Spanish and dress like the Spaniards do were two of the biggest pieces of advice I found on the internet before going to the fair in Sevilla this weekend. I knew there would be tents set up and in another area there would be rides and games. But other than that little bit of information, I really didn't know what to expect. [Aprender a hablar un poquito de español y vestir como los Españoles eran los dos partes de consejo mas grande que encontré en Internet antes de asistir a la Feria de Sevilla ayer. Sabia que habría casetas y en otra parte las atracciones. Otro que esas cosas, no sabia que encontraría.]

A Ferris Wheel and other rides
 at the Grant County Fair, 2011

These are some of the prizes visitors can
win while playing games at the Grant
County Fair, 2011.

Another common ride at fairs in the United States.

In the United States the fair consists of concerts, junk food, rides, games and livestock shows. So, overall, a lot was actually the same. In the photo to the left, people are riding horses down the main street in Sheridan, Arkansas in 2011. Even in Sevilla there were people on horse back, all over the city. There were really only about two main differences: the livestock shows are replaced by family and friends getting together. It is like a big party. [En los Estados Unidos, las ferias son construidos de conciertos, comida frita, atracciones y animales. De todos modos, muchas cosas eran el mismo. En la foto a la izquierda, la gente monta en caballos en la calle principal de Sheridan, Arkansas en 2011. También, en Sevilla había gente quien monta los caballos en toda la ciudad. Solo había como dos cosas de diferencia: la enseñanza de animales no existe; en su lugar hay familias y amigos reuniendo juntos. Era como una gran fiesta.]

It was around 8 p.m. when we finally arrived and found my friend who is from Sevilla. He invited us to join him, his family and some of his friends. There was music, live at times, dancing (mostly traditional Spanish), and an overall good time. It was about 3:45 in the morning when we left from that part and went to see the "attractions" and eat Churros with Chocolate. And finally we arrived at the hotel around 5 a.m. [Era 20 h, mas o menos, cuando por fin lleguemos y nos encontramos con mi amigo de Sevilla. Nos invito con su familia y amigos. Había música, aveces en viva, bailando (bailes típicas de España por lo general) y sobre todo un buen tiempo. Era 3:45 cuando salíamos para ver las atracciones y para comer churros con chocolate. Por fin lleguemos al hostal a las 5.]

Everything Once

When I came to Spain for the first time in 2006, I told myself that I had to try things at least one time.  During that first time I didn't eat too many strange foods, but I did manage to eat little shrimp that still had eyes. It was part of the paella that I had in Madrid.

Five years later, in 2011, when I came to Spain again, I had the same standards. Even if the food was strange, if they ate it, I had to try it at least once. I have had several foods I had never had before during the past seven months. Altramuces, which are seeds from a certain type of Lupins (a flower), were some of the first. At first I didn't like them but I have grown to like them.

Most recently is something that I never really thought of as Spanish. I knew that if I ever went to Paris I would have to try it but didn't expect to be eating in Huelva, Spain. But Tuesday night I went there. For the first time in my life I ate snail. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't my favorite. I am not a huge beef jerky fan and that is what the taste reminded me of. These snails are referred to as Caracoles. They were small. Now I need to try Cabrillas, which are a larger variety. And then I need to head to France for Escargo!

Food in Barcelona

After two trips to Barcelona, I am convinced that it is impossible to eat at a restaurant, cheaply. But at the same time I can say that eating at a restaurant in this city is worth the cost.

My first trip was in December and I decided to eat a nice dinner outside of my hotel. It was 9 p.m. or later when I went for dinner and most restaurants had closed. But I finally came across one that was open and went in. I don't remember the name but it seemed fancy. I felt under-dressed. I decided to order the menu of the day which was served in several courses. First came the break with tomato sauce and olive oil. They also served "aceitunas" and carrots. Later came a plate of steamed (or grilled) vegetables. That is where I learned to eat asparagus. After the vegetables came the main course, "dorada" with more vegetables.

The service was awkward. Most of the time, the waiter refused to speak to me in Spanish, which is common in Barcelona (I think the people like to practice their English), and for the majority of the meal he was standing two or three tables away watching me eat. I don't like people watching me eat. "Would you like to pull up a chair and join me," I thought. In Spain, unlike in the USA, the waiter only comes by a few times, not every ten minutes. This may be partly because there are no free refills on drinks or tips.

My second trip also had several experiences with food. Lunch was hard to find -- my tapa bar from the previous trip was closed. But we found paella and chicken on a stick. Dinner though was easy to find after we left Plaza de España. After being disappointed when the Magic Fountain of Montijuic didn't come on for the 8:30 show, dinner was no disappointment. I had a mixed plate with Baclao that tasted great. The sangria tasted so much better than the imported Sangria I have found in the USA. And the desert was no exception. The chocolate dipped fruits were amazing and the "Crema Catalan" didn't even compare with what I can buy in the stores. I give the food and the service an A+ at the restaurant.

The waiter greeted us upon arrival and was fairly prompt in asking if we wanted anything else after we ate. He didn't watch us eat the entire time either. Although it wasn't a fancy restaurant, the atmosphere was great. Eating outside with a fire lamp burning nearby for heat is nice. If I come back to Barcelona, Xop Dor, may have to be on my destination list.

My Spanish Diet

There is no doubt about it for me. Coming to Spain not only has helped me improve my spanish skills, but also has helped me become healthier. I am slowly losing weight (opposed to the fifteen pounds I lost within the first week) and my diet is much better.

I wrote last year how I wanted to eat less meat (Solving World Hunger One Step at a Time). I may have had a little success at first but soon fell back into the same old meat-eating ways. But when I came to Spain, my meat consumption changed drastically. I don't want to spend the money to buy meat. Four slices of lunch meat cost a euro! So I eat enough to get some protein in my diet.

On top of eating less meat, my vegetable consumption has also changed. For someone who wouldn't touch vegetables at one point, I actually crave some of them. When I went to Barcelona in November 2011 one of the dinners I had included some amazing fresh asparagus. So I had to start trying to cook it on my own. (And it isn't bad actually.) Another thing I learned to like here is Eggplant or "Berenjena" in Spanish. Although my method of cooking it doesn't look nearly like that at the bar where I learned to like it.

I bought several fruits and vegetables today that I have never eaten or cooked. I don't know how I will like them but I have an avocado, turnip and an artichoke to try. I guess I better get to researching how to cook them.

Paying Cash

I had a nice scare this morning which has lead to a change in plans, but at least this one was nothing compared to my experience in London.

Tomorrow I will go to Madrid to visit a friend. I am taking the train to get there. I was trying to buy my ticket online because it is between two busy cities and I expected it to fill up pretty fast. But three times it wouldn't allow me. So I wrote down all the information: the train number, time, departure, number, seat number, ID number, etc. Then I went to the Sants station to try and pay in person, thinking it was just the online bank verification failing.

After I finally found the ticket window, grabbed a number and waited ten minutes it was my turn. My card was declined twice more. The ticket counter didn't know why it was being declined. So I crossed my fingers and went to an ATM. My card worked in the ATM so I took out enough cash to pay for the ticket and once again crossed my fingers that they would accept cash. I was able to get my ticket.

By the time it was all taken care of (20 minutes of waiting, 20 minutes of trying to to figure out how to get there through all of the tunnels), I had already missed the start time of my next adventure which was at 2 p.m. So now I am going to get on the Metro and go to some random stops just to see where they take me and if there is anything interesting. Being a Sunday a lot of stuff may be closed. At 8 p.m. I will see a diferent film, "Castillos Encantados," or Enchanted Castles, in 3D at the Imax.

On the way back to the hotel I stopped for lunch. Once again I had paella (my third time having Paella in the last two months), and I ordered "Pan con tomate" which is literally bread with tomato but it said it was typical of this region, and it was the cheapest tapa.

Stuffed

Yesterday night, I ate out at the first real Spanish restaurant I've eaten at since being in Spain. Up until that point it had been cafe-bars, fast food joints, pizza shops, and foreign foods. I didn't go hungry.

I only knew a few of the things I was eating. The first time I came to Spain, in 2006, I said I would try any food once. (I pretty much stuck to that, except for the one time I got shrimp and squeezed the brain out all over my plate.) I even ate some shrimp, head and all.

I ordered the menu of the day, a Pepsi and a tapa. The first plate was the tapa and two pieces of bread with a tomato sauce (similar to a very bland Mexican salsa). Then came the first part of the main course, a plate of vegetables served with a Catalan sauce. I know there was tomato, asparagus, what looked like a giant green bean, along with some other unidentified objects.

Then came the final plate, "Dorada," which also came with half of a potato, a tomato and piece of asparagus. The fish was flat, fairly large and reminded me of a fish we had fished for in Ne,w Jersey. One side still had scales, both sides still had eyes which were cooked also. I did not eat the head. In fact, I had a hard time getting through half of the fish. I was stuffed when the last plate came.

After finishing the meal, the waiter asked if I wanted dessert or anything to drink. I couldn't eat another bite, or drink. It was a little awkward having someone standing there watching the entire time through. The total cost of the meal was less than 30 euros. I may skip on dining out today or I may just eat a small lunch out. I feel like I have probably gained a lot of the weight I had lost back this weekend.

Oh, and by the way, "Dorada," translates to "Gilthead bream," which is supposed to be a very good sea bream.

Untraditional

Allow me to add a few more "thanks" to the previously posted list.

When I started cooking my Thanksgiving dinner, I had planned to have a little bit of tradition to the food. What I came out with had a little tradition mixed with creativity.

So I will start with the addition to the list: I am thankful I still have a place to live. I didn't catch anything on fire.

The meal was to consist of chicken breasts, sweet potatoes and a green been casserole. I had all of those ingredients plus some.

The casserole actually tasted pretty good. Last night I friend onions and made the cream of mushroom soup. This evening I mixed the soup and green beens and let them cook. While they slowly cooked, I prepared the chicken and sweet potato and left them to cook in the oven, along with some onions.

Because I was unable to find spices to make dressing/stuffing I decided to add pasta to the menu. I boiled it, drained it and added garlic and butter. After taking the chicken, onion and potato out of the oven I sliced the chicken and added it to the pasta. I added the onions to the green beans. I put the potato back in the oven for another 10 minutes as it was still hard.

I ended up adding spinach to the green beans to make it less soupy (and because I don't care for spinach and am trying to find ways to eat it without tasting it). I later added the fried onions. Everything was done cooking except the potato. When I took it out and it was still hard I was frustrated. I put it on the stove top and cooked it even more and it still stayed hard. I am convinced it wasn't a normal sweet potato or that Spain found some way to breed them with rocks.

I ate some of it. The green bean mess was actually good. The pasta and chicken mix was alright but not my favorite. The potato was horrible. That being said, if I am not sick tomorrow, I will yet again be Thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Comida Internacional / International Food

Nunca había pensado que llamaré la comida de los Estados Unidos "comida internacional." Pero hoy, hago.

Vivo en el centro de Huelva. Casi todas las cosas están aquí, pero hoy, después de trabajar, fui al otro lado de la ciudad para buscar una especia especial a los Estados Unidos. Estuviera bien con la comida preparada que había encontrado en la red del mercado también.

Llegué al otro lado de la ciudad y encontré el mercado Carrefour. Es muy grande adentro. Creo que es mas grande que Wal*Mart Supercenter en los Estados. Bueno... Encontré ambos, las especias internacionales y las comidas internacionales. Ninguna local tenía la comida para que estaba buscando (salvia o rellena de salvia).

He buscado cinco mercados ahora sin suerte. Y después de ver un mercado tan grande sin la especia, no tengo esperanza de encontrarla aquí en Huelva. Ayer compré un boniato, cebolla y judías verdes. Por lo menos puedo comer dos comidas típicas por el día de acción de gracias.

---

I never thought I would be calling food from the United States "International Food." But today, I did.

I live in downtown Huelva. Almost everything is in this area, but today after work I went to the other side of the city in search of a spice special to the United States. I was O.K. with the prepared food that I had found on the markets website also.

When I arrived in "north" Huelva, which is really EAST Huelva (they turn the map with North being in the west, making east be north), I found Carrefour market. It is very large inside. I think it is larger than a Wal*Mart Supercenter in the States. Anyway. I found both, the international spices and the international foods. Neither location had the food I was searching for (sage, or sage stuffing).

I have searched five markets now without any luck. And after viewing a market so large without the spice, I don't expect to find it here in Huelva. Yesterday I bought a sweet potato, onion and green beans. At least I can eat two typical foods or Thanksgiving.

Exercise

One thing is for sure, I have not suffered any lack of exercise while being in Spain. Today I forced myself to go walking. I had to get myself out of the appartment; staying in the entire weekend last week had me pretty down. So I went to some stores on the edge of town that we pass each day going to and from work. I made it in the sports store, the other store was closed. I didn't look around because they had one of the stupid bag policies and I wasn't about to pay money just to look around a store. My biggest reason for walking though was to see how to walk back from work.

There is bridge from Huelva to Corrales that has a sidewalk and bike path. I knew it was there and knew how to access it from Huelva but not from Corrales. I tried getting there on Thursday but ran out of sidewalk. So I knew I needed to walk it from the other side in order to figure out how to access it from the other side. It is about a three mile walk from one side of the bridge to the school. The good thing is, the bike path leads to a dirt road that ends up right behind the school.

This bridge has a divided section for bikes and pedestrians. It also provided an interesting walk through history with the graffiti.

I walked up the road a little to what I think may be a museum; it is the old Estacion de Ferrocaril. Then I made the journey back to Huelva. When I had first gotten on the bridge I began timing myself; I stopped the timer when I arrived at the school. And when I got to the end of the bridge I started the timer again and headed back to the appartment. In total the walk will take about an hour. The hour it took me this afternoon including stopping for photos a few times. And for the journey back to the apartment I was more tired than I will be on the first trip. The weather was nice and it was a good walk.

A few hours later, after taking a break I went out again. It was about 8:15 or so which is when the city really comes to life. I haven't spent a lot of time out at night yet. I set off toward La Plaza de Monjas, which is one of my favorite areas here in Huelva just because of the atmosphere. The streets aren't made of asphault, there are a lot of stores (even if they don't interest me), a fountain and restaurants. On the way it was dusk and I happend to notice a great photo opportunity.

Iglesia de San Pedro / St. Peter Church

 Before continuing to the Plaza I stopped to take some photos. Once I got into the plaza area I ended up walking around the block. It worked, I ended up at the other side of the plaza at a restaurant I would have otherwise missed. I had fish, fries, salad and bread for dinner. (I have been here a month and not had hard bread yet.) The cost was under 10 euros including my drink (Cola).

Fish, fries and salad

 After dinner I headed back toward the apartment, but not before stopping at the nearby bar about a block and a half away from the apartment, for a beer. I tried the local beer that everyone talks about, CruzCampo. To me, beer is beer is beer. It all tastes the same to me and it isn't good. But that being said, I can go in to a bar, order a beer and sit there for an hour drinking it.

For a beer, a cola and dinner I paid about 8 euros.

Gazpacho

Today has probably been one of my better days in Spain. I understood about half of what was said during a meeting in Spanish. I got to talk to several people in Spanish at school. And after school I had Spanish food for lunch-- Gazpacho.

Yesterday I had passed the restaraunt/cafe by and hoped they would be serving it again another day. Today at school I was talking to another teacher and he asked if I had tried Gazpacho yet. He went further and explained a little bit about how to make it using tomato, salt, garlic and a few other steps and/or ingredients I did not quite understand.

Sure enough the restauraunt still was serving it. So I went in and ordered it and a coke. And of course bread always comes along. The cost: 2.50 Euros. Not too bad! Unfortunately, I didn't carry my camera with me today or I would add a picture to this post. I didn't care a whole lot for it, but at least there was no sick feeling. To me it was just too sour and salty. If I order it again though, I will definately order it in a cup instead of a bowl. I have never had V8, but I imagine they are similar.

Leche - Milk

It is amazing how some things can be so different. I went to the market today and bought some things which were pretty much the same as in the United States. But some things are very different. For instance, the milk.

In the U.S. you can by 2%, whole, buttermilk, and who knows what other kinds. Here there are three main choices which are the equivalent of whole milk, half, and zero. But that isn't the only difference. We want to get the milk to the refrigerator as fast as possible in the U.S.A. Here, it sits on the shelves next to the cola without refrigeration.

I ended up buying sheeps milk just so I would have something to put on my cereal. It will be something new to me. And I went ahead and put it in the refrigerator because I like my milk cold.

Appartment and Dinner

To save time, I am writing this one in only English.

I met with the person who was searching for a roomate. Things are a little better after that. He wants an English speaking roomate so he can better learn the language. He is a native Spanish speaker. So hopefully we will be able to help each other out.

After seeing the appartment I went back to the mall. I bought an alarm clock this time so that I can get up in the morning. Ya... the hotel doesn't even have a clock in the room. They charge for all calls including local ones. I paid 15 dollars just for 24 hours of internet which inclues 20 MB of upload -- I haven't uploaded anything and I am already down to 8 MB left, huh? Hopefully it lasts me the rest of tonight and some of tomorrow morning.

After the mall I came back to my room and soon went to eat my first Spanish food. Not that I was hungry, which I still don't know why -- I hadn't eaten in more than 24 hours. I had Langostina envuelta en bacon. Is someone going to tell me that was not little lobster wrapped in bacon? On the side was sliced tomato in olive oil. I had a coke to drink. Cost: 12.20 E but they let me go for 12. People seem to be nice enough, but conversation is still very difficult. I may have some help next week setting up a bank account, getting a telephone and seeing the federal police for my residency documentation.

I should have better internet connectivity when I move in to the appartment on Sunday or Monday.

Starving

In high school the BMI testing said I was at risk of being overweight. Now, I probably am. Too much food and not enough exercise. I have that luxury and I remember it every day at lunch.

I was going to write a long informative blog about hunger. But after this has set in my drafts folder for three weeks I have decided to make it a short, thoughtful entry. There are many people around the world who don’t have enough food to eat, enough water to drink, enough money to survive.

In recent news articles and blogs I read where parents in Africa are having to leave their children behind to die because there is not enough food. Another article talked about how at many refugee camps the food was taken back from the refugees after the journalists took photos. Much of the foreign relief aid was ending up on the market. These people don’t have enough food. Another article even more recently talked about hunger in the United States and how many children were going hungry. One child stated that the hardest time was when his mom wouldn’t eat so that he could.

Every morning on my way to work I have a package of poptarts and a soda. Then later in the afternoon I sit at my desk and eat lunch: A yogurt, sandwich, chips, crackers, cookies and drink. It is a little awkward because it reminds me of how lucky I am. I am interning at an organization whose mission is to end world hunger and poverty. At lunch I am eating more than some families get to eat in a week.

Keywords: Starving, World, Hunger, Relief, Aid, Death, Food, Nutrition

Cooking Culture

I have had the privilege to be the driver for a friend and her mom (both from Japan) during the first days of Spring Break. My friend speaks English very well. Her mom knows minimal English and it has challenged me to slow down more when I speak. She knows a little bit of English and can somewhat understand some phrases and even speak some.

Of course, with time, it all gets better. I always say that I learned more the ten days I was in Spain than I did three years of Spanish classes. I am sure her English improved the past three days. But tonight, well its after midnight so yesterday, I was cooking Spaghetti. I cooked most of it before they arrived. However, her mom arrived about five or ten minutes before. Amazingly, we did just fine communicating.

Later my friend arrived and commented about how I was breaking the noodles. She also commented on portions, etc. It is amazing how different cultures can be, even when it comes to the ways we cook some of the same foods.

Two dislikes equals one like?

One of the perks of living in Collegiate over the traditional dorms is the kitchen. This semester I only get 80 meals in the cafeteria. I made that decision at the end of last year. I pay about $1,500 less this semester than last. And I am not missing much other than socializing.

The food in the cafeteria was usually pretty bad. Not to mention they would serve the same thing over and over week to week. I can do that on my own, in my own room, and make it taste better. So I decided to sacrifice a little social time (which means I see a lot less of many of my friends this year unfortunately), and eat in the cafeteria for dinner on Monday through Friday. So far it has worked well. I cook on the weekends and have leftovers during the week, or make a sandwich for lunch. Every now and then I skip a day's meal in the cafeteria and it allows me to go on the weekend or for lunch or something. I also half wonder if there is a correlation between me not having nearly the stress and not having the meal plan? It seems I waste a little less time.

Tonight I used my time to try something new. I find it funny how I can mix two things I do not like and make something I do like. For example, I do not like peanut butter. I do not like apples. But when I combine the two it makes for a healthy snack that actually tastes pretty good. Tonight I tried peanut butter and celery. (I don't like celery.) After the first couple of chews it tasted pretty good. Then of course, I am not a big fan of peas, onions or carrots either but I made vegetable soup (no meat).

The broth of the soup was onion soup. Then the rest of the ingredients were carrots, green beans, peas, corn, celery and tomatoes. I like green beans, tomatoes and corn. I actually liked the soup too.I had four friends to help me eat it tonight and everyone agreed it was good. I still have left-overs and probably enough that if I am the only one eating it, I would have lunch and dinner for the next week and a half.

Semester Begins

Today was the day: that day that so many students dread, but some may look forward to. Today was the first day of the Fall 2010 semester. Today was the first day of a college career for many freshman. Today began the last semester for some seniors. Today was the day when people began to make more long-lasting connections with classmates and new friends.

To me, it is a bitter-sweet day. I don't mind going to classes (although 7 a.m. is not my favorite time of the day); it is all the homework and studying that gets to me. Classes mean I am learning. Classes mean I get to see my friends. Classes mean I get to make new friends. But then the homework and studying are a necessary evil. But I understand. Even when all the homework and studying, it isn't that bad. I have spent countless hours studying late into the night with my friends in the library.

This semester I am taking 18 hours of class: 15 hours of Spanish and a 3-hour online Public Relations class. Today I had twelve hours of Spanish. There is one person who I have all of my in-class courses with. The first class I was in this morning, the teacher began speaking in Spanish-only when she got to the door to unlock it. I don't think she said a word of English, and I understood 50-80 percent of what she said. When I got out of the Spanish classes, sure enough I was in a mode where I was thinking to some degree in Spanish and had to stop myself from talking to people in Spanish instead of English.

This will be a hard, but fun semester. I look forward to making new friends in classes and during lunch breaks. (There were only 40 people in my apartment this weekend for a welcome back get together. We were surprised that many people showed up, and that they all fit in a 4-person Collegiate Park Apartment.)

Russian Cuisine

When I think of Russia, it is generally of the accent. I can't help but think of the character in Armageddon as he says, "This is how we fix things in Russia," as he begins to bang on some equipment.

Friday night I had the opportunity to change some of that. Some of my friends and I went to the Russian House to try something new: Russian food. I have to say it tasted great!

I really enjoyed the food. I really liked the atmosphere. I really did not like the cost. A small portion of almost everything cost at least 12 dollars. But the staff was friendly. The music seemed to all be traditional Russian music. It was a great experience.

Because of the high prices we decided to go elsewhere for dessert, which was a necessity because we did not get a lot of food for the money. A dessert cost eight dollars!

We ended up going to Dolcezza Gelato. My intention was originally to get a Churro. My friends wanted me to try gelato though, which ended up being a good thing because they'd sold out of churros. It was another new food. It was pretty good but not nearly as good as the Pelmini I had for dinner.

Bad food vs. No Food

Cafeteria Food not so Bad
Most students who live in the dorms at Arkansas State are fully aware of the poor quality of food in the cafeteria most of the time. The selection, wait there isn't much of one, so scratch that.

There is the every night: pizza, grill, or deli line which is pretty much a constant. Then there is the soup line, you can count on chili, some soup that appears to be a mixing all the left overs from the past week, and then maybe a soup that is half-way decent but there is none left.

There is the international line. Most of the time there is not much variety in it anymore since one of their best cooks no longer works there. Count on Tofu fairly often. Sometimes the lunch and dinner menu are the same.

Then the market line. Oh, the market line. Sometimes good sometimes bad. You never know.

To make things worse, the menu's tend to be inaccurate. The food court is closed on the weekends. The cafeteria hours stink on the weekends. Hmm.

Don't get me wrong, sometime they have some good food. But more often than not its bad or mediocre. Saturday night I literally had cake for dinner because there was nothing to eat that was appetizing. I didn't want the same-o, same-o. I was tired of pizza and cheeseburgers. But there was food.

That is more than many people can say. Haiti has dominated the news for the last week or so. Those people don't have much of anything now. They need help. They need shelter, water and food.

I guess the cafeteria isn't so bad after all!