Flying Again

After several false starts, we finally hit the road again. This time we are flying from LA to Honolulu. We filled out the state required paperwork, got tested 70 hours before out flight and headed into LA to spend the night before our early morning flight.

For dinner, we made reservations for Knotts Berry Farm’s Boysenberry Festival.

We love Knotts, and I am a big fan of Boysenberries. So big of a fan, I bought a plant several years ago at the festival and have managed to not kill it yet (it’s my third attempt, the first two didn’t end well for the plant).

We tried:

Mac and Cheese Bites over Tater Tots with a Boysenberry Siracha Ketchup

Beyond Meatballs with a Boysenberry a BBQ Sauce over Cauliflower Cilantro Rice with Pita Bread

Apple and Chicken Sausage with Boysenberry Mustard on a Boysenberry Bun

The Apple and Chicken Sausage with Boysenberry Mustard

(There are five tasting to each card, we used the other two for drinks).

The boysenberry siracha ketchup was good. Just the right amount of heat.

I liked the Beyond meatballs better than I thought I would, the almost seemed like actual meat, just a little dense, which made them hard to cut with a plastic fork (we didn’t see any knives at that station).

I could do without the Boysenberry bun, but the Boysenberry mustard is really good.

We’ve gone to several of the Knotts festivals, and I’m certain we will go again.

The next morning, we headed to LAX. It seems that most of the dining venues at the airport are closed still. So we ended up getting some snacks from the market place and made do.

Food and beverage service was almost non-existent on the flight. They passed out bags with a cookie, nuts and bottled water twice during the 6-hour flight.

Needless to say, we were quite hungry by the time we landed.

Glad This Year is Over

 I’m sitting here quietly waiting for the end of the disaster that is the year 2020 to be finally over.

My son has headed home, my daughter and her husband are off in their part of the house, the wife is sitting in the living room, asleep with Star Trek Next Generation on the TV.

There are less than 30 minutes of 2020 left. Looking back, it’s been a terrible year. We lost my mom, my dad and two brothers-in-laws (none to covid). My only remaining brother-in-law is fighting off some form of cancer (they haven’t really figured out what exactly is wrong, but he requires two hospital visits a week).

We had a big travel year planned. We were going to go to Vancouver for our anniversary, take a Panama Canal cruise in May, finally go back to Hawaii (after meeting and marrying there 36 years ago). 

19 year old me when we lived in Hawaii

When things started going wonky, we scheduled a trip to Europe. Obviously, none of that happened.

We did manage a short trip to Zion National Park, but that didn’t give us much to write about for the remainder of the year.

A photo from our trip to Zion National Park

Still, I sit here at the end of the worst year of my 60 years, and I do still have hope for the future.

I don’t know what is going to happen in the near term, but I have hope that we can start to travel again in 2021.

We had rescheduled our Hawaii trip for just after my birthday but have put it off again (has more to do with construction on the house than any medical concerns).

We do have a trip to Europe planned for the spring, we’re waiting to see how that works out.

A photo of Stonehenge taken during our 2019 trip to England

The big trip for 2021 is taking the family to Walt Disney World in the fall.

We have been planning this trip for five years. Let’s hope it works out.

Photo from our 2018 trip to Disneyworld during the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival 

Hopefully, we can get back to traveling, get back to experiencing the dining options in airports and distant locations and sharing that with you.

Until then, Happy New Year.

Stuck at Home

The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.

No truer words were ever spoken.

I started this blog back in 2016. I refined the direction of the blog and relaunched last year.

I started with a trip to the UK, we had a great time. I was looking forward to our next travels.

Then came the Covid 19 virus.

So far, I’ve had to cancel two different trips. Not that I’m complaining, many people have it much worse and whining about having to stay home seems a bit selfish.

So, I was thinking about what I could write about, since I’ll not be on the road anytime soon.

What I’ve decided to do is look back at some places, meals and experiences that I have had in the not-to-distant past and share those – until I can get back to traveling.

We stumbled on the Fox and Goat while driving from the airport in London on our way to our hotel in Oxford.

The fish and chips at the Fox and Goat. Our first meal in England, we were off to a great start.

The Fox and Goat is a great local pub just outside of Oxford, England. We were looking for a place for our first meal in the UK and pulled over when we saw the building. I just looked like a country pub should look. 

Once you went inside, you knew that it was the real deal. We were the only non-local guests, but we felt instantly welcomed. 

The food was good, the beer was great, and we were off to a great start.

Benihana Be the Chef

For Christmas, my kids pitched in an got me a certificate for the Benihana "Be the Chef" experience. 

Having dined at Benihana in Hawaii, Washington DC, LA, Las Vegas, Ontario California and at least two or three other towns, I knew what I was getting myself into. 

And in my normal obsessive fashion, I watched every Utube video I could find. 

I got a meat fork and the closest spatula to what they use at the restaurant to attempt to practice so I wouldn't make a complete fool of myself. 

Seemed like a good idea, and I do believe I did better at the actual cook because of it.

Practicing in the garage, getting a little height on the spinning spatula of death

Unfortunately, no practice is complete with out drawing at least a little blood. 

The exact moment when the knife-like edge of the spatula makes contact with the soft flesh of my fingers.

I did survive and was able to serve a wonderful dinner to the family.

Video from my Be the Chef Experience

I have to say, I had a really good time. Chef Masa was pretty tolerant of my lack of skills.

The family enjoyed it.

Cooking for Myself (And the Family)

As I sit here relaxing tonight, I'm feeling more than a little excited for my plans for tomorrow.

Most of the time, I muse about the culinary exploits of others. I simply show up, order and enjoy the offerings of the chef and offer my commentary.

Tomorrow, I prepare to step up to the other side of the grill. 

For Christmas this year, the kids chipped in and signed me up for Benihana’s “Be the Chef” program.

I’ll learn a little about the art of Teppanyaki, most likely break a couple of eggs and prepare to cook for the family next week.

Hopefully, it will make for good video.

A French Burger in England? It Could Happen

I have a rule while traveling, never eat at chain restaurants that you can go to at home.

Yep, no TGI Friday’s, no Chilies, and most of all, no fast food.

The Fox and Goat is the kind of local eatery that we look for while traveling

Now I do have a friend who takes the opposite approach. He searches out the nearest McDonald's in every country he visits. He likes to see what they do differently than in the US.

I don’t think he’s wrong, I hear the squid ink Quarter Pounder in Japan is at least interesting, but I’m not a fan of eating ink - or paste for that matter.

But every now and then, you must break your own rules.

We found ourselves on the M20 between Dover and London, mid-way thru a marathon 364-mile drive. (you can read about the trip on my other blog Trippin with Kenny – The White Cliffs of Dover - at kendrylieblog.com).

The Keep at Dover Castle

We had considered having dinner before we left Dover, but the few places we drove past had very little or no parking and a pretty big storm was coming in, so we felt like getting on the road.

There didn’t seem to be much that was open along our route.

It was getting late and the lack of food was starting to take its toll. We decided that rather than fight, we would exit at one of the convenience stops along the way.

The convenience stops are very similar to turn outs on some of the toll roads in the US. It’s just a turnout with a gas station, mini mart, fast food place and sometimes a motel.

We had passed one that had a KFC and I found myself really wanting some of the Colonel’s Secret Recipe.

We pulled off at the next stop, and much to my dismay, the food court had a McDonald's, a Chinese place and one other choice which didn’t look good.

I was going to try the Chinese, but after standing in line and looking at the food, it seemed a bit dodgy.

Rather than risk the intestinal distress that could come from sketchy Kung Pao, we opted for Mickey D’s.

Now, growing up McDonald's and Del Taco were the center of my culinary universe. Later my stepdad introduced me to the wonder that is In-n-Out. My tastes have changed, and other than In-n-Out, I avoid my old favs (ok, not the Barstow Del Taco’s, they are still owned by the founder’s family and are much better than the corporate stores).

I reluctantly approached the counter, expecting to order my normal Quarter pounder, I noticed that they had something called “Burgers of the World.” The current choice was the French Stack, a double patty, with garlic aioli and Bacon on a garlic roll.

The French Stack Burger at McDonald's

I have to admit, it wasn’t bad. Maybe I’ll have to rethink my eating rules. Anything with bacon can't be too bad.

Trying to Pig Out

I enjoy a good snack. Most of the time, I limit my snacks to a couple of nice salty chips or a bit of ice cream late at night. During the day, I'm more likely to grab a couple of nuts, almonds or pistachios are my go-to treat. 

While we were in the UK, we found ourselves on a quest for candy and snacks.

The kids had been introduced to English candies when they were growing up. The mother of one of their friends was English and she would take her children back to the UK every year or so. When they would return home, they always brought an ample supply of their favorite candies to share with friends.

The kids had asked for us to bring back a couple of specific candies, especially something called “Refreshers.”

I decided, in my usual casual style, to do a bit of research on English snacks and candies. Armed with what I learned watching Youtube reaction videos, I assembled a list of must-try items. Refreshers were at the top of the list.

 What seemed to be an easy task quickly became something of an obsession. Everywhere we went we would search the candy isles for the elusive treat. When we asked at the counter, no one seem to have ever heard of them.

Helpful clerks offered up all kinds of odd replacements, including one who tried to sell me an automotive air freshener.

A small sample of the treats we came home with

Even though we couldn’t find the Refreshers, we did find almost everything else on the list. At one fuel stop, I spied a bag of pork scratchings.

I hate to admit it, but I was a fan of pork rinds way before they became the darling of the keto world. In the 1980’s I was introduced to the crispy, salty, smoky snack by some of my Southern comrades-in-arms while serving in the US Army.

Pork rinds and Pepsi cola became my go to snack whenever I was faced with the painfully tedious task known as CQ or “Charge of Quarters.”

CQ duty would begin at the end of the normal workday. The job was to answer phones when the HQ staff had gone home, and to track significant events over night. The big excitement of the night would be to walk the company area for security checks.

At the time there were no smart phones, no DVD players, and the building didn’t have that new service – cable tv. My boss did have a beta videotape player, but he was way ahead of his time.

It’s difficult to describe the kind of soul-crushing boredom that infects the mind of someone on CQ duty. Service members, police officers and night watchmen have most likely experienced the sleep deprived monotony that comes in the early morning hours.

The result of this extreme boredom is that everything is enhanced. People seem more interesting, stupid jokes are hilarious, and food tastes much better. Which is why, on one infamous tour of duty, I devoured an entire bag of hot-and-spicy pork rinds and a 12-pack of Pepsi.

The day-after result of my overnight culinary adventure was, let’s say, less than ideal.

But I still love the deep-fried bits of pig skin. Which is why I picked up a bag of Mr. Porky’s Finest Quality Pork Scratchings for the Connoisseur.

After all, if I like the common American pork rind, I should love the finest quality of Mr. Porky’s offerings. In fact, I’m almost certain that the Queen herself enjoys the savory delicacy.

I didn’t open the bag right away, I decided to wait until I returned home so I could share my discovery with two of my friends and co-workers. Dave, being from the South and Jason a US Navy vet, would surely appreciate the goodness that are British pork scratchings.

Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, the Holiday work schedule had us on different shifts and we didn’t have the chance to all sit down and dine together.

So, the bag sat in my desk for a couple of weeks until one day I was craving a snack and thought about the wonderful delight that was just waiting to be devoured.

On opening the bag, the first thing that hit me was the smell. It was much more pungent than I expected. Undeterred, I glanced into the bag. I noticed that the scratchings didn’t exactly look like pork rinds. In fact, a couple of pieces looked a bit sketchy.

I picked one up and started to take a bite.

What I expected was the salty, smoky, crunchy goodness that I had come to expect from pig skin that has been boiled, rendered, chilled, then deep fried to an air-puffed porky treat.

What happened was, as I began to bite down, my upper teeth encountered a solid, almost impenetrable steel surface of pork skin. At the same time, my lower teeth entered the soft mass of un-rendered fat on the other side of the piece.

So instead of a satisfying crunch, I got a mouth full of pork shards and fat. I will admit, I had to spit it out.

Don’t get me wrong, from what I hear, if you drink enough beer, they’re supposed to be very good. I’m not rushing to find out.

Oh yeah, about the Refreshers candies, when we got back to the US we ordered a case online.

In Praise of the (Almost) Full English Breakfast

I’ve mentioned in the past, I do enjoy a good breakfast. I usually don’t feel like cooking in the morning, but I’m happy to feast on results of the hard work of others.

Which is one of my favorite parts of travel, eating out. Not every meal is a culinary masterpiece, but I do enjoy trying out different places and maybe checking out the local fare.

Which brings me to the full English breakfast.

As I was preparing for my first trip to the UK, I was intrigued by the idea of the full English breakfast. In looking at a list of British foods “you need to try” it came in third after Fish and Chips and Bangers and Mash.

In case your unfamiliar with the term, a full English breakfast consists of:

Fried, poached or scrambled eggs
Bacon (back bacon not American bacon)
Sausage or “bangers”
Fried or grilled tomatoes
Fried mushrooms
Bubble and squeak (potatoes and cabbage)
Baked beans
Fried bread or buttered toast
Black pudding

The Full English Breakfast at the Beefeater Restaurant in Didcot

Now I‘m sure the Queen doesn’t jump out of bed every morning to have the kitchen staff whip up a full breakfast, but she should.

I wasn’t sure about several aspects of the meal. My first thought was what in the world is “bubbles and squeak.” Turns out it’s not bad. I would prefer good old hash browns, but when in England….

I would have never considered including baked beans with breakfast. In my wife’s New England family, baked beans and hotdogs with buttered bread are strictly a Saturday supper item. Evidently, they had it wrong all these years. As odd as it seems to Americans, I really liked it.

Overall, I really enjoyed the full English breakfast, however there was an exception.

The one thing I can’t wrap my head around is Black Pudding.  It is made from pork blood, pork fat or beef suet and some type of cereal like oatmeal, oat or barley “groats.”

Wanting to give the whole experience a try, I did take a small bite. While it wasn’t as bad as it sounds, it must be an acquired taste. Let’s just say I’m not a fan.

Where Has the Time Gone

I was surfing the files on my computer the other day. Buried deep in the depths of a back-up drive between a folder named “Phone Pics” and one titled “Route 66,” I happened upon the folder “Random Food Shots.”

One of the photographs in the Random Food Shots folder

There was a time, several years ago, that I felt the burning desire to ensure that the world was aware of my amazing culinary observations. I was convinced that if I was only able to guide the masses to the locations that had satisfied my highly educated palate, I could make the world a better place, ease tensions across borders and maybe even achieve world peace.

To that end, I would eat out as often as I could, trying to never dine in the same spot twice. Simple business trips became a quest to find meals worthy of my noble praise. Family vacations centered on the likelihood of finding the hidden local dining gems in every corner of our chosen destination.

I joined a web-gathering of like-minded souls and quickly became the most prolific of the food sages. I out paced all of the reviewers in my region, penning hundreds of spicy missives describing each nuanced observation of my dining adventures.

During those days, nothing left my plate without being recorded for prosperity thru the lens of my camera.

Which is how I find myself here, sitting at my computer looking at a file folder with hundreds of photographs of food. And beer. Lot’s of beer.

Did I mention beer?

So why, I’m sure you’re wondering, did it come to a screeching halt?

The platform that I was writing for changed. They became less of a community, and more of a marketplace. I began to feel that I was being used to provide free content for their profit.

And my adult son hates it when I take pictures of my food.

But I feel that the world has been deprived of my services for too long.

And so today, I return. 

Breakfast in America

They say that breakfast it the most important meal of the day. I suppose that many years of scientific examination and debate went into that conclusion, but I have honestly never had the motivation to look up the research.

That said, I do love a good breakfast. Unfortunately, I rarely feel like cooking a good breakfast at home. Which is why I usually eat a much better breakfast on the road. Someone else gets to slave over the hot stove and I only have enjoy the fruits of their labor.

In many parts of the world, breakfast is a much sweeter affair than what I consider to be the “American” version of the morning repast.

The classic American version of the morning meal is unchanged from the basic requirement of our forefathers. Eggs, bacon (or sausage), potatoes, toast and coffee. Maybe some fruit juice if it’s available.

I often save money on flights while traveling by taking “red eye” flights, which means I am often searching airports for a acceptable morning meal

On a three hour lay-over in Charlotte, NC. I found a nice place to grab a quick basic breakfast at the Carolina Pit BBQ. Not the greatest, but not bad!

Getting Ready to Go

On my way to NYC next week, looking forward to getting on the road, even for a short while.

Guess where I'm headed.

Follow-up two years after the trip:

A funny thing happened on the way to New York.

In 2017 I was invited to attend the opening of an art exhibit in the United Nations Building in NYC. The invite came from Ambassador Dr. Christoph Heusgen, the Permanent Representative of Germany to the UN.

No one was more surprised than me to receive the invitation. Now, I do realize that I’m known as a popular writer, photographer, artist, actor, storyteller and brilliant conversationalist, but I never thought I would have the chance to rub elbows with the diplomatic elites and pillars of New York society at a private event at the UN.

Truth be told, the person behind the invite was the artist, Herlinde Koelbl a famous German photographer. I had assisted her when she visited Fort Irwin when she was working on her book and show “Targets.”

I wasn’t sure about making the trip, the timing wasn’t great, and money was a bit tight. But I went anyway.

I knew that I would not be enjoying the gastronomic delights of the city, my budget this time just wasn’t that deep.

One great thing about New York, are the abundant street foods that you can find anywhere.

I stopped by this food truck for a little lamb over rice dinner. Good food pretty nicely priced.

I also had the chance to stop by and grab a dog at Nathan's got a combo for less than $8,

I will admit, I did have one sit-down meal, but it broke my #1 rule of travel dining. Never eat at a chain you could go to at home. I was tired and didn't feel like grabbing a cab, so I ate at an Applebees next to my Yonkers hotel. 

Oh yeah, about the art show, I misunderstood the date. I thought it opened to the public on Monday and the private reception was on Saturday before the opening. I was wrong. Old age sucks.

On the bright side, I did have  three days with no agenda to spend wandering around NYC. 

Some New York street art along one on my walks in the city.

I did finally have the time to visit the USS Intrepid. It wasn't very crowded and I had the pleasure of spending some time talking with Mr. J Gottlieb, who served on the aircraft carrier in battle. A great American hero. 

J. Gottlieb one of the Sailors assigned to the USS Intrepid in World War II. 

Long Beach Airport - Tacos

Taco Beach Cantina - I left out of Long Beach Airport on a trip to Boston. I got to the airport early and headed past security to find something to eat for dinner.

I try to leave out of Long Beach if I can for two reasons. One is I like to fly JetBlue. The other is Long Beach is small enough to be a pleasant  way to start off a trip, No long lines, nice friendly people.

This time I tried Taco Beach Cantina. It's not bad, a little overpriced, but hey, your in an airport.

The do give a pretty good portion size, and the tacos were good. They come with black or pinto beans and rice. You get to pick your toppings kind of like at a Chipolte Mexican Grill. 

If your leaving out of So Cal, give it a try.