The Future (It's happening right now....and now...)

Hello, all my lovely blog readers. I'm sure you've given up on me by now; this semester, I unfortunately can't eat dinner in Morrow as regularly I would like. I apologize.

I am writing this post at the moment because I wanted to explain another change to the blog this semester. Today is Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, which is the day of celebration before Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, and traditionally lasts until Easter; many believe it is only 40 days, but it is technically 47, as Holy Week (the week prior to Easter) is not included, yet Lent is still upheld. As many of you who were around me last spring semester know, I take the season of Lent very seriously. Lent is normally believed to be a time of simply giving something up; however, it is also a time when people try to engage more in positive activities, such as volunteering. In essence, Lent is a time for self-discipline and personal reflection.

When I was younger, my mother always encouraged me to give up something I loved: chocolate, TV, soda, etc. For about ten years in a row, I gave up chocolate. It was hard but somehow I made it through, and that first bite of Reese's or Hersey's on Easter morning was the greatest taste ever. Also, the intense blood sugar spike and headache afterward was great, too.

Around the age of 14, I decided to take Lent more seriously. Instead of just giving up chocolate, I decided on all sweets, or anything with refined sugar. The next year, I cut out High Fructose Corn Syrup and artificial sweeteners like Splenda or Aspartame. The year after that, I included caffeine.

Now, every Lent I give up all foods containing refined or artificial sugar, HFCS, caffeine, fried foods, and also "land" meats (beef, pork, and lamb), so poultry and fish are okay to eat (don't get all Smith on me about chickens not being able to fly. I know that, thank you, but they have wings and are therefore considered air animals in my Lent book.)

Don't try to pull the whole "bread is sugar in your body" and "fruit is a natural sugar" on me, either. I'm pretty sure I've thought this through quite a bit, and I'm well aware of the guidelines I've set for myself. I don't mean to be rude, but those comments might have been floating around for about, oh I don't know, 6 years.

Lent is not universally practiced, nor is it required in the Christian faith. I even know non-Christians who follow the time-line of Lent simply because it is a good guideline for testing one's willpower and discipline. Overall, what I'm trying to say is that it's a completely personal choice.

Therefore, I want to let you all know that I won't be posting during Lent, with the rare exception of truly exceptional meals. I will have to be pretty picky with my food choices in the dining halls, meaning I will be eating a lot of boring, rabbit food, and I am trying to move away from distractions such as TV and internet.

I apologize I won't be posting for a while, and for the serious tone of this entry. I just wanted to let you all know what's going on, and that I didn't forget you all.

I love you all, and I hope you have a wonderful Rally Day!


Next guaranteed posting: April 4th, 2010.

So I've missed a few...

Hello everyone! I know I've missed a few posts, but let me tell you, it's hard to update every night. So that might not be happening as regularly as it did last semester. I don't know what it is, something about actually doing my work this semester makes it hard to post every day. It would be a lot easier, too, if Jen Krain got off my back about it. Jeez, you'd think there were no other blogs about Morrow Dining floating around the interweb.

So, going back a few days, I will briefly talk about Sunday brunch, and then last night's Spanish fantastica.

Sunday brunch was a typical affair: lots of still drunkenness, some nomz, and a very relaxing atmosphere. I like brunches in Morrow the best, simply because less people usually attend than the dinners during the week, so it is quieter and more relaxed.

The people next to me are taking photos on Photobooth. I can hear the countdown.

Anyway, there was the usual assortment of omelets and bagels, along with scrambled eggs, sausage patties, French toast, and hash browns (I think). I nommed on some delightful eggs and sausage, and those who partook in the French toast option found it greatly to their liking. Samara was a little disappointed that Sarah could not make her omelet for her, but I guess Samara will just have to snag Sarah earlier next time. *Cough*

Not a whole lot happened a brunch that day. Mom and Dad Breger-Krain were late, and there were some interesting stories about the night before, although they all seemed to wind up being Mary-Kate avoiding crazy color-when-blue-and-yellow-are-mixed article-of-clothing-worn-on-the-upper-part-of-the-body girl, and the team losing members as the night went on.

So that's the 411 on Sunday brunch.

Last night was Spanish night. Morrow seems to be thriving on Spanish food more than normal, or at least more than I noticed last semester, so to have it again was all the more welcome. There was potato kale soup, paella with sausage and shrimp, chicken, brussel sprouts, nommy bread, and fucking blondies and butter-crunch ice cream. I had a little of everything, except the soup, and it was all quite delicious.

The dessert was a force to be reckoned with: Samara and I warmed up our blondies for a bit in the scary microwave (I can feel the radiation still) and put the ice cream on top of it. Sally confessed that she was never sure which side (Morrow or Wilson) should get what flavor of ice cream; I told her I was partial to butter-crunch, but there were those who favored the neon mint chocolate chip. Literally, straight out of the 90's, folks.

Photobooth, still going on. Really? It's been about 29340938409289 photos so far. You look the same in every one...

Tonight I might not report as it is stir-fry night and we all know what I get...shrampy shramp, mushrooms, onions, bamboo shoots, and water chestnuts, all over rice, made in hot oil with teriyaki and sesame sauce. Whew. And nomz.

Alright, that's all for tonight (er, last night and Sunday). Have a great Tuesday evening and I'm sure I will see you all at Morrow tonight!!

Nomzzz nomnomnimty.

Unexpected Spice

Welcome back, friends. Tonight was a fun night in Morrow Dining Hall, as we had boneless barbecue chicken, fries, random veggies, buttermilk biscuits, and delicious chocolate cream pie. It was like summertime nomz for very not summertime weather. Always looking ahead, Morrow. I like it.

I'm gonna be honest here:
I'm not the biggest fan of barbecue. I don't like feeling an impulse to shower after I eat because the food is so incredibly messy. Like that kid. However, the chicken tonight was thankfully boneless, allowing me to be as dainty as possible and eat it with a fork and knife.

The barbecue sauce proved to be much spicier than anyone expected. I'm not sure how much everyone enjoyed that, but I know it added a big kick to the normally predictable BBQ blend.

The fries were of the steak variety, and scrumptious as always. I brought my own Old Bay seasoning to add to my fries. Wait, you haven't heard of Old Bay seasoning, New England? Oh, that's right, you don't know what a real crab cake tastes like. Sorry about that. Maybe, New England, if you left your little New England bubble and made a little trip South, you would understand. Just maybe.

Want to know what Old Bay tastes like? Ever had Red Robin seasoning? It tastes like Red Robin seasoning, but so much better. Nomz.

Moving on, the buttermilk biscuits were moist and had a unique taste. And Samara just burped in my face. Gross. So gross. Back to the biscuits, they were slightly salty but that was handily remedied with lots of butter. And she just burped again. Jeez.

The best part of the meal had to have been the chocolate cream pie. It was creamy (duh), sweet, and oh so decadent. The crust was crunchy and sweet as well. If you opted for a little chocolate sauce on your pie, it was even sweeter, and, in my PMS-ing-and-I'm-sorry-TMI opinion, even more delicious.

It was also a lot less crowded than normal. I guess some people would choose roast sirloin over spicy barbecue chicken. Not me, friends.

Tonight is the last night of Morrow dining of the week; but don't worry, I will be back to report on Sunday brunch, with still-drunkness details as always.

So, for now,

Nom Nom Nom. Nommmz.

Breakfast Time!

Good Evening everyone! I want to start off by apologizing for last night's lack of a blog post; I had a scrumptious meal at stir-fry night, prepared by the ever-lovely Sarah, and I just was so caught up in work that I completely forgot to write! Oops!

Tonight, as I'm sure your calendars will tell you, was B4D night. Brinner. The usual Wednesday night attraction.

Now I'm sure everyone is still bathing in that glorious post-pancake afterglow, so I wanted to write this early so that feeling will not dissipate too quickly.

For dinner tonight, we had omelets to order, fluffy buttermilk pancakes, sausage links, home fries, cherry or blueberry coffee cake, bagels, and the ever popular grits.

I partook in almost everything except for the omelets and the grits. Good decision in my mind. The pancakes were light and fluffy, and they tasted deeelicious when dipped in syrup. I don't care what anyone says, dipping is the way for me. Every piece has just the amount you want. But I understand those who want their pancakes thoroughly saturated with syrup; it's definitely a personal decision. Did you know that I wouldn't eat syrup till I was about 17? Yeah, I absolutely hated it.

The sausages seemed to be hit or miss; I enjoyed them, but I opted for the slightly darker ones, so maybe the taste was a little different than the lighter ones. The home fries were a nice blend of regular and sweet potatoes, and later replaced with tater tots once we ran out. Always classy, Morrow. Always classy.

The coffee cake was wonderful: moist and soft on the inside, oatmealy and crunchy on the outside. Jen Krain and I went splitsies on some of the blueberry kind, and we were very glad we did. All we needed was some ice cream. Any flavor, and considering MK and Jenn went all the way to Cush-Em to get Snickers ice cream and were thoroughly disappointed, it probably would have been vanilla.

The bagels were, well, bagels. I heard the omelets were delicious like normal. Tonight I wasn't feelin' the egg taco as much. Maybe next time.

In other news, we talked extensively about Disney Channel Original Movies. What was your favorite? I was a Brink fan. And we all know my story about Motocross. Double-Teamed can probably fall under the same category for me as well. And then we talked about old-school Disney Channel and Nickelodeon shows. Oh man, it's like being a kid again, only with the ability to not laugh at every fucking curse word I hear...hehehe. God, I hated being a kid.

Woah, back to the Now. The present. Currently, my tummy's a little on the full side. I might have to take a nap. A nice, 13 hour nap.

Alrightyz (what the fuck is that?!), I will catch you all back here tomorrow. Have a good night, everyone.


Morrow Hugz,

Nommmznomnommm nomity.

Bonjourrr!

Bonjour, everybody! I am pleased to write about French night at Morrow Dining Hall tonight. However, because it is so late, I will keep it short, so you darlins' can read this before you fall into a blissful slumber.

Tonight the menu offered: French Onion Soup, Chicken Cordon Bleu with Wild Mushroom Stew, Rice Pilaf, Sauteed Green Beans, Salad Bar, Dressings, Chocolate Mousse, Strawberry Garnish

First, the French Onion soup was quite good. I am not a die-hard F.O. soup fan, but I do like the occasional bowl. I was pleased with the amount of succulent onions, although I do wish the broth had contained a bit more salt.

The chicken Cordon Bleu with wild mushroom stew was surprisingly good, as well, even when coated in a sauce most of us could not recognize immediately. It's always nice to put meat inside meat, and add cheese somewhere in there, so I'm pretty content.

The wild rice pilaf was, well, wild rice pilaf..had to mess that one up. The green beans were not too crunchy, not too soft.

I will dwell on the mousse a bit as it seemed to be what people wanted to talk about most. Speaking from experience, mousse is very difficult to make. It's far too easy to have an unnoticeable inconsistent texture while mixing in the eggs, and if you stir it too much, the reaction between the sugar and the eggs makes it super grainy. And that's just making a small portion. I don't want to know how hard it is to make a large amount of it. That being said, the mousse was slightly grainy, but overall very rich and decadent. The whipped topping was typical Smith fare, and the strawberries were gone before we could go back for seconds. Overall, I was pleased with the dessert (duh, it's dessert, and we all know that's my favorite meal!)

Sometimes I like to imagine Julia Child coming back to eat with us, preferably for B4D, and surveying Smith food herself, as I like to think she is the catalyst for the amazing choices in so many of our dining halls. I think she would really like eating in Morrow; she was loud and rather crazy, like most of us regulars.

I hope everyone has had a great second Monday of the semester. Personally, I know I haven't been able to get into a normal sleep pattern, but I hope that will change soon enough.

Love you all! Au Revoir! Nomz!