Friends

08 May 2016

EATING OUT

As explained in a previous post, Saturday is my eating out day. I thought I would try the garden centre again and see if I could avoid falling. I have to admit to being nervous but it crossed my mind that I mustn’t give in. Guess what.... I did NOT fall! In celebratory mood I treated myself to an omelette made with three eggs, bacon and mushrooms, chips and salad. I ate the lot although I struggled towards the end.

Eggs are supposed to be good for us but these days I don’t eat many. It was okay when Joe was with me, then I could buy a box of six and they would get eaten. Now I’m on my own I don’t eat so many. Since we can’t buy less than six I end up throwing half of them away. It’s the sell-by date that does it. I always check the date when I purchase something, a silly habit thrust upon us by governments. Let me ask what you do! See, if I buy six eggs I can’t eat more than two a week so four of them enter a period when they could go off. I wouldn’t want to eat them then, would I? Then there’s the cost to consider, paying for two and chucking four away is like throwing money down the drain. Wouldn’t it be great if we could go back to the days of purchasing loose eggs? And why can’t we? Because they have to be packaged to cope with transportation and as yet no-one has designed a two-egg box.


Another grouse is about the latest introduction of egg boxes that hold 12 or more eggs but not large ones. Oh no, medium is all you get. Well, I won’t have any, thank you very much. It’s large or nothing!

This week I’m going out with friend, Judy, so I might partake of something more exotic than an omelette.

WRONG!

The restaurant Judy and I decided to go to was a real let down. There was a notice on the door to say there was trouble at mill with the kitchen ovens so lunch would not be served until three o’clock. We couldn’t wait that long so went off to find somewhere else, deciding in the last minute to go to one once frequented. That was another mistake. The place had changed hands and I promise you those new hands were useless. The food was just about edible and the service non-existent. What a let-down. Maybe next time she should come to me and we can go to the garden centre. Might as well have two lame ducks searching for food ... lame being a fairly good description of our state of physical health! I’m definitely going there next weekend to make sure the high standard is maintained before inviting her to join me. 

16 comments:

  1. Valerie, don't you just hate trying a new restaurant or going back to an old restaurant to find that the quality of food is poor? That has happened to me before and it's such a bummer because I don't want to waste the food (and my money) by not eating it, but it takes such effort to actually eat it.

    "I always check the date when I purchase something."

    I do the same.

    " the latest introduction of egg boxes that hold 12 or more eggs but not large ones."

    That's interesting because here in the US, that is primarily what you see sold at our markets. But I like the idea of having the option of buying 1/2 dozen rather than a dozen; especially if your single and won't eat the whole dozen.

    And speaking of eggs, I can't remember the last time I ate them. When I do, I love a Greek omelette - with feta cheese, tomatoes, and spinach. Yummy!

    Have a grrreat Sunday, my friend!
    X

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  2. 'or going back to an old restaurant to find that the quality of food is poor'

    Yes, Ron, I do get annoyed. I have come across this before; it's strange when another outfit takes over an established one and the menu changes for the worst rather than better. You would think they'd go all out to capture the same and new clientèle instead of driving them away.

    I haven't tried Greek omelettes but the one you described sounds good. Whenever Joe and I ate out when abroad we always went for omelettes and loved them. I should eat more now and get some goodness inside me.

    Hope you have a good week. It's been 25 degrees here for two days but I reckon it will soon change. Two days is about our limit.

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  3. Will eggs last a bit longer if hard boiled? Never have that problem here, I eat them every day for breakfast and HB'd for a snack plus I don;t fret too much over "best used by date."

    I'll bet if you spoke to a manager real nice with a big smile he would sell them to you by two's. It would be good public relations, and he could probably sell the other "loosies" to other like minded consumers. I know if I was a manager I would sell them smaller quantities if asked.

    Just found this on the internet: Hard-boiled eggs, peeled or unpeeled, are still safe to eat up to one week after they were cooked. Keep them stored in the refrigerator, and you should consider writing the boiling date on each egg to know if they're still good!Apr 7, 2015. I've read that hard boiled eggs are natures perfect food.

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  4. A restaurant to lose its reputation when it changes hands is disappointing. I wonder if the new owners know what they have lost.

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  5. Oh wow, Joeh, and thank you. I didn't know that about hard boiled eggs but I shall certainly put it into practice. I love them hard boiled. I have printed your comment to pass on to a friend - one who thought she had the same problem as me. Again, thank you for solving our problem.

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  6. Susan, I have come across a few restaurants that have changed hands and it was noticeable how quickly the second owners closed down.

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  7. We buy eggs by the 18 pack and have no problem eating them all; maybe we eat too many? I also hard boil them and have about 5 of week. I do like my protein in the morning, keeps me going.

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  8. kden, I didn't know there were egg boxes large enough to hold 18 eggs. There was once a rumour that we shouldn't eat too many eggs but I think that has long been forgotten. I have it on my shopping list to get more and will hard boil them.

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  9. Maybe you and a friend could share a box of those eggs Valerie. Too bad about the let downs on the food places. Better luck next time :) We actually took my brother-in-law to what was his favorite steak place when he visited us years ago and he always remembered it. We took him to the same place on his visit and oh what a let down. Oh well!

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  10. I'm glad you didn't have any problems with falls etc...this time Val. That's quite the big lunch you tucked away. :-)

    We buy a dozen organic free range eggs each week for about $6.50 at our local food co-op. I think that's quite reasonable, especially for organic.

    Hope the rest of your week goes well.

    Hugs from across the pond,G

    PS Can you suggest any funny UK tv series? Tried Hamish MacBeth and Ft. Brown on DVD s recently but didn't like either one.

    I loved Ft.Ted years ago, might get that one when the price comes down at Amazon.

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  11. Geraldine, you have presented a poser.... apart from Mrs Brown's Boys I can't think of anything funny enough to recommend. However, a friend says Gavin and Stacey are quite funny. I'll put this on your blog in case you don't get back here.

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  12. Somehow I missed the part about eggs being bad for you. Actually that sort of thing happens to me a lot when it come to food I like. My wife attributes it to what she calls my "selective hearing"...:)

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  13. I'm not into Gavin... but my wife and daughter are and they both have a good taste in comedies. I would recommend that one.

    I always approach "under new management" restaurants with caution. Our local changed hands some years ago and we had a similar experience to yours. Did not go back until a couple of years ago when the new manager took over. Things are better now.

    Greetings from London.

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  14. Thanks Cuban, I'll pass on your family's recommendation.

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  15. Thanks for the UK tv recommendations Val. I ended up ordering the first season of father ted. A show my mom and I use to watch together so nice memories in that regard too. The one about him impersonating Elvis is SO funny, I remember it from years ago.

    Hope you are having a good day. Hugs, G

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  16. I love to hear that you are still doing your thing, Val, but it's a bummer that some of those restaurants let you down. Congrats on not falling down at the garden centre. =) Take care, my friend.

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