The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it.
Resist it, and your soul grows sick with longing for the things it has forbidden to itself.
-Oscar Wilde
Dear Friends,
I did it. I have nothing to hide. It was a cold, damp evening and I was hungry. And TGI Fridays was right there on the corner... At approximately 7:00 this evening, I devoured a large Fridays Burger with bacon, lettuce, and American cheese. Fries on the side. Ketchup.
Um, if it's any consolation, the pint of beer I drank was locally brewed.
I ate the Fridays Burger. I confess it was I.
And it was heavenly. Thank God for Fridays.
Your penitential brother,
Tim
Note: Old Riga actually boasts of two Fridays restaurants. The Latvian version, Paldies Dievam Piektdiena ir Klat! -- recognize the word "God"? -- is much more fun than the American cookie-cut replica that leaves one feeling like he ought to be exiting into the bland-lands of Bloomington, not winding cobble-stoned streets of an ancient Hanseatic city.
Other than TGIF, the only other American chain "restaurant" in Riga is McDonal
d's. (In case you've never heard of it, it's the one that touts the golden arches as it's mascot. Devour enough Mc-e-Dee's and your own golden arches may not fit through the door.) In a recent magazine article, world-renowned Vincent's chef, the British-born Latvian, Martins Ritins was asked if he eats at McDonald's. His response was clear as cholesterol: "I try to stay upwind from them and I cross the street to the other side so that no one thinks I'm coming out of one of them."At press time, this writer has conquered two Big Mac's over the course of his five months in Riga. Says he: "I really was just curious to see how the flavor compared to America. Call it 'intellectual curiosity' or 'comparative analysis.'"
And the second time?
"A theorizing practitioner always double-checks his work."
3 comments:
Oh, for the days when McDonald's was special. And I mean it. When the closest one was in Jacksonville, along with a Hardee's (and that was it, basically...maybe Steak-n-Shake, too, but that didn't pack the same punch for this wee tot), McDonald's was neat. It was...well, it was special. I remember my first airplane ride. It was at night, and flying from the Beardstown airport, it seemed reasonable, I suppose, that we should fly over Jacksonville - what, with the lights and all. I remember looking down and seeing that golden-arched mecca. Here I was in an airplane, of all places, and I thought it was cool to see McDonald's!
When Beardstown "got" its McDonald's, it just got to be old hat (not that there's anything wrong with an old hat, of course. The older ones are much better, after all). It wasn't special anymore, and the food wasn't as good, or something. The luster had gone. Maybe it had something to do with going from a specific number "served" to "Billions and billions served." Oh, we had our share of 99 cent McRibs on Sundays ("for a limited time"), and we still enjoy (honest word) an apple or cherry pie as a snack, perhaps with a Coke and small fry, too. That's about it, though, and even then, it's pretty much only when we're traveling, or it's late after a gig, or something, prior to starting home.
One of the best things, in my opinion, to come from television - When it was on, my favorite TV show was "Ed". The following interchange between Ed - the lead character, lawyer, Stuckeybowl owner; and Shirley - employee at Stuckeybowl:
Ed: When did Earth go to hell, Shirley?
Shirley: When McDonald's quit serving fried pies.
Half statement, half question.
I busted. I beamed. Dramatic, yes. True?...absolutely. I did like the fried pie. And always...ALWAYS apple. Then, for some odd reason, I chose to try cherry once. I don't know what prompted me, but there I was eating one, and wondering what on earth I had been doing eating apple all these years. Having been baked now for quite some time, I still opt for cherry. Apple is an exception.
Of course, that's when McD's is on the menu at all.
I seem to find myself a bit health conscious once in a while, too, and as millions (billions?) of people will attest, McD's doesn't fit in with that line of thinking.
We had to go to neighboring SPI to pick up some hardware and stain this afternoon. Lunch? Arby's. Chicken parmesan toasted sub, curly fires, Pepsi. What's that you ask? How is that different?
Beardstown doesn't have an Arby's...
N
My brother and I, both avid followers of your blogography, have discussed this at length. We had first planned to sign you up for AA upon your return. We'll now have to look into dietary programs as well.
Blog on, blog on, with hope your heart, and you'll never..
oh never mind.
Praying for you, my friend.
kb
Hello Tim:
I'm really not sure who you are, but I think we may have met at Camp. Enjoy your "rant" so I'll just keep reading the continuing adventures for a good laugh. Thanks for the card.
Glad to know all is well on your trip of a lifetime. These students will remember you for the rest of their lives.
Take care old friend and if you need anything, allowable by law, please let me know. I just sent a shipment of chewing gum to Singapore.
Hope to see you sometime in '08.
Be safe Tim.
Gary Hills
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