29th annual physical
BALTIMORE, Maryland
OCTOBER 1-2, 2002
Our 29th annual trip to Baltimore (it used to be San Francisco when we lived on the Left Coast) began with the usual trying to get on the road. John had put off getting his safety-inspection tag and was overdue by one day and he had let his DMV license plates expire by one whole month. Needless to say, we couldn't go on the road without getting both of these up-to-date. Better than the hornet bite and emergency room as the last trip.
We arrived at yet another Day's Inn (we decided to give them another chance). This time in Baltimore instead of Danvers, New Hampshire. We again got the Days' Inn "special internet deal." This time we were happy with our room and location. Nearby was the Social Security Mall, but we traveled up the highway to the larger Owings-Mills Mall in search of we knew not what. We only found Brookstone of interest in the huge mall. We tried out their "Tempurpedic" mattress for the umpteenth time and looked at their 8x mirrors -- same story.
After researching and finding "Mr. Chan's Szechuan Restaurant" which is rated the "Best Restaurant for Vegetarians," thinking it might be similar to the vegetarian cuisine we ate in Taipei, we decided to give it a try. There was shrimp, chicken, spare ribs on the menu, but still thinking it a vegetarian restaurant, I decided to play it safe and ask them if it were "real" fish, chicken or beef. They were baffled. Then we had to explain that in Taipei, it was "fake" fish, chicken or beef, artistically rendered in those shapes. Oh, no - oh, no - oh, no -- it is the "REAL STUFF." To our dismay.
My vegetarian dish consisted of tofu, tempeh, yuba (a delicately textured skin formed from soybean juice), seitan, chinese mushrooms, fresh shitake mushrooms, and yam noodles with a light brown sauce in a hot pot topped with a few chinese edible pea pods, served with brown rice on the side and a delicious cabbage salad. The tea was reasonably good, plenty and hot.
John's dish was basically the same, with another name attached. We ate it all, tipped heartily, and John walked ahead of the restaurant ahead to open the passenger door for me and fell into an empty metal tree-holder hole. I saw him fall in slow motion, his eye glasses scratching, hitting on the metal bumper, protecting his eyes. He had scrapes on his hands, thru his trousers on the knee and an elbow. After seeing that John had made it into the truck, I returned to the restaurant telling them of his fall. Mr. Chan said that he had previously put an orange cone on the hole, but there was no cone there that night. There were two empty metal tree-holder holes about 20 feet apart. I missed falling into one of them -- a miracle.
We happily returned to the motel, falling in bed without much conversation. My usual "catching up to what is on cable TV" passed me by. My head hit the pillow and I was out. Since we don't usually watch TV at home (no cable at our house, by golly!), so I check out what I'm "not" missing when we are at a motel.
Next morning we were the second of the two couples to sign in for our physicals. Getting to downtown Baltimore at commuter hours is no fun (without coffee), but we were only about 10 miles away from the Inner Harbor, which is where the clinic is. The nurses whom we've got to know over the years make the whole thing a delight and I laugh myself silly all the way thru. Year before last John and I had common accidents, which we were seriously asked about; and this year we had another common accident, broken toes. The doctor said to me, "Is this something you and your husband normally do?" I restrained myself from hysterical laughter as I had already been primed with the laughing bug with the nurses. He'll ask questions like, "Did you have to have 'extra' stress management courses to handle this situation." And I have to say, "DOCTOR, I have never had 'any' stress management courses." This physical is provided without costs, so I take my tests and try my best to have a good time. It's tough.
We were released like school kids around 12:30. Free to eat! We headed across the street for "India Rasoi" for their buffet. The owner had a picture on the wall of his family in front of the Taj Mahal. He wasn't embarrased to fill his patron's water glasses. (In Mr. Chan's restaurant, all waiters we saw were Chinese, except he had an ethnic water-glass-filler person.) I especially enjoyed the mango chutney and the cilantro chutney. When I complimented him on the mango chutney and asked him how he made it, he informed me that he got it in in 8 gallon jars! Hmmm. After living in Hawaii and getting fresh mangoes, forget buying fresh mangos, green or otherwise, here on the mainland.
We headed for Vaccaro's Italian Pastry Shop, 222 Albemarle St., rated in 2001: Best Bakery. I haven't found such a delightful European-style coffee/gelato/pastry spot in the close-by upscale Fairfax area and Washington, D.C. You can partake your coffee and desert there, or take it out. Most were taking out. (We found a street bench in the shade on the street.) The line was always full, but fast. The service was with a big smile. I had the best gelato since Italy. The server said it was imported from Italy (made up and sent here to finish up). The pastries, cookies and treats were the best I've seen anywhere. John had a double expresso and said it was great and didn't give him GERD (heartburn). My coffee was better or equal to that served in Montreal, which I always rave about. It was a huge "freshly made" 16-20 oz. for $1.50. The gelato was huge for $3.15 -- go fly a kite, Ben & Jerry's & Hagen-Daz. Too bad there aren't more places like this around that give service with a smile, good value and delicious food.
Creatures of habit, it is no surprise that we headed out for Hagerstown, Maryland to the outlet shops where I shop Le Gourmet Chef and L. L. Bean and no surprise that we made purchases there; two silk pants and a velvet dress for me and some more kitchen "thingies."
On a whim we stopped by "Video Warehouse" in our nearest town to home (26 miles), Winchester, VA, and picked up an Indian film, "Monsoon Wedding," a delightful feel-good comedy, and a few groceries, getting in the mood to make a little Indian food.
Hopefully, we will have our new/used car in time for our next trip north to Connecticut for John's mother's 90th birthday. If not, I hope this darned 80+ degree weather will go south soon!
Saturday, October 05, 2002