philly pretzels

When I first moved to Philly over ten years ago, I didn't quite get its love of the soft pretzel. Like most people, I'd heard of the Philly cheesesteak (never EVER say steak and cheese), Tastykakes and Philadelphia cream cheese. But no one ever tipped me off about the soft pretzels. The pretzels I knew were small and crunchy and often came out of vending machines. So you can imagine my surprise when I'm rollerblading past the bottom of the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art when I spot a runaway shopping cart heading my way with stacks of pretzels balancing precariously across the cart. Sheets of pretzels stacked like money was something I'd never seen before. And just as soon as the cart came into view, it's exasperated vendor appeared, cursing. Apparently, a couple of kids had tried to run off with the cart. Where I came from, people stole TV's and jewelry - not pretzels. This was my first encounter with the Philly soft pretzel.

Over the years, I learned to appreciate the pretzel, but never became a believer. Like many of my coworkers, I'd come to morning meetings with coffee and a pretzel smeared with mustard, but I never craved them...until I discovered pretzel bites. There's just something about pretzel bites, a side of nacho cheese and a good movie that is pure bliss. My cravings got so bad that I'd look forward to eating them even more than seeing the movie. When I moved to the Main Line, I didn't expect that my tradition of pretzel bites at the movies would be compromised, so you can imagine my disappointment. Merion is lucky to have four movie theaters fairly close by (Bala, Narberth, Bryn Mawr and Wayne) but the theater in Wayne shows the most movies so I often end up there.

And herein lies the problem, because the pretzel bites are AWFUL. Stale, hard, lukewarm - you name it. Whatever time of year, whatever time of day, the pretzel bites are terrible. In the theater's defense, they have accommodated my (many) requests to cook a fresh batch and will even personally deliver it to your seat, but they're always sub par. I recently saw Shutter Island at this theater, and although I enjoyed the movie, the experience was lacking. The seats reclined too much, the carpet had bubbled and was uneven, and I found myself longing for stadium seating.

All this dissatisfaction because of pretzel bites. I'm finally a believer.

i ♥ chefs

I've been thinking all day about dinner at Le Bec Fin. It's restaurant week in Philly which means you can get a three course dinner for $35 at participating restaurants, and I've only had a bagel and pb&j sandwich in anticipation of tonight's dinner. I don't know about you, but going out to eat is one of my favorite things to do. It's a hobby, really. When Ray and I got married, we wanted to take a closer look at our monthly expenses, and 75% of mine went towards food, once the bills were paid. He was shocked. After all, I was a woman, wasn't I? Shouldn't I be spending gobs of cash on high-end accessories and appearance upkeep? But who needs Jimmy Choos when you can have frutti di mare? And who needs a $200 color and cut when you can feast on omakase at Morimoto's? My friends argue that spending a lot of money on food leaves you with nothing to show for it, but it's really the experience that matters. I could care less that it's a Thursday and I'm wearing the same skirt I wore on Monday when I'm reminiscing about the pot de creme that capped off dinner the night before.

I ♥ chefs.

But as much as I love going to restaurants, cooking stresses me out. Every now and then I'll get the urge to buy a cookbook, try a new recipe or even do some online research about Dutch ovens (I've been fascinated by Dutch oven cooking for awhile now). But I generally end up exhausted. Cooking is not for the weak. There are no guarantees with cooking, and there's a good chance that the many hours you spent shopping, prepping and toiling in the kitchen will be in vain. Because cooking often stresses me out, I don't cook anything complicated during the work week. New dishes are reserved for weekends only, where I can leave dishes in the sink and ingredients on the counter without a guilty conscience. When I don't feel like cooking at all, I turn to MainLineDelivery.com.

Main Line Delivery is a local delivery service that charges you a flat fee for picking up food at area restaurants when you're too lazy to go out, or alternatively, look too bad to go out. The year we moved to the Main Line, Ray and I spent countless hours picking up food at area restaurants while we were undergoing renovations unaware of the existence of MainLineDelivery.com. If only we had known! Every time we order from them, the food comes hot and quick, and I'm thankful that I'm not having cereal for dinner.

http://www.mainlinedelivery.com/

ramone is getting neutered

I'm trying to get used to my new work schedule and am having a hard time adjusting. For the past year or so, I was able to work from home one day a week, and I no longer have this luxury. As a result, it's hard to get excited about 2010. Many of my friends I've complained to don't seem very empathetic - they all have five-day work weeks - but it's always more difficult to revert back to the way things used to be after you've had a taste of the good life, isn't it? Today I should have been working from home in my Juicy jumpsuit, sipping coffee in front of my computer but instead I scurried around applying make-up, rummaging through my closet, and eventually put on the same pair of socks I wore yesterday since I was too lazy to go to the dryer and get a fresh pair. Anyway, I'm pissed that a handful of co-workers couldn't do their job properly and an entire group has to relinquish the comfort of working in their pj's.

To make things worse, my puppy, Ramone, is getting neutered tomorrow! If I hadn't had such a good experience with Haverford Animal Hospital (HAH) thus far, I'd be more nervous. When we first got Ramone, we chose HAH because it was close to our house and the website looked good. Generally, I tend to favor businesses based on the design and layout of their website. It was only after we had been taking Ramone for his puppy shots that we discovered a handful of other friends and colleagues had been taking their pets to the same place for years. I like HAH because it doesn't have a quota on idiotic questions and the staff never makes you feel stupid (although they may think you are). I've called to ask about crate training, diet and exercise, and sleeping patterns. Trish, a vet technician that works at HAH, is extremely knowledgeable and is blessed with patience. Dr. Royster, the veterinarian, has a gentle way with Ramone and makes poking and prodding actually look graceful. I had assumed that neutering would be an outpatient procedure but apparently he has to stay overnight! I hope the operation goes smoothly and he won't be in too much pain...

For the first time in a long time, I decided to make some New Year's resolutions. My first resolution is to exercise more. Raymond and I recently bought a treadmill and elliptical machine in an effort to make working out more accessible. When Ray tried to convince me to go to the gym, I'd always say that the last thing I wanted to do after along day was drive to the gym and battle traffic. Now the last thing I want to do after a long day is change into my workout gear and go down a flight of stairs. It's a struggle, but I'm committed to working out twice a week. My second resolution is to try to slow down and give my mind a break. I'm always thinking about what's next on the long list of things to do, and it's making time go by way, way too fast. I'm hoping that 2010 will be the year that life slows down, and that we can all relax a bit and enjoy a portion of everyday.

http://www.haverfordah.com/