Cancelled plans make for a GREAT night...

Family,

And a good evening to you from across the Pond. Thanks to my wife, tonight was a GREAT night! We had originally planned to hang with the Tavares clan and Knockout (the nickname for our good friend Kirsten Olsen – I won’t introduce her yet – you’ll have to wait until I actually do meet up with her for more details and a photo), but due to illness, plans fell through.

Instead, JT and I went home for some take-away Indian and a night in (translation – more TWILIGHT – I am so pathetic…). Okay, I will confess that this was JT’s idea (I was lazy and said let’s just go to the restaurant), and so she gets FULL MARKS for finding a FABULOUS local curry joint (Danger Will Robinson, Danger!!!). Observe the bountiful feast laid out upon our table…

So here’s my big thing – as many of you know, I like HOT food, and we are talking hot (insert the 7,000 jokes from the Granville 6 about how I can’t eat a whole Naga pepper and how it’s forever documented that an eight cent Habanero pepper from the Fulton Co. Farmer’s market nearly killed me).

My biggest problem with Indian to date is that most places look at me, think “this white guy with such a ridiculous Southern accent couldn’t possibly handle the hot stuff,” and then they give me some beet root and candy. When I finally convince them that I want the hot stuff, they cook up lamb with 14 billion green chilis but no flavor. However, tonight, we broke through and found the balance.

I went with the Vindaloo – balanced on the knife’s edge, I tucked into the first bite to find an explosion of flavor and heat. I tell you this so that you can appreciate the enormity of importance I place upon the right balance of heat and flavor, a combination that few establishments have managed to discover (here’s where I pour some out to Step In India – LONG LIVE THE NAGA CHICKEN!).

Also – the other beautiful thing with eating in – you buy the beer! Our meal price was cut in half because we drank at home. As you can see, both JT and I got into the act.

And yes, mom, in case you’re curious, that’s my West Maui Parasail t-shirt which you bought for me in Hawaii 13 years ago. As you can see, I no longer need the collar (since I pop my head through the hole in my back), but the shirt is still wearing fine. In fact, I think the hardened green pit stains are a nice touch as well.

Okay, that’s all the news that’s fit to print. Chat tomorrow!

Love,

Sam and Jenny