October 21st marked my 18th birthday and I can now officially vote, get tried as an adult in court, and be bound (and yes, bound is the past tense of “to bind”- I wasn’t sure at first) into contracts without a guardian. The joy -_-
Anyway, my birthday actually lands on a Wednesday this year, the Wednesday before Fall Break (Thursday and Friday) specifically. Hence, my birthday week was filled with meals at different restaurants ๐ On Tuesday night, the Bonners decided to get together at have a late night snack at Buffalo Wild Wings. They somehow managed to get me to wear the Birthday Buffalo hat for an hour and sang “Happy Birthday” to me. You gotta love them though!
On my actual birthday, many people were busy finishing their midterm papers, so Andrea, the friend who accompanied me to Kyoto Sushi a few weeks ago, and I went to Shish, the infamous Mediterranean restaurant right next to Macalester. I decided to treat myself well on my birthday and ordered hummus and the Shish Trio Kebab, which includes a chicken, beef, and lamb kebab over rice.

Hummus with pita bread

Shish Trio Kebab

A grande Cinnamon Chai Tea Latte at 8 in the morning
On Thursday, I chose to work at Linwood in the morning since I don’t need to rush back to campus for classes afterwards even though it was Mac’s Fall Break. I picked up my free birthday drink from Starbucks first (Cafe Mac doesn’t open until 11am during break) and headed off to work in 38 degree weather. After helping third graders practice reading a book, I watched them read their book in front of the entire class- I was so proud of them. When I was leaving, one of them even hugged me; it was the first hug that I have received from a student this year.
After that, Jennifer and I went to Kyoto Sushi to eat their buffet! Personally, I don’t really like people getting me actual gifts on birthdays and holidays (I prefer meals or experiences as gifts), so Jennifer (and her parents- thanks Mr and Mrs. Arnold!) chose to buy me a meal instead! If you know me, anyone who buys me a decent meal gets my undying devotion forever. #LifeofaBrokeCollegeStudent Here are two photos of Japanese food:
Since I’m on the topic of food right now, do you know what’s weird? I have been craving Chick-fil-A lately. I can just imagine my grilled chicken sandwich right now… a #8 club grilled chicken sandwich with lettuce, tomato, a slice of provolone cheese, bacon, and some Chick-fil-A sauce. Yum! Too bad there are only 3 locations in the Twin Cities. I’m determined to go when I visit Mall of America next time; there’s one location near that area.
I have also been craving Korean food. The Korean restaurants here cannot compare to the selection in Atlanta, and Korean BBQ is nonexistent since tabletop grills are banned in restaurants ๐ I must wait until Winter Break to satisfy my cravings.
One thing that I really miss food-wise is rice. Cafe Mac’s rice isn’t cooked Asian style. I need a bowl of steaming hot rice that has just the right balance of rice and water so that the rice isn’t too dry or too much like porridge.
โWow. I miss a lot of food. (Now you know where my priorities are ๐ )
Until my next post,
โRachel