Mario Kart Makes Everybody Your Freind
On our (very early) flight out from Seattle we had to make a layover in Salt Lake City. I brought my DS, and Carrie was borrowing Julian's so that we could play against each other to pass the time. Well, in the airport we were playing away and this kid sits down next to me with his own DS. So all three of us played against each other.
The Elements of the Kansas Experience
1) Brisket
Carrie assures me that if you go to Kansas and don't have brisket, then you haven't really gone to Kansas. Well, the brisket was so good that I ate so much that I felt a little sick. I've really been to Kansas now!
2) Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving dinner saw 13 people around two tables. There wasn't a kid's table and an adult's table. There was an adult's table and a senior's table, seeing as how the youngest people there were 24. The main dish was ham, and there were scalloped potatoes, green bean casserole, yams with marshmallows, whole wheat rolls, and Carrie's cornbread dressing.
3) Bingo!
We went to the American Legion building Thanksgiving night to play bingo. Everybody at the table won (an average of about 20 bucks) except for me and Carrie.
4) S--t on a Shingle
Sausage and sausage gravy over biscuits. Traditionally it was creamed chipped beef on a piece of toast. We're all thankful for the upgrade today. Despite the deliciocity, I was able to restrain myself and ate just enough so that I didn't feel sick afterwards.
5) Prisons & Posts
Leavenworth is a little famous for having a huge national prison. Al Capone stayed there. The Birdman of Alcatraz did his bird things there before being transferred to Alcatraz.
We drove by the prison, but of course didn't go in.
Nearby is Fort Leavenworth, where Carrie's dad grew up as an Army brat. We actually got to go inside his childhood home, now converted to an office. That was really cool, considering that not even Florentine has ever gone in there.
Also at Fort Leavenworth is the Buffalo Soldier memorial. Fort Leavenworth is where the legendary 10th was formed.
6) Pullman Place
We ate lunch at the Pullman Place Restaurant in downtown Leavenworth. It's a train-themed restaurant, and in fact the table at which we sat had a glass top, underneath which ran a miniature train through a miniature town. There were train antiques and memorabilia all over the walls. My dad would have loved the place. I had a juicy fried chicken sandwich.
7) Greek Cheese
We had dinner at the Village Square Restaurant, within spittin' distance of Pullman Place. It's owned by people from Greece, and so the menu has a fascinating variety of American, Greek, and Italian types of food. We ordered two orders of a Greek cheese appetizer. The cheese, which is much like a softer parmesan, is breaded and (very) lightly fried. Then while still hot they bring it out to the table, pour a shot of brandy on it and shout out, "Oompa!" Then they squeeze a lemon on it as the flame burns away the alcohol, and serve it with pita triangles.
It tastes really good.
I also had a medium-rare steak for the actual dinner. The Hamm clan and friends are all regulars there, so the chef made us a special dessert. It was like a rigid custard/pudding under flaky filo dough. Very good.
8) The Missing
One thing that I did not experience on my trip that is apparently part of the experience was the fried cabbage that G'ma H makes. I've had the versions that both Carrie and her mom make, but apparently the grandma version is better than either of those.
9) Misc.
The whole state smells like smoke. Everything. It seeps into the walls and floors and furniture. What non-smoking sections there are at places are usually not separated at all from the smoking sections. One table might be smoking, and the next one over non-smoking. My nose was going crazy by my second day there. Since we were in Kansas we of course had to go to Wal-Mart at one point (or "The Wal-Marts" as they call it in Kansas). I bought some decongestant there, which helped some.
Take the Long Way Home
When we flew home yesterday (Saturday) we actually had to fly east to Cincinatti, then south to Atlanta, then finally straight from there to Seattle. We had at least two-hour layovers at each airport.
We saved over 100 bucks by doing that.
It wasn't worth it at all. While I still think that spending hundreds of extra dollars to get a first-class seat is ridiculous, I now know that it's worth it to spend a little extra money to get home faster.
Fantastico was all over us when we got home.
