Hello World!

I am so excited to say that we have moved to:

http://willflyforfoodblog.com

Thank you for staying with me through this journey and please check out http://nearlythebionicwoman.com also!

I met a really nice Delta flight attendant today and it gave me a lot to think about. First of all, she is on furlough, and has been for many years. Although it was a voluntary furlough at the time, she is still not flying. This pretty much confirms my suspicions that had I gone to work at Delta all though years ago, I would definitely not be working there.

I do have to wonder what it would be like trapped, um I mean working, on a plane filled with other women (or men) for hours at a time if I didn’t get along with them. As I mentioned to a couple people today, when I first started, I came from an office situation that was not the best situation for me since I do not tolerate petty office crap very well. Then my first flight up to Cincinnati the cabin crew members were all fighting with each other. No way, not for me. So, there’s Comair. I get to do the job I love, by myself. I get to be the way I want to be with my passengers. I feel like they are my guests.

For the longest time, I avoided the aircraft that we had involving two working flight attendants. There was no way I was going to give up my way of life. My space. My way of doing things. I was going to protect my turf and not have to deal with anyone else. Then, I got a trip on our 70 seat aircraft.

It was great. I had someone to talk to and share the responsibilities with. Even with that though, I bid the back of the aircraft, where I was with the passengers, leaving the other flight attendant up in the galley to do the paperwork and “galley stuff”. I felt as if I was so far away from everyone sitting up in the front jump seat after so many years of sitting right in front of these people. Then, one day I got the front position.

Now, I actually bid for the lead position (sits in the front of the airplane) and love it. All except for the paperwork! Only because it’s hard to remember to turn it in right away since I am usually in a hurry to go home. I’m working on that character flaw and think it’s under control.

So, if I can go from not working with anyone, to working only in the back, to enjoying the lead position, could I possibly enjoy working on an aircraft with more that one other flight attendant? Well, there was a Delta flight attendant on our aircraft the other day. He asked me who the lead was. I said, “I am. Why?” He was wondering because one minute, I said an announcement and the next time the other flight attendant said one. One minute, she was picking up trash and the next time around, I did it. He also said that if someone other than the lead flight attendant [on Mainline] picked up the phone and made an announcement, she would be angry. So, do I think that I could work at Delta, on a plane possibly for hours with the possibility of that type of mentality? I’m not sure. I have been able to work with all of the different types of personalities that I have been faced with so far. Doesn’t mean I am in a hurry to work with them again. I’m sure there are other flight attendants that feel the same about my style of working.

Tonight, I am working with a flight attendant who’s mother works for Delta and we also discussed this issue. A trip that I was on a few weeks ago is the perfect example. The flight attendant that was working in our row was amazing. I can only hope that I am as good as she was with us with my own passengers. Then, there’s the flight attendant working the row ahead of us…

We felt sorry for those people.

What happens? Do some people just hate their jobs that bad? Does there come a point where you simply cannot stand people anymore? I know that all people are not the easiest to handle but it’s your job. You chose it so do it right.

Do you have these problems in your job? How do you handle it?

My foot hurts from the fall last week, my hands hurt from this darn rain and my head hurts from cleaning up the drywall dust. You couldn’t see the dust until I took a picture. Oh yeah, and went to make dinner, sit on the couch or anything else that involved a surface area.

So, I spent a lot of time over the last couple of days cleaning the mess up (which will take months I fear) and my head is hurting worse and worse. The first thing the chiropractor said is “were you wearing a mask”? Uh Oh! Good thing that I bought them to just sit on the shelf.

So now, I feel like a drinker…”If you can make me feel better, I promise to never forget again!”

Anyone know how I can get a really cool new theme once I am all set up?

I want to make this a game. If you can guess where I am and what I am taking a picture of, I would love to give you a free buddy pass *(see details). I will keep it going until Friday (midnight) where I will use random.org to pick who gets the pass.

Who knows, you could be heading across the big ocean in Business class before you know it!

Anyway, I digress.

As we drove down Mason-Montgomery Road, I reminiced about going to pick up the step-kids except this area has seriously built up. If you need it, it’s there. All very commercializes with every chain restaurant in existence in a few mile strip as well as some I have never heard of. Once you get a little further toward Main street though it starts to become a bit more quaint. What a cute area as you actually turn right on to Main street. Business run out of renovated old houses just like the one holding this hidden gem called Wild Fire.

Tables set in different rooms of the “house” and a more commercial kitchen where I imagine the original kitchen being held. My friend ordered an ice tea so I decided to veer from my usual boring water and give it a try. Nice choice. No sugar needed since it has a nice flavor and is smooth. The cup that it is served in is plastic made from 100% plant material. So far, so good for an organic place. After some discussion, I ordered the Salad Trio located on the appetizer section and was pleasantly surprised. Curried chicken salad, Minted cucumber salad, hummus, fresh fruit and crackers.

The curried chicken salad had a nice balance of spiced curry with sweet, raisins and tender chicken. The cucumber salad I thought was a nice surprise since I wasn’t sure about the combination. Nice and light, well paired flavors. I really enjoyed the hummus as well. It had a nice creamy texture and mild flavor. The salads are accompanied by the most flavorful pleasantly red colored strawberries I have seen in quite a while and the grapes were firm and sweet. I also especially enjoyed the butterfly shaped crackers that added a sweet tough.

Thanks Julie for the awesome suggestion. I will most definitely spread the word.

More seriously, let’s keep the residents of Atlanta center in your thoughts and prayers. Rain has taken over and according to the weather reports, it has been raining for 9 days. Two women have died so far. One caught inside her car caught in the flood and another woman trying to help someone else trapped.

So far delays at the airport are not as bad as I would have expected only running about 57 minutes for incoming (as of 2:11pm) and 15-30 minutes out of the gate. This sounds about normal to me so for those of you traveling through the Atlanta area today, hang tight and don’t panic. Most of all, PLEASE do not bug your flight attendant about it because they know about as much as you do!

According to the FAA delay site, there is a ground hold at the Atlanta Hartsfield International airport. This also happens frequently and simply means that the airport is closed, or on “hold”, until weather improves and is safe enough for air travel.  

Like I tell my passengers (if they are driving me crazy), “If you are thirsty or hurt please let me know and I prefer the former”.

I thought is was just my tweetdeck however, I think that it’s just twitter in general. Hey, twitter! WTF is wrong with you? I would love to think that it’s just my computer but I am only having trouble with you! I really want to be able to talk to my friends all over the country spontaneously but this is really pissing me off. Please get it together and either get back to me on why this is happening or just fix it! 

Truly yours (when this is fixed),

Christina in Ohio

I have walked past the place more than once but have never eaten there until today. A friends blog winemedinemecincinnati.com suggested it as part of Jeff Ruby’s promotion. Spend just $15 and get a $50 gift certificate to Jeff Ruby’s namesake restaurant. OK, twist my arm.

We parked around the corner and walked down the alley in between Trattoria’s and Nicholson’s on our way to the restaurant with the bright yellow umbrellas beckoning from above. Using space efficiently, there is one restaurant downstairs another upstairs (Bootsie’s) and yet another next door physically attached (Nicholson’s).

We walked up the stairs, not that easy for someone with a sprained ankle, where we were met with bright yet warm colors, prints of musical celebrities and a lighted bar. Off to the right you’ll find the outdoor seating and straight ahead is a seriously cool bar that is lit up and apparently children friendly during daylight hours, with a little boy struggling to sit still on one of the bar chairs. The seating desk is set off to the right behind the bar where we were asked our preference of dining. While we waiting I looked around. Spanish mosaic tiles and painted doors, colored glass globes hanging from all over, lots of reds, rusts and browns, definitely bright without being overwhelming. Typical colors of the more Latin cultures. Latin music. Sounded a bit like the Gypsy Kings. I couldn’t help but dance a little in place.

We chose inside for our first visit. Lots of fun but extremely loud, I think that I would like to try the outdoor seating next time. The first thing that I see as we are walked in to the dining area is a large jar of jelly beans and the different styles of seating. There are two different bar areas that you can be seated at. One is the sushi bar (you can watch the presentation of plating and the sushi being made here) and another one looking over the kitchen area. Booths up away from the hustle and more tables using marble as their surface. Lots of graphic patters like the one above us with it’s colors and patterns. There is a lot going on and I have yet to decide if it works or if it’s too much. I think that I will need another visit!

We sat at a marble table, which actually looked out at the kitchen, clad in red tile, as well as the heating table, kept company by gold mermaids holding the trays that would deliver the food if not served by hand. Here, I had the opportunity to watch all that was going on. If you would prefer something more away from the food preparation, you may like one of the booths. For me, this was really exciting. Something I found particularly interesting is watching the plates of food being inspected for perfection prior to being placed onto the heating area for delivery.

The service is outstanding and you don’t have to wait on just one person for everything. Who ever was available if your server was not (this included the manager) was there to take care of your every need. I wonder if it was the same outside? Our service was an adorable girl named Gina who was very much perfect for the position. She actually had an 8 top table next to us and I noticed when she delivered the checks (they all got separate ones!), she did not even need to ask who’s was who’s. I could never remember all of that. Perhaps, she doesn’t have mommy brain. Or, perhaps she is just that good.

Now, in regards to the food. I ordered the duck tacos and my husband the Bento Box. The Miso soup that came first was seasoned well and was nice and hot. The rest of the food came rather quickly, which is great for a lunch crowd. Presentation was also good. My dish came with three tacos and chips. It didn’t look like that much food until I was almost finished with the third taco and didn’t have any room left over for desert. The flavor and textures were amazing. Not gamy and well seasoned. The lettuce was laid in first with the shredded duck next and then a mix of sweet onion, tomato and fresh cilantro. The slight tang from the lime juice combined the flavors well and the different textures I found pleasing.

The Bento Box is really neat and well, really comes in a box. Separated in to sections, one had steamed rice, one 4 pieces of sushi, pickled ginger, wasabi and your choice of shrimp tempura, terriaki steak or a third choice of some kind of chicken. My husband chose the steak and said it was really good but may be a little heavily flavored. Otherwise, everything in his entree was cooked nicely.

Although supposedly Spanish (?), the menu offered Japanese and Cuban food, soups, salads, sandwiches, meats and pasta. There really is a little bit of everything for each taste without being too much. Between that and the welcoming feel of the place, I will definitely be returning.

Thanks Julie for the post and thanks Gina for the outstanding service!

Juices & Smoothies Galore

by Susannah Blake

The cover is really bright and eye catching.

Not just another juicing book, Blake includes ‘essential equipment‘, ‘useful kitchen basics’, ‘ingredients’, ‘perfect juicing & blending’ and a nutritional charts.

I knew to eat carrots for eye sight from the vitamin A content but did you know that they contain 28139 iu of vitamin A? Or, that one artichoke (globe) 3.2g protein and 5.4 dietary fiber?

An Apple A Day Keeps The Doctor Away. (First found as a Welsh folk proverb (1866))

No wonder with its ability to remove toxins from your body. So it tumeric. I knew I bought that for a reason! Excuse me while I go take some…

I like the way that there’s an intro to each recipe that explains the combination and nutritional benefits.

This is definitely not your ordinary smoothie book either! Under breakfast blends, there’s everything from a creamy date (tastes like chocolate) & Espresso smoothie to wake you up, Parsley Perks to help clear sinuses and congestion and a fresh made for scratch Bloody Mary to cure a hang over.

Update: I just tried the Date & Espresso Smoothie and it was very tasty!