Friendly Aprons

A friend of mine has promised me a dinner with white linen tablecloths and 20-minute intervals between courses once I return to the city. Just the thought of such exquisitely precious heaven transports my senses to some sort of nirvana, not so different as the description of kundalini shakti by the holy men of the Kalahari Bushmen in Elizabeth Gilbert's 'India' section of Eat Pray Love as "a snakelike power that ascends the spine and blows a hole in the head through which the gods then enter." mmmmmmm… or should I say ohhhmmmmmmm…. This dinner has been planned for next week. In the meantime…

I just finished a comforting and much-needed culinary voyage at Friendly's, reminding me of my olden golden days living in Indialantic, Florida, and frequenting the Friendly's in Indian Harbor Beach either with friends or my mom. Before walking inside to tackle a menu that I may end up regretting by about bedtime, I heard a 15-year-old girl exclaim to her friends waiting on the curb outside "He texted me back!!! 'Who is this?'." While the folks inside were closer to my mom's or grandmother's ages, I nestled myself into a booth as if I were taking a carnival ride through the tunnel of memory lane. Diving into a Slider Munchie Mania™ – mini-cheeseburgers, Mozzarella cheese sticks, and fully loaded waffle fries, accompanied by sour cream, ranch dressing and marinara sauce (oy) – I slurped it down with a Barq's® root beer,  and finished it all with a hot fudge pistachio sundae. Fatty and fried, it was great just sitting there reading a good book, waving to the older woman with the sweet eyes facing me two booths away, and feeling like weight gain would never be an issue, much as I did when I used to frequent Friendly's in my younger days.

On another note, I was recently shared a couple of books by EllynAnne Geisel, The Apron Book: Making, Wearing and Sharing a Bit of Cloth and Comfort and The Kitchen Linens Book: Using, Sharing and Cherishing the Fabrics of Our Daily Lives. In a fun and frolicking writing style using words like 'doodad', 'fun-filled' and 'flotsam and jetsam', Ms. Geisel serves her readers a breath of fresh air along with patterns and tips on how to make delightful aprons and linens while reminiscing about the good ole McCall's days. With her aprons having been featured in Vogue as well as worn by desperate housewife Bree Van DeKamp, EllynAnne Geisel is already a household name.

Reading Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat Pray Love, I am reminded of that nirvana-esque feeling that I felt back in November/beginning of December of last year. It was magical, and I truly felt the love and support of everyone around me. For some reason, however, I felt the need to shut it down as the negative rolled in with the magical. But instead of escaping the funky vibes, I now realize I needed to confront them. That's what I'm doing or trying to now. And we have to remember that no amount of outside experiences should affect those feelings or the love that we feel within. Well, aside from maybe a schmancy dinner complete with white linen tablecloths and 20-minute course intervals. Oh, and a really good book. Bon appétit!