Talk about extremes... last week I was surrounded by palm trees, brilliant blue water and beaches--and tried to avoid getting burned in the hot sun. Today I sit here under three layers and a robe, as city workers SHOVEL SNOW off of the sidewalk in front of my condo. How depressing.
But I always have memories of my vacation to cheer me up, right? Since I was back to my normal breakfast routine this morning, I thought I would reminisce about my favorite meal of the day on the two islands I visited recently: Manhattan and St. Maarten.
For some unknown reason that is really starting to upset me, I can only find "whole wheat everything" bagels in New York. WHY someone hasn't thought of selling them in Chicago, I have no idea--I might have to start up a store myself because I'm so desperate for them. They are the ultimate bagel... you've got your whole wheat grains (much healthier than white flour) and you've got your sesame seeds, onion seeds and poppy seeds for delicious flavor. Miss M has been known to stink up the overhead bins of large aircraft just to bring me two dozen WWE bagels when she visits Chicago, God bless her.
If anyone knows of a company that makes WWE bagels in the Chicago area, it is your duty to inform me now!
In St. Maarten, I enjoyed a different (and much less healthy) breakfast treat: the johnny cake. It wasn't the same thing as a johnnycake, which can be found in southern states. This thing was like a fried donut, and therefore it was awesome. This picture does not do it justice. We would sprinkle sugar on it right after it was delivered to us piping hot, and it was incredible. We could've gotten them with all sorts of weird things in the middle, like eggs, but it was much better on its own. Eating a johnny cake while looking out at the ocean on a bright sunny day, with sailboats and St. Barts out in the distance, is just about as good as life gets, I dare say.
- e
