Last weekend in Edinburgh, I ran across these multiple times:
I checked with Scottish friends - 'haggis crisps' are not a joke. People eat them.
After that conversation, I decided this week had to be about delicious Memphis food. Obviously this list is not exhaustive, but these are the things I've missed the most right!
1. Chicken tacos from El Porton. If I've spoken with you at all this semester, I've mentioned Mexican food, and thanks to one of other people staying at the Abbey during Holy Week, all I've been thinking about for the last month is eating tacos. Not even good tacos. Totally mediocre tacos from a chain restaurant in Memphis, a city with (let's be real), not-as-awesome-as-Phoenix Mexican food.
But on Thursday, June 13th, I will drive to Highland and Poplar for the lunch special: three chicken tacos, served only with marinated shredded chicken, lettuce, and cheese, and bagged up in a tin with salsa and a huge thing of tortilla chips. It's costs about $5, and was between the office in Binghampton and JP's school. On days I didn't have time to go back to campus for lunch, I ate delicious tacos on the way to the carpool pickup lane, and busted out some queso and the chips for JP's snack when we got home.
2. Veggie burger and potato salad from Trolley Stop Market. The veggie burgers are out of this world and made with whatever fresh vegetables came in and were left over. I haven't had a bad one yet, but the best one was an entirely green burger (the kale and spinach in it made the burger bright green). Organic. Local. Colorful. Delicious. I'm really not sure what more you could ask for when eating a patty of vegetables.
On a related note, I've been eating mostly vegetarian here, and tried to look for veggie burgers at the grocery store. They didn't have any, but they did have "winter vegetable loaf" and "squash and nut patties." I was feeling adventurous and bought one of each.
3. Turkey West Coast from Hueys (obviously with sweet tea). Turkey burger, guacamole, tomato, red onion. I've tried to recreate it, and nothing has come quite close to the real deal at Hueys. There's also the added bonus of shooting a toothpick out of a plastic straw until it sticks in the ceiling (if you're a pro), or in someone else's dinner across the room (if you're like my friends when we go).
4. Fresh hummus and pita from Jerusalem Market. Many thanks to my Uncle for finding this grocery store/restaurant combo down on Summer Avenue. They make pita fresh every day to be sold in the grocery store, and will serve up a huge container of hummus next door. You can also pick up a couple pieces of pretty awesome baklava. Is it a five-star restaurant? No. Does it feel like you're grocery shopping on Summer Avenue? Absolutely. You should go there right now.
5. Citrus Spice tea from Cafe Eclectic. Since last September-ish when I started getting to know people at St. John's UMC, I don't think I've been to Eclectic without seeing a familiar face. While I've never eaten anything bad, or even mediocre there, there is nothing better than a cup of tea a breakfast with some of those lovely ladies.
If you're looking for me this summer, I'll probably be there drinking delicious decaf herbal tea.
5 weeks to Memphis!
Oh! Almost forgot Edinburgh pictures...
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