Sunday, February 14, 2010

It's The Year Of The Tiger

JANUSFILES2 . . . ENTRY #0120 . . . OPEN:


It's the Year Of The Tiger, it's the thrill of the fight . . .

Okay, I'll stop with the impromptu karaoke. I couldn't resist, and let's face it, I won't have the opportunity to go with this riff again until 2022.

As you may or may have not noticed, today is the Chinese New Year. And in the Chinese zodiac, this is the year of the Tiger.

I learned one thing last night. The Chinese New Year is not a particularly good time to order takeout from a Chinese restaurant.

I learned this the hard way. I had not made any plans for dinner before getting to work, and so I went to my fallback choice of Oriental House. Besides, I remembered somewhat vaguely that this weekend was Chinese New Year, and I thought it would be somewhat appropriate to get takeout for dinner.

Well, during the time we were changing shifts, Hale told me that Oriental House was getting slammed yesterday. In fact, they were so busy at times that their parking lot was completely full, and people were parking in our parking lot.

It was somewhere around 8:00 PM before things were slow enough for me to lock up for a few minutes, and walk next door to place my order. Things were still busy for Oriental House, even if customers weren't parking in our lot any more. If the restaurant wasn't filled to capacity, it was pretty damn close. I can't remember ever seeing it that full before.

Fortunately, there wasn't much of a line at the register when I got there, so I was able to place my order somewhat quickly. And even more amazingly, they brought my order over within about 20 minutes.

I ordered the bourbon chicken lunch special last night. I also discovered that the best way to keep the sauce from being overly sweet is by adding soy sauce and hot mustard.

And here is what the fortune in my fortune cookie said:

"A kiss can beautify souls, hearts, and thoughts."

Pure coincidence that I received this particular fortune when I did, but it does seem an appropriate one for Valentine's Day.

JANUSFILES2 . . . ENTRY #0120 . . . CLOSE

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

THERE'S The Beef!

JANUSFILES2 . . . ENTRY #0119 . . . OPEN:


Last night was a really sucky night at work. There's no other way to describe it. Murphy's Law seemed to be in full force.

Just trying to get something to eat was one of the things that made the night sucky. I had not eaten much yesterday, and it seemed that the universe was conspiring against me to prevent me from getting anything else. And I was rapidly reaching the point where the lack of food was making me distinctly cranky.

Don't make me cranky. You won't like it when I'm cranky.

I think it was close to 8:30 before I managed to walk over to Oriental House to place my order. I ordered the Hunan Beef lunch special again. And this time, I made sure I specified the beef. I also had to repeat the order twice, because my my brain was so fried that I wasn't sure I had mentioned the other stuff (mild spice, no bell peppers).

Things definitely started feeling a little better once my order arrived. This time, it was the beef, and not the chicken. The food was good, and went a considerable way toward putting me in a better frame of mind.

And here's what the fortune in my fortune cookie said:

"You'll never know what you can do until you try."

Okay, I now know that I can handle a near-total meltdown at work. I think I would rather not have to repeat the experience again anytime soon.

JANUSFILES2 . . . ENTRY #0119 . . . CLOSE

Saturday, February 6, 2010

I Distinctly Said Beef . . .

JANUSFILES2 . . . ENTRY #0118 . . . OPEN:


Dinner last night was takeout from Oriental House. My shift started a 4:00 PM, and quite frankly, they were the best option.

There were a few moments when I wasn't even sure that I would be able to get anything. Rush hour started right around 5:00, and once or twice, I was beginning to think that it was going to last right up until I closed at midnight. It wasn't quite that bad, but I still had way too many people coming in after 11:00. (The fewer people that come in after that time, the better. Call it a combination of paranoia, and a desire to start getting ready to close as soon as possible.)

It was somewhere around 8:00 PM before I could finally get a couple of minutes to lock up, walk over to Oriental House, and place my order.

I decided to try one of the few lunch specials that I hadn't tried yet. This special is listed on the menu as "Hunan Chicken Or Beef," and I think one of the reasons I hadn't tried it was because it's also listed as hot and spicy.

I already had my order in mind before I walked over to Oriental House. I told them I wanted Hunan Beef, no green peppers, mild spice. I paid, and they said that they would bring it over in a few minutes.

When they brought my order, I discovered that they didn't quite get it right. Instead of beef, I had Hunan chicken. They did get everything else right. Not too spicy, and definitely no green peppers. Next time, I will have to be certain to say that I want the beef.

And of course, there was the fortune cookie at the end. The fortune in this cookie read as follows:

"Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter."

JANUSFILES2 . . . ENTRY #0118 . . . CLOSE

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Just Keep Thinking That

JANUSFILES2 . . . ENTGRY #0117 . . . OPEN:


Monday night, I got takeout from Oriental House. This was one of those nights when the choice was planned, rather than being the fallback option. As is usually the case, there was an hour overlap in the schedule. I waited until 10 minutes or so before Hale left to walk over and place my order. I was a little surprised when they brought it over as quickly as they did.

I ordered the bourbon chicken lunch special Monday night. I like the dish, but sometimes I find that the sauce can be just a little too sweet. This was one of those times. When I mixed my fried rice with the remaining sauce, I needed some soy sauce to cut the sweetness just a little. A packet of the hot mustard that Chinese restaurants usually provide would have done the job even better, but they forgot to include one with this order.

Even with the possible over-sweetness, the food was still good. And at the end of the meal was the fortune cookie, with this fortune:

"You will lead a rich and successful life."

Yes, it would be nice if that particular fortune came true. I guess I just have to keep thinking positive thoughts while waiting for the right opportunity to come along.

JANUSFILES2 . . . ENTGRY #0117 . . . CLOSE