One for Lunch

DH and I discovered "Gia Como's Italian Cuisine" in McAlester, Oklahoma, several years ago and always made it a point to eat there when we were in the area (501 S George Nigh Expy, McAlester, OK).
I "discovered" it again today when I saw "cheap" gas and stopped to fill up while there was a break in the rain. I looked forward to a good meal and sorting through a few good memories at the same time.

DH and I had always enjoyed our stops here. It is a busy restaurant and, although the staff is a bit harried, they are amiable. A pleasant level of cheerful chatter amidst the clatter of china and utensils, lends a happy atmosphere to this traditional restaurant, well-attended by locals and travelers.

The food was very good and still plentiful enough to serve me for two meals. I ordered the Chicken Florentine served over steamed spinach. All meals come with salad, bread, an "antipasto plate" (this one consisted of 4 pickled peppers), a huge meatball, 2 huge ravioli, and a large plate of spaghetti with "special sauce."  The meal was delicious and appeared to be all home made. I just wish I had carried my book in to read while I waited.

For some reason (the tables had not been cleaned after the initial lunch rush?), the staff was not able to seat me in either of the dining areas which were partially filled with amiably chattering patrons. I was escorted to another room where nine rectangular tables were lined up in two rows, with a center aisle. Each table was set for 6-8 people. I was placed at a small round table set for three and situated at the top of the room where, if it had been a meeting, I could have easily directed the proceedings in the room. The two unneeded place settings at my table were cleared. I was utterly alone in this large room.

I waited with my glass of water and a menu, finally deciding that I would leave at a predetermined period of waiting if I had not been attended. Just before the time expired, a server wandered in to gather some take out boxes and, with some surprise, asked if I had been forgotten.
"I was just wondering the same thing," I answered.
She reappeared a moment later to take my order. I was served in due time, and the bill was left on the table.

I finished my meal, helped myself to a couple of take out boxes from the stash on the shelf, and readied myself to go. I paid my bill and left. The food was good. My memories were tainted.

With the increase in single travelers, it would be nice if people dining alone were offered the opportunity to share a table with others who were dining alone and would like company. A convivial table where people could come and go and enjoy some conversation, if desired. It would also prevent one person from taking up a seating for several. Almost anything would be better than dining alone in a room prepared for 100.

From the Memory Box - Trips to Oklahoma

Drawn from the Memory Box:

Trips to Oklahoma
Blue Lady
Yellow Dot
Running around the car at roadside parks
Welch's soda

My parents lived in Oklahoma for several years, about an 8 hour drive from our house after we moved back to the U.S. Eight hours can be a daunting time with three young children, but we made the trip 2-3 times each year to visit them.

"It is so much easier for you to come visit us that for us to drive down to visit you," my mother said.

"For whom?" I answered, but she had moved on.

After the fourth child arrived, we could no longer fit everyone into our little, blue Volvo. We had to take two cars. This meant I could no longer catch up on my sleep all the way to Oklahoma; I had to drive. I drove the blue Volvo station wagon; DH drove the yellow Datsun pick-up. Loaded to the gills, we began our journey, DS in the yellow truck with his dad, the three girls in the blue car with me.

CB's (Citizen Band Radios) were the rage at this time and fit our purposes exactly. We had a radio for each car which made it relatively easy to keep one another informed and made sure we remained together during the trip. Talking on the CB required the use of a different language, at least in concept. It was difficult for us to transmit over the radio because we knew there was a whole world out there just listening. We were such neophytes and the strange codes of the airway were foreign to us. Nevertheless, if we wanted to communicate, we had to join in.

First, we coined our "handles," the names by which we would be known on the air. On past trips, listening to the CB to monitor traffic, weather, locations of the "Fuzz" (police), and just to while the miles away, we would attempt to match the "handles" to the cars and trucks sharing the road. I don't think it would have been difficult to match us up to our "handles" - "Blue Lady" for me in the blue station wagon and "Yellow Dot" for DH in the yellow Datsun. Not really innovative but adequate for our purposes.

Since the baby, DD#3, was still nursing every three hours, we added that time onto our travels - potty stops, gas stops, feeding stops, and one meal stop. We made a concentrated effort to combine some of the activities, but the eight hour trip morphed into 12 hours. As the children became more and more restless, I decided they needed to run off some energy. Every time they became too unruly, we stopped and made them run laps around the cars. I started with 10 laps. If they were still feisty and energetic, I added more. I don't know if it was terribly effective but it made me feel better and I got a brief rest.

I had to ask DD about the Welch's soda because I didn't remember it since they were seldom allowed to have soda or sugared drinks. She said I would buy Welch's fruit juice and water it down so the four of them could share it as a treat. That sounds like something I would do and probably accounts for the fact that they all water down their children's fruit juice now.

We all enjoyed our visits to the ranch in Oklahoma, where the children could run free and not get into too much trouble. Over the years we traveled the roads many times, later allowing the older children to invite their friends. One year a teen age girl from Italy who stayed with us for a while, put the trip into perspective. She had lived in the Lake Como region of Italy all her life so even travel out of town would be a relatively short distance. Three hours into our journey to Oklahoma, I heard her quietly ask "Does the road never end?"

Indeed, the road does, but the journey does not.

Memory Box - Travel & T.V.

From the Memory Box:

Remember when we went to Colorado in the van? We had the black & white T.V. that would run for two hours on a battery and the four of us watched Kramer vs Kramer. At the end of the show, (DD#1) had to keep flipping the switch to get a bit of a charge so that she could see who starred in the show. How in the world did we get reception, speeding down the highway?

It was a 15 passenger van. We thought it would provide enough room for four children that we would not have any problems. NOT! However, one of the bench seats in the middle of the van could be flipped around so two of the bench seats could face each other. A table could then be pulled up, attached to the wall of the van on one side and rested on one leg on the other side.

The T.V. was portable, very small, and had only a black and white picture. It could be plugged in to an electrical outlet or run on its battery. Although the battery did not last long, the novelty of it did make the trip a bit easier for a couple of hours.

Another way I maintained a couple of hours camaraderie, but it only worked one time, was when I told the children we would be going through snow.
"Keep your eyes open," I said, "you will miss it if you aren't being observant."
The exercise kept everyone's attention for quite a while, even though they were sceptical and kept asking when they would see it. Finally, I pointed out to them, as we sailed past in the car, the little green sign on the side of the road that said "Snow."
They tried to argue, but I was adamant that we had gone through a small town named Snow. Therefore, we had gone through Snow.