DF11: My first dinner out

When I arrived home from my fateful trip to Chicago, the first thing waiting to greet me was my beloved Dyson Animal vacuum cleaner-- broken. DC, bless his heart, had attempted to warm up my welcome by vacuuming the sofa cushions in my absence, and the little problem I'd been having with the "on" switch being stuck permanently in the "on" position suddenly turned into being stuck permanently in the "off" position. We tried to get the Dyson repaired. No one has the parts. It's not under warranty since I bought it factory-refurbished. Long story short, I've been without a vacuum cleaner for almost 4 weeks now. My beloved Dyson is defunct. On permanent sick leave.

Normally I vacuum the carpet daily. You can only imagine the horrors I've been enduring as cat fur has literally begun to pile up. The problem is, a new Dyson just is not in the budget right now. So I've been haunting Craig's List, looking for something to tide me over until I can replace my Dyson. Finally, we found a decent deal-- a nice used vacuum for $50. In Angiers. About 45 minutes south of here.

DC and I drove over this evening to pick up my pinch-hitter vacuum. It was a nice drive through some beautiful NC farm country down in Johnston County. The vacuum people were a very nice young couple expecting their first baby. Why are they selling their Bissell Power Trak? Because they just replaced it with a brand new Dyson!!

Anticipating that we would arrive home late, tired, and hungry, I made a few advance preparations for dinner tonight, which was supposed to be a delicious Egg Curry from one of my favorite Indian cookbooks.

However, by the time we had driven to Angier and picked up the vacuum, both of us were starving and exhausted. DC admitted that the only thing he's had to eat today was a bag of Cheetos from the vending machine. (Ahem. I feel compelled to mention there was delicious homemade soup in the fridge for him to take to work--- 2 kinds, even!)

So I knew the time had come. My first dairy-free restaurant meal. Would I be able to hold out against temptation? After some discussion, we decided on Carmen's, a Cuban restaurant near our house. I really had a hankering for the Greek Taverna in our neighborhood, but figured I could get into serious dairy trouble there. So Carmen's it was.

DC ordered the roast pork and I ordered the churrasco steak with chimichurri sauce. Mine came with plantains, red beans, and yellow rice. I was so hungry I am embarrassed to admit I ate every bit of it! It was all wonderful! And nary a dairy-filled item to tempt me, With one exception. I had to turn down one of my favorite things in the world (sniff! sniff!): a slice of Tres Leches cake. In solidarity, DC refused a slice also-- and it's practically his favorite dessert in the world. Isn't he sweet?? Although I guess it's the least he could do, after breaking my vacuum.

So I survived my first DF restaurant meal unscathed-- and I finally have SOMETHING to clean the carpet with besides masking tape!