Sunday, November 23, 2008

I Love Austin

Last night txrad and I went to a dinner party with some friends and after a little much-deserved pleasurable indulgence I brought up the subject of Arlo Guthrie. I guess because Thanksgiving is coming up and I am, if nothing else, a man of tradition when it comes to his Thanksgiving feast.

I was blown away when it became clear that no one among the six of us adults knew Arlo Guthrie or Alice's Restaurant except me and txrad.

I'm not sure if it was the discussion or the pleasurable indulgence, or a combination of both, but when I woke up this morning I was craving an Indian thali. We jumped the gun by four days and went to Swad for lunch. There was no Arlo Guthrie on the radio. But there was some weird Indian rap music playing at the restaurant. And we were seated near a group of orange-robed Buddhist monks who began chanting softly after they finished their meal.

I wish the vast majority of Americans had the benefit of experiencing life in a vibrant and multi-cultural city. (Going to lunch at a McDonald's staffed largely by people whose native tongue is Spanish doesn't count for much in the multi-cultural arena.)

Our lunch experience today, from the atmosphere and ambience, to the medicinal aspects of the spices used in the cuisine, was simply sublime.

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