Day 14 - Temporary Things

Today's lunch at the restaurant was almost a complete bust.  I called the restaurant Monday to ask about gluten-free items.  The first sign we chose poorly was the response, "What is gluten-free?"  After I explained, I was told items would be available on Thursday.  When we asked for gluten-free items today, the waitress left and returned with our second sign - a torn scrap of paper, with pencil writing here and there so we had to turn it to read it.   Third sign (sigh) was when I asked if the Prix Fixe lunch could switch two items from the salad choice instead of the dessert or potato but the response was a curt "NO substitutions".  Remaining choices were spartan. The grilled chicken breast -chicken sandwich - no bun ($9)  was served with no sides - not even a bit of lettuce, though usually accompanied by chips or french fries.  Grilled veggies were ordered at price of $5, tho after a complaint about $14 for dry, overly seasoned chicken and small vegetable portion, the price was reduced a few dollars.  My meal came with mashed potatoes and dessert which I gave to someone else  (remember no substitutions) and the cake was tasted and uneaten - too dry.

My soup was okay and the chicken was better once I "fixed it up" for dinner.  Conclusion is I will not be back at Bentleys, and would not recommend it - especially for those who are gluten free.

This all seems so trivial in light of the disaster in Haiti.  We have received email from missionary friends there saying most are uninjured and sustained some but not major damage to their homes.  They are sleeping outside in the driveway as it is hard to know if their homes were compromised in the earthquake.  Thinking about all they are enduring and will be experiencing just to find food and water, makes all this talk of good food/bad food and restaurants seem like something God wouldn't care about or want to hear about - it seems unbalanced.  But God does find my everyday life worthy as an offering.

 Romans 12:1 from the Message says it well: "So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering."  A while back, I would have been angry at myself for today's almost-bust, and focused on where I could have gone, what else I could have spent the money on, and missed out on the opportunity to offer each day's experience as an offering.  It's hard to fathom that God cares about such little details.  Biblical offerings are always more about the heart attitude than the act (remember the Pharisees). So - besides my good friends I conversed with today, I'm thankful that God is removing that over-the-shoulder syndrome from me and for this good food:

Breakfast:  Finally tried out a Christmas gift - Pancake Puff (also known as Abelskiever) pan.  Hard to get the temp right, but I'm sure the next batches will be prettier, still these were delicious.
Gluten Free Pancake Puffs, stuffed with banana chunks and a dab of agave nectar.  Healthier version of a Hawaiian breakfast (chunks of banannas dipped in pancake batter and deep fried). Of course those were served with Mahi Mahi.  I should have had more protein...

Lunch: Creamy Sweet Pepper Soup, part of chicken breast, broccolli.  So glad there were mushrooms.  I just love mushrooms :)


Dinner:  Washed the spice off the remaining chicken from lunch, steamed and cut in cubes. Mixed with 2 parts Mean Jean's Orange Poppy-Seed Mustard to 1 part mayonnaise.  Served in cut tomato, and topped with brocolli sprouts, with Baked Blue Corn Chips