In order to avoid sitting in restaurants for hours subjected to unpredictable
service, but also avoid preparing our own food, we turned to take away on
several occasions. Although this did not protect us from eccentric staff, it did
mean that we did not have to be exposed to them for long. Plus we could
wear our nighties while we ate, and fart more freely during dinner.
The most curious delivery staff were the man who bought our pizza in
St Augustine - commenting ‘whoever designed this campsite should be shot' -
and the man who bought our pizza in Lafayette – remarking 'to you Brits
"bloody" is not a bad swearword is it? But "f***" is. For us Americans its the
other way round'. We were not really sure how to respond while our pizza-guy
swore repeatedly with a friendly smile, when he started to refer to his 'inside
girl' we were utterly confused and reacted by closing the van door with a quick
good bye. Charm personified.
In terms of the food itself we tried a variety of types, from homemade meatloaf
to freshly cooked lobster. The quality and value for money varied enormously
between restaurants, and not always in direct proportion to each other. For
example Death Valley was one of the most expensive places to eat but the
food was mediocre, whereas the Hour Glass Tavern in New York was one of
our best meals and included a bottle of wine, but hardly broke the bank.
The most consistent aspect of American cuisine is the portion size -
XXXL. We soon learnt that in order to avoid doing an Incredible Hulk to our
clothes we would have to share more food. Often we split starters and/or
puddings, only having one each if we had skipped a meal or when the main
course came with a starter - usually a bowl of soup or a salad. Not that this