Monday Meanderings - 10.10.2011

As noted, Chuy's North Lamar location (the one closest to us) celebrated 25 years of business at that location. I confess that we didn't start eating there until it had been open a couple of years. Rob insisted we try it and order the Chuychanga with queso sauce and a multi-decade tradition was born. Thanks, Bro.

One of the retro dishes offered during the anniversary celebration was Rajas con queso y crema. It's a low-calorie appetizer consisting of a steaming bowl of chiles, onions, Oaxaco cheese and heavy cream. Dip tortillas in it, or pour it on your tacos al carbon.  Thought it was pretty good last Monday night. Thought it was even better on Wednesday. Considered enjoying it again on Thursday, along with the free dulce de leche anniversary cake.

Driving through an industrial park on the way to the Post Office the other morning, a good-sized coyote trotted across the street in front of us. We have heard coyotes howling for as long as we have lived here - the Pioneer Farm and an undeveloped wooded area is less than half a mile east of us - but we've never seen one strolling across a busy street.

In recent months, two acquaintances from Fran's have passed away. I'm sure it's not the food.

The Austin chapter of the Wall Street protesters staged their own demonstration at City Hall last Thursday. When we moved here, protests and demonstrations were the order of the day; Vietnam War, boycott table grapes, anti-busing, you name it. And through the years protests have been part of the fabric of this city. Just as this town is very adept when it comes to staging street celebrations or marathons or craft fairs, they also know how to stage a little protest or two.

Last week, a small group of protesters actually went down to City Hall early to rehearse and to touch base with the Chief of Police about where they were going to stand, or not stand, and what they were going to do and not do. Seems inordinately civil for a civil disturbance, but the Occupy Austin group got their protest on TV and nobody had their head cracked or got hauled off to jail. I do wonder, however, what would have happened if the streets in Austin were paved in those really-handy-to-pick-up-and-throw stones that the streets in Europe are paved with.

On the news the other night there was one of those stories about a huge hive of bees that had settled in some poor soul's house, but the local apiarist saved the day and took the bees away to "be rehabilitated." Which got me to wondering what "bee rehabilitation" consists of. "All right you bees, fall in and listen up! Buzzy! Drop and give me 2,000! I can't hear you!"