Anyone hungry?

The first time I climbed a mountain, I had no idea what I was in for. The adult in charge of the group of young adults of which I was a part was less than communicative and didn't have lots of common sense, so he did not give us any information regarding what we might need for the trek up the tallest mountain in Maine -- a 13-mile hike that would take us all day long (although we didn't know those little details). The only words of wisdom that he imparted came when we stopped at a convenience store on our way to the trailhead that morning. He mentioned in passing that we may want to grab a drink and some snacks to take with us. I don't remember exactly what I bought for sustenance, but I do remember that it wasn't much.

Needless to say, the hike down and back to the vehicle was a hungry one. I'd consumed everything that I had bought before leaving the peak. If you've ever climbed a mountain, you know that hiking makes you very, very hungry. We each burned around 3,000 calories that day, and only took in about 1,000. On the hike out, my friends and I were so hungry, we started naming foods that we wanted to eat, which only made our predicament more unbearable. With each food listed, we all groaned and "ooooo'ed" and "aaahh'ed." Why we tortured ourselves that way, I do not know; but we kept it up for most of the final 5 miles. (When we all got off the mountain, we went to Subway. I ate 2 foot-long sandwiches.)

Last weekend while hiking back from the castle on the mountains above Zanavi Village, I was reminded of this scenario. It was raining and cold, and our group was a bit hungry. Mattias mentioned how great it would be to have pancakes when we got back to the house. (There are no pancakes in Georgia.) I stopped dead in my tracks...... "Ooooooo, pancakes!" I've missed pancakes. Nothing ever sounded so good.

Although the food in Georgia is good and I live with an incredible cook, there are foods that I am really, really looking forward to eating again. And just to torture myself like I did coming off of Mt. Katahdin, I will list them and "ooooo" and "aaaah" at each one. It's been over 7 months since I've had any of these things....

Pancakes

Blueberry pancakes

Blueberry pancakes with real maple syrup

A bagel with cream cheese

Quesedillas

Chips and salsa

Cheese enchiladas with mole

Broccoli and olive pizza

Spring greens with goat cheese

Lasagne

Mac and cheese

Grilled portobello mushrooms

Triscuits with cheddar cheese

Biscuits with jam

Corn chowder

Home fries drenched in Tabasco

Granola with soy milk

Good coffee

Spinach quiche with feta

Curried kale with chickpeas and tomatoes

Sauteed summer squash with escarole and pine nuts

Spaghetti with fresh pesto



Yeah. That will just about do it.

Anyone hungry?