ENOUGH with the "looking back, 2013 was a great year because..." nonsense! How are you gonna enjoy the present and look forward to the future when you're busy analyzing the past? Not how I live my life and not how I'll live in 2014. So, instead of drumming up old feelings about past conquests of 2013 (I'm happy to say I've had a few), I'm going to forecast a few marquee events that'll be coming up next year that I'll be looking forward too (and yes, they all will relate to food)!
First things first - NEED TO GO BACK TO DINOSAUR BBQ. This is not a want, this is a NEED. If you've read my last post you know how much I enjoyed my first experience, so naturally I need to revisit the promise land of glorious BBQ. There are more meats and sides on that menu that I NEED to experience so I'm gonna get my ass there sooner rather than later.
Second, I will embark on yet another Fast Food Gauntlet. In my 26 years of life, I have tempted fate three times by attempting a Fast Food Gauntlet and three times I was able to escape with my life and become victorious. The last one, Fast Food Gauntlet 3.0 (with none other than Drew Guarino), was my crowning achievement. It took the original FFG (respect to Craig Valvo and Brian "Fruit Cup at Wendy's" Livingstone) and put it to shame while pushing the limits for the FFG 2.0 (credit to Mike Dekanchuk for finishing with me and Derek Donofrio and Brian Baum for trying, yet failing) past what a normal person can handle. The Fast Food Gauntlet 4.0 will reach even further into the heavens with dreams of grabbing even more glory from the gods. Instead of visiting 7 establishments to dine on the fine foods they offer, we will attempt to visit 8, yes 8 different fast food restaurants and order 2 things from each. I'm no mathematician, but that's 16 fast food items! May God have mercy on my soul and the souls of those brave individuals that dare to tempt fate yet again with me (those brave individuals will be my new Admissions Office at WCSU that'll include, but not limited to Francesca "I can eat a donut in 15 seconds" Testa, Nicki "Double Clap-Pound" Kullberg, Zach "I don't think he knows he's definitely doing this yet" Frangos, and Laura "is this Paleo?" Scaviola).
The third thing I vow to accomplish this year is to build more mac & cheese into my meals. Although delicious on its own, have you ever tried straying from the norm and adding crazy things to your mac & cheese or even adding mac & cheese to whatever you're eating? I remember from my youth that one of my favorite meals was mac & cheese and hot dogs. You might think that's weird, gross, a poor man's meal, or some other derogatory term, but the key word you're missing is delicious. Not sure why, but I love it and love the idea of taking two great things, fusing them together, and making one amazing creation. The year of 2014 will see this cheesy goop of gold enter my stomach at an alarming rate.
Last, but certainly not least, is my general commitment to blog more often. I've let readers down in the past by taking unexpected leaves of absence, but no more! Priorities have been shifted and food/eating has reclaimed its rightful spot at the top! Don't you worry my friends, I'm back and I'm hungrier than ever.
Side note - if I die in 2014 from a heart attack or some other food related death, please bring packages of bacon to my funeral. You might think I'm kidding, but in case I wake up in the casket after being buried I wouldn't mind snacking on some bacon and I've never eaten raw bacon before... always kind of wondered what that would taste like and how my body would react to it.
