dear dallas (mostly, pregnant women in dallas),

do you have any idea how lucky you are to have so many yummy eateries at every corner? do you? i said, DO YOU!!!???!!!!

when i was pregnant with conrad( i won't even bother mentioning the countless, tittering on gazillions, of times i wasn't pregnant and none the less) i l-o-n-g-e-d for the number two at allgood, the pulled chicken casserole from chuys, the queso at los lupes, sushi from blue fish, a chicago dog from harry's hot dogs, a burger and milkshake from jakes, the chef salad at tabc, oh and i could go on and on. the cravings would swell up in me, making me unable to focus on simple tasks like being content, or, making meals myself.

unequivocally, the hardest aspect of adjusting to life in medford, oregon hasn't been coping with the long and rainy winters, or that the closest buffalo exchange is a couple hundred miles away, or that culture here is non-existent, or even that there are some days where the only social interaction i receive is from the bank teller or the cashier at target. no. those have not been the most challenging obstacles i've had to deal with, what is-is the UTTER lack of good/mediocre restaurants that exist in this valley. *with the exception of the sushi restaurant jon and i stumbled upon two weeks ago. that place kicked ass.* i honestly didn't think places like this valley i call Home existed in this world. i was clueless. i assumed everywhere had at least a FEW good restaurants, or dives, or cafes. but a complete wash?!? seemed impossible to imagine. then i moved here and was pregnant and the cravings began; i dreamed of huevos rancheros and pancakes, of barbeque and fried okra, of queso, rivers of velvety queso!, of cheesecake factory and of fireside pies.

jon and i would head out on friday nights and saturday mornings trying new, recommended places, but they were all terribly sub-par, and for the asked price, we felt like we were being rapped in the ass. still, we've perservered. and there have been moments of redemption: morning glory out in ashland does make a tasty breakfast, though if it were a tad cheaper, i feel it would be more just for what their serving; and then there is roadhouse grill, which has a decent tri-tip, though i venture to assume, if the same tri-tip were served somewhere in dallas, one might enjoy it though never think about it again. and of course, the sushi restaurant wasabi, a hole in the wall, that when jon and i visited was so jam packed those who had to wait had to wait outside. wasabi is actually a sushi bar that would thrive in dallas or any city for that matter: the rolls were TASTY, and fresh, and most importantly, completely worth every penny.

but today i'm not craving sushi, or steak. today i WANT a clubhouse sandwich with a side of salty fries.

but where? i'll answer myself: No Where!!! it's hopeless, and i must get it through that head of mine it's not going to happen. just like the days where all i want is good bbq that...don't happen, and the days where desert from La Duni would make my entire world...don't happen, this too, won't happen.

so hear me dallas, and go eat out!