Grocery tours [Thursday 26]

Went to couch at 12 in the evening, asleep at 12.30.

We got back home from our journey at 9.30. Roommate PK was back from his VA holidays trip, and friend-of-the-house ND was around too, so we got caught up with them, their holidays, their friends and families and all the different ways Nepalis of different areas and statuses and professions spend their Christmastimes. It was so much fun, and funny and honestly it's embarrassing to admit but I missed the old crowd. so glad roommate PK is back and things will be going back to normal-ish in the foreseeable future. It's possible it was just the long lonely 'wfh' days that caused me the gloom, it was mostly ameliorated by TD being around, but now PK around so everything is aok commander etcetera.

We got to BBC (Boston Burger Company) at 7.45 in the evening. I've been to the place on three occasions, that I can remember of anyway, and the three of them have been important in their own ways. The first time it was the first day of general orientation (or was it just the classes) in my freshmen year with my floormates, I remember a couple of guys getting the 'jumbo' which is an insanely large and unhealthy burger that I was very impressed with. The second time it was the first day before I left for my solo trip across the U.S, I remember posting it here (or maybe it was a different blog who cares really I didn't really post much from that trip anyway, ahh something I need to get back to doing really), I had the Burger out in the open all by myself and had such a good time so eager for my new trip new experiences and the whole new world that was to open in front of me. And the third time it was yesterday with TD, and again it'd be accurate to say I'm at the precipice of something different, beginnings and endings and it could mark the beginning of another phase in my life. The delineations aren't clear obviously but these three memorable trips to that burger place have defined the direction for the following years.

Back to the place. It has a really reddish vibe, there's football on all their televisions, their clientele is quite diverse (in other ways if not necessarily racially so) and they are quite vegetarian-friendly. Their choice of burgers is massive, and I'd really get the 420 burger which you can only get for 40 minutes every day for 4.20. It doesn't have the meat patty which for a lot of us is actually a good thing. TD ordered a basic burger with an egg on top, I ordered some burger with lots of crunchy fried things inside, and ohh wasabi mayonnaise what a wonderful concept. The wasabi cuts into the fattiness of the burger so well it's a surprise it's not a more common additive...honestly it's not really wasabi but horseradish sauce, what a great combo still. The veggie patty was quite good, the burger was a bit too big for me, I devoured it and savored it. The 'chips' that come with the burgers aren't that great really, soggy and unevenly salted would avoid them the next time, but apparently their 'Inferno' fries are quite good. TD, the European person that she has become couldn't put the entirety of the burger into her mouth so she ate the burger with a fork and a spoon. Crime, I tell ya, it's a CRIME! At $40 bucks for 2 people, including a quite generous tip and a beer for one, it was one heck of a deal.

Reached Harvard at 5.30, and strolled around the square for a short while...the point wasn't to check the square out but to go to the river and so we did. We walked by the banks of the Charles for four bridges until we got to the one close to Central. There we were deciding if we wanted to going or change our plan when I remembered there was a Whole Foods nearby. A chance at another grocery store that's not in Europe or Sg! So we went to the Whole Foods in Cambridge and checked out every tiny aisle of it. Interesting fact, the prepared section food at Whole Foods is cheaper the one at Wegman's by a whole dollar per pound. Unclear what it says about either place, thought that was interesting. TD really enjoyed the place and figures when she's back again she might buy a few items there as gifts to friends back home.

From the Whole Foods we walked to Central Square where I suddenly(! nope, planned) realized that there's an H-Mart in there too. So we went in there and spent maybe another 20 minutes exploring it and every nook and corner of it. Nothing new that I discovered there, but TD felt really at home apparently because that's how all asian stores look everywhere unlike in Europe where everything is shrink-wrapped in plastic wrapping they let their fruits and veggies breatheee. Fun times. Took the T to Davis after being confused by the entrance/exit for a few times fortunately TD who was paying attention to what I was saying took us the right way.

We left my apartment at 2.30 abouts despite the original plan of 1.30 because things got delayed and I spent a long while writing those long letters. So I thought for a couple of days I was out of postcards but I found them so now everything's great and fine and dandy. Walked to Davis, saw there were so many more people than the christmas day that life exists in Davis too, took the Red line to dtx, spent some time at Primark which TD went to a lot in Holland too, walked about the food court, went to TJMAXX (which is apparently called TKMAXX in parts of Europe haaah), walked the 'boulevard' from DTX to Chinatown, then took the train to my work where I collected couple of things I need for the weekend, spent more time chilling at work, decided to go to Harvard Square and walk the river before finally taking the Green Line and then the Red line.

Got up at 8.30 ish in the morning, got ready, had a banana each, and went on a walk. It was cold outside but we dressed up well, walked all the way to Trader Joe's at Assembly which is like a 20-minute walk maybe a little more. Spend an hour in their got a bunch of supplies and got back home to make breakfast of scrambled eggs and bread with fruits. Had moogicha with the breakfast, after which TD rested for a bit while I got caught up on the writings for the day. Worked out about then too. Planned to leave for Downtown at 1.30 but ended up happening a bit later.