Hi, every Friday my friend Colleen and I, Doreen, try to go on a new adventure in the state of New Jersey. We try to find new restaurants and things to try. You are welcome to come along.
This Friday we played Overcooked! We beat two levels too! We beat one of my favorite levels but somehow we didn’t manage to beat Colleen’s favorite level…..hmmm. Seems suspicious to me. We only needed two points to beat the level and we only managed to tie.
When I was a little girl, the policeman would drive down my street in the afternoon. I would wait for him to come, so I could wave hi. He was my friend. When I got older, I went to the shore with some friends. A guy who was obviously drunk, screamed, “pigs” when the policeman drove by. The policeman stopped his car. “What did you say to me?” the cop said. The drunk man screamed “pig” again. The policeman got out of his car, handcuffed the man and proceeded to beat him. That day I realized the police were not my friend.
It feels like some police think that they are law rather than uphold the law. It makes me wonder what makes someone become a police officer. Do they dream of being a hero or do they want power over others? Do they want respect or fear? I know it’s not an easy job. Every day there is a chance you won’t come home. Every day you see the worst of humanity. I’m not sure what the answers are to weed the bad cops from the good. I just wish I could go back to the day when I was a little girl waving at the policeman because he was my friend.
Overcooked, Overcooked, Overcooked and more Overcooked!
Each Friday we have made progress. On the 9th we finally beat the 1-3 level with three stars. We were stuck on that level since we began. So many times we almost had the last dish to push us over the star limit. We only needed maybe, a second or two. The next week, was really fun because we got to play all the levels. We either topped or tied the previous time we played. At some levels we only played once or twice. They seemed new all over again. The next Friday, we are stuck again on the next level that we need three stars, but there are a couple I’m sure we will beat. Again, we only need a second or two. We have the plate in hand and are just about to put it on the conveyor. Sigh….so close.
My printer story:
I only print something once or twice a year. I always have to buy ink, because it has dried out. I replace the ink and try to print. It only printed in yellow. I clean the printer heads. Again it only prints in yellow. I clean the printer heads and nozzle. It only prints in yellow. I take the ink out of the printer and take a damp paper towel and clean where the ink is. I replace the ink. Prints in yellow. I clean printer heads, nozzle, and run printer alignment. Finally, it prints in other colors! Yeah! I print two pages and now it won’t print because it’s out of yellow ink. Ugh!
The weather is getting nicer and the virus is starting to go away. It is time for us to start exploring again, but I really don’t want to stop playing Overcooked. I am slowly starting to get over my fear of seeing strangers and worrying about getting sick from them. I wonder how long it will take to feel comfortable again. I want to get the vaccine before I start to explore again. I guess we will play Overcooked until then. It will be interesting to see what restaurants have survived and what haven’t. I think maybe we will start by going to our favorite places. I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.
We have played Overcooked all month. You would think we would be tired of the game, but it feels like we are just getting started. Most games, I find in the beginning, leave you with a sense of wonder, everything is new and exciting. What is over here? How does this work? Overcooked feels to me like it only gets better over time. At first, it was just confusion, but now it feels like we are starting to figure it out. We play the levels where we have two stars and try to improve on them Many levels we are close to getting three stars. We just need one more menu item or one less failure. Colleen tends to get better the more we play, where I tend to lose focus. The best chance for success is when we can meet in the middle.
I am grumpy. I have been locked up for too long. My interaction with the outside world consists mostly with driving. Driving in New Jersey is not fun. There are a few stretches of road where you can just drive. People often cut you off or drive like idiots. I find myself grumbling a lot. I want to see the good side of people. I want to go out and see something I haven’t seen before or taste the food I haven’t tasted before. I want to explore. I can’t because the coronavirus is getting worse here. I was hoping the virus would be getting better with the warmer air. I am not sure why the virus is getting worse. I think people are letting their guard down. Often I see groups of teenagers with no masks outside talking. A lot of the restrictions have lightened up. It could be getting worse because different strains of the virus have made it to the USA. They say the European strain is 70 – 100% more contagious, but I haven’t heard what makes it more contagious and what can we do to safeguard ourselves. I think we are relying on the vaccine too much. I guess I will just have to wait longer.
We played Overcooked again! So much fun. This week we played with the gamepad. I find it much easier. I learned to game on the PlayStation and I feel like I have much more control in the game. It is much easier for me to go diagonal. I know eventually, I could learn the keyboard, but in the meantime, I cannot do as well. So we went back to levels where we had two stars and tried to improve. We get so close, and its seconds within our grasp. I don’t find it frustrating though. It feels like we can get there.
I started playing with my daughter on the Playstation. It was how we bonded. You can get invested in the game. You can become part of the game. You are there making decisions often, that affect different dialogues and even game endings. I remember one game that my daughter and I both played. It was the ending, we were sitting on the bed. I started crying. I looked at my daughter and she was crying too. Then we started laughing at each other for crying. It was one of the best memories I have of her growing up.
The game and everything have been working for us! It’s amazing to have it work for so long. Usually, there are a few hours it just refuses to work. We are having fun playing and are working together again. It takes a little while to get our rhythm back when we first start playing. We now try to get two stars on the levels we like, which is most of them. I think there is one where we didn’t want to try, our ideas were just too different for the level. It’s funny how when you first start something, it seems an impossible task, but as you go on it gets so much easier. I always think we will never be able to do this and Colleen will say yes we can. So we try and a few tries later we have improved so much. Then it usually doesn’t take long for that second star.
For me, I found that it seems it takes me longer to learn something in the beginning. I remember when I first started cooking in real life, some dishes took me all day to prepare. Now when I do them, they take a few minutes. I wonder why it took so long. I take my time and try to learn each step thoroughly. Once I learn though, I can become quick at it. Other people pick up things quickly, but their work may not be the best.
I think we are getting better at the game. It doesn’t take us as long to get to two stars. There was one par,t I think Colleen thought I got disconnected. My character wasn’t moving. I just was laughing so hard. I saw the setup and I was thinking this is a bit difficult but doable. Then smack, out came the obstacle. I don’t want to give too much away in case you want to play the game. This game makes me laugh so hard sometimes 🙂
9/11 caused us to change the way things were done. What will this pandemic cause us to change? Will we always have to wear masks? I doubt shaking hands will come back into fashion. It probably wasn’t a good idea in the first place. Hand sanitizing will become normal after going anywhere? Will things be spaced out more? Will restaurants change the way they do business? I can see more family-type meals included in takeout. More people are working from home. I think that will stay. Will children have no more snow days? I wonder too if all these measures stay, will we get sick ever again? If some disease figures out a way to get past the defenses, will our immune systems know how to fight it off? I guess change is inevitable. The outcomes of these changes are unknown.
This Friday we played Overcooked. We are having a lot of fun playing the game. There was a level that I thought, “this isn’t going to be so bad. Maybe this is our reward for getting this far in the game.” Ummm…..no it was not a reward. Just when I thought this is doable, then chaos strikes! You just never know what it is going to throw at you. It’s what makes the game so fun, the randomness of it all.
Fridays I leave everything behind. I don’t worry about anything but having fun. It feels good to give the brain a rest from stress. For a couple of hours, I just enjoy myself. The worries try to creep in, but I tell myself these couple of hours are not going to solve anything. I can worry when it’s over. I think that is what people miss the most, spending time with friends and forgetting about life for a little bit.
We are now trying to improve on the rounds we like with at least two stars and getting one star on the ones we don’t. So far it is only one round, we have skipped over. I don’t know why though, people come to our restaurant. We drop food on the floor….extra seasoning? We burn things…..charbroil flavoring? We use the same boards to chop meat and vegetables…..free e coli? We are very bad at designing kitchens….. a free example of what not to do? We have rats…..animal shelter? We can only afford two dishes on which to serve our food….bringing the community together? I can only imagine what the game holds for us next.
I watched the storming of the Capitol. It left me with more questions than answers. What was the goal? Did they not expect to get in? I would think that breaking into any building, be it someone’s house or the Capitol, that there was a good chance I would be shot. It seemed planned, but not? Why did not reinforcements come quicker? I would think that no matter if the president did something or not, there would be a way for help to come. What is to stop foreigners from slowly entering this country and storming the Capitol, but with a more deadly outcome?
Colleen is the best! Colleen is the best! Did I mention Colleen is the best? She went to 618 and got me Short Rib Ravioli, Grandma’s meatballs and she had them make me Angry Shrimp and Grits!
She dropped off the food, so we could eat lunch, sort of together. Well……ummm….by the time she got home I sort of, ate almost all of it. I couldn’t wait. It’s been almost a year since I had them. We then tried to play Overcooked and again it did not want to work. We played We Were Here instead. A fun game, but not as much as Overcooked.
My list of the favorite restaurants for 2020:
10. Spike’s Fish Market: I don’t think I enjoyed it as much as I would have because it was the start of the Coronavirus. I kept worrying about getting infected. The seafood though tasted fresh.
9. Cuzin’s : The seafood is fresh and the service is excellent. I asked for extra tartar sauce and the waiter came back with cupfuls.
8. Yardville Inn: A historic restaurant that served people like Annie Oakley. The restaurant could use a bit of a remodel, but keep the historic charm. The food is very good.
7. Keyport Fishery: A favorite of mine for many years. I remember when it would take an hour to place your order and then around 15 minutes for it to be done. Things are much better now, with Covid you place your order by phone and they call you when it’s done.
6. Turning Point: I don’t think I’ve ever had a bad dish at the Turning Point. Some I enjoy more than others, though. The ingredients are always fresh, love the fresh-squeezed orange juice.
Tuna melt from the year before. I don’t think it has returned to the menu yet.
5. Fiddleheads: I always feel like it’s an adventure when I go here. So many interesting combinations of food.
4. Spanish Tavern: I just love this place. You feel welcomed. They have a man walking around with a pot of soup that serves you after your order. The atmosphere is excellent and comfortable without being stuffy. The food is excellent.
3. Aunt Butchie’s: I drive by here almost every day. During the beginning of the corona, I would think of how warm and comforting it would be to have a bowl of their Chicken Tortellini soup. I can’t eat just plain chicken soup anymore.
2. 618: I still love their food. One of the best restaurants I have ever indulged in. I want to try other dishes, but when I go all I can think of is what I would miss if I ordered something else.
Liberty House: it has replaced 618 as number one. Colleen took me here for my birthday last year. It was so good. I had the pasta. The pasta was so light and sauce was scrumptious. I ate it all and I never eat it all easily. I can eat it all at 618, but the last two raviolis are a bit hard to finish. This pasta I easily ate it all. For months after I could still taste it.
This Friday we played one of our favorite games Overcooked 🙂 We went on to the third part and we did not work well together. Colleen wanted to do it only her way and I wanted to do it only mine. While she wasn’t paying attention I switched to the next part. To despite me, she started putting only rolls on the plates. I said fine and worked on the hamburgers. We ended up getting a really high score! It broke the ice and we tried to better our score. The mad round was our high score. Colleen would like it if we get three stars but now we settle for two. If we get stuck, we can go back to the lower parts and they should seem easier, I hope. I’m just glad that the game worked the whole time.
Colleen’s list for the top ten restaurants of 2020:
Honorable mentions: Turning Point, Molino’s, and Shake Shack for giving a tasty reprieve from the Corona Virus when it was badly needed.
10. Tommy’s Tavern: best pizza. Delicious toppings over a crisp barely existent crust.
9. Aunt Butchie’s: Chicken Tortellini Soup and Chicken dishes never disappoint.
8. Fiddlehead’s unique combinations of ingredients, not seen in other restaurants.
7. Yardville Inn: something about the coziness of this place. Don’t miss the crab cakes.
6. Cuzin’s Seafood Restuarant: good quality of food and service. Lobster Bisque Soup is an item not to be missed.
5. Spanish Tavern: quality of food and service superb. Especially enjoyed soup and Day Boat Scallops Spanish Tavern Style.
4. 618: Can’t beat their meatballs and Short Rib Ravioli. Also, memories of other years’ Angry Shrimp and Grits. (They offer both the angry shrimp and grits, but not together anymore. I really wish they were together, it’s a winning combination!)
3. Costa Verde: gets the number three spot for having the most flavorful paella against which all other paellas are measured.
2. Liberty House: gets the number two spot for the combination of ambiance, service, and quality of food.
Shady Maple Smorgasbord: gets the number one spot for variety and quality of food.
Friday is Funday 
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