I Am Not A Foodie

I love to eat, there is no question there. I really, really love a good dish of food. I have an Italian grandmother…food is in my blood!

But I will never claim to be a foodie. I don’t know enough or try enough to be one.

Nor am I snobby about what I eat. Not that all foodies are snobby, I happen to know a few very delightful foodies. ::coughEmilycough::

My non-snobbishness brings me to my next point-

I am currently in Richmond, KY at my family’s house awaiting my return to Louisville, KY. Richmond is not known for having excellent or diverse food options.

Our McDonald’s was recently renovated…it looks nice.

There are a couple food joints that are strangely excellent, though. One restaurant I favor in particular is Thai Smile, run by a local Thai family. It’s located in a strip mall next to a Pizza Hut, Mexican grocery, LA Nails and Printing Shop.

It was at Thai Smile that I had my first plate of Pad Thai. Let me tell you…my life was changed. It was so delicious, perfectly spicy (though you can choose anywhere from, 1-mild to 5-very hot, in spiciness) and the chicken was excellent. It was one of the best things I had ever eaten, no joke!

Not to mention the service there. I somehow manage to have the same waiter every time, and he’s one of the nicest people. Of course, I’m never able to finish a whole plate of Pad Thai and have to get it to go, and he chastises me every time.

“What, you don’t like Pad Thai?”

“No, I love it! And now I get to have it for lunch tomorrow.”

“Why can’t you ever finish?”

“I don’t know! I’m sorry!”

Sometimes when I come home, the restaurant won’t even be open. The family that owns it takes vacations back home pretty often. It’s a rarity for me to be home, and Thai Smile be open too.

So, I’ve been living in Louisville for a few years now and have been able to try a few Thai places. But somehow, their Pad Thai just doesn’t measure up to Thai Smile’s. I don’t know why, I don’t know how, but somehow a small, Richmond, Ky Thai joint is better than anywhere else I’ve been to.

If you ever have to make a pit stop in Richmond, I strongly suggest making your way to Thai Smile. Pad Thai isn’t the only thing they do well…it’s all delicious.

And I tell you what. There is nothing better than leftover Pad Thai for an afternoon snack.

Mammoth Cave to Louisville to Home

Sorry for the gap in posts, I’ve been realxing at home now that our whirlwind roadtrip has come to an end. But I have more to tell yet!

Our most anticipated stop of our Spring Break roadtrip was to Mammoth Cave in Kentucky. For those not familiar, Mammoth Cave is the world’s longest cave system and really dang cool. I had never been before, which is out of the ordinary for somene who has lived in Kentucky for over 17 years.

Mammoth Cave is moderatley priced, which us college kids absolutley loved. The tour we went on was called The Frozen Niagra and cost a mere $10. Not bad, right? The tour took about half an hour and was very relaxed. The guide showed us every kind of formation the cave has to offer…and it was BEAUTIFUL!

On your way out of Mammoth Cave you must stop in Cave City. It’s the kitchy-est thing I’ve ever seen, and I loved it. If you have a special affinity for rocks, like I do, Mike’s Rock Shop is your dream store. Also, Dinosaur World may sound tempting and exotic, but you might want to wait for the warmer months…we just opted for a quick stop in the gift shop.

After Mammoth Cave our next big adventure was getting back to Louisville. Not too difficult since we know the way pretty well. However, we decided to be tourists in our own city. If the weather had been warmer we were going to walk around downtown because it’s absolutely beautiful. Sadly, it was a bit too chilly for that so we stopped into Glassworks to see what they had going on.

Glassworks is a blown-glass gallery in downtown Louisville, and the art they produce is mind blowing. They offer self-guided tours around the gallery and studio for $4.50 per person, but they also have a Walk-in-Workshop. For a range of prices YOU can be the artist and make fusion glass pieces all by yourself! I chose to make a pendant for a reasonable $19 and I cannot wait to see it. They fire it in a kiln and you can pick up your little beauty when it’s done.

We spent the rest of the evening in Louisville at a friend’s house eating ice cream, watching movies, playing Guitar Hero and just realxing. It was perfect. The next day we all went our seperate ways to our respective home towns. This puts me in Richmond, KY where I am left to do some homework and fill out applications.

After all is said and done, I greatly enjoyed my Spring Break trip(s). The company was excellent, Kentucky was fun and cheap and it was all pretty much worry free. I highly reccommend a tour around your home state once in awhile. It’s certainly eye opening!