My Big Fat Greek Dinner

Imaginary calorie counting. What does that mean? It means I ate a smart breakfast, no lunch, and a smart afternoon snack in preparation for the zero calorie Greek dinner I was going to partake in with my friends. Can you see where imagination would have to be employed?

We celebrated Kathy's, her sister Cindi's and Jeff's birthdays at The Acropolis Greek Taverna. It was one of the most fun dinners I have ever had. We seated 11 people which meant that I had to agree to taverna or family style dining for a set price (excluding alcohol) when I made our reservations. They brought us a little bit of everything from appetizer to desserts to share. Our table was covered from one end to the other of the following courses:

1. Greek salad
2. Saganaki (cheese flambe)
3. Spanakopita (spinach pie)
4. Four Mediterranean dips with pita bread (cucumber, eggplant, hummus, salmon)
5. Fried smelt (fish)
6. Calamari (fried squid)
7. Grouper (fish) over veggies
8. Beef and Chicken Kebabs
9. Lamb and Orzo
10. Plates of desserts
11. * and during hedonistic delight in consuming the obscenely delicious food you could order drinks like cola, water, tea, regular coffee and/or specialty coffees included in the price. Most of us had alcohol in addition and the mixed drinks were fabulous! I had a Kamikaze.
    

The atmosphere was definitely for fun. There was live entertainment with a musician, the waitstaff dancing arm in arm like a weaving centipede around the tables at different moments, belly dancing and birthday music sang in a Greek techno dance theme several times. It got loud with the Opa!(s), the clapping during the belly dance and general din of the crowd.

Paper napkins tossed are all over the place by the staff. OPA!


Dan got tagged. There are more pictures of him dancing with the belly dancer, but we won't go there. It was great!


Just another course...


Almost got too full for this...I said almost!



This was worth it all. We were laughing, drinking, eating and more laughing for almost four hours. I would love to do it again!



Oddly enough: My old friend Sam from high school sent me a note from classmates.com this afternoon. I am so pleased he wrote me. He is full blooded Greek. His summers were spent in Greece and he would come back sporting a dark golden color. Sam still lives in Wyoming and is a power lifter. Now if only our other pal John would contact me, we could have our trio back. Through Sam, I learned how to drink ouzo and enjoy my first real Greek food. I remember laughing a lot in class and outside of class when he was around. If he's reading this: I also remember what you and John gave me for my 18th birthday (or was that graduation?). Let's just say it could give quite the buzz.
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My Big Fat Greek Dinner

How's Your Shimmy?

My first and important order of business was to get my boss to scan a "goal" pic for me. This was very much overdue. I should have had it in December. It is from an old Chico's advertisement. I saw her and the picture clicked. No, I am not dyeing my hair back, but I would like to have my clavicles back in full force. Almost sick to say, huh? I can't be too thin though like my goal pic. Women should have curves: natural or if need be..man made. Most of the men I've met like for their eyes to follow dips, hills, and valleys. If not, they might as well look at men. That's my job.

Bridget forgot her gym bag and quite frankly she was tired from the weekend and moving yesterday. I worked out anyway and this time noticed more people during my time which is around 11:20am-11:30am. I told Bridget that there were more girls where usually we are well outnumbered by hunky men. She asked if they were nice and I said yes. They smiled at me. You know, us girls, we're catty and judgmental in a gym. It is just built in and an 'evil gym truth'.

The mailman delivered the belly dancing* and arm exercise DVDs I ordered. The belly dance one has more routine combinations. Woo hoo! Now I can really get my shimmy on. Ha! I need to get another one that demonstrates the finger cymbals (or zils) so I can use one of the two sets I have better. I love the sound they make. My girlies know that I fondly call them My Shing-Shings...Reviewed the belly dancing DVD tonight and the DVD on focusing on the arms. I need to get some resistance bands (think rubber tubing with handles at the end) tomorrow for it. I need a variety of activities so that boredom doesn't set in as it had started to lately. Meanwhile, time to shimmy!


*Belly dancing is one of the requirements of being a goddess of any kind. Why aren't you dancing then?
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How's Your Shimmy?