I like to think I have a pretty diverse palate. There is very little I absolutely won’t eat, but there are plenty of cuisines that just don’t tickle my taste buds.

Folks get all excited about the Cajun and Creole cuisine New Orleans way, but it just does zip for me. That’s why I didn’t go out of my way to find any when I was in Louisiana. The spices don’t do anything for me, I can’t digest green peppers, and okra makes me gag. I also have a hard time with deep fried foods and anything cooked with a lot of grease. Once in a while is fine, but I’d rather have sushi. 🙂 I know I give off the impression that I have a poor diet and eat lots of junk food, but the fact is that I balance the not so good stuff I eat out by eating very well at home.

Anyway, so now I’m in Texas. And in Texas they eat what I know as ‘Tex-Mex’ food but which they call ‘Mexican.’ I don’t think I could ever get enough of Tex-Mex. I could probably eat fajitas every day at a different location and not get sick of them. When I was in Scotland, I ate a veggie burger almost every day because they were ubiquitous and I never had two the same. I should do a similar exercise with fajitas while I’m here!

The fajitas I had today actually weren’t quite as good as those at the Lone Star Texas Grill in Ottawa, which I’m sure is blasphemy. But they were otherwise the best I have eaten anywhere else. Fresh tortillas, lightly seasoned chicken, toothsome shrimps, loads of grilled onion (my favourite part), and great mix ins that included beans, rice, pico de gallo and guacamole. I didn’t think I’d be hungry enough to touch my leftovers tonight, but I found room for a small one for dinner and have enough left for a nice lunch tomorrow!

Today, I was taught how to eat jalapeños, which is about time! Oh, I have consumed them before, in salsa and nachos and such, but it was always with trepidation because I don’t like hot stuff. A bit of heat is fine, but searing off my taste buds seems pointless to me. Anyway, I learned that if I remove the seeds from the peppers, they are very tasty! I have been advised to try poblanos as well. I know I’ve had those before, but I can’t remember in what context. I suspect I will be less afraid of hot peppers by the time I leave Texas if I end up eating out a lot here.

And the same goes for avocados. I’ve never had any use for them (I’ll eat them, no problem, I just don’t see what the fuss is all about), but I think it’s just because I’ve never had a truly fresh one made up into real good guacamole. Quick, I need a distraction so I don’t go raid the fridge!

The damage to my RV windshield start with a small star that spread into a crack that threatened to cover the entire windshield. It’s another total repair job. But it didn’t need to be and I may have saved it. Travel, time, and weather variances will tell.

The first lesson I’ve learned is to carry a windshield repair kit. I’ve known about these for ages, but thought that they were gimmicks or required more talent than I possess.

If I had one of those on hand when the rock hit, I could have pulled over immediately and dealt with the damage when it was just a star. I followed the instructions on the kit to the letter and the result looks much better than a professional chip and crack repair I had done on my car! The star is gone, but the crack is still faint. The professional repair looked worse and held until the car was totaled, so I’m feeling rather optimistic right now.

The second lesson is to put tape on the damage if you can’t fit it right away. I know, it sounds crazy. But it was suggested to me and with the crack growing longer by the day and the repair kit being in the mail, I figured I had nothing more to lose. I put a piece of packing tape over the damage, putting the edge of the tape flush against the end of the crack so I’d know if it got worse. Nope.

I tried to get pictures of the repair, but you really can’t see anything.

Appendage crossing commences!