Bluegrass and BBQ in the District

One thing I've missed about the South?  BBQ

I have been missing my Whitts, Big Bob Gibson's, Dreamland and Jim 'N Nick's like crazy--  but, now Hill Country Barbecue Market in Penn Quarter has filled my BBQ void. (http://www.hillcountrywdc.com/)

The place has that "trying to be country" look, but I won't hold it against them.  The concept is really unique.  When you walk into the restaurant you are in the bar area.  The actual dining room is roped off behind the bar area.  When it's time for you to be seated at a table you are taken into the dining area and given a card with the entire menu on it.  The tables are set up to where you can eat at a table with people you don't know-- sort of cafeteria style.  Or, if you are a large enough group you can all sit at the same table.  

The waiter takes your drink order, writes it on your card, and sends you on your way to the food area. In the food area there is a butcher section, a "sides" section and a desserts section.  You get to pick out the meat, sides and desserts you want and they mark off what you got on your card.  I've been where there is a huge line in the food area and I've been when it was just a couple of people.  

The portions are MASSIVE, so sharing everything is a great way to try out all the different food.  I've tried the ribs, pulled chicken, Kreuz sausage (jalapeño cheese and regular), and the moist and lean brisket.  For the sides, I've tried the green bean casserole, mac & cheese, collard greens, corn pudding, sweet potato bourbon mash and the baked beans.  For dessert I've tried the peanut butter and jelly cupcake, the banana pudding and the bread pudding.  ----  I recommend everything!!  

My favorites would have to be the sausage, green bean casserole, mac & cheese, corn pudding and the banana pudding.  So, basically everything on the menu. 

They also serve Blue Bell Ice Cream (vanilla, strawberry, chocolate.)  This is apparently a huge deal to everyone here because they have never had it before. --I know, hilarious right?  My friends are addicted to this ice cream now and almost died when I told them that there is a creamery in Alabama and that it is in every flavor in every grocery store in the entire state of Alabama.  And that yes, there were more flavors than vanilla, strawberry and chocolate.  

There is also live music downstairs in the basement bar.  I had not heard bluegrass or live country music since I've been here and it was good to feel at home again.  People don't usually dance to live bands in bars the way they do down South (my boyfriend had never really heard of fraternity "band parties," which are a staples on game weekends, in bars, and even at high school sorority parties.  Oh how I miss you Alabama culture) and I got all nostalgic at the bar and started missing the bars back home.  A few older couples (much older, like 60) started dancing and I was dying  to get out there and start dancing.  The only annoying part is that there isn't an actual dance floor-- you just have to dance to the sides of the stage and off to the side of the tables.  Next time I'm either going to teach my guy friends how to dance to that kind of music, or I'm going to borrow one of those 60-year- old's husbands.  

The drinks are also amazing.  They had a bunch of bourbon specials, which the boys loved, and a bunch of mixed drinks to choose from.  My favorite was their spin on a Firefly and Lemonade, which was delicious.  

Ski and Snowboard Sale!

I've come a long way since my first snowboarding/skiing experience of falling down Brice Mountain.  With multiple ski trips under my belt, I'm loving skiing and living in an area where slopes are just an hour or so away.  I am happy to say I bought my first pair of skis, boots and poles!

Ski Chalet in Chantilly, VA is having a great 30% off sale (off the lowest price) and my boyfriend and I took full advantage of it.  Ski Chalet is known for their ski/board rentals and their big sale that takes place in September, but I think we made out with the better bargain.  During their September sale, the store takes a look at their inventory and puts all of the items that they have an abundance of on sale to get ready for the new season.  With this Spring Sale, the entire store is 30% off and you get one-on-one attention and advice from a personal sales consultant.

I just told the lady at the store a little bit about myself as a skier and she picked out the exact skis and boots that were best for me.  I ended up getting the 2011 Elan Snow Magic Skis with 9.0 TMD bindings (perfect for the beginner/intermediate skier) and 2011 Tecnica Women's Viva M8 Ski Boots.

I did price comparisons of the skis and boots online and let's just say, I made out like a bandit.  We went to the Ski Chalet in Chantilly, but there is also a store in Gaithersburg and one opening up in Seven Corners in the Fall.  You can also order online, but the staff was extremely knowledgeable and were a great part of the experience so I would suggest going to the store.   

Not your typical spa day..

My first trip to a Korean spa started out like any other spa day.  I paid for my spa services, signed in, got a key to a locker in the locker room...and then came the orange spa-provided uniform and the 50 or so naked women.

Ok, I'll start from the beginning.  While trying to figure out what to do last Sunday my boyfriend suggested checking out this place he saw on Groupon called Spa World.  It's a Korean spa out in Centreville, VA, about 20 minutes away.  We looked at the website and it seemed really awesome. ( www.spaworldusa.com )  It boasted all of these different Poultice rooms and a massive pool area with jets, jacuzzis, waterfalls and saunas-- all for a $35 general admission.  The general admission gets you up to 24 consecutive hours worth of spa use as well.  We went to Yelp and read all of the reviews of the place.  It had great reviews, but mentioned  the fact that nakedness in the pool area was mandatory.  Well, we took a couple of hours to decide if we wanted to go and decided it would be worth it despite the awkward naked part.  (Thanks in part to the fact that I wasn't having a "I feel fat" day.)

When you get there you pay the general admission fee and sign up for any spa services you want (or you can sign up later) and then they give you a uniform -of a thick karate uniform style material- consisting of a short sleeved shirt and shorts.  Women wore orange uniforms, men wore yellow uniforms and children wore bright orange uniforms.  They also give you an electronic key that is attached to a bracelet that is used for your shoe locker and your clothes locker.  The key is also waterproof so you can get in the pool with it and it is used as as sort of a credit card if you want to purchase food or spa services.  

First you open your shoe locker out in the entry way and put your shoes in it.  Then you walk barefoot to the men and women's separate locker rooms.  There you can either change into your uniform and head to the unisex common area, or get naked and get in the pool area that is attached to either locker room.  I figured I'd get in the pool first.  My boyfriend opted for the common area.  

So, when I got in the pool area I saw about 10 showers lined up on the wall (with shampoo, soap and conditioner provided), a really big pool area in the middle, two jacuzzis and an ice bath in the back, a massage area on the far right, and this area where women were bathing while sitting on stools.  I found out later from someone I talked to at the spa that the bathing area where women were bathing on little stools is actually a traditionally Asian way to bathe instead of using a shower.  Over to the left was a dry sauna, a wet sauna, a "sunflower shower," and a drying-off area.  There were signs that said you had to shower or bathe before entering the pool, so I did.  I opted for the shower instead of the sitting area.  Then I got in the pool, which is called a Bade pool.  It was really relaxing and had waterfalls and jets in different areas around the pool.  After about 30 minutes of the Bade pool and jacuzzi I went to change into my uniform and head to the unisex common area.

The unisex common area has a large open space in the middle with mats on the ground, televisions on the wall, a juice bar off to the side and a small restaurant. This is also where all of the Poultice rooms are.  There are 7 Poultice rooms with descriptions of what they are supposed to do to you:  

In the rooms there are little wooden blocks for you to lay your head on or softer "pillows."  You can use these to lay down in the rooms or sit with your legs crossed.  Each room had an electronic thermometer on top of the door that told you how hot or cold the room was.  I liked to go into a few hot rooms and get a good sweat on and then cool down in the Ice Room.  

After checking out a few rooms we took a break and had a smoothie from the juice bar.  Then we went back and tried out some more Poultice rooms.  We took another break and ate dinner in the restaurant.  I had a sushi roll and my boyfriend had some sort of soup with beef and noodles.  Both were very good.  Then we decided to get a foot and leg massage.  Off to the sides of the common room were two sets of stairs.  The stairs to the left led to a men's sleeping room, a really wonderful workout room (that I hope to use on my next visit) and an arcade.  On the right was the spa services room where you can get massages in individual rooms, body scrubs, hand and foot massages, manicures, pedicures, waxing, etc.  We both got 30 minute foot massages for $45- tip included.  It was by far the best foot massage I've ever had, and I highly recommend it.  After that we relaxed for a little while longer and then headed home.  We ended up spending about 4 hours at the spa- although next time I'd like to make it an all day event.  It was an awesome experience and I can't wait to go back.  

"Are you even speaking English?"

One thing I have come across while living here is that my normal "Southern expressions" are not so normal here. Here are a few stories of when my boyfriend thought I was speaking another language.

-Not long ago, I asked my boyfriend to "pull the door to" when he came into my room.  He stopped and looked at the door and then shrugged it off.  I asked again, "Pull the door to, please."  Again, a puzzled look.  Once more I said, "Pull the door to!"  He responded, "Pull it to where?? Are you even speaking English??"  Finally I yelled, "Close the door!"

-One time he wanted to use my laptop, but I had already packed it to go on a business trip.  He asked if he could use it and I said, "It's already put up."  He asked again and I said, "I'm sorry, I've already put it up for the trip."  He got a sneaky look on his face and started looking on the top shelves of my closet to see where I "put it up."  I started dying out laughing because I then knew  he didn't know I meant that I had already "put it away."

-Recently he and I were talking about what I was going to do one Saturday.  I said, "Oh, I don't know... I might catch a wild hare and go shopping."  I don't even think he responded with words, only the most puzzled look I've ever seen.  I again knew he had never heard the phrase "catch a wild hare."  This one really confused him.  He could not understand what "catch a wild hare" had to do with "if I'm feeling spontaneous."  

This was hilarious to me, I couldn't believe that he had never heard someone ask him to "pull the door to" or that something had "been put up."  I had to see if it was just him, or if other people had not heard these phrases either.  I asked around my office if anyone had ever heard someone say "pull the door to" instead of "close the door" or the other phrases.  I asked local Northern Virginians as well as people from other cultures.  Apparently, EVERYONE thought I was crazy.

So this got me thinking if other common phrases I've heard in the South were normal here.  I looked up a list of Southern phrases and picked out the ones I've either said before or heard someone else say.  I took a poll and here are some that at least one person had never heard of before:

• I'm as serious as a heart attack
• Meaner than a skunk
• You don't have a dog in this fight  (you don't have any business being there)
• Madder than fire
• Shit or get off the pot  (either do it or forget about it)
• A bit left of center  (a bit odd)
• Sweating like a whore in church
• Pop a squat   (sit down)
• The devil is beating his wife  (when it is raining really hard outside, but the sun is shining)
• I'm just plum tired
• Saying "cut the light off" instead of "turn the light off"
• I'm "fixing to go there" instead of I'm "about to go there"
• I don't know him from a whole in the wall   (I don't know him at all)
• Up shit creek without a paddle   (you are screwed)
• He had a "shit eating grin" on his face   (he had a huge grin, or looked like he did something sneaky)
• Don't "sass" me   (don't talk back to me)
• Drunker than cooter brown   (very drunk)
• You can dish it out, but you can't take it
• You're getting too big for your britches  (acting like a big shot)
• "I have a mind to go do that" instead of "I think I might go do that"
• Dead as a doornail
• "Will you carry me to the store?"  instead of "Will you take me to the store?"
• It's hotter than blue blazes  (it's very hot outside)
• Thicker than thieves  (two people are very close friends)
• She could argue with a fence post  (the person would argue with anyone)
• I'm about to "bust a gut" laughing     (laughing so hard your stomach hurts)

And last, but not least, a phrase I've only heard my Dad and one other friend's family say.. but no one else..

• He looks like Ned and the First Reader   (he looks like a nerd)

Big pizza, Little pizza, French fries

For New Year's Eve I went with a group of about ten people to go skiing at Bryce Resort.  I hadn't heard of the area before, but it ended up being in a great location- only a two hour drive from DC.  I had never been skiing or snowboarding before, so I was really excited to try it out for the first time.  Like many other sports I just decide to pick up out of nowhere (i.e.- racquetball, tennis, golf), I just automatically assume that I'm going to be awesome at it and get on the first try.  So naturally, I decided to rent a snowboard.

I figured I should take a "first time snowboarder's lesson" to learn the basics.  In the lesson they only taught us how to move around with one foot in the board and the other foot in the middle on the "step pad."  I was pretty good at moving around with only one foot locked-in because, of course, I could stop myself with the other foot if I was going to fall.  We practiced walking with the board, boarding down a tiny hill, trying to turn left and right and then boarding down the bunny hill.  The teacher asked if I had any questions and I said, "Yeah, how do I stop?" His response was, "Oh, you won't learn that until after you put both feet in the board."  Great, thanks.

After almost breaking an ankle by trying to stop myself with my foot instead of the board a few times and with only 10 minutes left in the class, my boyfriend decided it was time for me to go down the easiest slope.  We got on the ski lift (after some struggle) and the whole time I was thinking, "What the hell am I getting myself into?"  When we got off of the lift and I fell on my face, I realized that learning to ski with both feet on the board on a massive slope wasn't the greatest idea.  Also, it might have been good to learn how to stop.

We were not even on an incline before I fell again.  I would go for about two feet then fall.  Another foot, then fall.  Another three feet, then fall.  Almost run into a pole, then fall.  I had fallen so much and was almost in tears, that I decided to try to board down the hill with only one foot on the board.  This didn't help either, because I almost broke my leg a few times.  Eventually, I decided to just lay on the mountain and pout.  After a few minutes I took my board off and walked down the mountain.

Time to switch to skis.

This is me falling on the mountain.

This is me laying down on the mountain... watch out other snowboarders, there is a human obstacle on the mountain.

This is me pouting.  Notice the helmet, greatest Costco purchase ever.  It is why I am not currently suffering from a concussion.  

After sulking down the mountain I decided it was time to switch to skis.  I tried the bunny slope a couple times and seemed to be getting the hang of it.  So then again, my boyfriend decides it's time for the easiest slope.  While on his snowboard, he was trying to teach me how to ski down the slope.  It was really hard to understand what he was talking about since he couldn't show me how to do it.  I ended up falling a few times. I got down to the bottom of the slope and fell again.  This is how I got up:

Using my poles to pick myself up.

Trying to untangle myself.

Almost there!

Just a little bit more, then success!  

After deciding that he couldn't teach me how to ski while on a snowboard, my boyfriend decided to switch to skis too.  He would go first, and I would copy everything he did down the mountain.  By the end of the first day I had skied down the entire mountain without falling.  By the end of day two I had gone down multiple slopes without falling and by the last day I had gone down the hardest slope (besides the black diamond) without falling.  Skiing was really easy to pick up after awhile, but I don't think I'll ever get on a snowboard again.  Can't wait for my next ski trip, Colorado maybe?  

 Happy New Year!  

Vietnamese Pho

One thing I love about living here is getting to try all kinds of food that you don't normally see in Alabama, where I'm from.  My boyfriend has been begging me to try Pho with him at Pho 75 next to Ray's Hell Burger in Clarendon, but I've been a little freaked out by it.  After shopping for bicycles last night, we spotted a Vietnamese Pho restaurant and I finally caved.

He ordered a bowl with steak, flank, and tendons.  I stayed on the safe side and ordered the "seafood noodle," hoping it was just a bowl of soup with a bunch of shrimp in it.  When it was brought to the table, I was surprised by how massive the portions were.  They brought our two bowls of Pho and a small plate with basil, lime, bean sprouts and jalapeño peppers.  His was a darker color broth and mine looked like chicken noodle soup broth.  My bowl ended up containing crab-stick, shrimp, squid and some unidentifiable round, white seafood of sorts, which ended up tasting really good.  We also added bean sprouts and some basil.  He added a touch of lime and hot sauce to his.

He also added a lot of the special brown sauce to his, which reminded me of a sort of sweet barbecue sauce.

I really enjoyed the Pho, which ended up tasting like ultra thin spaghetti in miso soup.  I would recommend it, especially if you are not feeling well or it's cold outside and you need a little pick me up. Next time I'll hit up Pho 75, instead of chickening out and eating a Hell Burger instead.   :)

Becoming a professional sports fan

In the south, college football is king.  In Alabama, the biggest question for sports fans is:  Alabama or Auburn?

Many southern states do not have professional sports teams, so therefore, many of us are not very concerned with keeping up with them until the Super Bowl, Stanley Cup, the NBA Championships, etc.  There is only one MLB team around, and most of the south claims them as "their" team-- the Atlanta Braves.  I loved road tripping to Atlanta as a kid and in college to see the Braves play, but I never really considered myself a die hard fan.  Depending on where you are from, you might have a stronger attachment to the Braves and the other Atlanta professional teams.

As for the NFL, depending on where you live, many people cheer for the Tennessee Titans, Atlanta Falcons or the New Orleans Saints.  In Alabama, I know a few friends from Mobile who are die hard Saints fans and some Titans fans in Northern Alabama, but most people are not especially attached to an NFL team like people are in DC and other parts of the country.  It's very interesting to see so many people walk around here in their Redskins, Steelers, Cowboys, Giants and Packers jerseys.  Many times I'll see fans throw on a Caps or Redskins jersey over their business suit on gameday.

Being a professional sports fan is definitely new to me.  When people would ask what my favorite NFL team was, they would look at me like I'm crazy when I told them I didn't have one.  Slowly, I've started to become more of a DC professional sports fan.  I've been to a few Washington Nationals baseball games and had an amazing time.  Granted, they are not the best team, but the Bull Pen is a great place to party-- frozen vodka Redbulls anyone?

I also had the privilege to attend my first Washington Redskins football game after passing out pink breast cancer ribbons during their "Think Pink" game.  I'm really enjoying adding watching the NFL on Sundays to my weekend ritual of watching college football on Saturdays.

One sporting event that I'm dying to attend is a Washington Capitals NHL game.  Until last weekend, I had never even been to a hockey game in my life, let alone an NHL game.  I got to see a Philadelphia Flyers game and I fell in love with hockey!  The greatest part was when two players took off their gloves and helmets and had what looked like a boxing match in the middle of the rink while the refs just stood there and watched.  It wasn't until the two players fell to the ice that the refs decided to step in and break up the fight.  I know, it was awesome!!  

I've also never been to a MLS or NBA game.  I am really looking forward to watching a DC United game.  I'm not the biggest fan of basketball, but it would really be nice to cross going to an NBA game off my list and check out a Washington Wizards game.

It's really exciting to live in a place with so many professional sports teams.  Cheering for the Redskins and other teams around here really gives me a sense of belonging, as well as an attachment to my new home.  Hopefully I'll get to check out the other professional sports teams here in Washington, and start following some new sports-- not just college football.