I hadn’t intended to write about the food this weekend, but the fantabulous Jen Christopherson asked, and I obey!
We stayed at The Galt House. Now, when I tell you that, you might think, “Wow! Bet she had some glorious feasts there! They have, like, WAY fancy restaurants at The Galt House!” Substitute the word “expensive” for the word “fancy”, and then guess whether or not I ate at any of them.
Right.
Now, since my room mates, T. Lee Harris and Ginny Fleming, also members of the Southern Indiana Writers and of Hydra Publications, and I are veterans of conventions, we took our own food. Since the GH is accustomed to booze hounds, there was a fridge in the room. Since it’s accustomed to big spenders, there was not a microwave. So we et, but we et cold.
T made and sliced a beautiful beef brisket (delicious cold) and brought a side of the mushrooms and onions she cooked with it (not so nice cold). She also brought a lovely gluten-free pasta salad made with brown rice pasta. She brought some coffee concentrate which we could top off with hot water from my electric kettle.
Ginny brought much tea and coffee bags, so we never had to go without caffeine, chocolate, and, as she said, “Cheeeeeese, Grommit!”
I also brought chocolate and coffee (do you notice a kind of little pattern here? Hmmm?), cheese, chicken stewed with onions and marsala wine, fresh dill pickles, homemade mayonnaise, and ladoo, which I’m posting about today at Fatal Foodies.
The Fest had no Hospitality Suite with free snacks and sodas, which most sf/fantasy conventions have, at least for the panelists, nor did the Convention Center. Our exhibition hall, where we sold our books, was so far from our room, we couldn’t go back to eat during the day, so had to forage in the Convention Center. For a place named YUM!, the food was singularly meh.
T and I did get very nice salads at one little stand, though, at a price we could bear. And there was a café actually IN the exhibition hall that had the Best. Fries. Ever. They must have fried them in lard or something, because they were absolute heaven: pillowy soft on the inside, crunchy on the outside, and never got soggy right to the end. I suspect witchcraft was involved.
After all the meat and cheese I had this weekend, I was actually very glad to have cereal and veg all day today. I never thought I would MISS veg, but I’ve reached that point. 🙂
Oh, and this: Best reason for not buying my books: “I’m spending all my money on bourbon.” Excuse ACCEPTED.
Tomorrow, here there be pictures.
A WRITING PROMPT FOR YOU: A character has to figure out how to eat when the food around him/her is too expensive.
MA
Tony Acree
July 30, 2013 at 11:14pmThank the good Lord for the husband of one of the authors at the Hydra Publications table for picking up food for us outside the convention, allowing me to eat a Greek salad two days running. Oh. And the ice cream sandwiches outside the exhibit hall were the best value around.
Marian Allen
July 31, 2013 at 7:46amThat was Mimi’s husband. Mine wouldn’t have been caught dead, alive, undead, half-dead, or back from the dead in a crowd like that.
Jen Christopherson
July 30, 2013 at 11:32amOoh! I love it when I go to a potluck (a dinner where everyone brings something!) I rarely eat my own food! Although, I must say, I am not much of a cheese eater. I may have overspent for other food to avoid the cheese! 😀
Ooh! The french fries sound dreamy! I used to like McDonalds fries, then they changed them to suit the ones who don’t eat meat and now, IMHO, they suck! So, I get my own bag of fries in the freezer dept and put my own meat juice in the deep fat fryer and make my own! 😀 Have you had fries with ranch dressing on them? Ooh! So yummy!
Oh! Thank you for the food review! I wanna go to a convention so bad I can taste it! (Pun intended :-D)
Marian Allen
July 30, 2013 at 3:51pmI would be a cheese snob if I could afford it. Really good cheese is … really good. Gosh, I have a way with words, don’t I? 😉
I have had fried with ranch dressing, actually, and I love it! Chili cheese fries… ~slobber~ lol
There’s probably a convention close to you. Some vendors go to a different con every weekend of the year!
Jane
July 30, 2013 at 8:15amDear Marian,
How did you get to the Convention Center from the Galt House?
Heh, heh, imagine the Galt House as destination dining. The only place worth visiting is the Rivue (Or whatevfer there’re calling in these days) up in the revolving restaurant with the great view of the river etc. “Will you have dramamine with those fries?”
BTW, any Con without a hospitality suite just sucks. Where di people gather when they just wanted to hang out and talk? Oh, wait–the BAR! Whew, you can tell I haven’t been anywhere in a while, eh?
Welcome back. Tell us everything!
Marian Allen
July 30, 2013 at 8:28amI’ll have to hurry, before blessed selective memory blocks out the horror THE HORROR.
Marian Allen
July 30, 2013 at 8:28amBTW, how do you get to Carnegie Hall?
Jane
July 31, 2013 at 11:29amWALK???
Marian Allen
July 31, 2013 at 11:32amOh, now, Jane, you know the answer! 🙂
Jane
August 1, 2013 at 9:37amOh yeah. PRACTICE walking. 😉
Carol Preflatish
July 30, 2013 at 7:10amI definitely feel for you, Marian. That place is not all its cracked up to be. I always said my claim to fame was that in high school I got thrown out of the Galt House. It’s something I was always proud of and to this day, still am. It’s a long story that I’ll have to post on my blog some day. 🙂
Marian Allen
July 30, 2013 at 8:27amOoo, I am SO looking forward to hearing that! T said, “We’re lucky they scheduled the con when they did. Next week, they install the metered oxygen.” heh
Red Tash
July 30, 2013 at 7:08amConsider the cookery of these ladies vouched for! I would rather eat with SIW than at the Galt House ANY day!!!
Marian Allen
July 30, 2013 at 8:25amWhy, thank ya kindly, ma’am! 🙂 We’re better when we’re hot, though. …Let me rephrase that…