Category friendships

Not second best — The Best!

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Here for the wedding!

Here for the wedding!

The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel movie made our day! My friends Arceli, Shalni and I made plans a week ahead to take in this movie and to do it in style – authentic Indian style, that is!

We discussed our options of what to wear; decided when and where to meet and marked our calendars. We decided to dress as if we were going to the wedding in the movie – Fun!

Sunday afternoon seemed to be the perfect time so we met up at the local ShowBiz Cinema. We were excited to see what each of us had decided to wear and were greeted at the ticket booth with, “Where did you get your outfits,” and “We love your outfits.”

So we laughed and sighed and cheered for the characters and enjoyed the movie immensely. In fact, we left the theater with plans to eat nearby, ready to talk more about the movie. The Three Foodies (that’s what we call ourselves) ate at Oriental Gardens, and drank two pots of tea, which was just enough to get us through our evening.

The Three Foodies enjoying food, tea and conversation at Oriental Gardens after the movie.

The Three Foodies enjoying food, tea and conversation at Oriental Gardens after the movie.

We arrived at the restaurant at 4 p.m. and stayed until the restaurant closed around 9:30. I guess we didn’t realize how much we had to talk about and reminisce. Now that’s a lot of catching up! We were hungry, the food was good, and we had the best time talking for five hours, laughing and sharing our life’s journeys. I guess this movie just puts you in that kind of mood.

Some of my favorite quotes from the movie are by Sonny:

“It’s the teamwork that makes a dream work.”

“Failure to prepare is preparing to fail.”

“Instinct is the nose of the mind.”

“Coincidence is just a word for when we cannot see the bigger picture.” And my very favorite quotes are, “Sometimes it seems the difference between what we want and what we fear is the width of an eyelash,” said by Evelyn. And Muriel said she had heard someone say, “There is no present like the time.”

We’d like to properly thank Oriental Gardens in Kingwood, Texas, for giving us our table for most of the evening. For location and more information visit http://orientalgardensrestaurant.com/.

If you haven’t seen The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel movie, visit their Facebook page and website:  http://thesecondbestexoticmarigoldhotel.com/

Here’s hoping all your journeys are happy ones, and remember there’s no present like the time!

Trilla

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Antiquing in Livingston with the Three Foodies

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Fun Americana Day!

The Three Foodies take in the Courthouse Whistle Stop

The Three Foodies take in the Courthouse Whistle Stop

Three friends, each from different countries and culture, yet we came together in friendship to share our love of food, life and the good ol’ USA.

After our previous daytrip outings to sample Indian cuisine at Bombay Sizzler in Spring, Texas, and Filipino food from Sarap Pinoy Restaurant in Humble, Texas, the Three Foodies were up for some local East Texas fare. We may be in what people consider the southwest, but there’s plenty of southern cooking going on here, too!

So we set the date, and off to Livingston we went. In less than one hour we were shopping at Downtown Treasures Antiques, while waiting to have a leisurely lunch next door at the Courthouse Whistle Stop!

The Courthouse Whistle Stop is aptly named, as it sits directly across the street from the Polk County Courthouse in Livingston, and the railroad passes by the courthouse, as well. Their serving dishes are vintage plates and saucers, none of them matching, which lends to a very down-home, country feel.

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From the menu, I ordered the southern-style appetizers for our group, such as fried green tomatoes, fried okra and jalapeno poppers. For our meals, each ordered a different dish, including chicken and dressing (a casserole recipe), grilled chicken sandwich, chicken tenders and chicken Alfredo. Yes, we ate lots of chicken! But the appetizers were what set the stage! We talked about old movies, such as “Fried Green Tomatoes” and “Steel Magnolias.”

The view from our table inside the Courthouse Whistle Stop

The view from our table inside the Courthouse Whistle Stop

Joining us for lunch was a good friend from Onalaska, Nita. My vehicle was full of donations that were delivered to Nita to benefit a favorite local Onalaska charity, Kids’ Free Clothing Exchange (KFCE), which serves the clothing needs of struggling families from seven surrounding counties. So, today was a good day all around!

After lunch, the Three Foodies explored enticing antique stores along Highway 59-S to look for more “treasures.” We found trinkets, gems and more at Junk in the Trunk, West Lake Antiques  and Antiques and More Consignor’s Mall. Arceli found a treasure — a sterling silver blue topaz ring, and for a very reasonable price. I had to drive back a few days later to buy the framed Egyptian papyrus that I spotted that day and should have bought, but didn’t. These things often happen when you’re antiquing or flea-market shopping. It’s all part of the adventure!

Looking for treasures at Antiques and More Consignor's Mall

Looking for treasures at Antiques and More Consignor’s Mall

On our way back, we stopped for dessert at the Happy Days Diner on S-59 at Shepherd. We were hoping for pie, but found cobbler instead! Arceli and I tried two: pecan cobbler and the blackberry one! Both were toppled with soft-serve ice cream! Shalni stuck with the ice cream.

Shalni and Arceli are happy at Happy Days Diner in Shepherd, Texas.

Shalni and Arceli are happy at Happy Days Diner in Shepherd, Texas.

 

Another full day of shopping, fun, food and friendship! Now, we’re thinking about where to go next. Shalni wants to take us for more Indian food in Houston – shopping, too, of course!

 

Can’t wait!