It's Always About The Food.

I've been in the tri-state area visiting friends and family since I disembarked the Autotrain. With that always comes a nostalgic tour of food. Of course it's the people that make your hometown home, but the food and smells are the things that spark the true nostalgia. Yes, I *will* ask you to drive to another beach town so I can get Mack & Manco's pizza. I know it's Manco & Manco now, but I will not conform to that nonsense, it will always be Mack & Manco's to me, don't @ me. This Gen-Xer has conformed enough.

A Haiku for Pizza

That bubbly hot cheese.

That perfect river of sauce.

That thin, crispy crust.

-Chris McDonough

August 2022

I let the nostalgia train roll as well as the dice and barring a possible stomach ache later I still stopped at Kohr Bros for a vanilla soft serve cone with chocolate jimmies. The 'sprinkles' community need not reply. These jawns are jimmies.

It was such a perfect day to be on the OCNJ boardwalk, sunny, 70s, and no humidity. My Florida heart was soaring.

Philly soft pretzels, the one and only. I barely made it out of the shop with the warm bag before I dug in. Correction, I did not make it out of the shop. I took one out, hit it with the good mustard, and took a big ol' chomp before even getting to my car which was mere steps from the door. Oh, freshly baked carbs, how I love thee.

I didn't get picture of everything though. My mom, who somehow makes the most amazing meatballs and sauce, made a batch for my arrival on Monday. One of my favorite meals on earth. Shout out to the Clarks who had me for dinner on Tuesday and especially Tom who made two of my favorites from his repertoire for my arrival - Boy Scout potatoes and his stromboli. Leslie Shea Bloom, we may have been drinking Folgers for all I know, but coffee and good company always warm my heart. And Holly, of course, who cheers'd me with a bottle of Veuve, my hydration of choice. Cheers, y'all!

xoxo

iamfunchris