Balance of Food

I seem to make lousy food choices on vacation. I had in my mind to eat better than normal -- at least normal by traveling standards. There were certain meals that had to be done: ribs at Montgomery Inn and 4-way chili at Skyline. I would have had 5-way, but I'm not much into beans (the other 4 ways are chili, spaghetti, onion, and cheese). But there were choices made by stress and tension (yes, even on vacation). Two meals went not as well based on going against my hunch, or having my hunch thwarted. I even drooled over a Brazilian steakhouse that wouldn't have appealed to my vacation partner. I had one smart moment. I ate lunch at the Cincinnati Zoo. I needed a semi-normal meal. I wanted to find a place near the zoo to have "real" food, but trust me, not a lot around the zoo. I felt like I was destined for chicken fingers. The signs in the food hut pointed to baskets. Meat, fries in a basket. I was not encouraged. Then I saw hidden down below. Sandwiches. One with black forest ham and real lettuce. Yes, with fries in a basket and a pickle. But I still felt pretty good about that pick. And one golden moment. I've been a fan of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. We were driving back on I-65. I knew Lafayette and West Lafayette were the best shot for food. As we got closer, I remembered there was a place in West Lafayette from that show. But I could not remember the name of the place. So I figured we'd drive into town, find a good spot, and ask. My vacation partner was a little skeptical, but also willing to go for it. I asked the guy at the service station nonchalantly that we were trying to find a place to eat but I didn't know the name. Then sheepishly, I noted that I had seen it on the Food Network. "Oh, yeah. The Triple X." So that was the name. His directions were excellent, which was good since it was the first time driving through West Lafayette. This place was cool, and even if it was fast food, it was fresh, well-prepared, and yummy. I even indulged in a XXX root beer, knowing they made it with sugar, not HFCS. Very good. Difficult to get a good root beer with sugar. Yes, vacations are good for making bad choices for food. As long as I score a few victories, I guess it would even out.