So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
1 Corinthians 10:31
One of the fun things about going away on vacation is the, shall we say, “lax” rules when it comes to eating. You know, the whole balanced diet thing goes out the window. It’s more like “There are no calories on vacation!” Then you come back and “pay the piper” so to speak but it’s all worth it.
Here, then, are a few of the food highlights. Not included, I might add, are any of the many meals I cooked at our wonderful Airbnb. This collection of photographs is all stuff we otherwise wouldn’t be ordering or eating. You know, the good stuff!
First, I have to give a shout out to “The Bird’s Nest” gastropub in Florence, South Carolina. Apart from the location’s willingness to accommodate Max Retriever, The Bird’s Nest has great staff and serves excellent sandwiches.
Another of my favorite relaxing dining experiences was the daily al fresco breakfasts we had, with the children, on the wide wrap-around porch at our Airbnb on the bayou.
Shoot, even Waffle House makes the list! The children had a wonderful time stopping there for a new experience, the servers were genuinely nice, and the waffles truly are amazing!
McGuire’s Irish Pub:
But the number one culinary highlight had to be the “world famous” McGuire’s Irish Pub in Pensacola. We enjoyed the ambiance and the food when we lived there, and the restaurant has only gotten better over time.
This was the big ten-year-old birthday lunch treat for Beks. You know, “The big one-oh.“
Back in the 1970’s, McGuires started the tradition of letting people staple dollar bills to the wall with messages to mark the occasion, such as, “Our 20th Anniversary…” “You can take this job and —-..” or “Happy birthday to me…” or “leaving Pensacola after 14 amazing years….”
The dollar bill collection, to date, has now reached more than three million. Wow! Make that three million and three, as we added dollar bills of our own.
Maybe the best thing about being a foodie on vacation is sharing meals we wouldn’t typically prepare ourselves. It’s pretty much my number one rule for eating out: “If I can cook this at home, and do it well, why would I pay four times the amount to have it in a restaurant?” So I tend to order things outside of my own repertoire.
So, “Bon Appétit”, friends. Cheers. Good food and good travels. – DEREK
