Sometimes, you just need a huge wholesome meal to fill not only your stomach but also your heart. The beauty of the classic diner is that you know you are definitely getting more food than you can possibly eat, but you are also getting recipes that have remained a constant for longer than you have been alive. This next spot is a place my wife and I randomly stopped at on our way to Portland, in the city of Medford, Oregon. Punky's Diner and Pies 953 Medford Center Medford, Oregon 97504 Hours: 6:30ish-3:00ish Website: www.punkysdinerandpies.com Ron Swanson once said that people who go to a restaurant and order anything that isn't breakfast are "Morons," and he is totally right. Punky's serves breakfast all day long, and whenever I get the chance to return, I probably won't even look at the lunch menu. Although I'm sure its delicious as well, you can never go wrong with breakfast. Walking into the diner, you instantly feel like you are traveling back in time. With posters of classic car shows, signs for 10 cent sodas, and framed pictures of The Fonz in the bathroom, you know you are going to get a genuine experience. The place had customers at every table so we knew it was probably the right choice. The workers make you feel like you are a part of one big family who is coming together to enjoy some good food and good spirits. On the front of the menu, you get their list of unique ingredients that you will likely never find anywhere else: Ingredients: - Almost 50 years of marriage - Mustard seed of faith - 20+ years experience in the food industry - A ton of planning and work - A loving nickname by a groom to his bride - 13 fantastic grandchildren - A bushel of passion for great tasting pies and the people who eat them - A bevy of townsfolk in need of pies made with love Directions: Mix the first seven ingredients well and sprinkle the last ingredient gently over the top... and you get Punky's Diner and Pies! Before you dive into your food mouth first, please take the time to enjoy the presentation of the plate. Honestly, there isn't even much plate to see because it is covered in like 3 pounds of hot and delicious food. I took the word of the waitress and went with a Family Favorite; The Chicken Fried Steak. It came with chicken fried steak, smothered in homemade sausage gravy (Yes bruh, SAUSAGE GRAVY) 2 eggs, fried red potatoes, and toast. As I make my way through my meal, pretty much just making a mess and mixing all of the foods together like a barbarian, I realize that I didn't even realize I was at a diner. I honestly felt like I was at home, enjoying a real home cooked meal.
As I push through to the end, probably also eating some of my wife's food, I realize that I am still supposed to eat pie. Now I am more than full by this point, I can't even drink my water because I feel like I am going to explode. But as soon as the waitress asked if we had room for pie, of course I said yes because when else am I going to be able to eat pie made from these unique ingredients, especially for breakfast. To the kids out there, as an adult you're allowed to eat whatever you want whenever you want. If you want apple pie with a scoop of ice cream on top at 9 am, then you fucking get it. When the pie arrived, I was somehow no longer full for those 3 minutes that it was at the table. It was the best apple pie I have ever had, hands down. It could be because I was on another level of happiness because I knew I was going to propose to my wife that night, but whatever the case, you need that pie in your life. You need Punky's in your life. If you ever find yourself in Oregon, or you're just passing through on a road trip, you have to stop by and enjoy this throwback experience. We all love the fresh new restaurants that offer things we haven't seen before, but sometimes you just need the classics in your life to remind you to cherish the simple things in life.
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Life is crazy. Time flies. If you blink, you'll miss something. Real eyes realize real lies. There's a million more cliches I can use right now, but I think you get the point. Becoming a real adult with responsibilities and relationships and knowing that every decision you make will effect your future and your children's future is all very stressful and physically and emotionally draining. But as I go through this journey, I've learned a lot about myself, the people around me, and how it is all going to be OK. My wife and I decided to do cloth diapers instead of disposable, and honestly I'm so glad we did. Not only because it is good for the environment, but to me it's just easier. My wife always says that I only like them because they are more absorbent so I can change his diapers less often, thats not true but I let her believe what she wants to believe. This choice that my wife and I made was one we had to make together, because having to wash them and put them back together every time they're clean is a process. Another duty added to the life of parenting, but like in life, most of the things we've done as parents aren't always the easiest but it's needed to create the best life we can for our son. As I sit folding these diapers, about an hour passes by and my phone is "dry" as they say. Now if I was younger than 22 this would probably bother me, but now I don't even realize because I'm too busy taking care of the things I gotta take care of. I've gained and lost a lot of friends over the years, and have even lost touch with some family. When we're in the moment of a friendship, we like to believe that this person is going to be there for life, but most of us know that as time goes on it really just doesn't work that way. Whether it's because of a falling out, a rift, or just two people growing apart, the ending of these relationships is always mutual regardless of how you look at it. We are ultimately responsible for maintaining these relationships, and even if it was something out of your control, we typically choose to move on with our lives and put other people or things ahead of those relationships. As I look back on these relationships I've had, I can now clearly see how as time went on those relationships came to a pause or even an end. And in every instance, I can look at things that bothered me with that person as well as what I could have done to make the situation better. But as I look back on the decisions I've made, I can see why I did them and I'm OK with it. Mostly, because I have to be. Those are the choices I've made and I can't go back. We all have something more important than these relationships, and for me it is the future I'm working towards with my wife and my son. For other people it may be a job, an addiction, another relationship, or other issues that hold them back from making it work. As you're reading this, I'm sure you're thinking about one particular relationship that you wish could have worked out but ultimately didn't. What happens a lot of the time is people feel that they need this person in their life and they do everything they can to keep them there, and if they are that important to you then I encourage you to do whatever you can to keep them. But sometimes, these things just don't work out how we planned. And I promise you, you can live without that relationship. You will find people who accept you in all of your flaws, and you will find people who can't stand your flaws. And that is OK! There has never been a perfect human being to walk this earth, each individual brings different things to the table in relationships. I haven't been the greatest friend to everyone over the years, and I am OK with saying that. I know all of my flaws. But we are who we are, and sometimes our choices to better ourselves ends up leaving other things or relationships behind. We have to continue to move forward, and find people who accept us with our mistakes. We must make time for those who are the most important to us, and your friends and family who stick around are the ones you'll need the most. It is OK to be wrong, it is OK to fuck up, it is OK to move on with life. Keep pushing towards whatever it is that makes you happy, and the right people will find their way to you. Not many I trust... Ima go my own way... My 6th grade teacher was this really old guy who was one of the nicest teachers I ever had, but he was terrible at his job. He let us pretty much do whatever we wanted and then would give us the answers to all the tests and would give us homework and have us do it in class and would also give us the answers to that. So during his lectures, I would have my hood on and spend time listening to my CDs. Yeah bro, on a CD player. Mom didn't let me listen to music with the Parental Advisory sticker, so I had to get my CDs from Way-Mart where they had the clean versions. I had probably saved up some lunch money and told my mom I needed to go get this new Fabolous album. Fabolous Street Dreams March 4, 2003 So while my teacher is talking about science or something, I was vibing in my own little world to Fabolous back when he was young and hungry. For a young kid who didn't really know what "Street Dreams" were, Fab was there to teach me about a life I never knew about. In his second studio album, he showed sides of his versatility that would give us a glimpse of his future, while maintaining that street sound that he learned in the streets of Brooklyn. Right from the beginning, Fab tells you that he really doesn't give a fuck what you think about him on a song properly titled "Not Give a F**k." He was old enough to know better, but young enough to not give a fuck. I remember singing along with the clean version and filling it in with the bad words in my head, (Sorry mama) and thinking that I actually knew what he was talking about. "Cuz when the truck stop, the rims still look like they on fast forward," and I was like Oh yeah he right! Ridin Spinnaz hoe! The features on here were sick. He had some of hip-hops all time favorites with Missy Elliot, Snoop Dogg, Jadakiss, Jagged Edge, Mary J. Blige, and Diddy. "Keepin' it Gangsta" is one of my all-time favorite Fabolous songs. It just really reminds me of playing basketball on the playground, trying to try all the crazy shots that Allen Iverson used to shoot. Making a shot and turning to my friends like "Y'ALL KNOW WHOOOOO KEEPIN' IT GANGSTAAAA!" Middle school is really started to like girls, and was still trying to learn what relationships were all about. So listening to "Trade It All" made me feel like I knew what girls wanted. "But life gets gruesome, Even though I got the kinda bread that won't matter if a few crumbs are blown; Flights I don' flew some alone, Now I wanna wake up every day with you in a new number zone" In no way was that line relatable to an 11-year old, but I'm sure at that time I believe it did. Where was I going to fly to with a girl at that time? I didn't have any bread besides on the sandwich my mom made for me for lunch. But his bars were so hard that I still felt it. This album had everything I needed to get through all those boring class lectures, and gave me the ability to get lost in the Street life, or so I thought. I still listen to Fab to this day, his new shit even more than his old shit. Even if you can't relate to his life or his words, he still finds a way to put those words into art that can be appreciated. Just like in real life, you may not understand where people are coming from or why they are the way they are, but if you take time to hear their story you may just learn something about yourself. Fabolous is a legend, and he should be respected as such. Here is a slept on banger Alright peoples, this next series of posts is something that I am hella hyped about. They will be called Next Up, which will be interviews of people I link up with who would like to share their story with the world. If you guys want in, or you know someone who would, please let me know so we can really make this something special. This first person is a fashion model who was gracious enough to allow me to ask him a few questions about his background, his journey, and his passion for his art form. Enjoy. Kurtis Morris 25 years young New York, New York Remember that feeling you used to have as a kid when you would imagine yourself on the biggest stage in the biggest moment and being able to deliver for the people? For me it was always the NBA Finals, Game 7, 4 seconds on the clock, down by 2, on the road, and me hitting the clutch setback 3-pointer and setting the basketball world on fire. Everyone has their own idea or version of their dream moment, Kurtis Morris has been able to channel that feeling, and use it as fuel for his modeling career which is still in it's young stages. As a kid, he said that he "always had dreams of 'seeing my name in lights'" and as someone who has known this guy since he was just a teenager working at a baseball stadium, I can tell you that this guy has what it takes to make his dream happen.
In the modeling world, it is so important to be where "it" is at. Wherever "it" is, you gotta be there to be noticed, cherished, and accepted. Morris recently made the move to New York City to try to be a part of something bigger. He now has a deeper understanding for the modeling industry, because the city has taught him how deeply rooted one has to be within the culture to truly understand it's complex nature. He says, "Modeling isn't just a good looking person standing in front of a camera; it's being able to convey emotion & feeling thru movement and expression while drawing the audience in." Morris has bigger plans set in his sights than just being a model at some company. His goal to promote diversity and versatility through his art makes him a hot commodity within the modeling world. Narrowing his options down at this point in his career is something he doesn't want to do, he wants to allow the world to come to him. As he continues to practice his craft everyday, he has an understanding that his image will continually change throughout the course of time. Modeling, just like many other art forms, changes constantly. So for Morris to be able to know that he has to be marketable, just shows that his mind is in the right place. Being able to ask Kurtis these questions, only opened up my eyes to my dreams and goals. We all need to channel our dreams we had as children to be able to find happiness in whatever it is that we are doing. I doubt I will ever be in the NBA, but just remembering that feeling I imagined in that moment, and striving to continually find some feeling that is just as impactful will only help me be more passionate about everything I do. Kurtis Morris is already having an impact on the people around him, and his form of art will only reach more people as he continues to perfect his craft. As he is just beginning to sizzle on the scene, with his drive and passion, he will eventually set the modeling world on fire. Thank you Kurtis for allowing the world to hear a little bit of your story! Follow him through his career on Instagram @Kurtis10_0 If you would like to read the transcript of the interview, read below! It is absolutely worth it. As a seasoned barista for a very popular coffee chain, I have come to have a love for the smaller coffee shops. The local spots that are unique and pride themselves on high quality coffee, and a completely different atmosphere than your quick in and out coffee chains. On this Friday, I figured we would keep in Kauai since it's still fresh in my mind and palette. Similar to NOM Kauai, we actually went here twice. The first time was the morning of our wedding, and the second time was on our way to Waimea Canyon. There is nothing like waking up in the morning when you're tired and walking into a coffee shop in inhaling that caffeine that has become a part of the air. Java Kai is a very cool and modern spot that makes everyone feel welcome. The sweet smell of delicious coffee, the light fog in the air from the steamed milk, and the sound of "Hotel California," all adds to the experience of everything you look for in a local coffee shop. While you wait in line, you can take a look (and smell) at all of the unique coffees they have hand-roasted in small batches that are packaged in a way that pulls your eyes and mind in.
When you think about your typical coffee shop, they usually have some food options. Those food options are typically scones, bagels, and coffee cakes. And Java Kai has all of your traditional snacks to go with your coffee, but they also have some pretty unbelievable food options. They serve breakfast and lunch until 3 pm. My wife had their Acai Berry Bowl that you see up top, which is acai berries blended with bananas & pineapple juice, topped with granola, fresh fruit & coconut cream. Easily the best acai bowl I've ever had, the ingredients used from the island were fresh, sweet, and delicious. Just looking at that picture is making my mouth water because I can remember exactly what it tastes like. Now that first morning, I decided to try the Tropical Waffles, which is homemade belgium waffles with bananas, papaya, mac nuts, coconut, whipped cream, and syrup. I already told you about the fresh fruit, but the waffles were ridiculous. If you like your waffles sweet, then these are perfect for you. I licked that plate clean, I honestly don't even know if I shared any with my wife because I just remember eating it so fast. I felt like that episode of SpongeBob when Patrick was like "I think I'll eat it now..." and he swallows it in one bite. The second time we went I ordered the Surfer Girl, which us scrambled eggs, spinach, onions, cheddar cheese, pesto aioli, bacon, and tomato all on a toasty bagel. The sandwich was better than I could've imagined, and what really put it over the top was the pesto aioli which I found myself licking off my fingers after every bite. Did I even mention this place serves coffee, smoothies, and juice, too? Yeah, they do, and it's fire. I mean, their slogan is "drink coffee or die" and honestly they're hella right about that. Now I'm all about trying anything that has macadamia nuts or flavoring, especially when I'm in Hawaii. So that first time we went, I tried the hot Mac Nut Latte with Almond Milk. The espresso was smooth and sweet, the sweetener was everything I wanted it to be, and the presentation was top notch! My foam was perfect and when it got stuck in my mustache, I just left it because I wanted to save it for later. My wife had the Iced Coffee with Vanilla and damn that shit was good. The second time we went, I got the fresh squeezed orange juice. Now I'm picky with my rage juice when I order it from places, like if you say it's "Fresh squeezed" that shit better about it. And about it, it was. Places like this are so vital to the future of our culture. If we don't continue to support these local spots, all we'll have left are popular food chains that will monopolize everything around us, including our taste buds. Don't let them win! Support local man, this shit is so important. But obviously don't support them if they're trash, in that case you should have a conversation with the shop owner and just be like "Hey bro, this probably not for you. Maybe you should stick to dancing, or something." But spots like Java Kai need to constantly be celebrated, because what they are doing for us is so much bigger than just giving us coffee and food, they're fighting The Man, bro. And to the awesome staff of Java Kai, if y'all hiring let me know. Like fareal fr. |
Anthony VallesterosJust a man trying to make the most of his time on this planet. Categories
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