The 3rd Annual FoodAbout
One of the aspects of positive aging is to be less constrained by convention. It was a few weeks ago that my wife and I, as well as another couple, participated in what I call The 3rd Annual FoodAbout. I highly recommend at least some variation of this for all who are interested in positive aging.
This is the third year the four of us have set out on foot to experience the city in a different way. In our case that city is Seattle. Our friends are fortunate enough to live in a condo overlooking the big Ferris wheel on the waterfront. So Jane and I walked off the ferry and made our way to their place about 10:30 a.m. After reserving some time to watch the interesting demolition of the old viaduct overpass, we set out for our day.
Our first destination was Pike Market. Most people who have been to Seattle know all about Pike Market. It is a wonder of color, smells, and activity. I can’t think of much you can’t get there. You can find salmon being tossed through the air at the gasps of tourists. There are rows of veggies and fruits. Fresh cut flowers seem to call the passerby to take a sniff. We partook of at least a half-dozen free samples of who knows what. Have you ever tasted a Brooks dried plum (aka-prune) from Brooks, Oregon? Wow.
About thirty minutes later we were walking on a lower street beneath Pike Market near the construction of that same viaduct. We guys seemed a bit more interested in the powerful jaws of the huge machines chomping away at the hardened cement and rebar than the women. After too soon of time, we were yanked-on by the women to continue our journey to Pioneer Square.
Our first stop in this historic area was in a place called Plane Bread. I never would have guessed how good something called a Green Goddess open-faced sandwich could be. Jane and I split that and a bowl of nettle soup. And no, we didn’t start itching after the soup! It might not take a lot of imagination to guess how good their selections of bread were. This was a very slow and casual lunch, mixed with great conversation.
Next stop was the famous and recently relocated Salumi Salami shop in Pioneer Square. Our friend Bill has a soft spot for any kind of charcuterie and he just had to try a few slices of rosemary salami.
Only a couple doors down was Taylors Shellfish restaurant. Taylors is a big name in the Seattle area for all things shellfish. Lyn mentioned how she would like to sample an oyster and an hour later we had put down a tremendous sampling of Taylors best assortment of local oysters.
What is the perfect thing to top off a few oysters…but an espresso drink? So, in the next block, we found a wonderful table sitting in the warm and inviting spring sun, from which we all enjoyed an espresso, and I in addition just had to dunk a chocolate-dipped biscotti in my cup a few times.
At this point, other than walking from Pikes Market to Pioneer Square (about 2 miles), we had not traveled that much distance. Every time we turned around, it seemed there was another fun place to visit. Wandering through three art galleries seemed to be the perfect thing to do after a great lunch.
A couple of hours later we took a Lyft ride up to Capitol Hill and had dinner at the Marmite Restaurant. Who can argue with a small intimate place where you can watch the chefs do their magic in almost Zen-like movements. No yelling out orders and no hustle and bustle.
From there we walked downhill towards the City Center and stopped at the now famed Starbucks Reserve Roastery for dessert. We had been told that we just “had to try” the espresso milkshake. Sounds like a simple little choice…not! But it was a perfect choice, especially when it was sitting beside their absolutely decadent dark chocolate tort, wow. Though trying not to count calories through the day, we later calibrated that with all the fresh, local food, (and walking) we didn’t actually take in that many calories. The Starbucks stop, however, was the big exception.
Our day ended with Jane and me walking back to the ferry and finding a window seat. The sunset was certainly the crown to a perfect day.
So what is the point of this article? Even with all the struggles that aging can bring to us; we all have the opportunity to participate in exceptional events. The potential of those events is sometimes right under our nose. Not all of us live in or near a city as exceptional as Seattle, but so what. The idea is to be creative and enjoy our age, whether we do that via our own FoodAbout, picnic, backyard neighborhood croquet tournament, block party, or whatever. The point is to just enjoy the life we have in as creative way as possible.
Who knows, maybe we will bump into each other in a fun little café next year?
Tim Berry