Memorial Memories

Memorial weekend was a weekend of memories. Flying south to Monterey, the spring season was in full bloom. The fields in Salinas, near Mr. Fiancés work were full of artichoke, cabbage and fresh strawberries that grounded Foodie after a stressful week. Busy with school, wedding planning, and frustrating disagreements, she had been feeling disconnected from the world. Watching the produce spring from Mother Earth reminded her that she was not alone and like the strawberries, she too had an origin that created who she is.

The soil content a plant grows in has been shown to add nutrient value and even affect taste and while at odds with her soil, the strawberries, reminded Foodie that her upbringing is partially responsible for the life she has created.

As a child, her mother used to make a big deal out of celebrations. For birthdays, her parents always made her feel special by letting her sit shotgun, the privilege of choosing the dinner menu and even picking out a box of “sugary” cereal at the supermarket. While these seem funny to recall now, at the time she felt it was her day to shine.

That said, Sunday was Mr. Fiancés birthday and Foodie wanted to recreate this feeling for him. Memorial weekend was dedicated to Mr Fiancé, with hikes, meals at the Persian restaurant (his favorite), movie nights, and Sunday morning presents. Even though he had to work the rest of the day, Foodie had arranged for a surprise after work.


They arrived to the Big Sur Campgrounds around 1am and found a rustic cabin nestled between giant redwood trees in the middle of the forest. The cabin was better than the website had described it, with its own toilet, shower, sink, coffee maker and gas fireplace. Mr. Fiancé was thrilled and they spent the night watching Harold and Kumar on the laptop. Monday morning they awoke, after a deep relaxing sleep to their charming cabin and a real fire in the outdoor fireplace. For breakfast, Mr. Fiancé roasted hot dogs on the open flame (his choice) and Foodie sipped on coffee.

After checking out, they attempted to go hiking, but the trails were closed from the wild fires the previous year. Instead, they returned home, showered and packed up the car to drive Foodie to the airport. With the extra time, they stopped for lunch and people watching on Santana Row in San Jose. Mr. Finance enjoyed an orange-ginger mojito and Foodie had a Pomegranate mojito with fried calamari prepared with jalapeños and aioli dipping sauce, a spring salad and flatbread that actually seemed more like a small pizza. Something about the sunshine, posh environment and the birthday weekend made their last meal feel like a distant childhood memory. And before they new it, time was up and Foodie flew home to Seattle.