Quick entry, after another long-ish break.
We were out on Sunday, having lunch and then going to the Japanese Gardens here in Tashkent. Two little things:
The first thing: we went to a burger joint, because Claire had heard it was good. As a vegetarian, I am naturally less excited by this prospect--but I am usually able to find a reasonable option, so I agreed to the plan. Once we got there, however, there was literally nothing on the menu that I could eat. Hamburgers, cheeseburgers, sausages--you name it, they all had meat. So, I tried the next best thing: I asked if they could make me a grilled cheese sandwich. The waitress (clearly channeling the waitress in Five Easy Pieces) informed me that they could NOT make a grilled cheese sandwich. So, I made my best effort at channeling Jack Nicholson, and asked the waitress if I could order the sausage and cheese sandwich, but have them hold the sausage. In a departure from the famous script, this waitress agreed to place the order, and eventually brought me a lightly toasted roll with two small triangles of barely-warmed cheese. Obviously, they were unclear on the Grilled Cheese concept, but I decided to let the issue go and ate the sandwich, adding a few items from our "Greek" salad. It wasn't the greatest, but I didn't starve, either. As we left the restaurant, I went to the waitress and showed her an image of a grilled cheese sandwich, suggesting that maybe they could add it to the menu. She allowed as maybe that would be possible... Who knows, maybe I will be a latter-day Grilled Cheese Guy, spreading the knowledge and goodness of grilled cheese sandwiches around the world--just like Johnny Appleseed before me!
The second thing: at the Japanese Gardens, there was a literal parade of wedding parties out to get their photos taken among the flowering trees of the garden. As one bride and groom vacated a prime spot, they would move to the next location and be replaced by the next couple. At one point, we could see three different groupings from our vantage point. Spring has sprung, and there is magic in the air!
