Friday nights, Lin and I always order delivery pizza and watch our usual science fiction shows. All of them are off season at the moment, and I am getting sick of pizza … so I decided we should go out to eat this Friday. I’ve spent an hour looking at menus on line, and this leads me to some more pet peeves. Yes, I am a little grumpy today.

No one, and I do mean no one, needs a steak that weighs more than a pound. In fact, I would go so far as to say no one needs a steak that weighs a half pound, particularly if you are planning to have hearty side dishes, like a fully loaded baked potato, for example. Personally, I can usually finish a 6 oz steak, if I don’t eat all of the side dishes, don’t have appetizers, and don’t have a salad. Well … just try finding a place that serves 6 oz steaks. I tell you, they don’t seem to exist. I would love to have a nice rare rib-eye or t-bone steak, but they only appear to be served in 16 oz and 18 oz sizes. This ticks me off.

It’s not just the steaks either … everything has to be served in HUGE sizes. It’s no wonder America is on its way to being the most obese country on the planet, and possibly the universe.

Then there is the notion that every person who lives in Texas or is visiting or passing through Texas and wants to eat a meal in a restaurant obviously wants their food to be as spicy hot as possible. There are far too many dining establishments in this town where only the salads or a few other boring options can be found to NOT have some sort of hot and spicy flavoring. I’m not talking subtle spices either. I mean the sort of hot that is going to over power everything else on your plate. Why bother having anything else … might as well just drink a glass of the sauce or eat a few peppers and save yourself some money. Not everything has to be smothered in jalapenos or some other chili pepper … and stop it with the chipotle this and chipotle that. Bobby Flay has already done it to death. Move on.

Yes, lots of griping about food things today. I’ve spent too much time watching Food Network, eating out, and and not enough time cooking in my own kitchen. It makes me grumpy. Though I must admit that tonight, I think I may have finally perfected my roasted sausage and potato recipe. Lin almost never comments on how good something I cooked is. I usually just judge how well he likes it by how quickly he eats it. Tonight, he complimented me extensively on dinner. I must have gotten it right at last. Of course … I thought it turned out too spicy and peppery, meaning I didn’t like it so much. It figures, doesn’t it?

Oh, and at long last I may have heard the last from Lin about how the best pizza in the world is Chicago-style deep dish pizza made in Chicago, because Yankees know how to make pizza. We watched a show tonight on the history of pizza, and lo and behold … the reason Chicago has great deep dish pizza is … wait for it … wait for it … it was invented by a transplanted TEXAN! So … I guess Texans do know a thing or two about pizza. This is now one of those trivial facts I have branded on my brain to bring up whenever necessary.

For the record, I can’t stand deep dish pizza. I prefer classic Italian-style pizza … another thing I have had difficulty finding around here at something that resembles a reasonable price.

OK, enough griping for one night. I need to get some sleep. I’ve been up for almost 24 hours again, and barely got any sleep last night. My grumpiness level goes far beyond griping about food. I’m just grumpy in general, and therefore, not sleeping well. I am hormonal beyond all belief and “late”. No, not pregnant late (at least I don’t think so), more like I lost so much weight this last month, my body thinks I am a preteen girl again. This is seriously sucking.

Yup, better get to bed. Maybe I won’t be quite so grumpy tomorrow. No guarantees.