I must confess. We started the New Year with our final meal...er, that is the final meal at the Golden Corral. We swear that tomorrow we will not come back again because we will be watching our diet and not ever indulge in such a decadent bout of overeating again. (You can almost see the halo over our head shining through the grease engorged air of the restaurant.)
The Golden Corral is a restaurant you either love or hate. My husband and our neighbor love GC because we can get a TON of food for such a reasonable cost. So to celebrate the New Year, we decided to splurge at the trough--again for one last time before carrying out our resolution to go on a diet and lose x amount of pounds.
If you have never been to GC, let me explain. We drive around and around the parking lot to find the place closest to the door. Usually the lot is packed especially before 4 pm when the Seniors can get their Early Bird discounted dinners, then eat slowly so they can still be eating at 4:30 pm when all the extra food comes out for the dinner hour...steaks, fish, shrimp, etc. We have to settle for a parking spot quite a ways from the door, but decide it will be an opportunity for us to exercise a bit by having to waddle back to the car when we are finished stuffing ourselves.
We usually race in the door before 4 pm during the week for the special pricing, but because New Year's falls on a Sunday this year, we paid twice as much as usual and splurged purchasing sweet tea instead of taking a free glass of water...an extra $4. for the two of us. However, it is a holiday, New Year's, and my hubby received a gift card from our daughter and family for Christmas, so I guess that's why we actually ordered the iced tea...
After paying at the cash register with the gift card, we entered the dining room for the full view of the enormous buffet piled with everything a person could ever want to eat and plenty more. (Can you hear the angels singing and picture our eyes open wide in amazement at the spread displayed beautifully before us?) The colorful fruit and veggies, gorgeous meats and fish, and tons of sweets including a chocolate fountain for dipping plump red strawberries and chunks of pineapple are like a banquet set for a king. Well except there is no china, silver, and crystal. But who cares? We grab the stainless steel and melamine plate and we're good to go!
Mouth watering, we search for a table close to the food but far away from the crowd...this is an impossible task, so we settle for one at the far end of the dining room against a back wall. The chairs and table are so close to the wall we can barely pull out a chair to sit in. Well perhaps it will be a deterrent to over eating because I will be wedged in by a fat belly caught between the table and the wall. Then I realize this is doubtful since I purposely wore my elastic band pants so I could stuff myself and my waist band could stretch to make room. If I bloat too large, I reason that my hubby can pull the table away from the wall to let me out.
We all trip off to the food bar with empty plates to fill. I bypass the salad table because we have a garden full of lettuce, broccoli, and cabbage. For sure I don't want to pay for what I have at home for free. Besides I want all the grease and carbs that are laid out in front of me since I will be giving them up for the rest of my life after this meal.
There are so many opinions on the food at GC...tasty or nasty. Truthfully, the one here offers a variety of delicious foods that are fresh and prepared well. Many people tell me the pan-fried shrimp and steaks are as good as a steakhouse. As I think about that, the people telling me this are my husband and neighbor.
I finish off the stomach-stuffing, lip-smacking event with desserts and a small bowl of ice cream. I figure the ice cream can melt and run down to fill in any empty openings in my stomach.
As we all waddle back to the car, we agree the meal was delicious and satisfying, but it will be the last one at Golden Corral. As we say our good-byes, we all know we are lying. We will be back. Who actually carries through with a New Year resolution anyway?
4 comments:
Oh Janet! Yes, we have Golden Corrals in Macon, and if you and Ted stop by on your way back to Michigan, we could hit one. But we also have a simliar brand called Ole' Time Buffet! And this story brought back so many memories! My friend Gloria, she to whom Flowers on the Fence is dedicated, came into Macon once or twice a month and we had several eateries for lunch. Her favorite was the Ole' Time Buffet! And of course you get water. Throw in some Sweet & Low and lemon, instant lemonaide. I was always useless the rest of the day. But never too full for the ice cream! Thank you for this great, great blog! And the memories it brought back! Love!
A few of your verbs, like bloat and waddle, are reinforcing my New Year's rezzies, JQ. But what the heck, as Erma Bombeck once said, "I hope all those ladies on the Titanic had dessert." Glad you enjoyed your "Last Meal!"
Thank you ladies for you fun comments. Yes, Gail, sounds like Ole Time Buffet is a winner. I bet they have Southern cookin' there too. Mmmm...grits..
Pat--Erma Bombeck was a very wise, as well as hilarious person...!!
Don't know as grits would be out on the lunch buffet. But they have dressing to die for!
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