Best Buffet

on October 1, 2011
in All Posts

I actually consider it an accomplishment that my bike only sat in the trunk for one week following my last triathlon…

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I needed to make way for my suitcase!

 

Yup – on the road in the air again.  This time to Detroit to give an Operation Beautiful presentation to a group of teenagers in the BBYO program.

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Apparently, Saturday afternoons aren’t big flying days.

 

In the Charlotte airport, I had some caramel frozen yogurt with raspberries and Oreos.  Eaten while reading Catching Fire (Part II of The Hunger Games), which yes – I have already read.  But I swear – the series is even better the second time around!

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Whilst navigating the security line, I pretended I was Katniss Everdeen on a secret mission.  Froyo and fantasies.  It’s the little things that make air travel bearable, folks. 

 

Arrived in Detroit, grabbed my teeny tiny rental, and zoomed off to dinner.

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You know you are in Michigan when your rental comes with an ice scraper and snow brush.  Rumor has it that the northeast Midwest (oops) MAY see snow sooner rather than later.  Let’s just hope I’m back in the South first. 

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For dinner, I met up with Amanda, a bloggy friend who helped organize the event.  We went to an amazing Asian buffet restaurant. 

 

I know some people hate the idea of buffets but I love them!  As long as they’re busy (always a decent sign that the food won’t poison you).  30 different options?!  Yes, please.

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I ended up with two plates, filled mainly with delicious lo mein, spring rolls, and sautéed green beans.

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That’s my wild and crazy Saturday night. 

 

Time to face-plant in my king size bed.  But only after checking for monsters hiding in the shower first, of course.

{ 63 comments }

 

  • Mary October 1, 2011, 10:04 pm

    Just started reading The Hunger Games. Great book! Read half in one day.

    • CaitlinHTP October 2, 2011, 9:11 am

      Yay I love it too.

      • Jess October 2, 2011, 9:02 pm

        Time for you to read Divergent! So good!

  • Abby @ Abz 'n' Oats October 1, 2011, 10:05 pm

    Buffets do kind of freak me out. I wish they would put a hand sanitizer pump in line before you are allowed to grab a plate. lol.

  • Sana October 1, 2011, 10:14 pm

    Yeah food buffets creep me out, I make sure the place smells ok! Yes I can smell food poison.

  • katie @ KatieDid October 1, 2011, 10:15 pm

    Buffets kind of freak me out too haha.

  • Sarena (The Non Dairy Queen) October 1, 2011, 10:16 pm

    Oh that looks like some good eats! Good luck on the presentation!

  • Sarah @ w30 October 1, 2011, 10:51 pm

    I LOVE that ring!

  • Sara @ RunnerWife October 1, 2011, 11:07 pm

    That ring is beautiful and that yogurt looks so good! I really wanted yogurt earlier today but we are having a high of around 48 here today and it is TOO cold!

  • maria @ Chasing the Now October 1, 2011, 11:12 pm

    Love buffets! They don’t bother me a bit.

  • chelsey @ clean eating chelsey October 1, 2011, 11:16 pm

    I think series get better the second time too because you’re not reading through them quickly to get to the next!

  • Rachel October 1, 2011, 11:18 pm

    give the mitten state a high five for me! that’s my home turf 🙂 where were you speaking?

    • CaitlinHTP October 2, 2011, 9:10 am

      High five!

      I’m in one of the suburbs for a private event at a country club.

  • kathleen @ the daily crumb October 1, 2011, 11:22 pm

    welcome to the midwest, caitlin!! good luck with the OB presentation… i’m sure you will rock it as usual 🙂

    i love tcby… they just put one in at our local mall. dangerous!

  • Carin October 1, 2011, 11:22 pm

    I’m not going to comment on your ring.

    The froyo looks yummy – not a bit thing here yet, but I’m hoping it takes off soon!

    I’m with you on the buffet thang – especially Asian. Soooo nice to have a choice of veggie dishes – my only problem ios exercising restraint and stopping whilst I’m still able to walk.

    Hope you successfully vanquish lurking monsters and have a good night’s sleep!

    • CaitlinHTP October 2, 2011, 9:09 am

      Do you not like it?! I got it at that Women’s show I went to a few weeks back and it’s a green crystal. I couldn’t decide if it was tacky or awesome. LOL. The line is so thin.

      • Carin October 2, 2011, 2:37 pm

        I like it! I was just making a crude joke in a juvenile styley…. guess I needed a smiley face to get that across!

        I bought a similar ring in India once but it turned my finger black!

  • Meagan October 1, 2011, 11:39 pm

    Snow in the mid-west is NO joke. As a life-long Southerner, I am always grateful for our (almost) snow-less winters! Last winter, we saw almost two foot of snow…that’s honestly the most snow I’ve seen in my entire life!

    I’m wary of all types of buffets, but am more likely to eat at an Asian buffet than the usual country cookin’ – of course! Asian buffets have so many different choices…there’s really something for everyone!

  • Lisa (I'm an Okie) October 1, 2011, 11:40 pm

    Lo-Mein and green beans always work in my book!

  • Mindy October 1, 2011, 11:44 pm

    Welcome back to the land shaped like a hand! 🙂

  • Cindy October 1, 2011, 11:45 pm

    Can I just say that I LOVE The Hunger Games!!!!!! I’m excited for the movie! Oh and ur blog always cracks me up;) it’s truly good stuff!

    • CaitlinHTP October 2, 2011, 9:09 am

      Thanks Cindy 🙂

  • E October 1, 2011, 11:51 pm

    I live in northwest Ohio (45 min south of Toledo) & AM NOT looking forward to winter. I’ve lived here all my life (29 years) & I swear every year that I’m moving to somewhere with no (or almost no) snow…but it hasn’t happened yet…

  • Cori October 2, 2011, 12:07 am

    If you love hunger games, you need to read Divergent. Soooooo gooooood

    • CaitlinHTP October 2, 2011, 9:08 am

      Everyone says that – I must check it out!

      • Amy October 2, 2011, 10:35 am

        I’m reading Divergent right now and completely agree. Check out “Matched” too. It has a sequel coming out either this month or next and is really good! It’s not quite so action-packed but given that I love a lot of the same books you do, it’s worth a shot. 🙂

  • Chelsea October 2, 2011, 12:14 am

    I could never imagine living in the North with snow on cars. The idea just scares me period! Yay for being a southern girl (Texas!) hahaha 🙂

  • Sara October 2, 2011, 12:49 am

    Pretty ring!!! Love it!

  • Khushboo October 2, 2011, 1:11 am

    I absolutely love buffets, get a taste if everything! Although I won’t lie, sometimes the huge range of options can be slightly overwhelming!

  • Lauren October 2, 2011, 1:57 am

    I always check for monsters. You never know!!

  • ~Jessica~ October 2, 2011, 5:29 am

    Buffets scare me…but the one you visited does look a lot…ahh, cleaner (!) than most of the ones I’ve encountered in the UK.

    You have me hooked on the Hunger Games books! I’m only just finishing the first one but now I can’t wait to read more 😀 Which is a nice distraction from the madness-inducing academic reading I have to do at the moment.

    xxx

    • CaitlinHTP October 2, 2011, 9:06 am

      Yay! I am glad you are enjoying it.

  • Sophie @ threetimesf October 2, 2011, 5:54 am

    I love buffets! I’m the worst for choosing one option off a menu, so the massive choice is perfect 🙂

    Ooooh, and I love your ring!

  • Cait @ Beyond Bananas October 2, 2011, 6:13 am

    I was just telling my co worker that I was going to read the whole Hunger Games series a second time because it is just that good. 🙂 Nothing else is comparing!!

  • Meghan @ CarmanClan October 2, 2011, 6:14 am

    I can’t wait for the Hunger Games movie, I hope they do the books justice! My tell tale sign of if an asian restaurant is good, is if there are actually a lot of asian people eating there. All american, I usually hesitate (unless I am not in a diverse area).

  • Jessica @ Jess Go Bananas October 2, 2011, 6:55 am

    No! I want the snow to wait till at least november! I strongly dislike snow before/on Halloween!!! 🙁

    I am not the biggest fan of buffets unless they are very trusting and delicous!! 🙂

  • G October 2, 2011, 6:59 am

    I hate to break it to you Caitlin, but Michigan is NOT the Northeast but the Mid-West. The Northeast refers to Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Anything west of these states in the Mid-West and South of Pennsylvania becomes the Mid-Atlantic.

    • CaitlinHTP October 2, 2011, 9:02 am

      Ah! LOL I am so terrible at Geography, thank you. To a Miami girl, everything north of Atlanta is the ‘North’ and since it’s on the easternish side of America, I think of it as the Northeast. LOL. Shows you what I know!

  • Lori Lynn October 2, 2011, 8:32 am

    I actually like buffet’s. Gives you a lot of options to choose from!

  • Lauren October 2, 2011, 8:55 am

    Haha, I have a personal thing against chinese buffets. My husband’s family celebrates EVERY single birthday at a Chinese Buffet. But they are always so gross and we all have gotten sick one too many times. They still go back every time though. LoL Have a great trip Caitlin!

    • CaitlinHTP October 2, 2011, 9:03 am

      Oh gosh, every single bday at a Chinese buffet is too much.

  • Army Amy* October 2, 2011, 9:33 am

    Growing up, my dad was obsessed with Ming Garden, a Chinese buffet. We ate there almost weekly. I think I had a lifetime’s worth of Asian buffet. I haven’t had it since!*

  • Fran@ Broken Cookies Don't Count October 2, 2011, 10:00 am

    I’m always wary of buffets. Usually because it’s hard to know if something is actually vegetarian or not. Had a really good experience in New Mexico recently at an Asian Buffet. Helpful staff let me to the right choices. That doesn’t always happen!

  • Morgan October 2, 2011, 10:02 am

    The ice scraper made me laugh, I grew up in metro Detroit, but I have lived in the south since 2004. My husband makes fun of me because I still have an ice scraper in the trunk of my car. I just thought it was something everyone carried all of the time!

  • J @ Ess and Jae V2.0 October 2, 2011, 10:07 am

    Ya, it’s a little chilly here in Ontario too! A girl can never be too prepared, I say. Keep the ice scraper in the car all year round. I’m a fan of the broccoli at Asian buffets. What do they put in it? Crack? It’s addictive.

  • Rachel @ Fit Fun and Fabulous October 2, 2011, 11:32 am

    I just got back from my week long honeymoon and read the entire Hunger Games series while I was there. OMG!!! So incredibly amazing. The last fiction series I enjoyed this much was Harry Potter. Perhaps I should start trying grown up books, but I’m apparently not ready yet 😉

  • Bari October 2, 2011, 12:30 pm

    Welcome to Michigan! If you stick around a few days, the temps will be back up to 70 again 🙂

    I hope your presentation goes well & safe travels back to NC.

  • Mac October 2, 2011, 12:31 pm

    I keep trying to read the Hunger Games series, but it’s so popular that I can never seem to get it at the library! Glad to hear it’s a winner though. PS I love your ring!

  • Jolene (www.everydayfoodie.ca) October 2, 2011, 12:40 pm

    I have heard that “The Hunger Games” is a great book, and I can’t wait to read it!

  • Liz October 2, 2011, 12:50 pm

    I Love your ring! please, please tell me what kind of stone that is! I have a birthday coming up haha

    • Caitlin October 2, 2011, 6:04 pm

      Happy almost birthday! It’s just a green crystal. 🙂 It was only $20!

      • Liz October 3, 2011, 1:06 pm

        Thank you! Now I’m on the lookout for green crystal!!!

  • Amber K October 2, 2011, 12:54 pm

    I can not be trusted at a buffet 😉 Actually I do pretty well at Sweet Tomatoes since it’s mostly soup and salad. And actually, I’d probably do just fine now that I can’t have gluten because I couldn’t overdo it on pasta or bread. I have never actually been to a really good Chinese buffet. I tend not to trust them because people aren’t great about using the proper tongs and cross contamination could get me!

  • Jamie October 2, 2011, 3:21 pm

    I love buffet’s too!! I don’t have to commit to just one entree…Awesome!

  • Hillary October 2, 2011, 7:08 pm

    The whole pretending you’re Katniss thing made me giggle. Sometimes, when my boyfriend and I are waiting in a line, he’ll admit that he’s coming up with a plan for how to attack any ninjas or zombies that might come after him. Yep. For real.

  • Jolene (Homespun Heritage) October 2, 2011, 8:51 pm

    ~HA~ Welcome to Michigan indeed! (I’m on the other side of the State though) We do usually get the first snow in October but it doesn’t stick around long!

  • Marilyn @ Lipgloss and Spandex October 2, 2011, 11:51 pm

    Mmm I love buffets! Especially Indian food buffets. It’s funny, because the ONLY times I’ve gotten food poisoning were from sitdown regular restaurants–never from a buffet.

  • Samantha Angela @ Bikini Birthday October 3, 2011, 10:03 am

    I wish I had known you were in Detroit! We could have scheduled a meet up!

  • Lisa October 4, 2011, 12:43 pm

    I loved the Hunger Games books! So good!

    Honestly, the only thing I like about traveling on a plane is that I can read a lot! I take several books with me and I can read entire books on plane rides. 🙂

  • Joh October 4, 2011, 1:50 pm

    I just started the hunger games (my niece loaned me her nook with them on it)

  • Beth B. October 4, 2011, 3:57 pm

    Read the whole trilogy in a week…no matter how hard I tried to distract myself with real life, I just couldn’t stop reading!!! They’re the only books on my kindle so far.

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