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A postcard after sunrise

By Kris Vera-Phillips

Food for hot and humid days

Posted Sunday, July 16, 2006 - 2 comments

Last month, I delivered a Sonic dinner to one of our photogs in the field. He was covering a police standoff near Washburn University. I parked my car next to the other news trucks. I passed the neighbors watching the action from the street corner. Then I climbed underneath the yellow police tape and walked up to the cameras. It was quiet and tense. It looked like folks were stuck in the middle of limbo, but with loaded weapons. I suppose there's no reason to go hungry when you're waiting for the SWAT team to make its next move.

This week, he returned the favor. Just after midnight, he brought back burritos from Fiesta Mexicana. For some reason, hearty food tastes better in the middle of the night. Tasty beans, ground beef and cheese wrapped up in a warm tortilla. Those burritos gave me an extra jolt of energy that kept me bopping for the rest of my graveyard shift. And the food inspired me to check out Fiesta Mexicana.

It was hot and crowded...but everyone seemed to be in a good mood.

I caught the last part of the set by Mariachi Estrella. I enjoyed their rendition of "On This Night of a Thousand Stars." They had a sweet and romantic sound. Some audience members swayed in their seats and tapped their feet to the waltz-like beats. Their eyes closed and it looked like they were transported to another time and place.

The Fiesta had lines for everything. One line for ride tickets, another for food tickets and individual queuing for rides and food booths. It was nice to see the money handling process kept separate from the food preps. While I waited in line for food tickets, one nice couple cooled off my back with a fan from Penwell-Gabel. Thank you!

Thanks to my midnight food delivery, I knew what the burritos tasted like. So, I waited in a shorter line for a chicken torta. That was tasty. Marinated chicken, cheese, shredded lettuce and a tomato on a toasted bun. I figured the vegetables in this sandwich made it somewhat healthy. Other folks wanted to know what type of sandwich I had. They were impressed it was dished out from one of the shorter food lines.

The Kansas National Guard set-up this climbing wall and it looked popular. I was too full to try out the games but it was fun to watch other people having a good time. Overall, I get a kick out of these outdoor community events. It's fun to watch folks indulge in carnival cuisine and then hop on rides that whip up the tummy into something out of this world. Kids race around looking for the next big thrill. Adults try to keep track of those kids. And whether one is waiting in line for food, drinks or rides, the sounds of live Mariachi music kept everyone smiling.

This weekend, I checked out the Harley Davidson place in Topeka. Such pretty bikes.

There's also a yummy spot for BBQ sandwiches, Henry's Cafe. I had the pork BBQ sandwich and the cheesy taters. I suspect this isn't the best food choice for my plan to eat healthy and lose weight. I thought it would be a good idea to join a group of my co-workers in a collective effort to lose weight. Oh well, everything in moderation. I'll do a salad or something like that tomorrow.

And my TV told me every diet needs some wiggle room. Besides, hot days call for a cool treat. i whipped up a favorite from my undergrad days, jello shots. I subbed out the cold water in the lime jello recipe for a cup of Ku soju. It was the first time I used the Korean liquor and it worked out quite nicely. It tasted refreshing, fruity and I could barely taste the sweet potato liquor.