Tuesday, July 27, 2010

The Best Thing I Have Ever Eaten: In the Middle of the Night

There is nothing like a midnight snack...or meal. It's almost like you are getting away with something. To feel that glow of the refrigerator light on your face as you stick a fork into last night's cheesecake or left-over lasagna is almost priceless.

Almost. But thankfully that's where Spanx come in handy.

So when I think back to my favorite middle of the night meal, I immediately remember the summer I went salsa dancing  every weekend and sometimes on Thursdays. I had a salsa partner and he and I spent hours on the dance floor, trying to act like we were part Latino and keeping casualties to a minimum. We even went to competitions so we could learn new moves, some of them were successful, some of them ended up with me on the floor.

Most Saturday evenings would start around 9:30, after the free lessons had cleared the dance floor and the live band began to play. And almost every week we stayed until it closed, which was between 1:30 and 2:00. On the ride home, feeling both completely exhausted and exhilarated, was when the hunger kicked in. And you knew that if you didn't find food IMMEDIATELY, you would eat the upholstery off the seats.

So, do you know what I ate every single Saturday night? Are you ready for this?

Taco Bell.

Oh that glorious golden bell that beckons both young and old, rich and poor, hillbilly and snob. You may laugh at my dubious taste in late-night cuisine, but you have never tasted anything quite so delicious as two crunchy tacos with medium salsa after a night of trying to be the next Shakira. Words cannot describe such a feeling of contentment and satisfaction. And to this day I can't go to Taco Bell without busting out a little rumba or meringue.

After the feeding frenzy, I would go home, hang up my salsa shoes and sleep like there was no tomorrow.

Or until my alarm clock went off for church.

Either way, it will be hard to top that because there are few things that I love more in this world than salsa, both the dancing and the condiment.

So, what is the best thing you have ever eaten in the middle of the night? C'mon, don't be shy. It can't be worse than scarfing down fast food under the buzz of a parking lot lamp.

4 comments:

  1. my first thought was good ol taco bell as well! many a time, always after 1130 pm, one of the roomies would come out into the hall and say "run for the border?" and we all knew we had approx 3 mins to scrounge up enough change for a nachos supreme before the car left. ahh, the good ol days!

    i also have two very good middle of the night snack memories - both after bachelorette parties. one was while we were in italy and we all wanted nutella toast and the other was last year when we got home and we decided we needed more cake. :)

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  2. I'm gonna go with cereal. Usually the sweet sugary ones that are so bad for you and generally meant to be consumed by children. Captain Crunch remains my all time favorite, and when it's combined with ice cold milk in the still quiet of the night, I'm a happy girl.

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  3. AnonymousJuly 28, 2010

    Papa John's cheesy bread. Regis, 1 AM, freshman year. Oh yeah.

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  4. AnonymousJuly 29, 2010

    Homemade mint chocolate chip ice cream at 3am -- tired as ever with runs in our stockings, my best friend and I with spoons and a big ole container of the stuff after cleaning up after her daughter's wedding. YUM
    - Shelley

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