Cedar Rapids Got Soul (Food)!!

Me, Mommy and Daddy had a little bit of an adventure today. Our mission? Barbecue, pork ribs, lots of sauce...please.

We picked up Dennis and headed over to Al and Irene's BBQ House on the north side of Cedar Rapids. Daddy wasn't too sure it was the place, since it looked like a nondescript strip mall, and the interior decor was....nonexistent.

Mommy said that was the way all good BBQ joints look. "Avoid any place that looks like fine dining if they claim to be a 'cue joint," she said. (Mommy then told me about this place she and Uncle SuperGeorge used to go to for a long time, back when it was on a sleazy corner in downtown Phoenix. She swears it lost something when it moved to a much prettier location, but it's still amazing. Next time we go to Phoenix she and Daddy might take me there.)

Anyway.....Dad got the regular sauce with an Amber Bock, and Mommy got the hot sauce with a Diet Pepsi. Dennis got a combo platter. I got some of Daddy's fries, since I'm still too little to order off of the kids' menu.

Supposedly some idiot food critic said that you could probably find a square dance in Harlem easier than you could find decent soul food in Cedar Rapids.

When's that square dance again, Windy City boy?? Because I really want to show off my sweet moves in the happy poopy dance! ;)

Back to Making Mischief!

Well, I've gotten better for the most part. I haven't coughed all morning. I still amuse my parents with my giant booger production. Since I have a small nose, you wouldn't think I could come up with the ones I have. It's impressive!

The snow is mainly gone, but Mommy and Daddy still won't let me out to play in the yard. The front yard is kind of on a busy street, and there's still some ice in the backyard. Plus it's all soggy out there, and the weatherman says we're gonna get something called "flurries".

Mommy said that she and Daddy are gonna let the Easter Bunny inside for my egg hunt. Not sure what that is, but I can't wait to find out. Quackers is gonna help me.

Daddy made Mommy extra happy yesterday when he found her china. They are going to go shopping for new plates soon, because they don't want me to touch the china for some reason. I guess it will make me break out in a rash or something. I hope they get something with monkeys or ducks on it. (Don't tell her, but the china Mommy has is kind of boring. It's just got a gold ring on the edge. My grandmother's is prettier, but I think she knows that. It would look even better with monkeys on it, though.)

They've also gotten rid of some more boxes and found lots of paper. I LOVE PAPER! It's the best thing to play with. I can scrunch it up, I can rip it, and I can stick it on top of my head and hide. No, really! Mommy and Daddy can't see me at all when I do that.

I've also found two more foods I like. Mommy made coconut pancakes yesterday because she found this stuff called coconut flour at this hippie co-op place in Coralville. She added some additional coconut to the batter and made them for Daddy. Daddy gave me a little bite. Coconut is sooooo good that I did my happy poopy dance.

She also let me try a tortilla chip with lime. Yep, more happy poopy dancing!

And no, didn't share any with Quackers. Cookie stole some, though.

So....What's the Happy Poopy Dance?

First of all, I didn't come up with the name. Mommy did. Go figure.

It's what I do when I taste something I like for the first time. I take a nibble, then step back about two steps. I then smile and do a couple squats.

I think I picked that up when I was watching "American Idol". (I don't watch it any more, though, now that Danny's gone home. Carly makes me itch, sorry!) A lot of the singers do that, especially the girls. Watch it sometime if you don't believe me.