This weekend my husband brought me down to Morehead City, North Carolina for Scuba Diving Certification Classes that ran from Friday morning to Sunday evening. This gave us a full fledged weekend full of fun, excitement and plenty of new experiences as we walked straight into a new culture and a new way of living that was more exhilarating than what we could have ever imagined from just seeing it on T.V.
Morehead City, like many coastal cities, is totally into fishing as game and sport; it's literally their life. They go fishing for fun, for competition, for money, for food; their life practically revolves around the sea and sea life. So to one mid-afternoon walk into a city booming with life as boats finish docking, lines begin forming behind the man with the knives and skills to quickly and efficiently clean and fillet the group of fish they have hanging on one hook, crowds screaming as people weigh in their biggest catches of the day, and seeing everyone just enjoy the beautiful sun, cool breeze and activity running throughout the entire coast was most amazing that words could not describe the feelings of excitement, joy and pure awe that we were experiencing all at that moment. Of course, ever since I became Vegan, my opinions on some things such as fishing for game have changed but that is the way of life down in Morehead City and one measly Vegan wasn't going to change. I was going to have to adapt.
So what does a vegan to do in a city where fresh sea food and southern cooking consisting of anything from fried chicken to pork seasoned veggies are the staples? LOTS of research and learn to ADAPT! One of the first things Tim and I did do was research restaurants near our Scuba shop and can I tell you that the very few that we found for us to both be able to enjoy a nice meal other than a salad for me, we didn't go to ANY of them. Instead a little exploring of the area led us to a few great places, one of them taking the lead as our ALL Time Fave place to eat.
After a long and very tiresome first day at the pool, Tim and I were starving and not choosy on where to eat. So our first stop was at Rap's Grill and Bar; a small three story, town home like building that gave you the definite first impression of a popular hometown bar that served great food with excellent service. Tim ordered the Supreme Nachos and Chicken Fingers with an ice cold sweet tea and a draft of Yuengling. As for me, a bottle of MGD 64 (which is REALLLY Light...it wasn't too bad. Definitely a girly beer. But It's no good for anyone looking for great, robust flavor.)and a rare twist from any grill and bar menu; stir-fried vegetables with white rice. I was sure to ask if the stir-fried veggies had any animal or seafood products in it which our waitress vaguely recalled the chef mentioning that the sauce was nothing but soy sauce used to season to taste and that rice was well rice so I went along with what she said and that was that. However, a few minutes she pops back saying the rice is seasoned with chicken broth. Wow! That was so nice of her to check on that for me without me even asking! So I kindly asked to sub a potato for the rice and we continued our wait for food.
Once our food arrived she brought a huge oval plate filled with stir-fried veggies, a baked potato cooked to smooth, creamy perfection, and even a bread stick that she checked on as well to make sure it too, was vegan. By that time I was so impressed and so pleased by all that she had done to ensure my dinner met all my vegan needs that I didn't care whether or not the food was good. Of course, IT WAS! The stir fried veggies were tender crisp and lightly seasoned with just the right amount of soy sauce; the bread stick was freshly baked( and thanks to my waitresses kind research, also vegan!); crisp on the outside and extremely fluffy and soft on the inside which made Tim decide he was going to steal for it's awesome goodness; and my baked potato was huge and literally baked to perfection. The inside flesh was not too hard and not soft but perfect and creamy with every bite. Can I tell you by the end of that meal I was happy, very satisfied and stuffed to capacity! We packed our leftovers, thanked our waitress for such a great dining experience as well as for the excellent service that I, as a vegan, rarely ever receive and left a grateful tip and went on our way back to the hotel for a well needed nights rest. Day 1; CHECK!
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