Raw Fucking Lamb – Kibbeh nayyeh (Lebanese)

I recently visited the Beruit restaurant (Toledo, OH) on Monroe. This is a place that I’ve been to few times as we work with a Lebanese person. The schwarmas, gyros, salads, everything that I’ve had has been fantastic. One the most recent visit though, we had to get a special dish. It’s called Kibbeh Nayyeh and it’s not on the menu. Perhaps because it’s not much more than raw ground lamb.

The dish is very labor intensive, as the meat is mixed typically with bulgar or some form of cracked wheat. Spices are added and served as is; ours came with onion and cucumber, along with the ubiquitous pita bread.

The food is to be eaten completely by hand. One tears off a piece of bread and uses it to grab some of the lamb. Onion/cucumber may be placed on as desired.

I personally found the dish…odd. The meat starts a little bland, but the unmistakable taste of lamb comes on with a very strong aftertaste. The texture is very mushy. The main problem I had though was with the thought of it. You’re eating raw ground meat. Mentally, my brain was telling my body that I shouldn’t be eating it. I simply couldn’t get past this fact.

The taste was decent, but this is definately not for the faint of heart. I’m glad that I tried something new, but it is not something that I’ll be trying again.

Show Some Pride in Your Ride

This truck bed was rubbing the passenger rear tire. I know this because it could only go 10 mph…down two-lane Jackman, for two miles.

Wal-Mart BSOD

Saw this in the photo center at a Wal-Mart recently. No pictures for you my friend.

White Water Rafting – Gauley River, WV

OK, so this last weekend, I went white water rafting. It was my first time, and I had high expectations. The group I went with was Ace Adventures. Now, I’ve heard a lot about white water rafting. It’s extreme, very dangerous, all in all it’s supposed to be a crazy awesome time. I learned upon arrival that we were rafting the Gauley River. Initially this didn’t mean shit to me, until someone told me it was the #2 ranked whitewater in the country and #7 in the WORLD, and that we were doing it right in the middle of it’s “prime” season.

OK, so now I’m a little more excited. Here’s what I see when I arrive:

Anyways, so the day comes and we wake up at the ass crack of down to go on a 26.2 mile trip down the Upper and Lower Gauley river. Let me just say that while it does have it brief moments of cool, white water rafting is not nearly as intense or extreme as its made out to be. I was looked at like I was crazy when the guide found out it was my first time, and I was doing the Gauley. He said:

It’s like getting your drivers license and then going and racing NASCAR.

First of NASCAR is incredibly boring. Secondly, white water involves a lot of boring periods of nothing but paddling. In fact, here’s what I compare it to.

It’s a lot like riding a mechanical bull, except there’s a lot more paddling. Now, its fun and I am glad that I did it. But I really only felt in harms way once, when we fell out of the boat. Getting tossed was by far the most enjoyable time. Either way, I don’t want to ramble. If you’re going to do it, at least do a top river, otherwise you’re going to be bored out of your mind.