In-N-Out Burger

After reading about how wonderful In-N-Out Burger was online, I finally got to try them in San Jose this trip.

We went to Gilroy which is garlic country and also location of a huge factory outlet mall. On the way there, I wound down the windows to try to get a whiff but my respiratory infection had blocked up my olfactory senses, no joy of garlic bread in the air.

Arriving at the Gilroy mall, we were hungry and after a quick look round the lot, we headed to In-N-Out Burger. They had a very limited menu with 3 set meals only. However, I later found out that there were secret stuff off-menu like chilli fries. Anyway, we made it easy for the staff and order 3 of the same set meals. Everything is made fresh, the fries are hand-cut and single-fried hence they were not crispy but soggy. I think I still prefer the double-fried sort like McDonald's. But these burgers were succulent and the buns were soft.

We felt a little sick after we finished, probably because we ate an entire day's calorie allowance in one meal. But the next 3 hours of outlet shopping probably helped us work part of that off. It was still too much. Next time, I will get a single burger and share the fries. And that would probably be 3/4 of a day's calorie allowance. I might feel a tad less guilty. Why is it that everything I like is either illegal, immoral or fattening???

Theory Of Relativity

Everything is relative, really. This was brought home once again this week.

I arrived last Sunday afternoon at Santa Cruz, at a "spa and resort" which probably saw its glory days in 1975. After being spoilt at W hotel in Taipei just 3 days before I arrived in Santa Cruz, the trauma was enhanced. Asia hotels vs US hotels. There is JUST NO FIGHT. At all. Period. It was a comfortable enough room with 2 huge beds, a clean bathroom and decent toiletries. There was even free wi-fi. And a balcony with wooden decking which was perched on wooden stilts and overlooked some lovely woods. A squirrel even came to visit one morning. But W hotel, it was not. I tried not to look at or think about the icky carpet. I started hatching my escape plan.

So when I received my week's agenda and realised that my Leadership camp ends at noon on Friday and I could get out of Santa Cruz and move over to San Jose without having to stay over till Saturday morning, I quickly booked an extra night in the San Jose hotel and confirmed that I would leave Santa Cruz on Friday noon.

Then of course, there was the restaurant. That ONE restaurant. Where we ate every single meal, breakfast, lunch and dinner. That's 14 meals in total. Motel buffet meals. Actually, apart from the key lime pie tasting like chicken, I think the rest of the food was ok. Nothing to shout about but not too bad either. But still - by meal number 5, I was doubly grateful that I had managed to change my hotel bookings.

I used to think San Jose was dull but it looked so exciting and interesting in comparison to Santa Cruz and I breathed a sigh of relief and happiness when I set eyes on Santana Row. Civilisation.