My Vacation in Massachusetts

Unemployment has left me with nothing but frustration.  I have submitted my resume (to which I update constantly) too many times to count.  I’m pretty sure I’m in the 1,000′s range by now.  I’m not getting a lot of hits.  The few that I did, chose other candidates.  Other nibbles were for jobs that I do not have any interest in (100% commission, for example).

Companies have upped their game, which is not good news for me.  There is no long a human analyzing your resumes and looking for skills and personality, they have created software programs to sift through each and every resume.  To get past their hiring software programs, my resume has to have specific keywords to meet their requirements.  If I do not pass that initial test, they send me an automated email saying that I do not qualify for the position.  If I do pass the test, there are a series of personality exams that offer nothing but confusing and unrelated questions (red is to black, as bear is to… and math questions that I will never use in life, such as, Dick ran South for 2 miles at 5mph and continued on a bus at 25mph, how far did Dick go?)  Are you picking up on my frustration yet?

Anywho, it’s been a painful process and it seems like no matter how many hoops I jump through, I always end up at a dead end.  It was time to get away and stop thinking about hiring processes for a few days.  My two very close friends from college moved to Massachusetts and I was long overdue for a visit.

The east coast is beautiful – full of sparkling ocean coastline and trees as old as America herself.  There are  five-story tall houses as wide as city blocks, whose bones have survived every war this country has bled through.  Such rich history, brimming with vibrant people and exceptional cuisine.  I was overwhelmed by the variety.  Fresh Seafood, Portuguese, Lebanese, Italian Pizzerias, Polish Pierogis and even Coney Island Hot Dogs – I was in a foodie lover’s dream.

For our first food adventure, I tried a Lebanese Meat Pie.  Earlier that day I had gorged on a Philly Cheesesteak in Philadelphia and my body was hating me for eating so much meat and cheese in one sitting, so I ordered a spinach and feta pie.  I tried both my friend’s traditional pie and mine and they were both absolutely delicious!  The dough is buttery and fantastic and the filling… ooey gooey and completely satisfying.

Shortly after, I was introduced to chourico (pronounced “chore-eese”), a delicious Portuguese sausage spiced heavily with garlic and paprika.  Chourico was everywhere in Fall River, Massachusetts.  Chourico pizzas, grinders, bread, breakfast, hotdogs… you name it, they had it… and I loved it!  I wish I would have brought some back with me.  I will definitely have to plan ahead the next time I visit.

My eggplant parmesan grinder.  Cheesy, tomato perfection.  Cousin Mike sure knows how to make some mean bread!!

Moving on, we eventually made it to Boston and explored the Quincy Market – a place filled with show performers, shopping and the most amazing grub you may ever see, including these ultimate pizza bagels.  Completely drool worthy.

They had everything from chowder to lobster rolls, to smoothies to giant cookies at this market.  If I lived in Boston, I would be here every day for lunch.  Plus, out of all of the clam chowder I tasted (and I ate a lot of chowder), this place had the best chowder I tried.  Try the free samples at Walrus and Carpenter Oyster Bar and see if you don’t agree with me.

Back to Fall River and more delicious food, this time of the Polish nature - Patti’s Pierogis.

Patti’s was featured on Food Network’s Diners, Drive Ins and Dives.  Patti makes a zillion kind of pierogis!!  You can look at her menu online, but we enjoyed (to name a few) the traditional varieties, shepherd’s pie, mac and cheese, pizza, broccoli and cheese, chourico pierogis and dessert ones too – mounds, chocolate and peanut butter and fresh blueberry.  Phew!  Try making your own pierogis at home!

I had many adventures in Massachusetts, too many to share in this novel of a blog post, but I do have one last place I would like to talk about, Nick’s Coney Island Hot Dogs.  Apparently there is a hot dog war going on in Fall River – Nick’s v. JJ’s.  These hot dog joints are located right across the street from each other.  I’m fairly certain it is so the owners can keep an eye on one another.  My friends side with Nick’s, so that’s where we went for breakfast before I had to leave for the airport.

The sausages snap in your mouth, are surrounded by a steamed bun and then topped with delicious toppings.  We had our hotdogs with onion, mustard and chili sauce.  The chili sauce is what makes these dogs!  I am craving one right now.

My friend also ordered coffee milk at this establishment, something I am not familiar with.  I believe this is a drink native to the east coast, maybe more specifically this area, but it is milk flavored with coffee syrup (similar to chocolate milk).

We also ordered French fries – possibly the FRESHEST fries I have ever had!  The lady behind the counter literally took a whole potato, brushed it off, pushed it through a fry-cutter and dropped the fresh potato pieces into a deep fryer.  Amazing.

To conclude, I had a wonderful (and much needed) weekend with some of the greatest girls I know.  Thank you to those who welcomed me into their home and showed me around Massachusetts – a trip I will never forget.  And thank you readers for sticking with me throughout this very long post.

Much love!