Freakin' Weekend!

Woooowheeeee! Things are really starting to heat up down South! I think it's been hovering around 100 degrees with a percent humidity to match all week. Oi. Thank God I have AC. I think I would totally melt. Or fry - like the fried chicken they love so much here. Haha.
Although I had an uncharacteristically short week, I was still more than ready for the weekend. After work, Will and I have been making it more of a habit to head over the pool for a bit to chill. Friday, a woman came up to us and asked if we would like to go the the Michael Buble concert that night at the Fed Ex Forum. Heck yes! She had tickets and couldn't go so she just gave them to us. Buble is definitely your typical charming, lounge singer type - the kind that makes girls feel all warm and lovey and gushy. (As evidenced by the thousands of swooning women filling the Forum!)
Saturday included the usual Farmer's Market fun. I helped the a few of the interns from my work do a little poster session on potatoes. Will was such a sweetie and surprised me with this gorgeous bouquet of flowers from the market. :-)

 After some more pool time in the afternoon, because what else is there to do when it's 100 degrees (!), we went to church then headed to Midtown for the Italian Fest. I was so excited to go, but left after staying only a few minutes (and paying $13, grrr). Memphis is weird about its festivals. Unless you know the right people there's no point in going. :-( Just like BBQ Fest, the Italian Fest involved a park full of tents where cliques of people meet to cook, eat, and not share their food. Ugh. However, the night was not all lost because we wound up at The Elegant Farmer which Will had learned about at the market earlier that day. The owner is a board member of the farmer's market and makes all the dishes in his restaurant using, almost exclusively, ingredients from the market. We shared a beet and goat cheese salad as an appetizer; catfish, roasted cauliflower puree, and bok choy for the entree; then key lime pie for dessert. It was fantastic! Plus, the owner Mack was super friendly and excited that we were getting involved with the market. He definitely made up for the snobbishness we had felt at the Italian Fest!
I am always being reminded that it isn't easy to make new friends. I still often find myself feeling a bit out-of-place down here - the lonely Northern vegetarian in a world of BBQ, tornadoes, and cliquish festivals. Then I remind myself that things can get better, it just takes time. There's some exciting possibilities for getting more involved in the market and making new friends there. Plus, our church just announced that they are planning on buying food trucks to deliver meals to the needy in the city. Will and I were both excited about the prospect of getting involved in that project!