
"I work and I eat. Life is muffins and jam."
How I Am, Little Women
Apple-teaser
I don't have a refined enough palate to consider myself a foodie, but I certainly become one when I'm on vacation. For me, finding local cuisine in a city or state I've never been to is half the fun of traveling. This week of being away from the lovely Heidi's delectable cooking has been tougher than a well-done steak. I'm still working toward the right balance of groceries and greasy take out, but I'm optimistic that I'll get a grip in the coming weeks. In service of this blog, I've become one of those insufferable people who gets their food and snaps a photo: "Phone eats first."

SUNDAY, Jan 28th
Owensboro, Kentucky
Some of you may recall from last week's update that I got very little sleep, and very little food, the day we flew to Kentucky. I had some of my homemade cold brew for the drive to the airport to jumpstart my long day of travel. Heidi and I also purposefully tested the longevity of a single piece of Mentos gum (about 17 minutes for me, 19 and a half for her). There was no time for lunch in the airport in South Carolina, so I had a rumbly-tumbly on the bus to our Owensboro hotel. I literally threw all of my shit in the hotel room and lead a parade of overtired performers down Second Avenue, on a mission for anything edible.
We settled on Mellow Mushroom (the only thing open at 8:30 on a Sunday), and I went with a reliable favorite, the Pacific Rim, decked with ham, pineapple, and jalapeño. It was actually a nostalgic dinner, as this pizza happens to be the first thing the lovely Heidi and I shared on our first official date. The pizza was good, but given the Owensboro staff had the pressure of serving 20 people, the crust was a little doughy (still good!). I did the sensible thing and saved half the pizza for leftovers to have some time the next day.

MONDAY, Jan 29th
Owensboro, Kentucky
First official day of tech, we weren't needed until around noon, so the cast flooded into Red Swing Coffee, a café across the street from our venue. I had their Mixtape shaken espresso, loaded with caramel, vanilla, and hazelnut, and it was heavenly. I also ordered a Chicken Salad sandwich with a side order of potato chips, but there was a mixup in getting my order out. I had to take it on the go, so I unfortunately didn't snap a picture, but it was very good.
After our first day of tech, we had dinner catered by Moonlight Barbecue, and oh boy, what a spread we had. When there's free food, I cannot be stopped. They had fruit salad, chicken breast, black bean burger patties, the works. I settled on macaroni & cheese, a house salad with low-fat Italian dressing, and a salmon fillet with a mysterious dill sauce. Dinner was paired with an Arnold Palmer made with unsweetened tea, and banana pudding for desert, which I devoured before I could get a picture. Later in the evening, I had second dinner on call with the lovely Heidi and noshed on some cold pizza.

TUESDAY, Jan 30th
Owensboro, Kentucky
Red Swing had the cast hooked, especially me. I had gone to the gym Monday morning, and felt a little acidy, so now was the time to start thinking about healthier, lighter options. Lunch was an Acai Bowl with granola, chia seeds, banana, strawberries and blueberries; yes, it was as good as it looks. I paired it with another iced Mixtape, with an extra shot to give me that extra umph.

We were actually let out of tech early Tuesday night for reasons I'll explain in the Weekly Update coming tomorrow, so we weren't sure what to do. We decided to stay out of the cold and go to Burger Theory, a restaurant and bar in the lobby of our Holiday Inn. My roommate Elijah and I both ordered their On the Border burger, topped with pico de gallo, guacamole, and pepper jack cheese. I'll be honest, this was extremely mid-tier, and I was a little disappointed. I'm undoubtedly spoiled by having access to some of the best quality bread in the nation, living near New York, and I could taste the difference in the bun here. Good 'nuff is good 'nuff.

WEDNESDAY, Jan 31st
Owensboro, Kentucky
Finally in the throes of a traditional tech rehearsal, we had an hour and a half to break for dinner at 5:00 PM. Everyone went their separate ways, but six of us went to Don Mario's, a Mexican place that had been frequented by some of the crew earlier in the week. I hope that we've established a level of trust, dear reader, so know that when I say we got our food within five minutes of ordering, I'm telling you the truth. I can't explain it. This place must have massive portions of every possible menu item ready to go on low heat in back. I had to go big and get the Don Mario Fajitas, loaded with shrimp, chicken, chorizo, ground beef, onions and peppers, and bacon, of all things. This is a place known for their foot long burritos, so I was not disappointed by the portions. I was once again smart about it and saved about half for the next day, tossed together with my mix of sour cream, beans, pico, lettuce, and guacamole (not pictured).

THURSDAY, Feb 1st
Owensboro, Kentucky
Thursday morning, Elijah and I were zombies, and we didn't have quality coffee available in our room, so we once again trekked to Red Swing. I got a shaken espresso with no other sweeteners (a rare choice, but not unprecedented), and I got avocado toast with "bubble eggs." Another company member, Emily, got the same thing earlier in the week, and I was curious to try it. They fry the eggs in a waffle maker, and that gives them this unique shape, but the bits between the "bubbles" were a little too tough and crispy for my liking. Still good, and certainly unique!

At the dinner break, I went back to the hotel to finish off my Don Mario leftovers, and it's a good thing I did, because the guacamole was on its way out.
What else, what else... Oh, silly me: Thursday was my TWENTY-SEVENTH BIRTHDAY!!! It is honestly wild that my birthday fell on this tour, but everyone in the company was very gracious and sweet. Like our director Jeff told me, "A good birthday is when you're working." I had Birthday Cronuts from another coffee shop, Gramps, gifted by the incomparable Moriel. I managed to try one of the strawberry boys before the run of the show, but they disappeared in record time. We also had ice cream sandwiches and popsicles during our break, provided by Big League.

FRIDAY, Feb 2nd
Owensboro, Kentucky
Today was a grand experiment: how far can Mychal safely go without eating. The results may surprise you: not long. I wanted to take advantage of another catered meal, and after another day of gyming, I went all morning with no coffee and no snacks to try my hand at intermittent fasting. My stomach was eating itself by the time we finished our first run through, and Moonlight Barbecue was ready to save the day. I loaded my plate with a little bit of everything: macaroni and cheese, beans, sweet potatoes, a pulled pork sammich, and a whole ass plate of Brussels sprouts and veggie quinoa. Desert, which I always have room for, was cherry pie, with an emphasis on the cherries. I did not fit as well into my costume for our second run through.
SATURDAY, Feb 3rd
Owensboro, Kentucky
Saturday morning before the show, Moonlight Barbecue came in clutch once again with a catered breakfast. Not taking shots, but the spinach and egg "quiche" was nasty, so I abstained. I decided to take it easy with some deviled eggs (with gherkins, the only way to have them), and I collected some fruit and veggies with hummus to snack on up until we had to get into costume. All in all a simple, sensible breakfast, and it's here that black coffee started to grow on me!
It was a task figuring out what everyone wanted to do after our opening show. Food was immediately necessary, of course, but we have some sober kings in the cast, so we weren't really in the mood for bar hopping. We wrestled with going to Burger Theory again (a no vote from me), or returning to Mellow Mushroom (some no votes from everyone else), and decided to try another local spot, Fetta Pizza. Elijah was the cast MVP for the day by reserving us a private room upstairs, and it's a good thing because we were loud. I didn't manage to get a photo of my Buffalo Chicken pizza because I was the hungriest little boy ever, but I ate the entire thing and it was divine.
SUNDAY, Feb 4th
Owensboro, Kentucky, en route to Paducah, Kentucky
Our first official travel day! I got an early start and went to get an Americano and a half dozen donuts from Gramps. They're reserved for breakfast/dessert over the next few days; just wanted to take a little bit of Owensboro with me on the road. We hopped aboard our bus, and on our way to Paducah, we stopped at a Kroger grocery store in Madisonville. There, I made some big moves and got some microwave mac & cheese, bananas, kombucha, goldfish, protein shakes, and a few charcuterie bites trays for the rest of the week. The cast, band, and crew all have plans to go out as a cast most evenings, but prepare for some mundane updates like "water and my daily banana again."
Dessert
Thanks for sticking with me to the end! Now that we're on the road traveling from city to city, I'll definitely be going back and forth between late night fast food and wacky local delicacies. More about how tech week and our first performance went in the Weekly Update, coming tomorrow morning. Until then, bone-apple-teeth!
And scene.
Love hearing about your adventures Mychal!