Sunday, March 23, 2008

"A rose is a rose is a rose"....maybe....NOT

....especially when it comes to beaches and margaritas!!!
"But...Debbie...what the heck are you going on about?", you may (or may not) be asking yourself.
Well.....I read an English newspaper almost every day (sometimes it just goes into a pile and I forget about it) and in the "Sports" section they usually have a "quote of the day"...usually something really stupid thought provoking and deep that some athlete has said.

I think it was Thursday's paper where I found this....a quote by Newly crowned World Cup skiing champion Lindsey Vonn, who married ex-skier Thomas Vonn in September, on combining their long-awaited honeymoon with a trip to Jamaica for a friend's wedding in May. And here is what she said:
"A beach is a beach, I guess. Margaritas are the same everywhere."

Now.....I am not,by any stretch of the imagination, any kind of connoisseur of beaches or margaritas, but...... I have been to enough of the first and drank more than my fair share of the other to say to this young and obviously inexperienced young lady (she was born in 1984....need I say more?!?!) that....really....she has sooOOOooo much more to learn about the basics of just life, in general.

A beach is not just sand and salty sea water on the edge of a big body of land......


Depending on where in the world you are....the sand on which you stand may be different than somewhere else. For example...the sand in South Padre (Texas) is more of a brownish, rough sand....while the sand on the beaches of St. Thomas is....well...heaven. The beaches in the Dominican are nice, as are the ones in So. California...but each one is just a bit different than the other. Plus...the water. Oh...the glorious water.....Caribbean water is that beautiful clear, sparkling blue....Gulf of Mexico is a bit....browner. Guam, Saipan and of course Hawaii (*sigh*) all offer different kinds of beautiful sand and sea.



Now....on to my frozen concoction of choice....the margarita.



Saying that "Margaritas are the same everywhere" is like announcing to the world that, well...you haven't really been anywhere. (IMHO)

THE best frozen margs were from a place in Greeley, Colorado ("Gre-ality") called Eddie's Bar and Grill. They had frozen margaritas, on tap, for $1. They were delicious. Sadly, this place closed not long after I graduated from University....so many hours were spent there, I think we had a memorial.* On my trips back to the U.S., the first place I try to go (after Target, of course) is to Chili's, where the margaritas (along with my BFF Dena) will warmly welcome me back to my home country.

I can honestly say that for every really good, lick your lips cause they're salty and it's so niiiiice margarita I have knocked back sipped upon, I have also had a bad one.

Here in Japan....don't even think about ordering a margarita, because, in my experience, they don't know how to make them (along with many other drinks that are basics in any American bar). You'd be better off just ordering a shot of tequila because that would taste better. IF you go to a Hard Rock Cafe or any other of the "foreign" style places, then, you can get a good one, other than that....no...no...huh-uh....no thank you.

As some of you may have figured out, when I go home to the States we spend many an afternoon/evening on my mom's patio....and many times, the blender will be going at warp speed.

Last summer, I found at Wal-Mart a "Margarita in a Tub".....it was great....just open the mix, add the tequila, stir it up and toss it in the freezer for a few hours and *VOILA*.....a frozen margarita that was pretty tasty. The "Sweet Potato Queens" also have their own "Fat Mama's Knock You Naked Margarita Mix" that is pretty garsh darn good....a bit dangerous, but good. But...but..but...over in Margaritaville, Jimmy Buffett has his own mix that....and I will swear by this...is probably one of the best.

So.....where do you go for the best beach? The best Margarita? Do YOU think they are all the same? As I am always looking for both....I'd be interested in hearing your opinions!!!

And...since we are on the subject of beaches.....here is a picture taken on a Japanese beach...of my oldest when he was about 4 or 5.....to me, this is one of the best pictures....Ahhhh...to be running nekkid as a jay bird(on an isolated beach) with not a care in the world....now THAT would be nice.



Happy Easter, everyone!! I hope the day will be / is / was a good one for you!!!

**Will post pictures of our Easter tree tomorrow....the K-Man took the camera and is doing something with it...something with videos and whatnot. I usually have no idea as to what he is doing and tonight is no exception!!! :-D

7 comments:

Jenn @ Juggling Life said...

You are too right. The right beach . . . the right margarita . .

I'm actually partial to Doheny State Beach and a rocks Margarita along with a carne asada buffet barbecued right outside our tent.

Crystal Gable said...

You are ABSOLUTELY right. A beach is not a beach and a margarita definitely is not a margarita. I recently went to a world famous Mexican Restaurant in Fort Worth and a friend had warned me not to get the margaritas there. (I thought to myself... oh, she's just being picky. I'm sure they're fine.) Well, as I'm sure you've guessed... THEY WEREN'T FINE. They tasted like dirty snow mixed with one teaspoon of a cheap margarita mix with absolutely no hint of tequilla what-so-ever. They were awful. The waiter came by later and said, "would you like another margarita?" and I said, "are you kidding?" LOL. Like you said, there are some mixes that are good. We like to get the Jose Cuervo Ready to Drink Margaritas in the glass bottle and take on the boat in the summer.

It's cool that you mentioned Greely, CO. When I was 14 I went on a ski trip to Vail with my best friend and we met two cute guys in the hot tub who were going to college in Greely. We lied and said we were in college, too. LOL. We went skiing with them the next day. It was a lot of fun.

Susan said...

OMG, that girl is all of 24, what could she know? Of all the beaches I been on, the absolute best is in Playa Del Carma on the Carribean! White sand and blue water. And you are right, Chili's marg's are right up there at the best. I make a mean one in my ice cream freezer. Patio time anyone?

Anonymous said...

One more thing that makes the Margarita good...is the company you share it with. Many memories on Linda's patio and great company. I think that creates one of the best you could have. Shellie

Mrs. G. said...

I like the beaches on the Oregon coast, the little town of Seaside to be exact. The best margarita I have ever had is from Mi Mexico, a hole-in-the-wall just blocks from my house. Now I'm thirsty.

Mary Alice said...

Beaches are all completely different .....and margarita's can be very different....she'll learn, eventually.

Karen MEG said...

Debbie, you are BANG ON about the beach and the margarita! I would say poor inexperienced girl, but then she'll likely have the chance to experience and know this first hand.

We love the Negril beaches (even Jamaican beaches are not the same), and we found the water at the Mayan Riviera was gorgeous (at least about 20 years ago... gosh, I can't believe that's how long ago Ian and i were in Mexico).

And margaritas, divine! The TUB sounds extra divine LOL!