After much delay, I am gathering my notes and catching up on some of my regular blog post topics, so let’s get going again with the best thing I ate last week…
Did I say last week? Let’s make it last month…
Everything is awesome…when you eat whatever you want! ~eamII
Oh, and eat everything I wanted I most certainly did; and not just last week, but all month long in July.
After all, it was Elda Fest.
What’s Elda Fest, you ask? Well, keep reading and you’ll find out.
http://josephinestreet.com
It’s my birthday and I’ll eat if I want to…
I haven’t always enjoyed celebrating my birthday. Not because I didn’t enjoy celebrating myself and being born per se, but because I never did enjoy celebrating the way that most people celebrated, or the way that most kids celebrated when I was a kid. I was always thankful my birthday was in the summer when school wasn’t in session. I could stay home and read my favorite books and await my favorite chocolate chip cookies that my mom would make for me.
Why chocolate chip cookies? I don’t really like cake (yes, it’s true) and I especially don’t really like cake and ice cream together. Birthday parties in the 70’s were all about really dry cake—that someone’s mom probably made from a box (no offense, but not a fan of those add-oil-and-an-egg cake mixes)— and generic Neopolitan ice cream, or some sort of very sticky rainbow sherbet (that we pronounced sher-bert) served on a paper plate that sat on my lap.
No, thank you. If that’s your thing, knock yourself out. It’s just not my idea of what I want to eat on my birthday. On my birthday, I want to have all of my favorite foods and I want to eat as much of those favorite foods as I can.
Now, I have tried to be a little more patient with recent birthdays, trying to just go with the flow and allow my friends and colleagues to celebrate me in the way they want to. After all, that part doesn’t have to be about me. I am sure I do the same thing to others, too, so why not just go with it. I hope I’m getting better.
(Am I getting better, Martha? LOL #insidejoke)
Note that I also never liked that obligatory thing where people feel that they have to get you a gift. Which is kind of strange, because I actually do like giving gifts to others—for all kinds of occasions. Oh well, this post isn’t about me needing to see a psychiatrist, it’s about me celebrating my birthday on my own terms.
Hence, the birth of Elda Fest: my birthday celebration, on my terms.
Want to get one of these beauties for your own birthday? You can find it at Chris Madrid’s. http://www.chrismadrids.com
I love Coke ICEE’s! 
The famous fried chicken at https://www.earlabelssa.com
Oh, this pie! More about it below. 
Prosit!
I went with the flow and it was worth it. 
Allowing myself to be celebrated.
#EldaFest49 (It’s a thing!)
Elda Fest hasn’t always been all month long. In fact, Elda Fest hasn’t always been called Elda Fest; calling it that started in 2013 when I actually kind of stole the idea from a coworker (he’s aware that I stole the idea).
Before that I just tried to plan something fun or plan my idea of a perfect day or week or few days where I could just enjoy being alive. On my own terms, of course.
Through my adult years, there have been road trips, there have been movies, there have been quiet days alone reading or quiet days by a pool reading. There have been long drives just for fun, and there have been fancy vacations where I’ve spent my actual birthday in another country—either with my best friends, alone, or with the love of my life.
Barcelona, Istanbul, Amsterdam, London and Reykjavik have all seen their fair share of Elda Fest. Heck, even the small back roads of Texas and Iowa (long story) have seen some of my fun Elda Fest adventures.
This year, I decided that Elda Fest 49 was going to be a bit about the blog on social media, and a lot about me eating (what this post is about) and enjoying some of my favorite things.
After all, what better way to celebrate one’s birthday!
From burgers to hot dogs to beers, oh my!
Where to start? How about with burgers.
Yes, you likely already know I love burgers, and you probably already know I also love hot dogs and beer, so trust me when I tell you that the month of July did not disappoint in how much I enjoyed all three of these major Elda Fest food groups…
#WhataburgerLife 
Here’s that Porky’s Delight again…
Like most months, I had Whataburger more than once or twice…
A special trip to Austin to get my favorite O.T. Special from Dirty Martin’s almost made Elda Fest complete all by itself!
Who else always has a hot dog on the 4th of July? For me, it’s become a tradition. I love having a hot dog or two, watching the hot dog eating contest on ESPN and then maybe having more hot dogs whenever I feel like it. Sometimes I add chili and cheese.
I did that a few times in July…
Happy 4th of July! 
Chili dogs! 
And more chili dogs!
I have always loved beer and between more than a few six packs of Shiner at home and some others along the way, July was not a month where I was ever thirsty…
A refreshing Shiner! 
Cheers! 
Prosit at Mary Lou’s! 
Even Peyton wanted a beer. 
An Elda Fest surprise as the store had my favorite Icelandic beer on hand!
And maybe so a girl doesn’t become too predictable, I also enjoyed some really good wine and a pretty pink cocktail during the month.
A very good Chianti! 
A cocktail? I’m a grown up after all.
But how do we really know I’m celebrating my birthday?
I have a Coke—and a smile.
As a former real Coca-Cola fiend (I now only drink loads of the diet stuff), I enjoy treating myself to a nose-burning Mexican Coke every July 24th.
Pizza, anyone?
If you have been following me, you also know that I love pizza.
July saw me eat more than anyone’s fair share of pizza.
What? Did I gain weight in July? Why do you ask…
Pepperoni and meatball pizza. 
Extra cheese for my birthday supper.
Extra cheese, extra slices, I didn’t hold back last month.
Elda Fest is sweet!
While I may not be a big fan of cake, don’t let that fact make you think I didn’t enjoy a few sweet treats in the month.
Because you’d be wrong if you thought that…
A chocolate eclair from Earl Abel’s. 
Mexican Vanilla from Amy’s. 
Macarons from Bakery Lorraine. 
The cherry cheesecake pie from Oxbow Bakery in Palestine, TX. OMG!
The sweetest treat I indulged in last month? Three pies from Oxbow Bakery in Palestine, Texas.
Did I really drive over 500 miles in one day to eat pie the day after my birthday? You bet I did!
Not only did I drive there, but I drove there alone, and when I had a blow out on my way home, you can bet I was extremely thankful to a sweet young man named Allen who helped me change the massively shredded tire. I told him I was going to mention him in my upcoming blog post, but I’m not sure he knew I was serious. I hope he knows how grateful I am that he helped me. Yes, I can change my own tire, but yes, I’m also very glad he helped me.
What else made me glad? The pies and experience at Oxbow Bakery. I can’t wait to go back in a few months for the pumpkin pie!
Let’s not forget about the pasta
I do love pasta! Plates and plates of pasta, in fact!
It’s one of those foods I can eat a ton of, although I try not to. I may have eaten a ton of pasta last month, though.
Here are just a few photos of some of those plates…
An amazing bowl of pasta from Tre Trattoria. 
Just a little fettuccine with meatballs at home.
No month of happy eating is complete without chips & salsa
Last meal on earth? Kind of a hard question, I think – I mean there are so many favorite foods from which to choose.
That being said, I know that I don’t want my last meal to be a protein shake, and chips & salsa will most definitely be my last meal’s appetizer.
And now for some of my July chips & salsa highlights…
Nachos & Shiner. Don’t hate. 
More chips & salsa.
Because I can never have enough.
Being Texan
Then there’s that responsibility of being a Texan.
I didn’t forget. I ate enough of some of those foods to make the late great President Sam Houston himself proud.
Long live the Republic of Texas!
Whataburger life, indeed. 
Frito pie.
Because I’m a Texan.
Also, Buc-cee’s.
Because again: Texan.
The chicken fried steak from http://www.fontainesdiner.com was almost as big as Texas!
Tacos, of course
Tacos.
This is taco country, and this is just a little part of last month’s taco life…
Sunday tacos looks good too. 
Saturday tacos are also beautiful. 
And of course, Tuesday again. 
Then again Friday tacos are also one of my favorite things.
Everything was awesome!
July, 2019: I ate, I enjoyed, and I turned 49.
I took notes in my notebook, and following its advice, I saw the beauty in all things, and I tasted the goodness in quite a few beautiful foods along the way.
Everything was awesome! After all, I ate as much as I wanted. You can bet I’ll do it again come next Elda Fest.
Elda XO
Until next year… XO
What about you?
How do you celebrate your birthday? What makes it awesome for you?
I’d love to know. Please comment on this post, or email me at elda@eldaeats.com
Thank you for reading, and thank you for your support—during Elda Fest and all year long!
