Thanks to the online discount certificates to restaurants and fun activities around Austin, I have been able to do things that I never thought I could afford!
My brother and I spent some quality sibling time learning how to fly a helicopter and airplane last week in Seguine, TX. I also went skydiving November 2010 in Lexington, TX! These two activities were among the highest ranked activities on my bucket list, and it feels so good to be able to check them off my list!
My biggest concern was what to eat after piloting a plane and jumping out of one. For both activities, I made sure to have a super light breakfast to so that I don't regret eating before doing the activities. However, this made me super hungry after I finished doing each activity.
I was a bit queasy after skydiving because the gliding part was a bit disorienting. The sudden change in direction when my tandem instructor showed me how to turn by tugging on my left arm made me want to vomit into the vast span of farmland below. I survived and put on a brave, if weak, smile upon landing. By the time I recovered a little bit from the motion sickness, I was definitely hungry. But I didn't know what I could eat that would not make me feel worse. My skydiving partner and I settled on sushi because it's a somewhat light option.
Getting ready to jump
Getting into position
Free Fall!
Parachute opening up
Gliding
Back on land
On the drive from Lexington back into Austin, we discussed all the inexpensive sushi options in Austin, and there really weren't a lot. There was
Sushi A Go Go, which we opted against because at that time, they only operated out of one trailer at Medical Arts, which was a bit inconvenient for us. Finally, we decided to try
Haiku in the Southpark Meadows strip mall.
For non-traditional maki rolls, these were pretty good! The portions were huge, so one roll for each of us would've sufficed, but we ordered 3 just in case. The sauces were a bit too sweet for my liking, but I just ate the rolls without the sauces. My favorite roll was the South Park Roll because it was spicy, packed with my favorite maki roll ingredients, and didn't come with any sauce.
South Park Roll - crawfish and fried tempura batter wrapped with snow crab, spicy tuna and wasbitobiko with avocado
Longhorn Roll - tempura shrimp, snow crab, cream cheese, smelt roe, and fresh tuna with spicy mayo and eel sauce
Tropical Roll - tempura shrimp, snow crab, wrapped in soy paper with salmon and fresh mango
Flying a helicopter and a plane was thrilling but definitely not as nerve-racking as skydiving. However, so much adrenaline pumped through me while piloting for 30 minutes in the air that I felt weak again, this time from hunger!
Bro ready for take-off
Bro about to show off his hovering skills
Landed
Yup, the wing is my step...I feel super safe
Flying over New Braunfels
Landing
My brother suggested that we drive 30 minutes to San Marcos to have an early lunch at Red Lobster. Now, now, I know foodies out there balk at the idea of eating at the Olive Garden and Red Lobster chains, but it's just like how I think about the numerous Americanized Chinese food joints across the U.S. They're not authentic; they're mutated versions of the original cuisines that should be taken as is and not compared to authentic ones. It can still serve a satisfying meal, and we should let go of attaching "guilty" to "pleasure" when aligning ourselves with some of these establishments. While growing up, my family frequented the neighborhood Red Lobster on weekends. Hey, affordable seafood that tastes pretty good! We're not going to put our noses up in the air!
I recently tasted their awesomely addictive lobster pizza, so I didn't hesitate to order it again for my post-flight nourishment. Judge all you want!
Lobster Pizza
