My husband (and myself) are what I consider to be unadventurous eaters. I would say, since the start of my husband's residency, when the opportunity arises for both of us to go somewhere together, we also pick the same place. I usually end up ordering Dan Dan Noodles Szechuan Style (a peanut butter noodle.) My husband usually ends up getting the Braised Beef noodle soup. And sometimes, if feeling extra whimsical, we branch out and get either dumplings or a small appetizer to enjoy. Now, going to the same place I have always considered rather "unmagical." Every time, we discuss other options and every time those other options are pushed aside for our favorite place. Yet, every single time we sit at a new table, at the same restauruant, with the same servers, usually on the same day, there is an undescribable feeling of whimsy. Because for us, "going out to eat" is actually a struggle. My husband's schedule is more than erratic. Finding two hours to spend together these days is few and far between. 

Before I move on, I must say, if you have not yet found yourself at Everyday Noodles-you must go. The servers are beautiful people, you can see the art of noodle-making while you eat and there is a warmth and a comfort found there that I have yet to find at any other restaurant. A word of warning that the place is rather small and the wait can be up to forty-five minutes on a Friday or Saturday. Interestingly, when we arrived this Saturday, we overheard two of the servers discussing the fact that although they had told the owners many times that an expansion was needed, the owners (so far) have rejected this idea. I wonder if they, too realize that the small enclosed space with tightly packed tables and scurrying servers creates a whimsy that may be lost if the restaurant was expanded. And then I began to think that perhaps our mindset about going to the same dining place week after week month after month holds a similar level of comfort. 

For us, whimsical is not found in the adventurous but in the one experience we can hold close to our hearts that remains status-quo. With our busy schedules, night float, flopped sleeping schedules, irritation, frustration and sometimes exhaustion, we both find pure happiness in being able to discuss our lives, how thankful we are and remain positive in this life journey we are going through together over a serving of our favorite noodles. We crave those same noodles, that same sauce, those same dumplings, those same smells and people because it reminds us that, sometimes you have to appreciate what you have already discovered. A good place is a place worth keeping. Dumplings remain our status quo. it keeps us grounded in our relationship. It keeps us grounded in who we are, our joint passions and what we wish for our future. We wish for someday to have more time together, more dumplings and more noodles. For this- we are thankful.