Date: 6 March 2016. The Birds (ordering iced coffee)

© janice142
 

There is a certain joy in celebratory meals. It is also fun to find a bargain. Enjoying a quiet dinner with new friends is good too. Lately on the way to and from grocery shopping a favorite stop has become McDonald's. Their bargain menu appeals to my budget. Additionally, there is a nifty place nearby called The Birds.
 

Saving pennies is always a good thing. Take-out burger joints can be a thrifty option.

Though McDonald's has restaurant seating inside there is a better place. Outside near the dinghy dock are a few round tables. Those can be an option if you are so inclined.
 

Just around the bend however is The Birds, and that is my personal favorite.
 

Picture relaxing in a vehicle... you are eating your hamburger and all is well with the world. Then the gent you are with has the not-so-brilliant idea to share his meal with the seagull sitting on the hood of the truck. Fine, what is one little seagull going to do?!?
 

Well, the moment that first scrap of the bread went out the window we were inundated with *flying rats. I could easily imagine Alfred Hitchcock sitting in the back seat saying "I warned you." Haunting music echoed too. (I am easily entertained.)
 

*Flying rats: Daddy called seagulls flying rats because they will eat anything. Seagulls are the clean-up crew of the marine world.
 

But I digress... when it comes to food places I generally order coffee as my beverage. For some reason restaurants will not refill hot tea without charging extra. I chose coffee so I can have a second cup without incurring additional expense.
 

That is not the best part though. McDonald's has a senior menu and if you ask for a Senior Coffee you get a small cup of coffee. That is fine -- just perfect as a matter of fact. Then I ask for extra cream and sugar (four and four)

Next I take my own cup (pint size, glass) over to the ice machine and fill it with cubes. I do not care for the taste of full flavor coffee. I prefer weak coffee. Half strength is just about perfect.

Finally I pour the cream and sugar onto the ice. Then I add the coffee. It will melt the ice and thus weaken the coffee. Now I have a perfect glass of iced coffee, all for a dollar.
 

Of course I could have ordered iced cappuccino for $2 for a cup. It would have been too strong, too sweet, and twice the price. Using my own ice I end up with three cups of iced coffee for a dollar. That perfectly satisfies both my taste buds and the budget.
 

Side Note: You can do a similar thing at Starbucks. Order your small plain coffee. Ask for  it a large cup. Then dose it as you desire from the bar. Request a cup of ice on the side and voila: instant fancy ice coffee for the price of a regular cup of coffee.
 

When ordering from the McDonald's menu I suggest asking for something "off" the standard fare. When I order a double meat hamburger I ask for it without pickles. That means my burger is fresh and hot from the grill.

If Julie and Tucker were here, they'd probably like a taste of my burger.

Julie and Tucker love dinghy rides. They live on M/V Hero, a powercat.

Such is life. I'm in a celebratory mood -- those levels [previous vignette, Buy and Install Levels] were just one of a list of items I've finished of late. It's good to have things taken off The List. As for me, I'm looking forward to the day my list fits on just one 3x5 card. That's not likely to happen for a while.

Because I was under the weather for so long it feels like I'm far behind what I'd intended to accomplish. Slowly I'll catch up, but first I'm going to take a nap with my Kindle.

Have a great day and thanks for reading.

When you go to a burger joint is it generally take-out or eat in?
And what's your favorite place for a meal-on-the-go?

COMMENTS:
 

© 2016

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