Delighting the Mind with Eclecticism

The physics studying still continues, and at this point, I am looking for distractions. I keep convincing myself of the lie that the last week before the test is easily not the most vital week of preparation. At least I started off the morning with good intentions, studying at a local coffee shop, but towards the middle of the day, I instead found myself on the top of a parking deck joining the crowd to watch the solar eclipse. I do have a major test coming up, but this event could not be missed! Of course there is also the next solar eclipse in April of 2024, but still I recognize priorities when I see them.

After watching the eclipse, I turned to my friends Tracy and Sam for the next diversion. Studying was tiresome, painful, and was slowly growing to be overwhelmingly depressing. We all three knew, whatever distraction that was to come, that somehow it must involve food. After all, as Hippocrates was so wise to state in 400 BC,

Let thy food be thy medicine.

Much to the relief of the trio, we found ourselves headed to a nearby food court.

Pizitz Food Hall - Birmingham, Al

Logo from The Pizitz website

There was nothing to prepare me for the experience behind those large glass doors. Upon first glance, it looked like any other food hall with rows of different restaurant stalls and customer tables and chairs set up neatly through the long hallway. It was, however, the diversity of food selection and uniqueness of fresh dishes that made this place so appealing. Tracy, Sam and I started our full tour by taking in each vendor in all of their splendor, considering our different meal options, and smelling the distinct aromas that met us around each corner. 

At first, I felt frustration. How in the world could I choose when everything looked so delicious and smelled so taunting? I eventually settled on MoMo, an authentic Nepalese restaurant that was opened by Abhi Sainju, a man originally from Nepal who spent his young years at a boarding school in India. Chef Sainju is the owner of the local downtown Bamboo on 2nd, another place on my list to eventually visit. I ordered the vegetable momo ('momo' being the Nepalese word for 'dumpling') which was served with a tomato based broth. I am unsure of other specific ingredients, since at this time, I am not as familiar with Nepalese cuisine. Regardless, I thought the dish was delicious; it had a calm and sweet flavor from the tomato but a bit of a hot bite from some spices in the sauce. I let my friend Sam try a bite of these little dumplings, and though I do not feel she was smitten as much as I was, she did still express an interest in the flavors and labeled it 'good.'

Sam ordered the pork belly ramen from Ichicoro Imoto, a Japanese ramen restaurant, and was greatly pleased. She was sweet enough to let me sip a spoonful of the broth in her dish and try a bamboo shoot from the soup. The bamboo shoot was prime, still firm enough that it had a bit of a crunch. As expected, the broth categorizes the dish under salty and fishy labels, both of which are flavors the partaker must be craving.

Tracy ordered a Parisian sandwich from Busy Corner Cheese and Provisions, which consisted of madrange ham and Brie cheese on a French baguette. As usual, Tracy's choice of food made me jealous. He was equally as pleased with his decision and proceeded to hand out samples of his sandwich for both me and Sam to try. Superb! But how could I stop here? How could I, a cheese lover, pass up an opportunity to savor more?

As usual, I gave in to my inner crazy voice of addiction and once more returned for additional food. I am happy to say that what next entered our mouths was the highlight of this entire day. I ordered a cheese board from Busy Corner Cheese and Provisions. On top of that, I instantly felt a connection with Brian McMillan, the owner of this business. He worked so hard to make our experience enjoyable and even proceeded to write down all the names of the cheeses that we were sampling. Without a shadow of a doubt, I trusted this man and his knowledge of cheeses. If anyone takes the opportunity to visit this small deli cafe to speak with Brian, they will not leave disappointed. In fact, I extend my hello to Brian through any reader that drops by this wonderful cafe stop.

The cheeses we were privileged to sample included: Bearded Lady goat cheese from Prodigal Farm in North Carolina, Wilde Weide cheese from L'Amuse in Holland, Tunworth cheese from Neal's Yard Dairy in England, Thomasville Tomme cheese from Sweetgrass in Georgia, and Nickajack cheese from Sequatchie Cove Farm in Tennessee. We could pair the cheeses with quince preserves, fig jam, or a drizzle of rosemary honey from the Savannah Bee Company. 

Tracy, Sam and I spent the next half an hour at least savoring each cheese in its smell, texture, and relish. Some were more pungent than others (ahem, goat cheese), but each one I appreciated to its fullest capacity. Needless to say, studying for the rest of the day was downhill. It is only natural after such a mountaintop experience. What a memorable moment! Though this week's test stands looming over each of my brain's neurons, this delightful food experience broke down the walls of terror in my mind. If nothing else in my life ever succeeds, I will forever know that God blessed me with one last celebrated occasion at the Pizitz food hall.