The Three Stags - Tuna Melt and Pimms - London, United Kingdom

Pimms is an English summer afternoon drink, like mint julep is in the U.S. It's got champagne and I don't have any idea what else, but the waiter had to "pop around the corner to the shop" to get more. This one came with cucumber slices, lime wedges, orange wedges, lemon wedges, and mint leaves. It is damn good. The creamy tuna melt was on a thick slice of hard-crusted bread. The fish wasn't too strong and the cheese wasn't too rich and the two together made my favorite London meal.

Cafe on the Square - Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese Sandwich - London, United Kingdom

This is, to date, the worst meal in the short history of this blog. The salmon was much too strong and, it's hard to admit, but it was too salty also. Combined with the cream cheese, it was too rich. It was actually quite nauseating, like eating the smell of standing a dock on a late summer afternoon, but because I'd spent 2.95 pounds, I forced myself to finish it.

Cornish Bakery - Vegetarian Mediterranean Vegetable Pasty - London, United Kingdom

This was my second favorite meal in London. It was an entire pastry of the best pot pie crust you've ever had filled with thick, hot and sour stew. I would have eaten one of these every day and still would if I knew where to find them. And it was an unbelievable 1.75 pounds.

Hoop and Toy - Shredded Cheddar and Apple Chutney sandwich - London, United Kingdom

Cheese and tangy apple salsa on "brown"? Hell yeah. It was cheap, too (3.95 pounds).

Founders Arms - Beer Battered Fish and Chips with Mushy Peas - London, United Kingdom

Eh, it's bland white fish in fried bread (which is only an excuse for me to eat tartar sauce) and French fries. But wait, what is this green sludge? The peas themselves are huge. As nasty as it looks, it's a bit salty with a texture somewhat like chunky mashed potatoes and a similar comfort level, too. At 7.70 pounds, it was expensive, but it was almost worth it for the mushy peas experience alone.

Sticklers - Prawn Cocktail Jacket Potato - London, United Kingdom

You know you're not in Raleigh anymore when someone bakes a potato, stuffs it full of cold, mayonnaise-coated prawns, and puts it next to a naked salad. The potato's heat cooked the prawns, giving them a slight sweetness while the sauce melted into the potato. It was odd, but for only 3.50 pounds it made two meals.

Thai Pavilion - Pud Thai, Thai Iced Tea, Vegetable Soup - London, United Kingdom

It was so nice to have pad thai again. This version was served with a lemon wedge (no, no, no! It needs lime!), chopped peanuts and flaked peppers on the side, to be mixed in to taste. It didn't have enough sauce meaning that it wasn't as savory as it should be and it was missing fried egg, but the tofu was fried to the proper texture (even if a bit soggy). Overall it was only okay, but really, it had been so long that it was great.

Mitch's Tavern - Tuna Salad Sandwich - Raleigh, North Carolina

Pickles and tuna and mayonnaise. Mmmmm... The bread and cookies, though, are mediocre at best; fluff masquerading as wheat and barely sweet, bland dryness, respectively.

Sylvia's Pizza - Cheese Calzone - Raleigh, North Carolina

This was a huge bread bag of cheese. Although it's rare for me to say so, it was too cheesy, too creamy, too much. The sauce helped offset the milky flavor, but oh god, what a vat of cheese.

24 Hour Waffle and Pancake House - Best Breakfast - Raleigh, North Carolina

My favorite 2 AM meal. Eggs over easy, shredded hashbrowns, and a biscuit with blackberry jam. It comes with bacon, too, but I usually give that to my dining partner. This particular time the eggs were over medium and the hashbrowns were raw on one side and too crisp on the other. This is not typical.

Pop's Diner - Shrimp Basket - West Point, Virginia

The menu says that you'll get 21 shrimp with this meal, which I think, was $6.50, but that's a gross understatement. I chose mashed potatoes with brown gravy and green beans as my sides, neither of which had chunks of meat in them, but they were too similar to my grandma's southern cooking to be vegetarian. The shrimp were battered too thick and weak in flavor, however, the mash potatoes more than made up for this. I haven't had such creamy, salty, savory potatoes and gravy in years. It was mostly the gravy, a bastardized version of which can be had at Kentucky Fried Chicken. The green beans were suitably oily and overcooked. Ah, comfort food.

Village Draft House - Fried Grouper Sandwich - Raleigh, North Carolina

I haven't been eating white fish long enough be an expert, but I would say this sandwich was really bland, almost tasteless. (The tartar sauce was absolutely necessary.) It was actually better the next day when it had acquired a "fishier" taste. The salad uses real lettuce (instead of iceberg, which is passed off as lettuce in most of Raleigh) and generous portions of veggies and cheese. This time I forgot to order a non-creamy dressing, like balsamic vinegrette, so the overall effect following a pickle chip appetizer (see below) is too much of the same thing.

Village Draft House - Pickle Chips - Raleigh, North Carolina

Slice dill pickles, batter them, deep-fat fry them, and dip 'em in ranch dressing and you've got yourself a bit of napalm heaven (because you won't be able to wait until they're cool enough to touch). I know it sounds unbelievable, bizarre even, but this hot tartar sauce, heavy on the pickle, is what keeps me going back to an otherwise mediocre restaurant/ale house. I have to be careful, though: too many pickle chips at one time will spoil them for me for a month or so. It's easy to overdo it.