"What can I get you?" "Oh, the usual."

I have a friend with an incredibly high tolerance for things of a repetitive nature. In this case, I'm talking about food. Ridiculously high. (And since I know he's reading this: sorry, buddy, ha.) And by repetitive, I mean having the same thing for lunch and/or dinner and/or late night snack almost every day. For nearly 2 months.

It's not like the meal was particularly interesting, either: shabu-style teriyaki beef slices on rice. No sides, no nothing; just a bit of sauce. Not even speeecial sauce. *yawn* I'm not saying unpalatable, just booooring.

It got to the point where just the mention of this dish would make me gag.

And he almost started this trend in two other instances as well.... Eateries that I like, that I introduced him to got frequented a lot. I don't go to those restaurants quite so much anymore.

This got me thinking. I know I can be pretty judgemental. More so than I like to think. Or admit. Worse yet, I can also be hypocritical at times. So. Am I really any better? Am I that adventurous in trying out different restaurants?

Hmm. Not really.

I may not hit the same place 17 consecutive nights, but when I return to a place, more often than not I'll order the same few dishes I've had before. I rely on restaurant recommendations from friends and colleagues, so if they don't go to a lot of different places, then I've also limited myself to a select few as well.

In a country where there are as many eateries as there are cars on the street, I should be exploring a lot more, gastronomically speaking.

So I made a decision earlier this week. At least twice a week, I'm going to try a new place or a new dish.

And so far, it's paying off. :) (Er, sample size = 1.)