{"id":450,"date":"2015-12-16T07:00:12","date_gmt":"2015-12-16T13:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/yayserver.com\/jessicaconoley\/?p=450"},"modified":"2015-12-16T07:00:12","modified_gmt":"2015-12-16T13:00:12","slug":"the-ive-been-everywhere-and-then-i-had-dinner-project","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yayserver.com\/jessicaconoley\/the-ive-been-everywhere-and-then-i-had-dinner-project\/","title":{"rendered":"The \u201cI\u2019ve Been Everywhere, and Then I Had Dinner\u201d Project"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Imagine me, driving down the road, as wind rushes in the moon roof, when the intro of <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=ov4epAJRPMw\">I\u2019ve Been Everywhere Man<\/a><\/em> crackles through my speakers. Johnny Cash rips through a dozen towns before the first chorus, and I think about how I <em>haven\u2019t<\/em> been everywhere. Then I start wondering about all those places Johnny\u2019s been. Then I realize if Johnny\u2019s been to all those places, maybe <em>I <\/em>could go to all those places too. And if I went to all those places, I bet I\u2019d be pretty hungry by the time I got there\u2026<\/p>\n<p>By the time I\u2019d finished that drive, in May of 2012, the IBE&amp;TIHD project was born.<\/p>\n<p>The mission: Go to all ninety places listed in the song and eat dinner.<\/p>\n<p>The guidelines:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Since my Grandpa Tom\u2019s side of the family calls lunch \u201cdinner\u201d, and dinner \u201csupper\u201d, I\u2019m allowed to have either a noon-time meal or evening-time meal at any of the locations.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>A story or essay must be written about the event. The format of the piece has no restrictions, as I expect the pieces to evolve as I become a better writer\u2014as well as need the flexibility to adapt the pieces to each individual dinner. If I haven&#8217;t had too many cocktails, I may even provide photo documentation of dinner and\/or my accomplices.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Partners in crime are allowed, and encouraged\u2014as eating too many dinners alone leads to larger pants sizes and sad, concerned looks from strangers. (If you\u2019d like to join me, name your city and we\u2019ll make it happen.) Dinner companions must be prepared to be captured, for all of eternity, by my written words and should embrace the transition from real life human to character on a page.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>There is no time limit for this project.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Here are all the places I (we?) get to go:<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Reno, Chicago, Fargo, Minnesota,<br \/>\nBuffalo, Toronto, Winslow, Sarasota,<br \/>\nWichita, Tulsa, Ottawa, Oklahoma,<br \/>\nTampa, Panama, Mattawa, La Paloma,<br \/>\n<del><a href=\"https:\/\/yayserver.com\/jessicaconoley\/ibetihd-bangor\/\">Bangor<\/a><\/del>, Baltimore, Salvador, Amarillo,<br \/>\nTocapillo, Baranquilla, and Perdilla.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><del><a href=\"https:\/\/yayserver.com\/jessicaconoley\/ibetihd-boston-edition\/\">Boston<\/a>,<\/del> Charleston, Dayton, Louisiana,<br \/>\n<del><a href=\"https:\/\/yayserver.com\/jessicaconoley\/ibetihd-washington-edition\/\">Washington<\/a><\/del>, Houston, Kingston, Texarkana,<br \/>\nMonterey, Faraday, Santa Fe, Tallapoosa,<br \/>\nGlen Rock, Black Rock, Little Rock, Oskaloosa,<br \/>\n<del>Tennessee<\/del> to Tennesse Chicopee, Spirit Lake,<br \/>\nGrand Lake, Devils Lake, Crater Lake<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Louisville, Nashville, Knoxville, Ombabika,<br \/>\nSchefferville, Jacksonville, Waterville, Costa Rica,<br \/>\nPittsfield, <del>Springfield<\/del>, Bakersfield, Shreveport,<br \/>\nHackensack, Cadillac, Fond du Lac, Davenport,<br \/>\nIdaho, Jellico, Argentina, Diamantina,<br \/>\n<del>Pasadena<\/del>, Catalina<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Pittsburgh, Parkersburg, Gravelbourg, Colorado,<br \/>\nEllensburg, Rexburg, Vicksburg, Eldorado,<br \/>\nLarimore, Admore, Haverstraw, Chatanika,<br \/>\nChaska, <del>Nebraska<\/del>, Alaska, Opelika,<br \/>\nBaraboo, Waterloo, Kalamazoo, <del>Kansas City,<\/del><br \/>\nSioux City, Cedar City, Dodge City<\/p>\n<p>I had my Kansas City dinner on May 24, 2012 and I\u2019m lucky enough to have Bangor and Boston crossed off the list as well.<\/p>\n<p><em>Here\u2019s your disclaimer, the next few posts are going to have quite a bit of food in them\u2014so if you\u2019re hungry hold off on reading until after you\u2019ve had a snack.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>\u00a0***<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">I\u2019ve been to Kansas City, and then I had dinner.<\/p>\n<p>A picture of a palace accompanied the invite: \u201cWhile our dining space is a bit less ornate than Versailles, the experience will be just as engaging!\u201d I sent an excited yes acceptance, and knew I had the first dinner secured on my IBE&amp;TIHD dinner adventure.<\/p>\n<p>Location: A small eclectic dinner party at the home of friends in Kansas City, Missouri.<\/p>\n<p>Time: May 24, 2012. 6 p.m. \u2013 10 p.m.<\/p>\n<p>Cast: Six multi-talented individuals: our ages spanning three decades, all avid readers, two-thirds of us writers, with more than one philosopher thrown in to the mix.<\/p>\n<p>Part 1: Introductions are made. I sip Prosecco from a handmade purple flute, the artist wove tears of color through the glass. We get comfortable with one another as we nibble on tomato tapenade served on crackers, celery with cream cheese, and shrimp with cocktail sauce. Since crustaceans seem to find me particularly offensive, and try to kill me every time I eat them, I pass on the shrimp and focus on stories served from the lips of new friends.<\/p>\n<p>Part 2: Baskets of hard crusty bread and never-ending bottles of white wine adorn the candle-lit table. Our hostess reveals she\u2019s been preparing for our party for weeks. Carefully recreating recipes from the <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.rainydaybooks.com\/book\/9781449400613\">Blue Stem<\/a><\/em> cookbook, a beautiful volume she received for Christmas. Green pea soup, the color of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.rainydaybooks.com\/book\/9780684830681\">Scarlet O\u2019Hara\u2019s<\/a> beloved curtains, stands vibrant against a white bowl. Floating in the center is a dollop of rich cr\u00e8me fraiche topped with the zest of lemon.\u00a0\u00a0 The lemon zest was cured for three weeks and adds a salty brightness to the summer soup<\/p>\n<p>Part 3: Chicken breast with berries in cr\u00e8me sauce accompanied by vegetables in delicate slivers. I think I detect a hint of sage in the seasoning as I quarantine all the carrots to one quadrant of my plate. I ask about the sage, our chef gently tells me I\u2019m wrong. When she inquires about my carefully constructed carrot fort my date lets her know I\u2019m \u201ccarrot phobic\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Part 4: Mint ice cream served atop a chocolate torte\/cake. The cake is fantastic, but it\u2019s the ice cream I\u2019m in love with. Crisp mint against the chilled cream\u2014it rolls on your tongue with a delicate bite that makes me mourn the fact I\u2019ve eaten so much of everything else.<\/p>\n<p>The meal was exquisite, made with care and skill. Our hostess cleverly invited a group of storytellers from every walk of life. We learned of a friend\u2019s exile from a resort island, how it feels to watch your grandmother get arrested for bootlegging, and that <a href=\"http:\/\/www.rainydaybooks.com\/book\/9780786716562\">Gregory Peck<\/a> is a perfect gentleman. I couldn\u2019t have chosen a better dinner for the start of the IBE&amp;TIHD project.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Imagine me, driving down the road, as wind rushes in the moon roof, when the intro of I\u2019ve Been Everywhere Man crackles through my speakers. Johnny Cash rips through a dozen towns before the first chorus, and I think about how I haven\u2019t been everywhere. Then I start wondering about all those places Johnny\u2019s been&#8230;.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":661,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3,19,22],"tags":[17,18,20,21,23,24,25,26],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v19.12 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The \u201cI\u2019ve Been Everywhere, and Then I Had Dinner\u201d Project - Jessica Conoley<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"I&#039;ve Been Everywhere &amp; Then I Had Dinner | The origin story for Jessica Conoley&#039;s food &amp; travel adventure. 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