Day 19: Falafel-ly delicious!

We noticed a few vegan options on the menu in the hotel restaurant, so we chose to stay in for lunch. I ordered the hummus wrap with mushrooms, tomatoes, and cucumbers. It was... food. That's about the most excited I can get about it. Scott ordered the grilled tofu with an orange glaze, snow peas, and coleslaw. He thought it was good enough, but I was just as underwhelmed with his lunch as I was with mine. At least it only cost $40.

Apparently ALL of the hummus balances
precariously on the very edge of
the pita in this photo.

After the next two conference sessions wrapped up, I was starving.  We found a place called Great Wraps in the food court at Jacksonville Landing and figured that was our only safe bet.  Our options were a hummus & veggie wrap (sounds familiar) or a falafel pita. I'd never had falafel before and was desperate to not repeat the disappointment we overpaid for at lunch. Falafel it is!

Now, let me be clear... I'm disappointed. Not a single one of you ever told me how delicious falafel is! Why must you deprive me of one of the only fried foods I'm still able to enjoy?! It was crispy, filling, and completely satiated my craving for chicken strips. (Are you still technically a vegan if you crave fried chicken?) I don't know if I'll ever try to make it myself, because I'm fairly certain I'd ruin it, but I will definitely be ordering at restaurants in the future.

Other things I've seen so far in Jacksonville:

• A lady taking her sleepy kitten for stroll down the riverwalk.
• Lots of military helicopter flyovers.
• SO MANY NICE LIZARDS.
• The Maxwell House coffee factory (one of only two in the country, I'm told)
• EverBank Field, home of the Jaguars. It was built in '95 and it looks like they never bothered finishing it. Still cool to see another NFL stadium, though.
• An all-black utility van being used as an ice cream truck while blasting children's songs remixed with rap beats. The sign in the windshield said "HOT NUTS $3.75." Quite the entrepreneur.
• A German-themed marathon going past our hotel. Lots of sweaty lederhosen.
• A miniature pig walking down the riverwalk in a tiny pink dress.

 I like you, Jacksonville. You're alright by me.

Our walk from dinner back to the hotel. Not too shabby, J-ville.