harold and kumar ate at the wrong restaurant

Midwesterners have a funny little complex when it comes to food. They are OK knowing they have bad weather and Budweiser, but mention a fast food joint from one of the coasts, and they have to bring up their supposedly superior version. Well, I finally ate at the legendary Waffle Castle. Now, I'm not going to go trading in my gift certificates to In-N-Out (funny side note -- my gift certificates are all shaped like $20 bills, and I can get them from the ATM), but Waffle Castle is a pretty mighty experience.

If you go there for lunch, I suggest getting a triple order of Slyders smothered, covered, topped, and chicken-ringed. However, my favorite was actually the breakfast sandwich (I can't remember what it was called -- it was something slightly lame like Breakfastest Burger or Sunrise Slyder). It reminded me a lot of my Donut McMuffin, but with two pecan waffle-buns providing built-in finger grips. That is a sandwich whose one-handed eating convenience rivals the Taco Bell Good-To-Go.

If you want to try Waffle Castle for yourself, it is located in downtown St. Louis near the Arch, and across the street from the Bennihanagans Japanese-Irish-fusion restaurant. You can't miss it.

dls

hallmark is probably responsible for halloween too

Marley, my pet ghost in the linen closet, has gotten really picky about his food lately. To be honest, I'm not sure if he needs to eat, but my parents taught me the basic needs of pets, and one of them is food in a bowl shaped so they can't knock it over and violate the 5-second rule. Until they come out with the "Ghostbusters Guide to Feeding a Ghost that Looks like it Starred in Pac-Man," I'll stick to what I know.

He has no hands or mouth that I can see, but the bowl of Alpo disappears all the same. This is all pure speculation on my part, because I don't have a degree in biology, but my guess is it is on his underside, like a jellyfish or octopus. He lowers himself like a magician's handkerchief over an outstretched hand, and when he rises up, *poof*, the food has vanished.

Anyway, it used to be Alpo, because Oedipus the dog eats that too. Now though, he'll only eat Halloween-themed things. For example, he won't eat a porterhouse steak, but he'll eat a bowl of candy corn. He won't eat an orange, but he will if I draw a carved-pumpkin face on it with a Sharpie. Right now I'm just sprinkling his dog food with Boo Berries.

It is annoying, but I just tell myself it could be worse -- I could be living with an undead vegan.

dls