Mezzes for the Masses

For what it's worth, today I was on full tilt as far as work went. Like Britney Spears, I was "in the zone." I know I'm there when I'm able to answer every question from the audience, when I'm speaking at around 200 words per minutes and not stammering, and when folks offer me a job. I then get an endorphin rush that helps me soar through the day, handing out my e-mail to people like candy to kids. Damn I was good.

Then 5:00 pm hits, the fans have gone, and the endorphins stop. My body slows, my brainbegins to shut down, I come over all mellow, and thoughts of ice-cold beers begin to dominate. Time for dinner.

This evenings trip was to a tapas bar just off the busy Queen Street thoroughfare, the Mezze Bar tucked discretely off an alleyway. On the specials list was the Cuba Libre - and I was in a Hemingway mood so this was a no brainer. Then my colleagues and I started stacking the table with a selection of meats and vegetables; chunks of marinated lamb; seasoned meatballs; chunky tuna; spiced potatoes; the list went on.

Funny thing about Cuba Libres is that they go down easy and don't become boring. And I certainly wasn't bored. We ate and drank enough to suggest we should take the long way home - via the dauntingly steep Auckland Domain, a piece of land in the center of the city that added around 45 minutes to our walk home.