Elijah Rock
Shout shout!
Elijah Rock
Comin’ up Lord…
In the past two years, I’ve gone to bed before midnight fewer times than I have fingers on one hand (I have five fingers on each hand, in case you were wondering. Food Bloggers: They’re Just Like You). Very, very rarely, though, I’m so exhausted by a day’s events that I find myself under the covers at the whopping is-the-apocalypse-coming hour of 11:30pm.
Prior to yesterday, the last time this happened was in Melbourne in December. I’d spent the day walking around Melbourne with the BFF (eating a delicious lunch halfway through that I promise to tell you about soon), and had then gone out to dinner with said BFF, Maria, their menfolk, and my brother.
We went to The Abyssinian, an Ethiopian restaurant, where we ordered two mixed platters between the seven of us (I still dream about the spicy pumpkin, which is at the bottom right of the photo above). Throughout the night, I saw every other table in the [packed] restaurant send back their banquet platters with at least half the food left uneaten.
We seven intrepid eaters? Well, we ate every single morsel. Even the lettuce leaves (the rest of them have me to thank for that. Woot lettuce! We would’ve failed in our quest to finish every bite had I not taken the lettuce for the team). Translation: food bloggers and our compadres rock.
Then, as if the exhaustingness of hours of walking and two restaurant extravaganzas in one day weren’t enough, I returned to my brother’s house that night to experience:
a) a mini-meltdown over a huntsman and her just-hatched nest of baby spiders in the room I was to sleep in, and
b) a Jam Doughnut.
It begins.
In this case, a Jam Doughnut turned out to be a cocktail comprised of Bailey’s Irish Cream and Chambord. I was so tired I almost couldn’t lift the shot-glass to my lips, but I drew on my reserves and gulped that bad boy down.
It was delicious.
Chambord first!
Wait, what was the point of this story?
Oh, yes. It was meant to function as a brief introduction to yesterday.
Yesterday was the second time in the past six months that I found myself exhausted by a day’s events. And just like that glorious Melbourne adventure, the tiredness was absolute welcomed for it arose from utter, utter happiness.
(Who would’ve thought, when I texted the fantasticful Conor on Wednesday asking her to distract me so that I wouldn’t burst into tears on the bus, that I could feel so joyful three days later?)
Yesterday, I spent seven straight hours at a gospel workshop led by Eric Dozier. That man’s passion for music as intertwined with social change, for history as imaged in lyrics, and for laughter and triumph as enveloped by harmonies, made me remember how uplifting music can be, and how exhilarated I can feel when I’m a part of it.
I was also relieved that Eric encouraged – nay, ordered – us to move to the music, as singing for hours at higher registers than I’m used to caused an over-oxygenated dizziness that, in turn, led to me swaying very rhythmically… quite unintentionally.
Ta-daa! A[n off-centre-photo of a] Jam Doughnut.
Add a delicious morning and afternoon tea to the gorgeous music, the laughter, the friendly members of the Strange Weather Gospel Choir, and the awe I felt for Eric’s talent, and I found myself thrumming through one of the best days I’ve had in a long time.
There’s only one more thing I have to say to you…
Gonna lay down my burdens
Down by the riverside
Down by the riverside
Down by the riverside…
Can’t wait to hear some of those songs (in the flesh as it were), but you can keep the jam doughnut. I like my alcohol simple – as in wine.
But don’t you just love the idea of your two kids drinking cocktails together at midnight? (I bet that’s not what you had in mind when you refused to let us drink soft drinks as kids
)
P.S. Can’t wait to proclaim ”In that great gettin’ up mornin’, fare you well, fare you well” to you!
Nice!
Your reference to the Huntsman spider made me laugh. I too have had some hairy encounters with them ( pardon the pun )
I haven’t tried this form of jam donut before, looks great!
As someone who generally avoids cocktails, the jam donut/doughnut was new to me too! Very sweet, but yummy
Sometimes I think it’s unfair that hunstmans are so scary-looking when they’re relatively harmless. Why not make it easy for everyone and just make them look non-threatening?!
Ew, just-hatched baby spiders are *the worst*. They’re so little, and run everywhere. I was babysitting once and one of the 10-year old boys found a bunch of spider babies and screeched, and I had to pretend to be the adult and vacuum them up. Yeeks.
That Ethiopian food looks so great. Have you been to Fekerte’s in Canberra? That’s the last place I’ve had injera. I miss it so much! Townsville needs a good Ethiopian place, I think.
That cocktail/shot looks really yummy, too. I made vegan irish cream once. Maybe I’ll have to make another batch for graduation celebrations in April…
Ah, so it was a case of ‘fake it til you make it’ when you were babysitting, then? Well done you! I actually was really proud of myself because I at first said I couldn’t sleep in the room, but I put on my big girl panties and slept there two nights in a row. Just tried not to look at the hundreds of tiny babies scuttling around…
Would you believe I’ve never been to Fekerte’s?! Shame on me! And I’d love to hear about this vegan irish cream of yours
We went to Fekertes in Canberra and were pretty underwhelmed. I have been to a few ethiopian restaurants in Sydney that were 10 times better and much much cheaper.
Wow that looks so PURTY if I say so mahself…
Thanks Ellie
The restaurant sounds great. Haven’t had a chance to try Ethiopian food yet. The jam doughnut sounds exactly like the thing you’d need after discovering a huntsman in your room!
Absolutely! If anything in this world can drive me to drink, it’s spiders.
This was my first time trying Ethiopian too! I like it, although I don’t know if there are enough desserts involved for it to become a favourite cuisine of mine 
Oh No…, I have bad memories of Jam Doughnuts…. it wasn’t my fault I swear
Sounds like you’ve had an awesome time of it to wear yourself out singing & a
swayin’ – Go You Good Thing
Hahaha! It sounds like your experience of Jam Doughnuts might be like mine with “rocket fuel”
And thanks Anna! I had a wonderful time 
I’m with you on being a night owl but sleep when you are exhausted with happiness is a beautiful thing – praise the lord hallelujah!
it’s a problem for us night owls – when you get to bed early it just feels weird!
The Abyssinian – that’s about 300m from my house! Ah well, maybe next time…..
Oh my gosh, really?? The brother and I drove past it again on our way to and from Barwon Heads, which means I was close to you three times and never saw your beautiful face! Tragedy!
I had a jam doughnut cocktail at christmas and it was scrumdiddlyumptious!
I’ve only tried Ethiopian food a couple of times but I’ve really liked it!
Seems like I’m one of the only people who didn’t know what this cocktail was until recently! I can definitely understand why it appeals to you and me, what with our sweet tooths and all
Haha whenever I tell people that the previous night I ‘was in bed before midnight’, they’re all genuinely shocked…
I’ve been meaning to go to The Abyssinian but have never got around to it. Food looks delicious though! Ditto the jam donut. Mmmmm.
Hmm, I wonder if the night-owl thing is related to the blogging thing?
You should definitely go to The Abyssinian! Just remember to take along a big appetite 
Hallelujah! I have jam donut fixin’s in the cupboard. Whoa there Nelly, that’s some dangerous learnin. I lerve Chambord. I usually stick it in the bottom of a champagne cocktail, or it’s my go to liquer for baking. Now I have another use to contemplate…. Pity it’s late on a Sunday night. Would it look sad to drink jam donuts when you’re the only one up? Well except the dog who is staring at me in that unnerving dog-stare way.
I’d never had Chambord before this! I’m not a big spirits drinker but it was suprisingly tasty… then again, I do love my berry-flavoured sweets
Oh, and Louise, you’re totally justified in making yourself a nightcap right now. After all, you aren’t the only one up. So many of us bloggers are too!
ha, I can count the number of times I’ve stayed up until 11am on my 2 hands
*laughs* Opposite ends of the spectrum then!
Chambord is one of my all time favourites.
That is all
I’ve clearly been missing out!
Welllll, I am not a Bailey’s fan, but I do like Chambord, so perhaps I need to try one of those!
Or you could just drink the Chambord straight
I am really surprised that I’ve never heard of the Jam Doughnut. It’s so college. But, maybe a little too classy for college. After all, it doesn’t involve vodka or orange juice.
However, I have sampled the disgusting Dirty Girl Scout. Bailey’s, kahlua, peppermint schnapps [or several other chocolate/mint variations]. Whipped cream to the face is optional.
*laughs* I think my brother and his housemates would like to think that a Jam Doughnut is the epitome of class
And really, drinks aren’t college-like unless they’re drunk out of red cups, right?
Oh heavens, that Dirty Girl Scout sounds horrendous! Plus my prudishness is against it on principle
oh wow that sounds like something I NEED to try
also, I can assure you, I NEVER go to bed before midnight haha. Maybe that’s the reason why I can’t wake up prior to 9 a.m……
Amen, sister! 7:30am to me is what 4am is to normal people (although maybe they’re the abnormal ones?
)
Oh! We have The Abyssinian here too… so delish! I need to sleep earlier…. always staying up late… bad for me. So tired the next day
Penny, it was your Abyssinian that I was at! This post is referring to my Melbourne visit last December
That Jam Doughnut looks… *shudder* Has it curdled??
PS: Can’t believe walking around for a couple of hours, and two restaurant meals wore you out! Where’s your stamina?
I certainly hope it hadn’t curdled, but I was so tired I probably wouldn’t have noticed anyway! In my defense, I was wearing boots that day, which upped my body temperature by about a hundred and forty degrees, and I’d had too much fun testing out both your guest bedroom and couch as possible sleeping destinations to actually sleep, and, um, I’m a bit of a weakling.
Oh girlfriend, if you haven’t laid down your burdens at the end of that, then there’s never gonna be no light to shine. LOVE Ethiopian food with my WHOLE heart.
Oh, thanks Tammy! What a wonderful comment to read today
If my body could handle it, I would also probably never (how’s that for a string of poorly related words) go to bed before midnight. Alas, I have chosen the worst profession ever for a night owl.
Ah, yes, the dreaded “work” aspect of one’s sleeping habits. I’m sure my night-owlness would go straight out the window if I actually *had* to get up at an early hour
I MUST try that Jam Doughnut shot someday. Must must must. And when you come here, I know of several YOU must try: pineapple upside down cake, oatmeal cookie, and birthday cake shots, for starters.
Also, Ethiopian food is the bomb. Fact.
Oooh, those sound like precisely the kind of sweeeeeet cocktails I usually avoid at all costs… but for you, Amber, I’ll drink anything
(Oh, who am I kidding. I love the sound of a pineapple upside-down cake shot.)
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