Happy New Year! From Golden Corral!

"I recommend the Macaroni and Cheese."

I was having a New Year's Eve dinner with my date, Kim, at Golden Corral.

Before you say anything, this wasn't my choice. And it most certainly wasn't Kim's choice. She protested loudly at the suggestion.

We were going to an impromptu dinner with her mom and step-dad, and well, we got outvoted and Golden Corral it was.

So as we grabbed our neon plates and crusty silverware and moved toward the first buffet line, I leaned to Kim and said, "I recommend the Macaroni and Cheese."

She wasn't amused.

She looked like a deer in headlights as we walked in to the place just minutes earlier. And as we sat in the car in the parking lot just before that, she made it a point that she as a nurse knew what kind of public health risks buffets like this could offer.

But Kim was a trooper. She found a few things she would eat without fear of vomiting before we started having some New Year's Eve cocktails later that night.

Me? I thought I was in Heaven. Well I was, in a way, because I was in Iowa. * (c) 2011 Copyright of Cliches of Field of Dreams, Inc.

I had some mashed potatoes and gravy, some pot roast (actually they labeled it the "Awesome Pot Roast" if I remember correctly). A few green beans and some kind of a potatoey, bacony thing that I couldn't pass up.

Washed it down with a few Pepsi's (They only serve Pepsi brand soft drinks, if you're planning a romantic dinner there in the near future) and some mixture of chocolatecakepuddingcookiesandcreamthingie.

It was an awesome start to the night, because it was something that created some great memories that make me laugh until I snort.

My only recommendation is not to put that kind of a meal into your belly before you head out to enjoy some schooners/pints/shots/pints/shots/pints/water/champagne/pints/shots/pints.

And also, for your future reference, if you do combine the Golden Corral/Heavy New Year's Eve Style Drinking, be prepared for a much worse hangover than usual. My only guess is that for some reason, the Golden Corral Awesome Pot Roast must repel the alcohol rather than soak it up.

I had an outstanding New Year's Eve, regardless of the GCH (Golden Corral Hangover) syndrome.

Because when you're with good company, it doesn't matter where you are or what you eat. Laughing until you snort is sometimes worth a trip to the GC.

Happy New Year, everyone!

And I highly recommend the Macaroni and Cheese!