And it's all good

What does a foodie do when her editor announces that instead of spending the afternoon discussing journalistic practices in the office, they're going out for a "taste test?" She flips out, of course!

Today, my editor and I, along with another intern, spent the afternoon in Roslindale and West Roxbury. The weather was nice after so long and we just walked the streets stopping at pizza parlors and sampling their cheese pizza.

In four hours, we covered five places. The original plan had been to go to six. But one place didn't open for a while longer. And it also looked a little sketchy, so we were happy about the opportune timing that the food wasn't available. Heavy wood-paneled interiors, only one aged waiter and two old women sitting at a booth, complete with a martini in the middle of the afterrnoon...this place definitely gave us the creeps.

It was a sort of sneaky exercise, heading to the counter and asking for a slice of cheese pizza without identifying our reason for being there. Once we got our hand on the delectable (although not always) slice, we took pictures of it. The next few minutes were spent rolling the food in our mouth, investigating for saltiness, oregano falvoring, texture of the cheese, crispiness of the crust, color, feel, look, taste! Phew...exhausting, yet heavenly.

After the fifth pizza sample we were ready to call it a day. But I wasn't done yet. A friend and I headed to Sweet, on Mass. Ave and sampled the famous red velvet cupcake and another coconut flavored one. Never a fan of coconut, my opinion did not change today. However, the red velvet was a pleasant surprise. Moist and sweet, but not in a cloying way. And the interiors were interesting. It was easy to imagine that you had gone back in time to the 60s, when roller skates were still cool and you couldn't wait for the captain of the football team to take you to the drive-in movie theatre in his vintage red Ford Mustang. Done in shades of pink and brown, it was a convincing match for the fare served there. However, I doubt I'll make the effort to return. Just doesn't seem worth the effort.

A day when the sun is out and features freinds and pizza while working...it's hard for that to turn out wrong.