In a previous blog, I mentioned that I do not do well with medications stronger than regular strength Tylenol. That will come into play in this true story. Also, NEVER take medications that have not been prescribed to you…even if your mother says it’s okay!

Emily and I have a favorite restaurant in Muncie, IN called Vera Mae’s Bistro. We especially love dining at Vera Mae’s around Christmas time, as the restaurant is beautifully decorated for the holiday.

We have had many memorable visits to this wonderful establishment. The food, the service, the live music all make for an unforgettable experience.

Prior to venturing into the world of the vegan diet, I anxiously anticipated consuming the dill crusted cod, along with a salad with house made Bleu cheese or the French onion soup (which, seriously, is ridiculously good!). Emily regularly ordered the chicken brie raspberry, knowing she would be disappointed if she strayed from her favorite. And, of course, we left plenty of room for dessert (our favorite being the tiramisu from Ghyslain!).

Of course, we also had some memorable experiences shaped by unforeseeable “incidents”. You really can’t take the two of us anywhere!

One evening, a salad fork leapt from our table and came crashing down in the middle of the dining room. Hoping no one had noticed, we carried on our conversation and dining. Seconds later, one of the owners delivered a new fork to the table and politely said, “This might come in handy!”

We also enjoyed visiting Vera Mae’s with friends. One particular couple had the distinct pleasure of being with us for at lease two unique incidents.

As dinner was winding down, “someone” managed to shatter a glass on the table. It really was a freak accident. But, it was loud and messy. In addition to the water, in attempting to pick up some of the broken glass, I managed to slice my finger open and began bleeding. Thank goodness they used dark linen napkins! The waiter, who happened to be our waiter every-single-time we had an incident, came to the table and simply said, “Oh, I see we’ve had an incident.” After I apologized (I would like to point out that I am not the “someone” who broke the glass), he replied, “No worries. I typically have several incidents a night!”

Probably the most memorable incident (well, not for me, but for others) took place in the company of the previously mentioned couple. Emily and I were living in Lafayette at the time and were in Muncie visiting family and friends. We were both looking forward to getting together with our friends and enjoying a delicious meal!

Prior to leaving for dinner, I started to get a slight headache. We were at my parents house. I knew I needed to get ahead of the headache and asked my mother if she had any Tylenol. She fumbled around in the medicine cabinet and was unable to locate any Tylenol. However, she did find something that she proclaimed to be “just like Tylenol.”

Given that I trust my mother, I took the small bill and waited for it to kick in.

Just a quick note…NEVER take unknown, unprescribed medications from someone…not even from your mother! 

We were carpooling with our friends to the restaurant. On the way to the restaurant, I started feeling a bit “off” and told Emily that she would need to drive home. When I made this statement, she made the assumption that I was going to have an adult beverage with my meal.

However, the reality is that, as I was driving, I began to experience what I can only describe as tunnel vision, momentary blackouts and seeing stars. In hindsight, I probably should have pulled the car over.

Heading into the restaurant, others began to take notice that I was a bit “off”. When asked if I still felt up for dinner, my response was, “Yes. I think I just need to get something to eat and some water. I’ll be fine.” I was really looking forward to the dill crusted cod, tiramisu and time with friends.

Really, from that point forward, things are a bit fuzzy!

I know that I began to sweat profusely. Emily made the comment, “Jason, you are sweating a lot.” My response was a simple, “I am aware of that.”

One of our friends, who happens to be a dentist, started asking questions about what my mother had given me for the headache. Collectively, Emily and our friends made the decision that we needed to leave the restaurant and call it a night. We didn’t even make it to the salads!

Our friend, the dentist, said that we really needed to find out what my mother gave me so we could determine whether or not I could just go home and sleep it off or if I needed to go to the hospital.

Upon finding out what I was given (which was not “just like Tylenol”, more like extra strength Tylenol!), our friend indicated that I should be fine. He also shared that a person should never take it without food (in addition to not taking medicine that has not been prescribed by a professional…and, no, “Dr. Mom” does not count!).

On the drive home, I looked out the window and noticed that Muncie had a new Little Caesar’s! In my excitement, I exclaimed, “Well, &%$#, &@#$, Muncie has a Little Caesar’s.” Emily responded, “Guys, he must not feel well, because he didn’t say ‘**#$, #%^&, *^&*. If he left out the, #~%^, he must be out of it!”

After parting ways with our friends, we left the kids with my parents and Emily drove us back to Lafayette. I do not remember a single moment of the drive to Lafayette. However, I felt much better the next morning!

We’ve since had some successful, incident free visits to Vera Mae’s. I’m looking forward to being able to dine there again once things begin to open up again.

There are a few lessons here, folks…

1. Never take medicine that was not prescribed to you.
2. Mother’s should not be trusted!
3. Well, I’m just kidding about number 2. But, number one is vitally important.