#11 eat at Mama Mia's

I should explain that the 30 goals are in no particular order. The number simply corresponds to the hand written copy I created.

Mama Mia's is a greasy carry-out place that's at the edge of the Johns Hopkins Medical Campus. Located at the northwest corner of Broadway & Monument, its bright yellow and blue walls make this place stick out like a sore thumb next to red-brick school buildings. For over 4 years, I walk or drive by this place nearly everyday, but never had the courage to try it. What am I afraid of? The lack of sanitation and, I suppose, safety. I want to try this place because I think it would give me more street cred. Had Kennedy Krieger not been in the background, this place probably would have made it into The Wire. Today, as luck would have it, a couple of BPD officers were getting dinner at this fine establishment. So I had nothing to worry about, aside from the possibility of explosive diarrhea--but even then, it would be worth it.

So with much courage, I walked in the restaurant. Annnd, it's not so bad! Sure, it's crowded, a little dirty, and extremely hot since the stove has been going all day in a non-air conditioned room. But it's just people getting food, much like any other carry out place. It's a little chaotic inside: I took a few minutes to locate an outdated menu, even longer to figure out how to place my order, and then a lot of standing around waiting for my food. The cook was super nice. He called me "baby doll," I thought it was cute. Two minutes later I realized that he called every female customer, regardless of age or looks, the same name. I felt less special, but it's still cute. After about 15 minutes, I got my pepper steak and fries, and snapped this picture just outside.

By the time I sat down to eat, the brown paper bags had been completely soaked through by grease. Mmmmmm, clogged arteries. Friends, let me tell you, Mama Mia knows how to make a pepper steak sandwich. It was GREAT. Much better than Pat's and Geno's, that's for sure. It's been 6 hours since dinner, and no sign of GI distress yet. I think I'm safe for the night.

Verdict: delicious food, but I probably won't go again for the sake of my cardiovascular health.