The mission: Two cheapskates forage for fine food wherever their noses and grumbling bellies take them.
The conversation that got things rolling:
Phil: Have we ever had lunch together?
Dave: No. And let's keep it that way.
The agreement (after the hurt feelings subsided):
We'll eat in our own orbits and share our discoveries.
The babbling begins (carefully crafted babbling):
We're discerning. But we're not sure about what foie gras is. Or fiddleheads. But we've tasted chicken feet and cabbage rolls and frogs legs. We've even eaten parsnips and brussel sprouts.
We mostly forage around Greater Victoria and Vancouver Island. But once in a while, we'll go wild and end up in Vancouver. Or Seattle. Or Kamloops.
We'll write in the third person and the first person. And with colons. We'll try hard to spell things correctly.
Now, on to the meat of the matter. (Groan.)
Our favourite high-value discovery so far -- the Stack Attack at Wendy's.
The best way to order it is with the cheeseburger and a small chili as a side. Skip the fries. They are not tasty at Wendy's -- at least at the one we frequent.
You get a small double cheeseburger (that's 2 patties with a slice of melted orange cheese), a small chili (say yes to the free crackers and hot sauce), and a small soft drink (which is plenty big enough).
A satisfying meal for the price -- $3.99. With tax, it comes to $4.19.
Dave likes to enjoy this meal in two sittings. He eats the burger and drinks the drink and saves the chili for later. He used to save the chili at his desk or in his car. Phil has 
scolded him for this and reminded Dave that there's a fridge in the staff lunchroom.
Phil eats the Stack Attack in one go, with a Wendy's-issue paper napkin tucked under his chin. He has had unfortunate experiences with chili splatter, despite using a spoon. He sometimes goes high-risk and eats the burger without a napkin under his chin.
The chili container is reassuring. It advises that the chili is a good source of fibre. It has plenty of beans, a scattering of celery (or is it green pepper?) and a generous amount of hamburger, all in a tasty (but not especially spicy) tomato-ey sauce.
Eat the chili first. It is best piping hot. It is not as good lukewarm or (eww, Dave) cold.
Go for a stroll after eating this meal. Despite the attractive cost, and tastiness, try to limit yourself to 2 Stack Attacks a month. You don't want to grow weary of such a fine deal.
Please do not typecast us because we've started off with a meal from a fast food restaurant. We will range far and wide and we will not ignore vegetables.
- - -
Eating my vegetables and chatting up fellow diners
Went to ReBar, the downtown Victoria vegetarian restaurant. Place was packed at 3 p.m. When ReBar is packed, elbow room is really, really at a premium. Tables are really, really close together, the aisles really, really narrow, and you fear that something will be spilled on you as wait staff struggle to squeeze by, and you sit with your stomach squished against the table to avoid trouble.
But the food is good.
Eating Companion No. 1 (not Dave) refuses to go here because it's so cramped. Doesn't think much of vegetables either.
But Eating Companion No. 2 (again, not Dave) is a vegetarian. So, ReBar was a perfect spot.
(Demographic note: way more women than men.)
I ordered the Monk's Curry for $15 (big); a smaller (but still generous) version is available for $11. Japanese eggplant, choy, oyster mushrooms, tofu cubes, potato slivers, peanuts, in a coconut-milk-based curry sauce (the sauce coated, did not drown, the ingredients). All this was on top of jasmine rice. Delicious.
The dish must have looked delicious from a distance, because as I headed into the home stretch, a woman who was on her way out approached and asked what I was eating. Monk's Curry - and it's tasty, I said. Looks tasty, she said.
I've been tempted to do that myself - ask fellow diners what they're eating and seek a quick review. Emboldened by the ReBar experience, maybe I'll start doing it. And hope that I don't get beaten up too often by people who don't want to be disturbed.
