Adventure #9- "I'm stopping at McDonald's on the way home . . . "

Today all eight Fearless Femmes reunited for an adventure, planned by Lisa, which she described as "Fear Factor meets happy hour."  Hmmmm . . . . hope somebody brought the Pepto! 

 

Before we headed out on our adventure, we met up at Brandi's house for a photo shoot with little Miss Tegan, proudly sporting her FF onesie!




We all love Tegan!

Future Fearless Femme

After that sweet litte distraction, it was back to the business of adventure for us!  We made the journey from south Olathe to downtown KC (again, an adventure itself for some), and found ourselves at Extra Virgin, a Spanish-inspired tapas restaurant.  We were seated in a semi-private area in the restaurant and presented with our challenge . . . their "For the adventurous" menu . . .

 

 

After much hesitation, and some convincing from Lisa, we all decided* to sample the first seven items on the list.  (*A more accurate description would be, "some of us willfully decided, while some were forced into the decision.")  There were definitely mixed feelings regarding the acceptance of our fate, ranging from excitement, to indifference, to dread.  As the first plates arrived, eyes widened, mouths dropped, noses crinkled, and prayers were said. 

 

 

First up, was the duck gizzards!  Super chewy and rubbery, most of us had a hard time choking these down due to the texture.  I thought they smelled like fried chicken, but the taste was no match.  Alli had the most trouble with these, and had to be bullied, guilt-tripped and berated compassionately coaxed into trying one after she was singled out as the only Femme who had not tried at least one bite of everything. 

 

 

Next up, were the trotter cakes . . . made from pigs hooves . . . we immediately regretted asking the waitress what they were.  But alas, we are fearless and we were here for one reason alone.  And what do you know?  We actually kind of liked these! Kind of like crabcakes . . . except grittier.  Brandi and Meghan's favorite . . . although I'm sure Meghan would clarify here that "favorite" is used loosely, and "most tolerable" may be more appropriate. :)

 

 

What's this?  A variety of baby lettuces.  This looks like something we would eat everyday!  Except those little tan strips and curls you see scattered throughout.  Those little, seemingly innocent things are derived from pig ears!  They had an exceptionally crunchy (like stale-crunchy) consistency and a mild, salty taste.  Surprisingly unoffensive and unmemorable.

 

 

Next out were the pork belly and the marrow bones.  The belly was reminiscent of a pork rib you could find at any KC BBQ joint, except MUCH fattier.  The problem with this dish was the fatty consistency, not the taste.  The marrow bones (literally, a bone split in half, filled with marrow) were served with thick-sliced bread to spread the marrow on after you scoop it out of the bone.  This was by far the most foul-smelling of all our delicacies, and I had a hard time with the pungent, putrid aroma.  Some of the other girls didn't seem to mind it.

 

 

Everybody loves pasta, right?  Wrong!  These raviolis were stuffed with snail and prosciutto, and topped with sweetbreads, aka animal glands.  Meghan took one bite and was done with these, while Meagan really enjoyed them.  They had a familiar seafood-type smell/taste to them, and I thought they were one of the more "normal" items we tried that day.

 

Last, but not least, Lisa's favorite . . . the duck tongue tacos.  Don't let the name (or the contents) scare you.  These were actually quite tasty.  With a crunchy shell, topped off with a generous amount of cheese, and a squeeze of lime juice, I can't say that I could distinguish what duck tongue actually tastes like.  This was just another fancy taco to me.  

 

Don't let those smiles fool you . . . not everyone was a fan of the cuisine

 

In the end, we all survived, no one got sick, and we were still smiling.  I'd call that a successful adventure.  We were all extremely proud of Amy, who we expected to have the hardest time with this adventure.  She tried everything; keeping a positive attitude and open mind throughout.  You're a soldier Amy!  Thanks for reminding us what this club is all about.

Amy, not afraid of a little duck tongue

Then there was Alli, who was caught off guard by how difficult this adventure was for her.  Alli is one of the three of us who has not missed a single adventure, and she almost always asks to go first.  She is one tough and courageous girl.  We were all surprised by how much she struggled through this, but in the end she pulled it out! 

 

Alli, struggling to swallow a duck gizzard

I would pair Meghan and Brandi together as the two that didn't really care for any of it, but dutifully obliged and tried everything without too much struggle.  Meghan did admit, "I'm not very good at this mind over matter thing."  Brandi was so excited that she was finally able to partake in an adventure, I don't want to think of what all she may have been willing to try just because she could!

Meghan, thankful for the bread that accompanied the marrow

 

Brandi, getting friendly with the bone and all its marrow

One rung up the ladder, I would place myself and Jessi.  We were excited about this adventure, happily sampled everything, and kept our cool throughout.  I can't say that we will ever make a return to EV for any of the items, but we honestly enjoyed the experience and (some of) the food.

 

Destiny, poppin' gizzards

Jessi, lovin' her some gizzards

Finallly, rounding out the top tier, would be Lisa and Meagan.  If there were ever a Fear Factor, Food Edition, these girls would surely take home the top prize.  They not only tried everything, they really truly enjoyed a lot of it.  We had no doubt Lisa would be the crusader and the champion of this adventure, and she did not disappoint.  Meagan was more of a surprise.  As each plate arrived to our table, I snapped a photo before anyone started eating from it.  At one point I was slacking on the job, and Meagan had to keep me on track as she couldn't wait to try the next thing!  I saw her go back for seconds multiple times. 

 

Lisa, enjoying a little pork belly

 

Meagan, sucking marrow

Once it was all said and done, we collectively recalled our past adventures, and went around the table sharing our "pit" and our "peak." (Yes, we got it from the Kardashians)  The responses varied, and today's adventure was listed as both a "peak" and a "pit."  It was interesting to hear how our adventures have made lasting impressions, affected our emotions, and challenged us all differently.  I just love my Femmes!   

 



With Chef/Owner Michael Smith

 

Photo bonus: some candid shots that display our honest thoughts:

 

 

And, Alli being force-fed her gizzard:

 



 

Adventure #8- "And you thought you had a camel toe yesterday . . ."

Last summer, while we were all having a good time at a pool party, a wild idea popped in my head and I enthusiastically stated that I would be celebrating my 30th birthday in Cabo!  I'm sure many people have similar grand plans and exotic ideas for their milestone birthdays, many of which never come to fruition.  Luckily, I have some of the most amazing, fun-loving, generous and thoughtful friends in the world, and they happily obliged my scheming. For the past year, we have been counting down the days in anxious anticipation of our beach vacation.  On July 25, we finally found ourselves on the sandy shores of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico!  During our six-night stay, we spent plenty of time lounging by the pool, sipping frozen concoctions, and simply being "beach bums."  Let's not forget though, that we are Fearless Femmes, and we could not leave Mexico without an adventure or two under our belts.

Fearless Femmes by the famous Arco in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

For our big adventure, we took a one-hour bus ride inland to an area where desert meets mountains, creating a unique ecosystem with rocky cliffs, ravines, canyons and lush greenery.  The bus dropped us off at "base camp" where we were outfitted with helmets, harnesses, gloves, and all sorts of hooks, clips and carabiners.  After signing an all-too-familiar liability waiver and receiving a brief orientation ("don't do this unless you want to dislocate your shoulder"), we were loaded into all-terrain vehicles and taken uphill, to the start of the course.  We unloaded and started our hike through the woodsy trails that led us from one obstacle to another.  These obstacles included seven or eight ziplines, a tight-rope bridge, a rickety footbridge (Indiana Jones style), a Tarzan swing, a rock wall climb and rappelling!

All geared up and ready for adventure!  Notice the "OH MY GOD size" helmet required to fit my large dome :(

Group pic of everyone in our tour group and our funny guides

Our first runs on the zipline could be best described as cautious, with our vision focused strictly on the quickly-approaching landing platform.  Our instructions were to place our dominant hand loosely around the rope behind us, and to press our palm down on the rope when it was time to slow down at the end of the line.  I'm pretty sure we all burned through a few layers of the leather pads on our gloves because we were pumping the brakes longer and harder than we were supposed to.  However, it wasn't long before we had all warmed up to the ziplining and progressed from insecure novices to speed-seeking aficionados, some even daring enough to take our eyes off the landing platform to appreciate the surrounding scenery.  There were a few rough landings, but for the most part we all were pretty proficient.  Our final zipline was over 1600 ft long and our guides informed us that we could reach speeds of up to 45 mph! The ziplining was definitely the highlight of the day.  Even those with fears of heights said that it was much more enjoyable than they ever imagined it could be.

We were less fond of the bridges and specifically, their instability.  It didn't help that our playful guides were taunting us by bouncing on the ropes and shaking the bridge.  The general concensus on the rock wall climb was that it was easier than anticipated, and the Tarzan swing was simply a lot of fun.  Surprisingly, rappelling came in close second as the favorite event of the day.  It was also probably the proudest accomplishment amongst those who did it, as our initial concern was that this would be the most challenging and potentially terrifying of all the obstacles. 

Unfortunately, Amy and I did not complete the rappelling as I had just suffered some sort
of "episode" brought on by the physical exertion of our hike, combined with the heat and being dehydrated, and was having trouble breathing.  After resting for a few minutes and rehydrating, I was able to continue on, but didn't think the extended hike involved with the rappelling was in my best interest.  Amy stayed with me, and we were able to do an additional zipline instead of the rappelling.  This allowed us a great lookout from which we watched the other girls fly down that cliff.  We were highly entertained as the sound of their screeches carried all the way across the canyon!  I was super bummed that I was unable to complete the entire adventure, and embarrassed by my lack of physical stamina, but the girls, and our guides, were extremely understanding and compassionate.  Thanks girls for taking care of me and for carrying on when I fell short.  So proud of you all!

Alli on the rock wall climb

Amy on the crazy ladder/wall climb

Destiny on the Tarzan swing

Jessi rappelling

Meagan on the Tarzan swing (note Amy on the bridge in the background)

Final verdict?  Our Mexican outdoor adventure was a fantastic experience, in which we were being physically challenged and mentally thrilled, having fun, conquering fears, and making memories!  From our guides, to the scenery, to the young kids in our group who fearlessly led the pack, every aspect of the day was unforgettable.

The rest of our week in Cabo wasn't so bad either . . .